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Męcik M, Stefaniak K, Harnisz M, Korzeniewska E. Hospital and municipal wastewater as a source of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the environment: a review. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:48813-48838. [PMID: 39052110 PMCID: PMC11310256 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-34436-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
The increase in the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, in particular Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), poses a serious threat for public health worldwide. This article reviews the alarming data on the prevalence of infections caused by CRAB and CRPA pathogens and their presence in hospital and municipal wastewater, and it highlights the environmental impact of antibiotic resistance. The article describes the key role of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the acquisition of carbapenem resistance and sheds light on bacterial resistance mechanisms. The main emphasis was placed on the transfer of ARGs not only in the clinical setting, but also in the environment, including water, soil, and food. The aim of this review was to expand our understanding of the global health risks associated with CRAB and CRPA in hospital and municipal wastewater and to analyze the spread of these micropollutants in the environment. A review of the literature published in the last decade will direct research on carbapenem-resistant pathogens, support the implementation of effective preventive measures and interventions, and contribute to the development of improved strategies for managing this problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Męcik
- Department of Water Protection Engineering and Environmental Microbiology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Prawocheńskiego 1, 10-720, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Kornelia Stefaniak
- Department of Water Protection Engineering and Environmental Microbiology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Prawocheńskiego 1, 10-720, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Monika Harnisz
- Department of Water Protection Engineering and Environmental Microbiology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Prawocheńskiego 1, 10-720, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Ewa Korzeniewska
- Department of Water Protection Engineering and Environmental Microbiology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Prawocheńskiego 1, 10-720, Olsztyn, Poland.
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Meda M, Sagair MM, Weinbren M, Wells C, Ezie S, Navarro M, Cherupuzhathottathil S, Nagy C, Fortes-Aguila M, Da Silva Martins N, Gentry V. Comparison of methods for sampling and detection of carbapenemase-producing organisms in clinical hand wash basin drains in healthcare. J Hosp Infect 2024:S0195-6701(24)00229-9. [PMID: 38992839 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2024.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
There are currently no standardised methods for the sampling and testing of clinical hand wash basin (HWB) samples for the detection of carbapenemase-producing organisms (CPO). Methods of sampling (drain aspirate versus swab from top of drain) and detection of CPO in clinical HWB drains in two different healthcare settings, one which was dealing with a hospital wide outbreak of CPO (hospital A) and another with no reported outbreaks (hospital B) were compared. Drain aspirates and swabs from HWB drains were tested using multiplex PCR together with culture-based methods. No significant difference in detection of CPO was found between drain aspirate or swab methods of sampling. Direct PCR on samples detected significantly more carbapenemase genes than culture on CARBA agar (p < 0.0001 and 0.0045 respectively). A higher percentage of HWB drains were positive in hospital A both by culture and direct PCR, and a significantly higher number of carbapenemase genes were detected in hospital A HWB drain aspirate both by PCR and culture (p = 0.014 and 0.0071 respectively). There was a high correlation between drain swab positivity by PCR and culture in hospital A (91%) compared to hospital B where it was only 33%. No difference could be found in drain contamination rates when HWB with rear drain was compared against those with drain directly below the tap. Colonisation of HWB at the top of the drain may be related to risk of cross transmission of CPO from healthcare environment to patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manjula Meda
- Department of infection and immunity, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom; Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom.
| | - Melba Mohammed Sagair
- Department of infection and immunity, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom
| | | | - Clare Wells
- Department of infection and immunity, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen Ezie
- Department of infection and immunity, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom
| | - Marcial Navarro
- Department of infection and immunity, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Cherupuzhathottathil
- Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom
| | - Carmen Nagy
- Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom
| | - Ma Fortes-Aguila
- Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom
| | - Neide Da Silva Martins
- Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria Gentry
- Department of Infection Prevention and Control, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, Portsmouth Road, Frimley, United Kingdom
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Oron G, Or Y, Shanni J, Hadad E, Fershtman E. Managing the kinetic energy of descending greywater in tall buildings and converting them into a valuable source. Heliyon 2024; 10:e31913. [PMID: 38882371 PMCID: PMC11176771 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Harnessing energy from descending greywater (GW) in tall buildings (TBs) is an innovative concept that combines water management with renewable energy generation and applying simulation methods. This study proposes a novel approach to enhancing sustainable energy recovery in TBs by capitalizing on the kinetic energy inherent in descending GW. Greywater, derived from non-toilet fixtures such as showers, bathroom sinks, and washing machines, offers a readily accessible source of potential energy due to its gravity-driven flow through the plumbing system. This gravitational potential energy could feasibly be converted into useable electricity through the incorporation of specialized energy-recovery mechanisms, such as turbines, hydroelectric generators, and piezoelectric devices. The study addresses the technical, economic and environmental aspects of implementing this idea in TBs. It describes the challenges of system integration, maintenance requirements and adherence to regulatory standards, as well as the potential benefits in terms of water conservation and reduced reliance on conventional energy sources, through a comprehensive analysis encompassing modeling, experimental validation and feasibility assessments. The research offers insights into the potential viability of harnessing downward-flowing GW as an alternative and sustainable green energy resource.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gideon Oron
- Zuckerberg Water Research Institute, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert, Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Kiryat Sde-Boker, 8499000, Israel
- The Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410500, Israel
| | - Yaar Or
- The Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410500, Israel
| | - Jehonatan Shanni
- The Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410500, Israel
| | - Eden Hadad
- The Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410500, Israel
| | - Erez Fershtman
- The Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410500, Israel
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Leopold M, Kabicher A, Pap IJ, Ströbele B, Zarfel G, Farnleitner AH, Kirschner AKT. A comparative study on antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli isolates from Austrian patients and wastewater-influenced Danube River water and biofilms. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2024; 258:114361. [PMID: 38552533 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2024.114361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a major threat to human health worldwide. AMR can be introduced into natural aquatic ecosystems, for example, from clinical facilities via wastewater emissions. Understanding AMR patterns in environmental populations of bacterial pathogens is important to elucidate propagation routes and develop mitigation strategies. In this study, AMR patterns of Escherichia coli isolates from urinary tract infections and colonised urinary catheters of inpatients and outpatients were compared to isolates from the Danube River within the same catchment in Austria to potentially link environmental with clinical resistance patterns. Susceptibility to 20 antibiotics was tested for 697 patient, 489 water and 440 biofilm isolates. The resistance ratios in patient isolates were significantly higher than in the environmental isolates and higher resistance ratios were found in biofilm in comparison to water isolates. The role of the biofilm as potential sink of resistances was reflected by two extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing isolates in the biofilm while none were found in water, and by higher amoxicillin/clavulanic acid resistance ratios in biofilm compared to patient isolates. Although, resistances to last-line antibiotics such as carbapenems and tigecycline were found in the patient and in the environmental isolates, they still occurred at low frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Leopold
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria; Institute for Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Angelika Kabicher
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria; Institute for Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ildiko-Julia Pap
- Clinical Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, University Clinic St. Pölten, Austria
| | - Barbara Ströbele
- Clinical Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology, University Clinic St. Pölten, Austria
| | - Gernot Zarfel
- Institute of Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Medical University Graz, Austria
| | - Andreas H Farnleitner
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria; Institute for Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Research Group Microbiology and Molecular Diagnostics, Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alexander K T Kirschner
- Division Water Quality and Health, Department Pharmacology, Physiology and Microbiology, Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, Krems, Austria; Institute for Hygiene and Applied Immunology - Water Microbiology, Medical University Vienna, Austria.
