Articles

A multimodal intervention to improve hand hygiene compliance in peripheral wards of a tertiary care university centre: a cluster randomised controlled trial

Interventions to improve hand hygiene (HH) compliance are a key element in the practice infection prevention and control. It was our objective to assess the effect of a multimodal intervention on HH compliance...

Authors: Seven Johannes Sam Aghdassi, Christin Schröder, Elke Lemke, Michael Behnke, Patricia Manuela Fliss, Carolin Plotzki, Janina Wenk, Petra Gastmeier and Tobias Siegfried Kramer

Molecular analysis of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates from four teaching hospitals in Iran: the emergence of novel MRSA clones

The global spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections necessitates the use of validated methods for the identification and typing of this bacterium. This study aimed to determine the ...

Authors: Farzaneh Firoozeh, Mitra Omidi, Mahmood Saffari, Hossein Sedaghat and Mohammad Zibaei

The rapid and visual detection of methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus using multiplex loop-mediated isothermal amplification linked to a nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), including methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), is an eminent human pathogen that can colonize the human host and cause severe lif...

Authors: Xu Chen, Kai Ma, Xu Yi, Lijuan Xiong, Yu Wang and Shijun Li

Healthcare workers’ perspectives on healthcare-associated infections and infection control practices: a video-reflexive ethnography study in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a global public health problem. For the fulfillment of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the promotion of preventive care medicine through HAI management is a crucial issu...

Authors: Esther Paul, Ibrahim A. Alzaydani Asiri, Ahmed Al-Hakami, Harish C. Chandramoorthy, Sarah Alshehri, C. M. Beynon, Abdullah M. Alkahtani and Ali H. Asiri

Increase of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strain type ST117 CT71 at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 2008 to 2018

In addition to an overall rise in vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm), an increase in certain strain types marked by sequence type (ST) and cluster type (CT) has been reported in Germany over the pa...

Authors: Anna Weber, Friederike Maechler, Frank Schwab, Petra Gastmeier and Axel Kola

The effect of temporary closure and enhanced terminal disinfection using aerosolized hydrogen peroxide of an open-bay intensive care unit on the acquisition of extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii

At Makassed Hospital’s open-bay intensive care unit (ICU), enhanced terminal disinfection (ETD) using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) was performed without a predefined schedule in extensively-drug-resistant Acinetobact...

Authors: Rima Moghnieh, Hani Tamim, Marwa Jadayel, Dania Abdallah, Rasha Al-Kassem, Hind Kadiri, Hani Hafez, Salam Al-Hassan, Lina Ajjour, Rawad Lakkis, Tamima Jisr, Nadia-Lara Samaha and Nicholas Haddad

Gut microbiome signatures of nursing home residents carrying Enterobacteria producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases

The prevalence of extended beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) has been constantly increasing over the last few decades. These microorganisms that have acquired broad antibiotic resistance are...

Authors: Quentin Le Bastard, Guillaume Chapelet, Gabriel Birgand, Benjamin M. Hillmann, François Javaudin, Niki Hayatgheib, Céline Bourigault, Pascale Bemer, Laure De Decker, Eric Batard, Didier Lepelletier and Emmanuel Montassier

Recommendations for the surveillance of multidrug-resistant bacteria in Italian long-term care facilities by the GLISTer working group of the Italian Association of Clinical Microbiologists (AMCLI)

Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are an important reservoir of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). Colonization of LTCF residents by MDROs is generally higher in Italy compared to other European countries....

Authors: Richard Aschbacher, Leonardo Pagani, Roberta Migliavacca and Laura Pagani

A population-base survey on knowledge, attitude and awareness of the general public on antibiotic use and resistance

This study was designed to assess the awareness and knowledge of antibiotic usage and antibiotic resistance among the general public in the Cape Coast metropolis of Ghana. It also tries to decipher whether the...

Authors: Clement Yaw Effah, Adwoa Nyantakyiwaa Amoah, Hong Liu, Clement Agboyibor, Lijun Miao, Jing Wang and Yongjun Wu

The 2017 global point prevalence survey of antimicrobial consumption and resistance in Canadian hospitals

Patient-level surveillance (indication, appropriate choice, dosing, route, duration) of antimicrobial use in Canadian hospitals is needed to reduce antimicrobial overuse and misuse. Patient-level surveillance ...

Authors: Charles Frenette, David Sperlea, Greg J. German, Kevin Afra, Jennifer Boswell, Sandra Chang, Herman Goossens, Jennifer Grant, Marie-Astrid Lefebvre, Allison McGeer, Dominic Mertz, Michelle Science, Ann Versporten and Daniel J. G. Thirion

A review of animal health and drug use practices in India, and their possible link to antimicrobial resistance

Livestock production, particularly the dairy sector, is important for food and nutritional wellbeing of communities in India, it supports livelihoods of many farmers, and contributes to the economy of the coun...

