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Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Published on: March 3, 2023
Environmental contamination by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae
A Lerner1, A Adler, J Abu-Hanna
1Division of Epidemiology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology
|November 2, 2012
Summary
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) frequently contaminate patient surroundings, especially near beds. Selective contact plates are more effective than eSwabs for detecting environmental CRE, aiding infection control efforts.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- The global rise of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is a significant public health threat.
- Limited data exist on the role of environmental contamination in CRE dissemination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the extent of CRE contamination in the environment around CRE carriers.
- To evaluate the impact of sampling time and cleaning on CRE detection.
- To compare the efficacy of different sampling methods for environmental CRE detection.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated 14 sites near CRE carriers for contamination, focusing on 5 positive sites.
- Assessed CHROMAgar KPC contact plates and eSwab methods (with direct plating or broth enrichment).
- Analyzed the influence of sampling time and cleaning regimens on contamination levels.
Main Results:
- Environmental CRE contamination decreased with increasing distance from the patient; the bed area was most contaminated.
- Sampling time and cleaning protocols significantly affected CRE detection rates.
- CHROMAgar KPC contact plates demonstrated superior performance for detecting environmental CRE compared to eSwab methods.
Conclusions:
- The environment surrounding patients colonized with CRE is frequently contaminated.
- Selective contact plates are effective for detecting environmental CRE.
- Environmental monitoring can guide cleaning practices and support outbreak investigations to limit CRE spread.
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