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Kearney A, Humphreys H, Fitzgerald-Hughes D. Infection prevention and control policy implementation for CPE: a cross-sectional national survey of healthcare workers reveals knowledge gaps and suboptimal practices. J Hosp Infect 2024; 145:148-154. [PMID: 38145813 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2023.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 2017, Ireland pioneered a unique response to the worsening epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), declaring a national public health emergency. Subsequently, CPE mitigation guidelines and policies were implemented in acute hospitals, focused on patient screening and outbreak management, often by healthcare workers (HCWs) with limited background in infection prevention and control (IPC). CPE risks from sinks and drains remain inadequately controlled. AIMS To compare CPE awareness, perceptions of the role of the environment in CPE transmission, and disposal practices of liquid waste from clinical handwashing sinks between IPC HCWs and non-IPC HCWs in Ireland. METHODS Between December 2022 and March 2023, HCWs employed in acute hospitals in Ireland between 2017 and 2022 were invited to participate anonymously in a 30-question digital survey. FINDINGS Responses (N=283) were received across several clinical disciplines. In total, 21.6% of respondents were working or had previously worked in IPC roles, 84.1% of whom reported no IPC-related learning needs. In comparison with non-IPC HCWs, more IPC HCWs perceived a risk of pathogen transmission from clean water plumbing (68.9% vs 39.2%; P<0.001) and waste/drainage plumbing (81.2% vs 43.7%; P<0.001). Among nursing and medical staff, only 5.6% of IPC HCWs used clinical handwashing sinks for disposal of liquid waste, compared with 60% of non-IPC HCWs (P<0.001). In comparison with non-IPC HCWs, a greater proportion of IPC HCWs reported that they had witnessed colleagues routinely discarding liquid waste (including nutritional products, antimicrobials and patient body fluids) via clinical handwashing sinks (88.9% vs 77.9%) CONCLUSIONS: Although there is general awareness of the role of the built environment in pathogen transmission, including CPE, familiarity with sink/water-related transmission is greater among IPC HCWs. There may be opportunities to improve disposal practices for liquid waste through education targeting non-IPC HCWs.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kearney
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - H Humphreys
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - D Fitzgerald-Hughes
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Education and Research Centre, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
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Peng K, Chen M, Wang Y, Tian Z, Deng L, Li T, Feng Y, Ouyang P, Huang X, Chen D, Geng Y. Genotype diversity and antibiotic resistance risk in Aeromonas hydrophila in Sichuan, China. Braz J Microbiol 2024; 55:901-910. [PMID: 37999911 PMCID: PMC10920602 DOI: 10.1007/s42770-023-01187-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Sichuan is a significant aquaculture province in China, with a total aquaculture output of 1.72 × 106 tons in 2022. One of the most significant microorganisms hurting the Sichuan aquaculture is Aeromonas hydrophila, whose genotype and antibiotic resistance are yet unknown. This study isolated a total of 64 strains of A. hydrophila from various regions during September 2019 to June 2021 within Sichuan province, China. The technique of Multi-Locus Sequence Typing (MLST) was used for the purpose of molecular typing. Meanwhile, identification of antibiotic resistance phenotype and antibiotic resistance gene was performed. The findings of the study revealed that 64 isolates exhibited 29 sequence types (ST) throughout different regions in Sichuan, with 25 of these ST types being newly identified. Notably, the ST251 emerged as the predominant sequence type responsible for the pandemic. The resistance rate of isolated strains to roxithromycin was as high as 98.3%, followed by co-trimoxazole (87.5%), sulfafurazole (87.5%), imipenem (80%), amoxicillin (60%), and clindamycin (57.8%). Fifteen strains of A. hydrophila exhibited resistance to medicines across a minimum of three categories, suggesting the development of multidrug resistance in these isolates. A total of 63 ARGs were detected from the isolates, which mediated a range of antibiotic resistance mechanisms, with deactivation and efflux potentially serving as the primary mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. This study revealed the diversity of A. hydrophila genotypes and the risk of antibiotic resistance in Sichuan, providing reference for scientific and effective control of A. hydrophila infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Peng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Huimin Road No. 211, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Mengzhu Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Huimin Road No. 211, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
- Chengdu Animal Disease Prevention and Control Center, Chengdu, 60041, Sichuan, China
| | - Yilin Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Huimin Road No. 211, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Ziqi Tian
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Huimin Road No. 211, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Longjun Deng
- Yalong River Hydropower Development Company Ltd, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Tiancai Li
- Yalong River Hydropower Development Company Ltd, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yang Feng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Huimin Road No. 211, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Ping Ouyang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Huimin Road No. 211, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaoli Huang
- Department of Aquaculture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Defang Chen
- Department of Aquaculture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China
| | - Yi Geng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Huimin Road No. 211, Chengdu, 611130, Sichuan, China.
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Rodger G, Chau K, Aranega-Bou P, Roohi A, Moore G, Hopkins KL, Hopkins S, Walker AS, Stoesser N. A workflow for the detection of antibiotic residues, measurement of water chemistry and preservation of hospital sink drain samples for metagenomic sequencing. J Hosp Infect 2024; 144:128-136. [PMID: 38145816 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2023.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hospital sinks are environmental reservoirs that harbour healthcare-associated (HCA) pathogens. Selective pressures in sink environments, such as antibiotic residues, nutrient waste and hardness ions, may promote antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) exchange between bacteria. However, cheap and accurate sampling methods to characterize these factors are lacking. AIMS To validate a workflow to detect antibiotic residues and evaluate water chemistry using dipsticks. Secondarily, to validate boric acid to preserve the taxonomic and ARG ('resistome') composition of sink trap samples for metagenomic sequencing. METHODS Antibiotic residue dipsticks were validated against serial dilutions of ampicillin, doxycycline, sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin, and water chemistry dipsticks against serial dilutions of chemical calibration standards. Sink trap aspirates were used for a 'real-world' pilot evaluation of dipsticks. To assess boric acid as a preservative of microbial diversity, the impact of incubation with and without boric acid at ∼22 °C on metagenomic sequencing outputs was evaluated at Day 2 and Day 5 compared with baseline (Day 0). FINDINGS The limits of detection for each antibiotic were: 3 μg/L (ampicillin), 10 μg/L (doxycycline), 20 μg/L (sulfamethoxazole) and 8 μg/L (ciprofloxacin). The best performing water chemistry dipstick correctly characterized 34/40 (85%) standards in a concentration-dependent manner. One trap sample tested positive for the presence of tetracyclines and sulphonamides. Taxonomic and resistome composition were largely maintained after storage with boric acid at ∼22 °C for up to five days. CONCLUSIONS Dipsticks can be used to detect antibiotic residues and characterize water chemistry in sink trap samples. Boric acid was an effective preservative of trap sample composition, representing a low-cost alternative to cold-chain transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Rodger
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NIHR Health Protection Unit in Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-associated Infection, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - K Chau
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NIHR Health Protection Unit in Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-associated Infection, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - P Aranega-Bou
- Biosafety, Air and Water Microbiology Group, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, UK
| | - A Roohi
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NIHR Health Protection Unit in Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-associated Infection, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - G Moore
- Biosafety, Air and Water Microbiology Group, UK Health Security Agency, Porton Down, UK
| | | | - S Hopkins
- UK Health Security Agency, Colindale, UK
| | - A S Walker
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NIHR Health Protection Unit in Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-associated Infection, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK
| | - N Stoesser
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NIHR Health Protection Unit in Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-associated Infection, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford, UK.