Authors: Florence Mutua, Garima Sharma, Delia Grace, Samiran Bandyopadhyay, Bibek Shome and Johanna Lindahl

Containing Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in an endemic setting

Carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (CP-Kp) has been established as important nosocomial pathogen in most tertiary care hospitals in Greece. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of an enhanced...

Authors: Kalliopi Spyridopoulou, Mina Psichogiou, Vana Sypsa, Vivi Miriagou, Amalia Karapanou, Linos Hadjihannas, Leonidas Tzouvelekis and George L. Daikos

The first nationwide multicenter study of Acinetobacter baumannii recovered in Serbia: emergence of OXA-72, OXA-23 and NDM-1-producing isolates

The worldwide emergence and clonal spread of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is of great concern. The aim of this nationwide study was to investigate the prevalence of CRAB isolates in Serbia ...

Authors: Bojana Lukovic, Ina Gajic, Ivica Dimkic, Dusan Kekic, Sanja Zornic, Tatjana Pozder, Svetlana Radisavljevic, Nataša Opavski, Milan Kojic and Lazar Ranin

Risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by aerosols, the rational use of masks, and protection of healthcare workers from COVID-19

To determine the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by aerosols, to provide evidence on the rational use of masks, and to discuss additional measures important for the protection of healthcare workers from COVID-19.

Authors: Rami Sommerstein, Christoph Andreas Fux, Danielle Vuichard-Gysin, Mohamed Abbas, Jonas Marschall, Carlo Balmelli, Nicolas Troillet, Stephan Harbarth, Matthias Schlegel and Andreas Widmer

Mechanisms affecting the implementation of a national antimicrobial stewardship programme; multi-professional perspectives explained using normalisation process theory

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) describes activities concerned with safe-guarding antibiotics for the future, reducing drivers for the major global public health threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where...

Authors: Kay Currie, Rebecca Laidlaw, Valerie Ness, Lucyna Gozdzielewska, William Malcom, Jacqueline Sneddon, Ronald Andrew Seaton and Paul Flowers

The association of a reduced susceptibility to moxifloxacin in causative Clostridium (Clostridioides) difficile strain with the clinical outcome of patients

To investigate the relationship between Clostridium (Clostridioides) difficile strain characteristics and C. difficile infection (CDI) outcome.

Authors: Marcela Krutova, Vaclav Capek, Elka Nycova, Sabina Vojackova, Magda Balejova, Lenka Geigerova, Renata Tejkalova, Lenka Havlinova, Iva Vagnerova, Pavel Cermak, Lenka Ryskova, Petr Jezek, Dana Zamazalova, Denisa Vesela, Alice Kucharova, Dana Nemcova…

Gonococcal resistance can be viewed productively as part of a syndemic of antimicrobial resistance: an ecological analysis of 30 European countries

It is unclear how important bystander selection is in the genesis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Authors: Chris Kenyon, Sheeba S. Manoharan-Basil and Christophe Van Dijck

Effect of urine reflex culturing on rates of cultures and infections in acute and long-term care

Urine cultures are often positive in the absence of a urinary tract infection (UTI). Pyuria is generally considered necessary to diagnose a UTI.

Authors: Chelsea S. Lynch, Andrea Appleby-Sigler, Jacqueline T. Bork, Rohini Davé, Kathy Agnes, Molly Sanikop, Doris Heath, Arlene F. Clark, Kimberly Claeys, Min Zhan and Daniel J. Morgan

The impact of antimicrobial stewardship program implementation at four tertiary private hospitals: results of a five-years pre-post analysis

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs have shown to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and health-care-associated infections (HAIs), and save health-care costs associated with an inappro...

Authors: Awad Al-Omari, Abbas Al Mutair, Saad Alhumaid, Samer Salih, Ahmed Alanazi, Hesham Albarsan, Maha Abourayan and Maha Al Subaie

First report of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance mcr-8.1 gene from a clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate from Lebanon

Colistin is considered as a last resort treatment for infections caused by multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Plasmid-mediated mobile colistin resistance (mcr) genes contributed to the global spread of colis...

Authors: Tamara Salloum, Balig Panossian, Ibrahim Bitar, Jaroslav Hrabak, George F. Araj and Sima Tokajian

Poor infection prevention and control standards are associated with environmental contamination with carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales and other multidrug-resistant bacteria in Swiss companion animal clinics

Intensive medical care in companion animal clinics could pose a risk for the selection and dissemination of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). Infection prevention and control (IPC) concepts are key measur...

