Human contacts play a major role in the spread of certain nosocomial infections
An observational study conducted in a French hospital revealed that human contacts were responsible for 90% of cases of transmission to new patients of one species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria but less than 60% of those of another species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. bacterium. These findings suggest that hand hygiene is paramount while highlighting the need for other methods of combating multidrug-resistant infections. Audrey Duval, from the University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and the Institut Pasteur in Paris, and her colleagues present their results in the journal PLOS Computational Biology.
Patients treated in hospitals and other care settings are increasingly faced with the risk of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Many of these microbes produce enzymes called broad-spectrum ?-lactamases (ESBLs) that confer antibiotic resistance. Understanding the mode of human transmission of ESBL-producing bacteria is essential for the development of effective prevention strategies.
As part of their new study, Audrey Duval and her colleagues donated portable sensors to hundreds of patients and healthcare workers in a French hospital. Thanks to these sensors equipped with RFID tags, the researchers were able to follow the contacts between patients over a period of eight weeks. At the same time, they routinely screened ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia bacteria.
The team found that 90% of cases of transmission of the ESBL-producing bacterium K. pneumonia to new patients could be explained by direct or indirect contact with infected patients in the previous eight weeks, compared to less than 60 % for ESBL-producing E. coli bacteria. These results indicate that contact-based prevention strategies - mainly hand hygiene - can effectively limit the transmission of the ESBL-producing bacterium K. pneumonia. However, other measures, such as decontamination of the environment or more rational use of antibiotics, may be necessary to prevent the spread of ESBL-producing E. coli bacteria.
The researchers suggest extending this type of analysis using portable sensors to other multiresistant species. The study of more detailed genomic data could shed more light on the mode of transmission of ESBL-producing bacteria.
"By combining digital epidemiology and rapid microbiological diagnostic tools, we could enter a new era allowing us to understand and control the risk of nosocomial infection with multidrug-resistant bacteria," explains Audrey Duval.