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Freier L, Zacharias N, Gemein S, Gebel J, Engelhart S, Exner M, Mutters NT. Environmental Contamination and Persistence of Clostridioides difficile in Hospital Wastewater Systems. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0001423. [PMID: 37071016 PMCID: PMC10231184 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00014-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridioides difficile produces an environmentally resistant dormant spore morphotype that infected patients shed to the hospital environment. C. difficile spores persist in clinical reservoirs that are not targeted by hospital routine cleaning protocols. Transmissions and infections from these reservoirs present a hazard to patient safety. This study aimed to assess the impact of patients acutely suffering from C. difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) on C. difficile environmental contamination to identify potential reservoirs. Twenty-three hospital rooms accommodating CDAD inpatients with corresponding soiled workrooms of 14 different wards were studied in a German maximum-care hospital. Additionally, four rooms that never accommodated CDAD patients were examined as negative controls. Stagnant water and biofilms from sinks, toilets, and washer disinfector (WD) traps as well as swabs from cleaned bedpans and high-touch surfaces (HTSs) were sampled. For detection, a culture method was used with selective medium. A latex agglutination assay and a Tox A/B enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed with suspect colonies. Stagnant water and biofilms in hospital traps (29%), WDs (34%), and HTSs (37%) were found to be reservoirs for large amounts of C. difficile during the stay of CDAD inpatients that decreased but could persist 13 ± 6 days after their discharge (13%, 14%, and 9.5%, respectively). Control rooms showed none or only slight contamination restricted to WDs. A short-term cleaning strategy was implemented that reduced C. difficile in stagnant water almost entirely. IMPORTANCE Wastewater pipes are microbial ecosystems. The potential risk of infection emanating from the wastewater for individuals is often neglected, since it is perceived to remain in the pipes. However, sewage systems start with siphons and are thus naturally connected to the outside world. Wastewater pathogens do not only flow unidirectionally to wastewater treatment plants but also retrogradely, e.g., through splashing water from siphons to the hospital environment. This study focused on the pathogen C. difficile, which can cause severe and sometimes fatal diarrheas. This study shows how patients suffering from such diarrheas contaminate the hospital environment with C. difficile and that contamination persists in siphon habitats after patient discharge. This might pose a health risk for hospitalized patients afterward. Since this pathogen's spore morphotype is very environmentally resistant and difficult to disinfect, we show a cleaning measure that can almost entirely eliminate C. difficile from siphons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lia Freier
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Nicole Zacharias
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefanie Gemein
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Reference Institute for Bioanalytics, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jürgen Gebel
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Steffen Engelhart
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Martin Exner
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Nico T. Mutters
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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9
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Neidhöfer C, Sib E, Neuenhoff M, Schwengers O, Dummin T, Buechler C, Klein N, Balks J, Axtmann K, Schwab K, Holderried TAW, Feldmann G, Brossart P, Engelhart S, Mutters NT, Bierbaum G, Parčina M. Hospital sanitary facilities on wards with high antibiotic exposure play an important role in maintaining a reservoir of resistant pathogens, even over many years. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2023; 12:33. [PMID: 37061726 PMCID: PMC10105422 DOI: 10.1186/s13756-023-01236-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hospitals with their high antimicrobial selection pressure represent the presumably most important reservoir of multidrug-resistant human pathogens. Antibiotics administered in the course of treatment are excreted and discharged into the wastewater system. Not only in patients, but also in the sewers, antimicrobial substances exert selection pressure on existing bacteria and promote the emergence and dissemination of multidrug-resistant clones. In previous studies, two main clusters were identified in all sections of the hospital wastewater network that was investigated, one K. pneumoniae ST147 cluster encoding NDM- and OXA-48 carbapenemases and one VIM-encoding P. aeruginosa ST823 cluster. In the current study, we investigated if NDM- and OXA-48-encoding K. pneumoniae and VIM-encoding P. aeruginosa isolates recovered between 2014 and 2021 from oncological patients belonged to those same clusters. METHODS The 32 isolates were re-cultured, whole-genome sequenced, phenotypically tested for their antimicrobial susceptibility, and analyzed for clonality and resistance genes in silico. RESULTS Among these strains, 25 belonged to the two clusters that had been predominant in the wastewater, while two others belonged to a sequence-type less prominently detected in the drains of the patient rooms. CONCLUSION Patients constantly exposed to antibiotics can, in interaction with their persistently antibiotic-exposed sanitary facilities, form a niche that might be supportive for the emergence, the development, the dissemination, and the maintenance of certain nosocomial pathogen populations in the hospital, due to antibiotic-induced selection pressure. Technical and infection control solutions might help preventing transmission of microorganisms from the wastewater system to the patient and vice versa, particularly concerning the shower and toilet drainage. However, a major driving force might also be antibiotic induced selection pressure and parallel antimicrobial stewardship efforts could be essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Neidhöfer
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Esther Sib
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marcel Neuenhoff
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Oliver Schwengers
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Tobias Dummin
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Christian Buechler
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Niklas Klein
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz, Koblenz, Germany
| | - Julian Balks
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Katharina Axtmann
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Katjana Schwab
- Department of Oncology, Hematology, and Rheumatology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Tobias A W Holderried
- Department of Oncology, Hematology, and Rheumatology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Georg Feldmann
- Department of Oncology, Hematology, and Rheumatology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Peter Brossart
- Department of Oncology, Hematology, and Rheumatology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Steffen Engelhart
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Nico T Mutters
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gabriele Bierbaum
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marijo Parčina
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg Campus 1, 53127, Bonn, Germany
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10
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Ouédraogo GA, Cissé H, Ouédraogo HS, Kaboré B, Traoré R, Traoré Y, Bassolé IHN, Tchoumbougnang F, Savadogo A. Research of Antibiotic Residues and Bacterial Strain's Antibiotic Resistance Profile in the Liquid Effluents Evacuated in Nature by Two CHUs and a Mixed WWTP of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Infect Drug Resist 2023; 16:2537-2547. [PMID: 37138834 PMCID: PMC10150758 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s408315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In Burkina Faso, suspicions have been raised that hospital liquid effluents are a source of microbiological contaminants in surface waters of urban and peri-urban areas. This study aimed to determine the antibiotic residues and the antibiotic resistance phenotype of potential pathogenic bacteria in the hospital liquid effluents discharged into nature by the CHUs Bogodogo, Yalgado Ouédraogo and the WWTS of Kossodo. Methods Fifteen samples of liquid effluents discharged into nature were collected. Antibiotic residues were identified by HPLC. A wavelength of 254 nm for the UV detector was set. Antibiotic testing was realized according to CASFM 2019 recommendations. Results Three molecules including Amoxicillin, Chloramphenicol and Ceftriaxone were detected in 13 samples. The strains characterized were 06 E. coli, 09 Pseudomonas spp, 05 Staphylococcus aureus and 04 Salmonella spp. Thus, none of the strains was resistant to Imipenem, but they were resistant to Amoxiclav with rates of 83.33% (E. coli), 88.88% (Pseudomonas spp) and 100% (Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp). Conclusion Ouagadougou hospital liquid effluents discharged into nature are contaminated with antibiotic residues and potential pathogenic bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ganamé Abasse Ouédraogo
