146 research outputs found

    Educational intervention to improve infection prevention and control practices in four companion animal clinics in Switzerland.

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    Infection prevention and control (IPC) practices vary among companion animal clinics and outbreaks with carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) have been described. This study investigates the effect of an IPC intervention (introduction of IPC protocols, IPC lectures, hand hygiene campaign) in four companion animal clinics. IPC practices, environmental and hand contamination with antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms (ARM) and hand hygiene (HH) were assessed at baseline and one and five months after intervention. IPC scores (% maximum score) improved from (median, range) 57.8% (48.0-59.8%) to 82.9% (81.4-86.3%) one month after intervention. Cleaning frequency assessed by fluorescent tagging increased from (median, range) 16.7% (8.9-18.9%) to 30.6% (27.8-52.2%) one months and 32.8% (32.2-33.3%) five months after intervention. ARM contamination was low in three clinics at baseline and undetectable after intervention. One clinic showed extensive contamination with ARM including CPE before and after intervention (7.5-15.5% ARM-positive and 5.0-11.5% CPE-positive samples). Mean HH compliance [95% CI] improved from 20.9% [19.2-22.8%] to 42.5% [40.4-44.7%] one and 38.7% [35.7-41.7%] five months after intervention. Compliance was lowest in the pre-operating preparation area at baseline (11.8% [9.3-14.8%]) and in the ICU after intervention (28.8% [23.3-35.1%]). HH compliance was similar in veterinarians (21.5% [19.0-24.3%]) and nurses (20.2% [17.9-22.7%]) at baseline but higher in veterinarians (46.0% [42.9-49.1%]) than nurses (39.0% [36.0-42.1%]) one month after intervention. The IPC intervention improved IPC scores, cleaning frequency and HH compliance in all clinics. Adapted approaches might be needed in outbreak situations

    Educational intervention to improve infection prevention and control practices in four companion animal clinics in Switzerland

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    Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) practices vary among companion animal clinics, and outbreaks with carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) have been described. Aim: To investigate the effect of an IPC intervention (introduction of IPC protocols, IPC lectures, hand hygiene campaign) in four companion animal clinics. Methods: IPC practices, environmental and hand contamination with antimicrobial-resistant micro-organisms (ARM) and hand hygiene (HH) were assessed at baseline, and 1 and 5 months after the intervention. Results: Median IPC scores (% maximum score) improved from 57.8% (range 48.0-59.8%) to 82.9% (range 81.4-86.3%) at 1-month follow-up. Median cleaning frequency assessed by fluorescent tagging increased from 16.7% (range 8.9-18.9%) to 30.6% (range 27.8-52.2%) at 1-month follow-up and 32.8% (range 32.2-33.3%) at 5-month follow-up. ARM contamination was low in three clinics at baseline and undetectable after the intervention. One clinic showed extensive contamination with ARM including CPE before and after the intervention (7.5-16.0% ARM-positive samples and 5.0-11.5% CPE-positive samples). Mean HH compliance improved from 20.9% [95% confidence interval (CI) 19.2-22.8%] to 42.5% (95% CI 40.4-44.7%) at 1-month follow-up and 38.7% (95% CI 35.7-41.7%) at 5-month follow-up. Compliance was lowest in the pre-operative preparation area at baseline (11.8%, 95% CI 9.3-14.8%) and in the intensive care unit after the intervention (28.8%, 95% CI 23.3-35.1%). HH compliance was similar in veterinarians (21.5%, 95% CI 19.0-24.3%) and nurses (20.2%, 95% CI 17.9-22.7%) at baseline, but was higher in veterinarians (46.0%, 95% CI 42.9-49.1%) than nurses (39.0%, 95% CI 36.0-42.1%) at 1-month follow-up. Conclusion: The IPC intervention improved IPC scores, cleaning frequency and HH compliance in all clinics. Adapted approaches may be needed in outbreak situations

    First detection of Klebsiella variicola producing OXA-181 carbapenemase in fresh vegetable imported from Asia to Switzerland

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    Background: The emergence and worldwide spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae is of great concern to public health services. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in fresh vegetables and spices imported from Asia to Switzerland.Findings: Twenty-two different fresh vegetable samples were purchased in March 2015 from different retail shops specializing in Asian food. The vegetables included basil leaves, bergamont leaves, coriander, curry leaves, eggplant and okra (marrow). Samples had been imported from Thailand, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and India. After an initial enrichment-step, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from two carbapenem-containing selective media (SUPERCARBA II and Brilliance CRE Agar). Isolates were screened by PCR for the presence of bla KPC, bla NDM, bla OXA-48-like and bla VIM. An OXA-181-producing Klebsiella variicola was isolated in a coriander sample with origin Thailand/Vietnam. The bla OXA-181 gene was encoded in a 14′027 bp region flanked by two IS26-like elements on a 51-kb IncX3-type plasmid.Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the international production and trade of fresh vegetables constitute a possible route for the spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae. The presence of carbapenemase-producing organisms in the food supply is alarming and an important food safety issue

    Genetic markers associated with resistance to beta-lactam and quinolone antimicrobials in non-typhoidal Salmonella isolates from humans and animals in central Ethiopia

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    Abstract Background Beta-lactam and quinolone antimicrobials are commonly used for treatment of infections caused by non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) and other pathogens. Resistance to these classes of antimicrobials has increased significantly in the recent years. However, little is known on the genetic basis of resistance to these drugs in Salmonella isolates from Ethiopia. Methods Salmonella isolates with reduced susceptibility to beta-lactams ( n \u2009=\u200943) were tested for genes encoding for beta-lactamase enzymes, and those resistant to quinolones ( n \u2009=\u200929) for mutations in the quinolone resistance determining region (QRDR) as well as plasmid mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes using PCR and sequencing. Results Beta-lactamase genes ( bla ) were detected in 34 (79.1%) of the isolates. The dominant bla gene was bla TEM, recovered from 33 (76.7%) of the isolates, majority being TEM-1 (24, 72.7%) followed by TEM-57, (10, 30.3%). The bla OXA-10 and bla CTX-M-15 were detected only in a single S. Concord human isolate. Double substitutions in gyr A (Ser83-Phe\u2009+\u2009Asp87-Gly) as well as par C (Thr57-Ser\u2009+\u2009Ser80-Ile) subunits of the quinolone resistance determining region (QRDR) were detected in all S. Kentucky isolates with high level resistance to both nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin. Single amino acid substitutions, Ser83-Phe ( n \u2009=\u20094) and Ser83-Tyr ( n \u2009=\u20091) were also detected in\ua0the gyr A gene. An isolate of S . Miami susceptible to nalidixic acid but intermediately resistant to ciprofloxacin had Thr57-Ser and an additional novel mutation (Tyr83-Phe) in the par C gene. Plasmid mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes investigated were not detected in any of the isolates. In some isolates with decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and/or nalidixic acid, no mutations in QRDR or PMQR genes were detected. Over half of the quinolone resistant isolates in the current study 17 (58.6%) were also resistant to at least one of the beta-lactam antimicrobials. Conclusion Acquisition of bla TEM was the principal beta-lactamase resistance mechanism and mutations within QRDR of gyr A and par C were the primary mechanism for resistance to quinolones. Further study on extended ..
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