Infection Control Strategies to Prevent Emergence and Transmission of Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria

Multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria pose a major threat to patient safety, driven by efficient transmission within health care settings and increasing antimicrobial resistance. This review synthesizes current epidemiology, key reservoirs, and evidence-based prevention strategies for extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Core interventions include hand hygiene, targeted contact precautions, optimized environmental cleaning, and antimicrobial stewardship. Active surveillance and patient cohorting have selective roles depending on the specific organism, setting, and endemicity. Emerging tools, such as whole-genome sequencing, better delineate transmission dynamics to guide outbreak response.