Authors: Janne S. Schmidt, Stefan P. Kuster, Aurélien Nigg, Valentina Dazio, Michael Brilhante, Helene Rohrbach, Odette J. Bernasconi, Thomas Büdel, Edgar I. Campos-Madueno, Stefanie Gobeli Brawand, Simone Schuller, Andrea Endimiani, Vincent Perreten and Barbara Willi

Evaluating infection prevention and control programs in Austrian acute care hospitals using the WHO Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework

Infection prevention and control (IPC) is crucial for patient safety. The World Health Organization (WHO) has released various tools to promote IPC. In 2018, the WHO released the Infection Prevention and Contr...

Authors: Seven Johannes Sam Aghdassi, Andrea Grisold, Agnes Wechsler-Fördös, Sonja Hansen, Peter Bischoff, Michael Behnke and Petra Gastmeier

Successful control of the first carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae outbreak in a Chinese hospital 2017–2019

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is considered as a serious global threat. CRKPs occurred only sporadically in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University. Our study aimed to investigate and...

Authors: Jiaying Zhu, Qi Li, Xiaoxia Li, Jianbang Kang, Yan Song, Junli Song, Donghong Yin and Jinju Duan

Critical Reliability Issues of Common Type Alcohol-Based Handrub Dispensers

Hand hygiene can only be efficient if the whole hand surface is treated with sufficient alcohol-based handrub (ABHR); therefore, the volume of handrub applied is a critical factor in patient safety. The proper...

Authors: Száva Bánsághi, Hervé Soule, Chloé Guitart, Didier Pittet and Tamás Haidegger

The epidemiology of carbapenem-non-susceptible Acinetobacter species in Europe: analysis of EARS-Net data from 2013 to 2017

Due to limited therapeutic options and their association with high mortality and morbidity, carbapenem-non-susceptible Acinetobacter spp. (CNA) are of significant public health importance. This study aimed to des...

Authors: Olaniyi Ayobami, Niklas Willrich, Beneditta Suwono, Tim Eckmanns and Robby Markwart

Proposal for a EN 149 acceptable reprocessing method for FFP2 respirators in times of severe shortage

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to health care workers (HCW) poses a major burden in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Unprotected exposure to a COVID-19 patient is a key risk factor for HCWs. Transmission mainly occu...

Authors: Andreas F. Widmer and Gilles Richner

A silent outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in a neonatal intensive care unit

To describe the containment of a widespread silent outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE-fm) in the Tel-Aviv Medical Center (TASMC) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Authors: Ronella Marom, Dror Mandel, Alon Haham, Irit Berger, Amit Ovental, Craig Raskind, Galia Grisaru-Soen, Amos Adler, Jonathan Lellouche, David Schwartz, Yehuda Carmeli and Vered Schechner

Effect of extended use N95 respirators and eye protection on personal protective equipment (PPE) utilization during SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Singapore

Authors: Glorijoy Shi En Tan, Kyaw Zaw Linn, Margaret Mei Ling Soon, Shawn Vasoo, Monica Chan, Bee Fong Poh, Oon-Tek Ng, Brenda Sze-Peng Ang, Yee-Sin Leo and Kalisvar Marimuthu

Hand hygiene in surgery in Benin: opportunities and challenges

Hand Hygiene (HH) has been described as the cornerstone and starting point in all infection control. Compliance to HH is a fundamental quality indicator. The aim of this study was to investigate the HH complia...

Authors: Carine Laurence Yehouenou, Angèle Modupe Dohou, Ariane Dessièdé Fiogbe, Marius Esse, Cyriaque Degbey, Anne Simon and Olivia Dalleur

Prevention of severe infectious complications after colorectal surgery using oral non-absorbable antimicrobial prophylaxis: results of a multicenter randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common complications after colorectal surgery. Oral non-absorbable antibiotic prophylaxis (OAP) can be administered preoperatively to reduce the risk of SSIs. Its efficacy w...

Authors: Tessa Mulder, Marjolein Kluytmans-van den Bergh, Bart Vlaminckx, Daphne Roos, Anne Marie de Smet, Robert de Vos tot Nederveen Cappel, Paul Verheijen, Alexandra Brandt, Anke Smits, Eric van der Vorm, Erik Bathoorn, Boudewijn van Etten, Jacobien Veenemans, Annemarie Weersink, Margreet Vos, Nils van ’t Veer…

Will healthcare workers improve infection prevention and control behaviors as COVID-19 risk emerges and increases, in China?