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Immunologie Appliquées (LaBIA), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- Institut des Sciences Halieutiques (ISH) à Yabassi, Université de Douala, Douala, Cameroun
| | - Hama Cissé
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Immunologie Appliquées (LaBIA), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Henri Sidabéwindin Ouédraogo
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Immunologie Appliquées (LaBIA), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Boukaré Kaboré
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Immunologie Appliquées (LaBIA), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Roukiatou Traoré
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Immunologie Appliquées (LaBIA), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Yves Traoré
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Immunologie Appliquées (LaBIA), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Ismael Henri Nestor Bassolé
- Laboratoire de biologie moléculaire, d’épidémiologie et de surveillance des bactéries et virus transmis par les aliments (LaBESTA), Université Joseph Ki-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | | | - Aly Savadogo
- Laboratoire de Biochimie et Immunologie Appliquées (LaBIA), Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- Correspondence: Aly Savadogo, Tel +226 70356227, Email
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11
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Schuster D, Axtmann K, Holstein N, Felder C, Voigt A, Färber H, Ciorba P, Szekat C, Schallenberg A, Böckmann M, Zarfl C, Neidhöfer C, Smalla K, Exner M, Bierbaum G. Antibiotic concentrations in raw hospital wastewater surpass minimal selective and minimum inhibitory concentrations of resistant Acinetobacter baylyi strains. Environ Microbiol 2022; 24:5721-5733. [PMID: 36094736 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotics are essential for modern medicine, they are employed frequently in hospitals and, therefore, present in hospital wastewater. Even in concentrations, that are lower than the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of susceptible bacteria, antibiotics may exert an influence and select resistant bacteria, if they exceed the MSCs (minimal selective concentrations) of resistant strains. Here, we compare the MSCs of fluorescently labelled Acinetobacter baylyi strains harboring spontaneous resistance mutations or a resistance plasmid with antibiotic concentrations determined in hospital wastewater. Low MSCs in the μg/L range were measured for the quinolone ciprofloxacin (17 μg/L) and for the carbapenem meropenem (30 μg/L). A 24 h continuous analysis of hospital wastewater showed daily fluctuations of the concentrations of these antibiotics with distinctive peaks at 7-8 p.m. and 5-6 a.m. The meropenem concentrations were always above the MSC and MIC values of A. baylyi. In addition, the ciprofloxacin concentrations were in the range of the lowest MSC for about half the time. These results explain the abundance of strains with meropenem and ciprofloxacin resistance in hospital wastewater and drains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Schuster
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Katharina Axtmann
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Niklas Holstein
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Carsten Felder
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Alex Voigt
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Harald Färber
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Patrick Ciorba
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Christiane Szekat
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Anna Schallenberg
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Matthias Böckmann
- Environmental Systems Analysis, Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Christiane Zarfl
- Environmental Systems Analysis, Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Claudio Neidhöfer
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Kornelia Smalla
- Julius Kühn-Institut, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Martin Exner
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gabriele Bierbaum
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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12
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Döhla M, Schulte B, Wilbring G, Kümmerer BM, Döhla C, Sib E, Richter E, Ottensmeyer PF, Haag A, Engelhart S, Eis-Hübinger AM, Exner M, Mutters NT, Schmithausen RM, Streeck H. SARS-CoV-2 in Environmental Samples of Quarantined Households. Viruses 2022; 14:1075. [PMID: 35632816 PMCID: PMC9147922 DOI: 10.3390/v14051075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of environmental transmission of SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether viral contamination of air, wastewater, and surfaces in quarantined households result in a higher risk for exposed persons. For this study, a source population of 21 households under quarantine conditions with at least one person who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA were randomly selected from a community in North Rhine-Westphalia in March 2020. All individuals living in these households participated in this study and provided throat swabs for analysis. Air and wastewater samples and surface swabs were obtained from each household and analysed using qRT-PCR. Positive swabs were further cultured to analyse for viral infectivity. Out of all the 43 tested adults, 26 (60.47%) tested positive using qRT-PCR. All 15 air samples were qRT-PCR-negative. In total, 10 out of 66 wastewater samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 (15.15%) and 4 out of 119 surface samples (3.36%). No statistically significant correlation between qRT-PCR-positive environmental samples and the extent of the spread of infection between household members was observed. No infectious virus could be propagated under cell culture conditions. Taken together, our study demonstrates a low likelihood of transmission via surfaces. However, to definitively assess the importance of hygienic behavioural measures in the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, larger studies should be designed to determine the proportionate contribution of smear vs. droplet transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Döhla
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (M.D.); (G.W.); (C.D.); (E.S.); (A.H.); (S.E.); (M.E.); (N.T.M.); (R.M.S.)
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz, Rübenacher Straße 170, 56072 Koblenz, Germany
| | - Bianca Schulte
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (B.S.); (B.M.K.); (E.R.); (P.F.O.); (A.M.E.-H.)
| | - Gero Wilbring
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (M.D.); (G.W.); (C.D.); (E.S.); (A.H.); (S.E.); (M.E.); (N.T.M.); (R.M.S.)
| | - Beate Mareike Kümmerer
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (B.S.); (B.M.K.); (E.R.); (P.F.O.); (A.M.E.-H.)
| | - Christin Döhla
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (M.D.); (G.W.); (C.D.); (E.S.); (A.H.); (S.E.); (M.E.); (N.T.M.); (R.M.S.)
| | - Esther Sib
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (M.D.); (G.W.); (C.D.); (E.S.); (A.H.); (S.E.); (M.E.); (N.T.M.); (R.M.S.)
| | - Enrico Richter
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (B.S.); (B.M.K.); (E.R.); (P.F.O.); (A.M.E.-H.)
| | - Patrick Frank Ottensmeyer
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (B.S.); (B.M.K.); (E.R.); (P.F.O.); (A.M.E.-H.)
| | - Alexandra Haag
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (M.D.); (G.W.); (C.D.); (E.S.); (A.H.); (S.E.); (M.E.); (N.T.M.); (R.M.S.)
| | - Steffen Engelhart
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (M.D.); (G.W.); (C.D.); (E.S.); (A.H.); (S.E.); (M.E.); (N.T.M.); (R.M.S.)
| | - Anna Maria Eis-Hübinger
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (B.S.); (B.M.K.); (E.R.); (P.F.O.); (A.M.E.-H.)
| | - Martin Exner
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (M.D.); (G.W.); (C.D.); (E.S.); (A.H.); (S.E.); (M.E.); (N.T.M.); (R.M.S.)
| | - Nico Tom Mutters
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (M.D.); (G.W.); (C.D.); (E.S.); (A.H.); (S.E.); (M.E.); (N.T.M.); (R.M.S.)
| | - Ricarda Maria Schmithausen
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (M.D.); (G.W.); (C.D.); (E.S.); (A.H.); (S.E.); (M.E.); (N.T.M.); (R.M.S.)
| | - Hendrik Streeck
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany; (B.S.); (B.M.K.); (E.R.); (P.F.O.); (A.M.E.-H.)
