Effect of poly-hexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride (PHMB) treated non-sterile medical gloves upon the transmission of Streptococcus pyogenes, carbapenem-resistant E. coli, MRSA and Klebsiella pneumoniae from contact surfaces

BACKGROUND: Reduction of accidental contamination of the near-patient environment has potential to reduce acquisition of healthcare-associated infection(s). Although medical gloves should be removed when soiled or touching the environment, compliance is variable. The use of antimicrobial-impregnated medical gloves could reduce the horizontal-transfer of bacterial contamination between surfaces. AIM: Determine the activity of antimicrobial-impregnated gloves against common hospital pathogens: Streptococcus pyogenes, carbapenem-resistant E.coli (CREC), MRSA and ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS: Fingerpads (~1cm(2)) of PHMB-treated and untreated gloves were inoculated with 10 μL (~10(4) colony-forming-units [cfu]) of test-bacteria prepared in heavy-soiling (0.5%BSA), blood or distilled-water (no-soiling) and sampled after 0.25, 1, 10 or 15 min contact-time. Donor surfaces (~1cm(2) computer-keys) contaminated with wet/dry inoculum were touched with the fingerpad of treated/untreated gloves and subsequently pressed onto recipient (uncontaminated) computer-keys. RESULTS: Approximately 4.50log10cfu of all bacteria persisted after 15 min on untreated gloves regardless of soil-type. In the absence of soiling, PHMB-treated gloves reduced surface-contamination by ~4.5log10cfu (>99.99%) within 10 min of contact-time but only ~2.5log10 (>99.9%) and ~1.0log10 reduction respectively when heavy-soiling or blood was present. Gloves became highly-contaminated (~4.52log10-4.91log10cfu) when handling recently-contaminated computer-keys. Untreated gloves contaminated "recipient" surfaces (~4.5log10cfu) while PHMB-treated gloves transferred fewer bacteria (2.4-3.6log10cfu). When surface contamination was dry, PHMB gloves transferred fewer bacteria (0.3-0.6log10cfu) to "recipient" surfaces than untreated gloves (1.0-1.9log10; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Antimicrobial-impregnated gloves may be useful in preventing dissemination of organisms in the near-patient environment during routine care. However they are not a substitute for appropriate hand-hygiene procedures

ESBL-producing Gram-negative organisms in the healthcare environment as a source of genetic material for resistance in human infections

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae in the healthcare setting and in the community despite established infection control guidelines indicates that these microorganisms may possess survival strategies that allow them to persist in the environment. AIMS: To determine the extent and variation in endemic ESBL-carrying species in different ward environments, and to investigate the potential for cephalosporin resistance to be transferred from environmental isolates to human pathogens. METHODS: Conventional microbiological methods were used to sample 1436 environmental surfaces for ESBL-producing bacteria. Transconjugation assays (broth mating experiments) were performed using environmental ESBL-producing isolates as donors and streptomycin-resistant Escherichia coli (NCTC 50237) as the recipient. FINDINGS: The prevalence of ESBL-producing bacteria on surfaces in a non-outbreak setting was low (45/1436; 3.1%). The sites most likely to be contaminated were the drains of handwash basins (28/105; 26.7%) and floors (14/160; 8.8%). Fifty-nine ESBL-carrying organisms were isolated. Of these, Klebsiella spp. (33.9%), Enterobacter spp. (20.3%), Pantoea spp. (15.3%) and Citrobacter spp. (13.6%) were the most common isolates. ESBL determinants were transferred successfully from three representative environmental isolates (Pantoea calida, Klebsiella oxytoca, Raoultella ornithinolytica) to the human pathogen E. coli. CONCLUSIONS: ESBL-producing Gram-negative isolates were recovered from the hospital environment in the absence of any ESBL infection on the wards. The drains of handwash basins should be considered potential long-term reservoirs of multi-drug-resistant bacteria and drug resistance genes. These genes can reside in various genera of hardy environmental organisms and be a potential source of ESBL for more common human pathogens

Sparing carbapenem usage

Background: Carbapenem resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is increasing in many countries and use of carbapenems and antibiotics to which resistance is linked should be reduced to slow its emergence. There are no directly equivalent antibiotics and the alternatives are less well supported by clinical trials. The few new agents are expensive. Objectives: To provide guidance on strategies to reduce carbapenem usage. Methods: A literature review was performed as described in the BSAC/HIS/BIA/IPS Joint Working Party on Multiresistant Gram-negative Infection Report. Results: Older agents remain active against some of the pathogens, although expectations of broad-spectrum cover for empirical treatment have risen. Education, expert advice on treatment and antimicrobial stewardship can produce significant reductions in use. Conclusions: More agents may need to be introduced onto the antibiotic formulary of the hospital, despite the poor quality of scientific studies in some cases

Methods for identifying surgical wound infection after discharge from hospital: a systematic review.