COVID-19 arise global attention since their first public reporting. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is critical to combat COVID-19, especially at the early stage of pandemic outbreak. This study aimed t...

Authors: Xiaoquan Lai, Xuemei Wang, Qiuxia Yang, Xiaojun Xu, Yuqing Tang, Chenxi Liu, Li Tan, Ruying Lai, He Wang, Xinping Zhang, Qian Zhou and Hao Chen

Prevalence of Candida auris in Canadian acute care hospitals among at-risk patients, 2018

To identify the prevalence of C. auris in Canadian patients who are potentially at risk for colonization, we screened 488 patients who were either hospitalized abroad, had a carbapenemase-producing organism (CPO)...

Authors: Hector Felipe Garcia-Jeldes, Robyn Mitchell, Allison McGeer, Wallis Rudnick, Kanchana Amaratunga, Snigdha Vallabhaneni, Shawn R. Lockhart and Amrita Bharat

Challenges regarding the control of environmental sources of contamination in healthcare settings in low-and middle-income countries - a narrative review

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) especially outbreaks of multi-drug-resistant organisms within hospitals are recognized as a major contributor to morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients. The hea...

Authors: Folasade T. Ogunsola and Shaheen Mehtar

Impact of hand hygiene intervention: a comparative study in health care facilities in Dodoma region, Tanzania using WHO methodology

Compliance with guidelines on hand hygiene (HH) is pivotal to prevent and control health-care associated infections and contributes to mitigating antimicrobial resistance. A baseline assessment in Dodoma regio...

Authors: Karin Wiedenmayer, Vicky-Sidney Msamba, Fiona Chilunda, James Charles Kiologwe and Jeremiah Seni

One Health in hospitals: how understanding the dynamics of people, animals, and the hospital built-environment can be used to better inform interventions for antimicrobial-resistant gram-positive infections

Despite improvements in hospital infection prevention and control, healthcare associated infections (HAIs) remain a challenge with significant patient morbidity, mortality, and cost for the healthcare system. ...

Authors: Kathryn R. Dalton, Clare Rock, Karen C. Carroll and Meghan F. Davis

ATP measurement as an objective method to measure environmental contamination in 9 hospitals in the Dutch/Belgian border area

The objective of this study was to determine the level of environmental contamination in hospitals in the Dutch/Belgian border area, using ATP measurements.

Authors: Andreas van Arkel, Ina Willemsen, Linda Kilsdonk-Bode, Sindy Vlamings-Wagenaars, Anne van Oudheusden, Pascal De Waegemaeker, Isabel Leroux-Roels, Martine Verelst, Evelien Maas, Anita van Oosten, Patricia Willemse, Esther van Asselen, Ella Klomp-Berens, Karen Franssen, Elise Van Cauwenberg and Jan Kluytmans

Clinical characteristics and risk factors of polymicrobial Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections

Although Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (SA-BSI) are a common and important infection, polymicrobial SA-BSI are infrequently reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical character...

Authors: Cheng Zheng, Shufang Zhang, Qingqing Chen, Li Zhong, Tiancha Huang, Xijiang Zhang, Kai Zhang, Hongwei Zhou, Jiachang Cai, Linlin Du, Changming Wang, Wei Cui and Gensheng Zhang

The effect of a 5-year hand hygiene initiative based on the WHO multimodal hand hygiene improvement strategy: an interrupted time-series study

A World Health Organization (WHO) guideline-based multimodal hand hygiene (HH) initiative was introduced hospital-wide to a nonteaching Japanese hospital for 5 years. The objective of this study was to assess ...

Authors: Yumi Suzuki, Motoko Morino, Ichizo Morita and Shigenori Yamamoto

Early discontinuation of empirical antibiotic treatment in neutropenic patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome

Current guidelines advocate empirical antibiotic treatment (EAT) in haematological patients with febrile neutropenia. However, the optimal duration of EAT is unknown. In 2011, we have introduced a protocol, pr...

Authors: F. A. Niessen, M. S. M. van Mourik, A. H. W. Bruns, R. A. P. Raijmakers, M. C. H. de Groot and T. van der Bruggen

First detection of autochthonous extensively drug-resistant NDM-1 Pseudomonas aeruginosa ST235 from a patient with bloodstream infection in Italy, October 2019

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is one of the most common and serious causes of healthcare-associated bacteremia. The emergence and dissemination of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) PA s...