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13
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Döhla M, Schulte B, Wilbring G, Kümmerer BM, Döhla C, Sib E, Richter E, Ottensmeyer PF, Haag A, Engelhart S, Eis-Hübinger AM, Exner M, Mutters NT, Schmithausen RM, Streeck H. SARS-CoV-2 in Environmental Samples of Quarantined Households. Viruses 2022. [PMID: 35632816 DOI: 10.1101/2020.05.28.20114041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The role of environmental transmission of SARS-CoV-2 remains unclear. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether viral contamination of air, wastewater, and surfaces in quarantined households result in a higher risk for exposed persons. For this study, a source population of 21 households under quarantine conditions with at least one person who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA were randomly selected from a community in North Rhine-Westphalia in March 2020. All individuals living in these households participated in this study and provided throat swabs for analysis. Air and wastewater samples and surface swabs were obtained from each household and analysed using qRT-PCR. Positive swabs were further cultured to analyse for viral infectivity. Out of all the 43 tested adults, 26 (60.47%) tested positive using qRT-PCR. All 15 air samples were qRT-PCR-negative. In total, 10 out of 66 wastewater samples were positive for SARS-CoV-2 (15.15%) and 4 out of 119 surface samples (3.36%). No statistically significant correlation between qRT-PCR-positive environmental samples and the extent of the spread of infection between household members was observed. No infectious virus could be propagated under cell culture conditions. Taken together, our study demonstrates a low likelihood of transmission via surfaces. However, to definitively assess the importance of hygienic behavioural measures in the reduction of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, larger studies should be designed to determine the proportionate contribution of smear vs. droplet transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Döhla
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Bundeswehr Central Hospital Koblenz, Rübenacher Straße 170, 56072 Koblenz, Germany
| | - Bianca Schulte
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Gero Wilbring
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Beate Mareike Kümmerer
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Christin Döhla
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Esther Sib
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Enrico Richter
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Alexandra Haag
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Steffen Engelhart
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Anna Maria Eis-Hübinger
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Martin Exner
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Nico Tom Mutters
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Ricarda Maria Schmithausen
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Hendrik Streeck
- Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
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14
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Kehl K, Schallenberg A, Szekat C, Albert C, Sib E, Exner M, Zacharias N, Schreiber C, Parčina M, Bierbaum G. Dissemination of carbapenem resistant bacteria from hospital wastewater into the environment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 806:151339. [PMID: 34740643 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Infections with antibiotic resistant pathogens threaten lives and cause substantial costs. For effective interventions, knowledge of the transmission paths of resistant bacteria to humans is essential. In this study, carbapenem resistant bacteria were isolated from the wastewater of a maximum care hospital during a period of two years, starting in the patient rooms and following the sewer system to the effluent of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The bacteria belonged to six different species and 44 different sequence types (STs). The most frequent STs, ST147 K. pneumoniae (blaNDM/blaOXA-48) and ST235 P. aeruginosa (blaVIM) strains, were present at nearly all sampling sites from the hospital to the WWTP effluent. After core genome multi-locus sequence typing (cgMLST), all ST147 K. pneumoniae strains presented a single epidemiological cluster. In contrast, ST235 P. aeruginosa formed five cgMLST clusters and the largest cluster contained the strain from the WWTP effluent, indicating without doubt, a direct dissemination of both high-risk clones into the environment. Thus, there are - at least two - possible transmission pathways to humans, (i) within the hospital by contact with the drains of the sanitary installations and (ii) by recreational or irrigation use of surface waters that have received WWTP effluent. In conclusion, remediation measures must be installed at both ends of the wastewater system, targeting the drains of the hospital as well as at the effluent of the WWTP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Kehl
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Anja Schallenberg
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Christiane Szekat
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Cathrin Albert
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Esther Sib
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Martin Exner
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Nicole Zacharias
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Christiane Schreiber
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marjio Parčina
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany
| | - Gabriele Bierbaum
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany.
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15
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Vurayai M, Strysko J, Kgomanyane K, Bayani O, Mokomane M, Machiya T, Arscott-Mills T, Goldfarb DM, Steenhoff AP, McGann C, Nakstad B, Gezmu A, Richard-Greenblatt M, Coffin S. Characterizing the bioburden of ESBL-producing organisms in a neonatal unit using chromogenic culture media: a feasible and efficient environmental sampling method. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2022; 11:14. [PMID: 35074019 PMCID: PMC8785036 DOI: 10.1186/s13756-021-01042-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Infections due to extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing organisms (ESBL) have emerged as the leading cause of sepsis among hospitalized neonates in Botswana and much of sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. Yet, ESBL reservoirs and transmission dynamics within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment are not well-understood. This study aimed to assess the efficiency and feasibility of a chromogenic-culture-media-based environmental sampling approach to characterize the ESBL bioburden within a NICU. METHODS A series of four point-prevalence surveys were conducted at a 36-bed NICU at a public tertiary referral hospital in Botswana from January-June 2021. Samples were collected on 4 occasions under semi-sterile technique using 1) flocked swabs & templates (flat surfaces); 2) sterile syringe & tubing (water aspiration); and 3) structured swabbing techniques (hands & equipment). Swabs were transported in physiological saline-containing tubes, vortexed, and 10 µL was inoculated onto chromogenic-agar that was selective and differential for ESBL (CHROMagar™ ESBL, Paris, France), and streaking plates to isolate individual colonies. Bacterial colonies were quantified and phenotypically characterized using biochemical identification tests. RESULTS In total, 567 samples were collected, 248 (44%) of which grew ESBL. Dense and consistent ESBL contamination was detected in and around sinks and certain high-touch surfaces, while transient contamination was demonstrated on medical equipment, caregivers/healthcare worker hands, insects, and feeding stations (including formula powder). Results were available within 24-72 h of collection. To collect, plate, and analyse 50 samples, we estimated a total expenditure of $269.40 USD for materials and 13.5 cumulative work hours among all personnel. CONCLUSIONS Using basic environmental sampling and laboratory techniques aided by chromogenic culture media, we identified ESBL reservoirs (sinks) and plausible transmission vehicles (medical equipment, infant formula, hands of caregivers/healthcare workers, & insects) in this NICU environment. This strategy was a simple and cost-efficient method to assess ESBL bioburden and may be feasible for use in other settings to support ongoing infection control assessments and outbreak investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moses Vurayai
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
| | - Jonathan Strysko
- Department of Paediatric & Adolescent Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.,Global Health Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA.,Botswana-UPenn Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
| | | | - One Bayani
- Department of Paediatric & Adolescent Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Margaret Mokomane
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
| | | | - Tonya Arscott-Mills
- Department of Paediatric & Adolescent Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.,Global Health Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA.,Botswana-UPenn Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - David M Goldfarb
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Andrew P Steenhoff
- Department of Paediatric & Adolescent Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.,Global Health Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA.,Botswana-UPenn Partnership, Gaborone, Botswana.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Carolyn McGann
- Global Health Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Britt Nakstad
- Department of Paediatric & Adolescent Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.,Division of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Alemayehu Gezmu
- Department of Paediatric & Adolescent Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
| | | | - Susan Coffin
- Global Health Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, USA.,Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
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16
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Apreja M, Sharma A, Balda S, Kataria K, Capalash N, Sharma P. Antibiotic residues in environment: antimicrobial resistance development, ecological risks, and bioremediation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:3355-3371. [PMID: 34773239 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17374-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The overuse of antibiotics and their disposal without processing are leading the environment and its inhabitants towards a serious health emergency. There is abundance of diverse antibiotic resistance genes and bacteria in environment, which demands immediate attention for the effective removal of antibiotics. There are physical and chemical methods for removal, but the generation of toxic byproducts has directed the efforts towards bioremediation for eco-friendly and sustainable elimination of antibiotics from the environment. Various effective and reliable bioremediation approaches have been used, but still antibiotic residues pose a major global threat. Recent developments in molecular and synthetic biology might offer better solution for engineering of microbe-metabolite biodevices and development of novel strains endowed with desirable properties. This review summarizes the impact of antibiotics on environment, mechanisms of resistance development, and different bioremediation approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansi Apreja
- Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Aarjoo Sharma
- Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Sanjeev Balda
- Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Kirti Kataria
- Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India
| | - Neena Capalash
- Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India
| | - Prince Sharma
- Department of Microbiology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
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Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes, and antibiotic residues in wastewater from a poultry slaughterhouse after conventional and advanced treatments. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16622. [PMID: 34404868 PMCID: PMC8371126 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96169-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Slaughterhouse wastewater is considered a reservoir for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic residues, which are not sufficiently removed by conventional treatment processes. This study focuses on the occurrence of ESKAPE bacteria (Enterococcus spp., S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp.), ESBL (extended-spectrum β-lactamase)-producing E. coli, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic residues in wastewater from a poultry slaughterhouse. The efficacy of conventional and advanced treatments (i.e., ozonation) of the in-house wastewater treatment plant regarding their removal was also evaluated. Target culturable bacteria were detected only in the influent and effluent after conventional treatment. High abundances of genes (e.g., blaTEM, blaCTX-M-15, blaCTX-M-32, blaOXA-48, blaCMY and mcr-1) of up to 1.48 × 106 copies/100 mL were detected in raw influent. All of them were already significantly reduced by 1–4.2 log units after conventional treatment. Following ozonation, mcr-1 and blaCTX-M-32 were further reduced below the limit of detection. Antibiotic residues were detected in 55.6% (n = 10/18) of the wastewater samples. Despite the significant reduction through conventional and advanced treatments, effluents still exhibited high concentrations of some ARGs (e.g., sul1, ermB and blaOXA-48), ranging from 1.75 × 102 to 3.44 × 103 copies/100 mL. Thus, a combination of oxidative, adsorptive and membrane-based technologies should be considered.