Background: Wound infections are a common complication of surgery that add significantly to the morbidity of patients and costs of treatment. The global trend towards reducing length of hospital stay post-surgery and the increase in day case surgery means that surgical site infections (SSI) will increasingly occur after hospital discharge. Surveillance of SSIs is important because rates of SSI are viewed as a measure of hospital performance, however accurate detection of SSIs post-hospital discharge is not straightforward. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of methods of post discharge surveillance for surgical wound infection and undertook a national audit of methods of post-discharge surveillance for surgical site infection currently used within United Kingdom NHS Trusts. Results: Seven reports of six comparative studies which examined the validity of post-discharge surveillance methods were located; these involved different comparisons and some had methodological limitations, making it difficult to identify an optimal method. Several studies evaluated automated screening of electronic records and found this to be a useful strategy for the identification of SSIs that occurred post discharge. The audit identified a wide range of relevant post-discharge surveillance programmes in England, Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; however, these programmes used varying approaches for which there is little supporting evidence of validity and/or reliability. Conclusion: In order to establish robust methods of surveillance for those surgical site infections that occur post discharge, there is a need to develop a method of case ascertainment that is valid and reliable post discharge. Existing research has not identified a valid and reliable method. A standardised definition of wound infection ( e. g. that of the Centres for Disease Control) should be used as a basis for developing a feasible, valid and reliable approach to defining post discharge SSI. At a local level, the method used to ascertain post discharge SSI will depend upon the purpose of the surveillance, the nature of available routine data and the resources available

Ultraviolet-C decontamination of hand-held tablet devices in the healthcare environment using the Codonics D6000™ disinfection system

Mobile phones and tablet computers may be contaminated with micro-organisms and become a potential reservoir for cross-transmission of pathogens between healthcare workers and patients. There is no generally accepted guidance on how to reduce contamination on mobile devices in healthcare settings. Our aim was to determine the efficacy of the Codonics D6000™ UV-C disinfection device. Daily disinfection reduced contamination on screens and on protective cases (test) significantly, but not all cases (control) could be decontaminated. The median aerobic colony count on the control and the test cases was 52 cfu/25 cm2 (interquartile range: 33-89) and 22 cfu/25 cm2 (10.5-41), respectively, before disinfection

Comparison of Two Whole-Room UV-Irradiation Systems for Enhanced Disinfection of Patient Rooms Contaminated with MRSA, carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Clostridium difficile spores

BACKGROUND: Ultraviolet light decontamination systems are being used increasingly to supplement terminal disinfection of patient rooms. However efficacy may not be consistent in the presence of soil particularly against Clostridium difficile spores. AIM: To demonstrate in-use efficacy of two whole-room UV decontamination systems against three hospital pathogens with and without soil. METHODS: For each system, six patient rooms were decontaminated with UV-irradiation (enhanced-disinfection) following manual terminal cleaning. Total aerobic colony counts of surface contamination were determined by spot-sampling 15 environmental sites before and after terminal disinfection and after UV-irradiation. Efficacy against biological indicator coupons (stainless-steel discs) was performed for each system using test bacteria (10(6) cfu EMRSA-15 variant A, carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae) or spores (10(5) cfu C. difficile 027), incorporating low soiling (0.03% bovine serum albumin [BSA]), heavy soiling (10%BSA) or synthetic faeces (C. difficile only) placed at five locations in the room. FINDINGS: UV disinfection eliminated contamination after terminal cleaning in 8/14 (57%) and 11/14 (79%) sites. Both systems demonstrated 4 to 5 log10 reductions in MRSA and Klebsiella pneumoniae at low soiling. Lower and more variable log10 reductions were achieved when heavy soiling present. Between 0.1 and 4.8 log10 reductions in Clostridium difficile spores were achieved with low but not heavy soil challenge. CONCLUSION: Terminal disinfection should be performed on all surfaces prior to UV decontamination. In-house validation studies should be considered to ensure optimal positioning in each room layout and sufficient cycle duration to eliminate target pathogens