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Emergence of multi-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a Western Australian hospital

T J J Inglis1, K A Benson, L O'Reilly

  • 1PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Perth, WA, Australia. tim.inglis@health.wa.gov.au

The Journal of Hospital Infection
|May 11, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Multi-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MRPa) increasingly infected patients in a hospital, linked to a novel aerator in a staff hand basin. Enhanced environmental control is crucial to prevent further spread of this resistant bacteria.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Hospital Epidemiology

Background:

  • Multi-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MRPa) has shown increasing prevalence in a Western Australian teaching hospital since 2006.
  • Patient infections have risen, with a geographical shift from intensive care to high dependency units.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the increasing incidence of MRPa infections.
  • To identify the source and dissemination routes of MRPa within the hospital environment.

Main Methods:

  • Epidemiological data analysis of patient infections from 2006-2008.
  • Microbiological investigation, including isolation and genotyping of MRPa.
  • Environmental sampling to identify potential sources of contamination.

Main Results:

  • A novel water-saving device (aerator) in a staff hand basin was identified as a likely disseminator.
  • MRPa was isolated from biofilm within the plumbing of the implicated hand basin.
  • Genotyping revealed distinct lineages in patients from other hospitals, suggesting varied origins.

Conclusions:

  • Staff hand basin aerators can act as reservoirs and disseminators of MRPa.
  • Improper disposal of patient waste and medical items into hand basins may contribute to contamination.
  • Urgent need for improved environmental control strategies to manage P. aeruginosa in healthcare settings.

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