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Long-Term Exposure to Octenidine in a Simulated Sink Trap Environment Results in Selection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter, and Enterobacter Isolates with Mutations in Efflux Pump Regulators. Appl Environ Microbiol 2021; 87:AEM.00210-21. [PMID: 33674437 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00210-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Octenidine-based disinfection products are becoming increasingly popular for infection control of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative isolates. When a waste trap was removed from a hospital and allowed to acclimatize in a standard tap rig in our laboratory, it was shown that Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Citrobacter and Enterobacter spp. were readily isolated. This study aimed to understand the potential impact of prolonged exposure to low doses of a commercial product containing octenidine on these bacteria. Phenotypic and genotypic analyses showed that P. aeruginosa strains had increased tolerance to octenidine, which was characterized by mutations in the Tet repressor SmvR. Enterobacter species demonstrated increased tolerance to many other cationic biocides, although not octenidine, as well as the antibiotics ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and ceftazidime, through mutations in another Tet repressor, RamR. Citrobacter species with mutations in RamR and MarR were identified following octenidine exposure, and this is linked to development of resistance to ampicillin, piperacillin, and chloramphenicol, as well as an increased MIC for ciprofloxacin. Isolates were able to retain fitness, as characterized by growth, biofilm formation, and virulence in Galleria mellonella, after prolonged contact with octenidine, although there were strain-to-strain differences. These results demonstrate that continued low-level octenidine exposure in a simulated sink trap environment selects for mutations that affect smvR It may also promote microbial adaptation to other cationic biocides and cross-resistance to antibiotics, while not incurring a fitness cost. This suggests that hospital sink traps may act as a reservoir for more biocide-tolerant organisms.IMPORTANCE Multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains of bacteria are a major clinical problem, and several reports have linked outbreaks of MDR bacteria with bacterial populations in hospital sinks. Biocides such as octenidine are used clinically in body washes and other products, such as wound dressings for infection control. Therefore, increased tolerance to these biocides would be detrimental to infection control processes. Here, we exposed bacterial populations originally from hospital sink traps to repeated dosing with an octenidine-containing product over several weeks and observed how particular species adapted. We found mutations in genes related to biocide and antibiotic susceptibility, which resulted in increased tolerance, although this was species dependent. Bacteria that became more tolerant to octenidine also showed no loss of fitness. This shows that prolonged octenidine exposure has the potential to promote microbial adaptation in the environment and that hospital sink traps may act as a reservoir for increased biocide- and antibiotic-tolerant organisms.
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Ecke A, Schneider RJ. Pitfalls in the Immunochemical Determination of β-Lactam Antibiotics in Water. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10030298. [PMID: 33809371 PMCID: PMC8001000 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10030298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Contamination of waters with pharmaceuticals is an alarming problem as it may support the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, fast and cost-effective analytical methods for potential on-site analysis are desired in order to control the water quality and assure the safety of its use as a source of drinking water. Antibody-based methods, such as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), can be helpful in this regard but can also have certain pitfalls in store, depending on the analyte. As shown here for the class of β-lactam antibiotics, hydrolysis of the β-lactam ring is a key factor in the immunochemical analysis as it influences antibody recognition. With the antibody used in this study, the limit of detection (LOD) in the immunoassay could be significantly reduced by hydrolysis for the five tested penicillins, with the lowest LOD for carbenicillin (0.2 nmol/L) and the greatest impact on penicillins G and V (reduction by 85%). In addition to enhanced quantification, our strategy also provides access to information about the degree of hydrolysis in water samples as shown for the most abundant penicillin amoxicillin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Ecke
- BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, 12205 Berlin, Germany;
- Department of Chemistry, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Rudolf J. Schneider
- BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, 12205 Berlin, Germany;
- Faculty III Process Sciences, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623 Berlin, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-30-8104-1151
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Risk Factors Associated with Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacterales (CPE) Positivity in the Hospital Wastewater Environment. Appl Environ Microbiol 2020; 86:AEM.01715-20. [PMID: 32917755 PMCID: PMC7688209 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01715-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing organisms (KPCOs) are bacteria that are resistant to most antibiotics and thus are challenging to treat when they cause infections in patients. These organisms can be acquired by patients who are hospitalized for other reasons, complicating their hospital stay and even leading to death. Hospital wastewater sites, such as sink drains and toilets, have played a role in many reported outbreaks over the past decade. The significance of our research is in identifying risk factors for environmental positivity for KPCOs, which will facilitate further work to prevent transmission of these organisms to patients from the hospital environment. Hospital wastewater is an increasingly recognized reservoir for resistant Gram-negative organisms. Factors involved in establishment and persistence of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing organisms (KPCOs) in hospital wastewater plumbing are unclear. This study was conducted at a hospital with endemic KPCOs linked to wastewater reservoirs and robust patient perirectal screening for silent KPCO carriage. Over 5 months, both rooms occupied and rooms not occupied by KPCO-positive patients were sampled at three wastewater sites within each room (sink drain, sink P-trap, and toilet or hopper). Risk factors for KPCO positivity were assessed using logistic regression. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) identified environmental seeding by KPCO-positive patients. A total of 219/475 (46%) room sampling events were KPCO positive in at least one wastewater site. KPCO-positive patient exposure was associated with increased risk of environmental positivity for the room and toilet/hopper. Previous positivity and intensive care unit room type were consistently associated with increased risk. Tube feeds were associated with increased risk for the drain, while exposure to patients with Clostridioides difficile was associated with decreased risk. Urinary catheter exposure was associated with increased risk of P-trap positivity. P-trap heaters reduced risk of P-trap and sink drain positivity. WGS identified genomically linked environmental seeding in 6 of 99 room occupations by 40 KPCO-positive patients. In conclusion, KPCO-positive patients seed the environment in at least 6% of opportunities; once positive for KPCOs, wastewater sites are at greater risk of being positive subsequently. Increased nutrient exposure, e.g., due to tube food disposal down sinks, may increase risk; frequent flushing may be protective. IMPORTANCEKlebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing organisms (KPCOs) are bacteria that are resistant to most antibiotics and thus are challenging to treat when they cause infections in patients. These organisms can be acquired by patients who are hospitalized for other reasons, complicating their hospital stay and even leading to death. Hospital wastewater sites, such as sink drains and toilets, have played a role in many reported outbreaks over the past decade. The significance of our research is in identifying risk factors for environmental positivity for KPCOs, which will facilitate further work to prevent transmission of these organisms to patients from the hospital environment.