Authors: Daniela Loconsole, Marisa Accogli, Monica Monaco, Maria Del Grosso, Anna Lisa De Robertis, Anna Morea, Loredana Capozzi, Laura Del Sambro, Annarosa Simone, Vincenzo De Letteriis, Michele Quarto, Antonio Parisi and Maria Chironna

A national survey of public awareness of antimicrobial resistance in Nigeria

One of the objectives of the Global Action Plan by the World Health Organization (WHO) to contain antimicrobial resistance (AMR), is to improve global awareness through effective communication and education. C...

Authors: Emelda E. Chukwu, David A. Oladele, Oluwatoyin B. Awoderu, Ebelechukwu E. Afocha, Rahman G. Lawal, Ismail Abdus-salam, Folasade T. Ogunsola and Rosemary A. Audu

Acquisition of multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales during international travel: a systematic review of clinical and microbiological characteristics and meta-analyses of risk factors

International tourism increased from 25 million tourist arrivals in 1950 to over 1.3 billion in 2017. These travelers can be exposed to (multi) resistant microorganisms, may become colonized, and bring them ba...

Authors: Anne F. Voor in ‘t holt, Kees Mourik, Berend Beishuizen, Adriënne S. van der Schoor, Annelies Verbon, Margreet C. Vos and Juliëtte A. Severin

In vitro evaluation of double carbapenem and colistin combinations against OXA-48, NDM carbapenemase-producing colistin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains

Treatment of pandrug-resistant isolates often necessitates combination therapy. Checkerboard synergy and time-killing assay tests were performed to evaluate the benefits of a triple combination with meropenem,...

Authors: Fatma Erdem, Ayham Abulaila, Zerrin Aktas and Oral Oncul

Implementing a combined infection prevention and control with antimicrobial stewardship joint program to prevent caesarean section surgical site infections and antimicrobial resistance: a Tanzanian tertiary hospital experience

Surgical site infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality after caesarean section, especially in Low and Middle Income Countries. We hypothesized that a combined infection prevention and control ...

Authors: Elisa Gentilotti, Pasquale De Nardo, Boniface Nguhuni, Alessandro Piscini, Caroline Damian, Francesco Vairo, Zainab Chaula, Paola Mencarini, Peter Torokaa, Alimuddin Zumla, Emanuele Nicastri and Giuseppe Ippolito

Rumors and incorrect reports are more deadly than the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

Authors: Rostam Jalali and Masoud Mohammadi

Emergence of β-lactamase- and carbapenemase- producing Enterobacteriaceae at integrated fish farms

Epidemiological studies suggested that determinants for antibiotic resistance have originated in aquaculture. Recently, the integrated agriculture-aquaculture system has been implemented, where fish are raised...

Authors: Dalia Hamza, Sohad Dorgham, Elshaimaa Ismael, Sherein Ismail Abd El-Moez, Mahmoud Elhariri, Rehab Elhelw and Eman Hamza

Predicting the occurrence of multidrug-resistant organism colonization or infection in ICU patients: development and validation of a novel multivariate prediction model

Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) have emerged as an important cause of poor prognoses of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study aimed to establish an easy-to-use nomogram for predicting the...

Authors: Li Wang, Xiaolong Huang, Jiating Zhou, Yajing Wang, Weizhang Zhong, Qing Yu, Weiping Wang, Zhiqiao Ye, Qiaoyan Lin, Xing Hong, Ping Zeng and Minwei Zhang

Implementation of the WHO hand hygiene strategy in Faranah regional hospital, Guinea

Healthcare-associated infections are the most frequent adverse events in healthcare worldwide, with limited available evidence suggesting highest burden in resource-limited settings. Recent Ebola epidemics emp...

Authors: S. A. Müller, A. O. K. Diallo, R. Wood, M. Bayo, T. Eckmanns, O. Tounkara, M. Arvand, M. Diallo and M. Borchert

Outbreak investigation of Serratia marcescens neurosurgical site infections associated with a contaminated shaving razors

Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common healthcare-associated infection. We report an outbreak of neurosurgical site infections caused by Serratia marcescens after craniotomy in a tertiary care hospital.

Authors: Eun Jin Kim, Wan Beom Park, Jung-Ki Yoon, Won-Sang Cho, Su Jung Kim, Young Rok Oh, Kang Il Jun, Chang Kyung Kang, Pyeong Gyun Choe, Jong-Il Kim, Eun Hwa Choi, Myoung Don Oh and Nam Joong Kim

Screening for triazole resistance in clinically significant Aspergillus species; report from Pakistan

Burden of aspergillosis is reported to be significant from developing countries including those in South Asia. The estimated burden in Pakistan is also high on the background of tuberculosis and chronic lung d...

Authors: Safia Moin, Joveria Farooqi, Kauser Jabeen, Sidra Laiq and Afia Zafar