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Bowler P, Murphy C, Wolcott R. Biofilm exacerbates antibiotic resistance: Is this a current oversight in antimicrobial stewardship? Antimicrob Resist Infect Control 2020; 9:162. [PMID: 33081846 PMCID: PMC7576703 DOI: 10.1186/s13756-020-00830-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective To raise awareness of the role of environmental biofilm in the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance and its consideration in antimicrobial stewardship. Background Antibiotic resistance is a major threat to public health. Overuse of antibiotics, increased international travel, and genetic promiscuity amongst bacteria have contributed to antibiotic resistance, and global containment efforts have so far met with limited success. Antibiotic resistance is a natural mechanism by which bacteria have adapted to environmental threats over billions of years and is caused either by genetic mutations or by horizontal gene transfer. Another ancient survival strategy involves bacteria existing within a self-produced polymeric matrix, which today is termed biofilm. Biofilm similarly enables bacterial tolerance to environmental threats, and also encourages the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between bacterial species. This natural and ubiquitous mode of bacterial life has not been considered amongst strategies to tackle antibiotic resistance in healthcare facilities, despite its ability to significantly enhance bacterial survival and persistence, and to encourage antibiotic resistance. Conclusion Biofilm must be considered synonymously with antibiotic resistance because of its proficiency in transferring resistance genes as well as its innate phenotypic tolerance to antibiotics. Although biofilm falls outside of the current definition of antimicrobial stewardship, greater awareness of the existence, ubiquity, and consequences of environmental biofilm amongst healthcare practitioners is crucial to improving hygiene practices and controlling the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance in healthcare facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Bowler
- Infection Prevention and Control, ConvaTec Ltd, Deeside, UK.
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Savin M, Bierbaum G, Hammerl JA, Heinemann C, Parcina M, Sib E, Voigt A, Kreyenschmidt J. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antimicrobial residues in wastewater and process water from German pig slaughterhouses and their receiving municipal wastewater treatment plants. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 727:138788. [PMID: 32498197 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Slaughterhouse process- and wastewater are considered as a hotspot for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antimicrobial residues and may thus play an important role for their dissemination into the environment. In this study, we investigated occurrence and characteristics of ESKAPE bacteria (E. faecium, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp.) and ESBL (extended spectrum β-lactamase) -producing E. coli in water samples of different processing stages of two German pig slaughterhouses (S1/S2) as well as their municipal wastewater treatment plants (mWWTPs). Furthermore, residues of various antimicrobials were determined. A total of 103 water samples were taken in delivery and dirty areas of the slaughterhouses S1/S2 (n = 37), their in-house WWTPs (n = 30) and mWWTPs including their receiving water bodies (n = 36). The recovered isolates (n = 886) were characterized for their antimicrobial resistance pattern and its genetic basis. Targeted species were ubiquitous along the slaughtering and wastewater chains. Phenotypic and genotypic analyses revealed a broad variety of resistance phenotypes and β-lactamase genes. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and healthcare-associated (HA) MRSA were recovered only from mWWTPs and their preflooders. In contrast, the mcr-1 gene was exclusively detected in E. coli from S1/S2. Residues of five antimicrobials were detected in 14.9% (10/67) of S1/S2 samples in low range concentrations (≤1.30 μg/L), whereas 91.7% (33/36) of mWWTPs samples exhibited residues of 22 different antibiotics in concentrations of up to 4.20 μg/L. Target bacteria from S1/S2 and mWWTPs exhibited differences in their abundances, resistance phenotypes and genotypes as well as clonal lineages. S1/S2 samples exhibited bacteria with zoonotic potential (e.g. MRSA of CC398, E. coli of significant clones), whereas ESKAPE bacteria exhibiting resistances of clinical importance were mainly detected in mWWTPs. Municipal WWTPs seem to fail to eliminate these bacteria leading to a discharge into the preflooder and a subsequent dissemination into the surface water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mykhailo Savin
- Institute of Animal Sciences, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Gabriele Bierbaum
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Jens Andre Hammerl
- Department for Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Marijo Parcina
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Esther Sib
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Alexander Voigt
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Germany
| | - Judith Kreyenschmidt
- Institute of Animal Sciences, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Hochschule Geisenheim University, Department of Fresh Produce Logistics, Geisenheim, Germany
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Evaluation of antibiotic resistance dissemination by wastewater treatment plant effluents with different catchment areas in Germany. Sci Rep 2020; 10:8952. [PMID: 32488142 PMCID: PMC7265433 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-65635-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The study quantified the abundances of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and facultative pathogenic bacteria (FPB) as well as one mobile genetic element in genomic DNA via qPCR from 23 different wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents in Germany. 12 clinically relevant ARGs were categorized into frequently, intermediately, and rarely occurring genetic parameters of communal wastewaters. Taxonomic PCR quantifications of five FPB targeting Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and enterococci were performed. The WWTPs differed in their catchment areas being impacted by hospitals, food processing companies, or housing areas only. The total discharges of the analyzed ARGs and FPB were found to cluster independently of the sizes of the WWTPs with a maximum difference of two log units within one cluster. Initially, quantitative data evaluations revealed no significant difference between ARG categories and WWTP catchment areas. More distinct correlations became obvious with a Pearson correlation approach, where each single taxonomic marker is compared to each ARG target. Here, increased correlation of FPB (i.e. E. coli, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa, and enterococci) with clinically relevant ARGs of the category of rarely occurring resistance genes (blaNDM-1, vanA) was found in WWTP effluents being influenced by hospital wastewaters.
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24
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Kotay SM, Parikh HI, Barry K, Gweon HS, Guilford W, Carroll J, Mathers AJ. Nutrients influence the dynamics of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase producing enterobacterales in transplanted hospital sinks. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 176:115707. [PMID: 32224328 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance has been recognized as a threat to human health. The role of hospital sinks acting as a reservoir for some of the most concerning antibiotic resistant organisms, carbapenemase producing Enterobacterales (CPE) is evident but not well understood. Strategies to prevent establishment, interventions to eliminate these reservoirs and factors which drive persistence of CPE are not well established. We use a uniquely designed sink lab to transplant CPE colonized hospital sink plumbing with an aim to understand CPE dynamics in a controlled setting, notably exploiting both molecular and culture techniques. After ex situ installation the CPE population in the sink plumbing drop from previously detectable to undetectable levels. The addition of nutrients is followed by a quick rebound in CPE detection in the sinks after as many as 37 days. We did not however detect a significant shift in microbial community structure or the overall resistance gene carriage in longitudinal samples from a subset of these transplanted sinks using whole shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Comparing nutrient types in a benchtop culture study model, protein rich nutrients appear to be the most supportive for CPE growth and biofilm formation ability. The role of nutrients exposure is determining factor for maintaining a high bioburden of CPE in the sink drains and P-traps. Therefore, limiting nutrient disposal into sinks has reasonable potential with regard to decreasing the CPE wastewater burden, especially in hospitals seeking to control an environmental reservoir.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shireen Meher Kotay
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
| | - Hardik I Parikh
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Katie Barry
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Hyun Soon Gweon
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom
| | - William Guilford
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Joanne Carroll
- Clinical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Amy J Mathers
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA; Clinical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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25
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Weinbren MJ. Dissemination of antibiotic resistance and other healthcare waterborne pathogens. The price of poor design, construction, usage and maintenance of modern water/sanitation services. J Hosp Infect 2020; 105:S0195-6701(20)30133-X. [PMID: 32243955 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Classical waterborne pathogens (cholera/typhoid) drove the development of safe water and sanitation during the industrial revolution. Whilst effective against these organisms, other bacteria exploited the potential to form biofilm in the narrow pipes of buildings. 1976 saw the discovery of legionella. Despite evidence dating back to 1967 (including paediatric deaths in Manchester in 1995 from splashes from a sink contaminating parenteral nutrition) it required the deaths of four neonates and the might of the Press in 2011 for the UK medical services to accept waterborne transmission of other Opportunistic Plumbing Premise Pathogens (OPPP). Human nature, a healthcare construction industry largely devoid of interest in water safety, and failures in recognising transmission are major forces hindering progress in preventing infection/deaths from waterborne infections. The advent of highly resistant Gram-negative bacteria is highlighting further deficiencies in modern drainage systems. These bacteria are not thought to have special adaptations promoting their dispersal but purely attract our attention to the well-trodden routes used by sensitive organisms, which go undetected. The O'Neill report warns of the bleak future without effective antibiotics. This paper examines the evidence as to why modern water services/sanitation continue to present a risk to patient safety (and the general public) and also suggests their designs may be flawed if they are to stem the modern equivalent of cholera, the dissemination of antibiotic resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Weinbren
- King's Mill hospital, Mansfield Road, Sutton-in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire NG17 4JL.
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26
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Anforderungen der Hygiene an abwasserführende Systeme in medizinischen Einrichtungen. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz 2020; 63:484-501. [DOI: 10.1007/s00103-020-03118-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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The investigation of antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic-resistant organisms in a drinking water reservoir system in Germany. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2020; 224:113449. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 01/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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28
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Voigt AM, Zacharias N, Timm C, Wasser F, Sib E, Skutlarek D, Parcina M, Schmithausen RM, Schwartz T, Hembach N, Tiehm A, Stange C, Engelhart S, Bierbaum G, Kistemann T, Exner M, Faerber HA, Schreiber C. Association between antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in anthropogenic wastewater - An evaluation of clinical influences. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 241:125032. [PMID: 31622887 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The high use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine has led to a wide spread of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance into the environment. In recent years, various studies have shown that antibiotic residues, resistant bacteria and resistance genes, occur in aquatic environments and that clinical wastewater seems to be a hot spot for the environmental spread of antibiotic resistance. Here a representative statistical analysis of various sampling points is presented, containing different proportions of clinically influenced wastewater. The statistical analysis contains the calculation of the odds ratios for any combination of antibiotics with resistant bacteria or resistance genes, respectively. The results were screened for an increased probability of detecting resistant bacteria, or resistance genes, with the simultaneous presence of antibiotic residues. Positive associated sets were then compared, with regards to the detected median concentration, at the investigated sampling points. All results show that the sampling points with the highest proportion of clinical wastewater always form a distinct cluster concerning resistance. The results shown in this study lead to the assumption that ciprofloxacin is a good indicator of the presence of multidrug resistant P. aeruginosa and extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella spec., Enterobacter spec. and Citrobacter spec., as it positively relates with both parameters. Furthermore, a precise relationship between carbapenemase genes and meropenem, regarding the respective sampling sites, could be obtained. These results highlight the role of clinical wastewater for the dissemination and development of multidrug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Voigt
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
| | - N Zacharias
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - C Timm
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - F Wasser
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - E Sib
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - D Skutlarek
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - M Parcina
- Institute of Immunology, Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - R M Schmithausen
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - T Schwartz
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG), Microbiology/Molecular Biology Department, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - N Hembach
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG), Microbiology/Molecular Biology Department, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - A Tiehm
- DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser (TZW), Karlsruher Straße 84, 76139, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - C Stange
- DVGW-Technologiezentrum Wasser (TZW), Karlsruher Straße 84, 76139, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - S Engelhart
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - G Bierbaum
- Institute of Immunology, Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - T Kistemann
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - M Exner
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - H A Faerber
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - C Schreiber
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Medical Faculty University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, Building 63, 53127, Bonn, Germany
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29
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Sib E, Voigt AM, Wilbring G, Schreiber C, Faerber HA, Skutlarek D, Parcina M, Mahn R, Wolf D, Brossart P, Geiser F, Engelhart S, Exner M, Bierbaum G, Schmithausen RM. Antibiotic resistant bacteria and resistance genes in biofilms in clinical wastewater networks. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2019; 222:655-662. [PMID: 30905579 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2019.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Increasing isolation rates of resistant bacteria in the last years require identification of potential infection reservoirs in healthcare facilities. Especially the clinical wastewater network represents a potential source of antibiotic resistant bacteria. In this work, the siphons of the sanitary installations from 18 hospital rooms of two German hospitals were examined for antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic residues including siphons of showers and washbasins and toilets in sanitary units of psychosomatic, haemato-oncological, and rehabilitation wards. In addition, in seven rooms of the haemato-oncological ward, the effect of 24 h of stagnation on the antibiotic concentrations and MDR (multi-drug-resistant) bacteria in biofilms was evaluated. Whereas no antibiotic residues were found in the psychosomatic ward, potential selective concentrations of piperacillin, meropenem and ciprofloxacin were detected at a rehabilitation ward and ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim were present at a haemato-oncology ward. Antibiotic resistant bacteria were isolated from the siphons of all wards, however in the psychosomatic ward, only one MDR strain with resistance to piperacillin, third generation cephalosporins and quinolones (3MRGN) was detected. In contrast, the other two wards yielded 11 carbapenemase producing MDR isolates and 15 3MRGN strains. The isolates from the haemato-oncological ward belonged mostly to two specific rare sequence types (ST) (P. aeruginosa ST823 and Enterobacter cloacae complex ST167). In conclusion, clinical wastewater systems represent a reservoir for multi-drug-resistant bacteria. Consequently, preventive and intervention measures should not start at the wastewater treatment in the treatment plant, but already in the immediate surroundings of the patient, in order to minimize the infection potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Sib
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - A M Voigt
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - G Wilbring
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - C Schreiber
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - H A Faerber
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - D Skutlarek
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - M Parcina
- Institute of Immunology, Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - R Mahn
- Medical Clinic III, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Centre for Integrated Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - D Wolf
- Medical Clinic III, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Centre for Integrated Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany; University Clinic V, Department Hematology and Oncology, Medical University Innsbruck, Christoph-Probst-Platz Innrain 52, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - P Brossart
- Medical Clinic III, Department of Haematology and Oncology, Centre for Integrated Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - F Geiser
- Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - S Engelhart
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - M Exner
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - G Bierbaum
- Institute of Immunology, Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - R M Schmithausen
- Institute for Hygiene and Public Health, University Hospital Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
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