Emergence and dissemination of multi-resistant Gram negative Enterobacteriaceae: lessons to be learnt from local and national surveillance programs in Belgium

Cross-border differences in the prevalence and risk factors for carriage of antimicrobial resistance in children attending daycare centers: a point prevalence study in the Netherlands and Belgium

BACKGROUND

Day care centres (DCCs) are ideal settings for drug-resistant bacteria to emerge. Prevalence numbers of faecal carriage of antimicrobial resistant bacteria in these settings are rare. We aimed to determine the prevalence of faecal antimicrobial resistant bacteria carriage in children attending DCCs and to assess and identify infection risk factors within DCCs in The Netherlands and Belgium.

METHODS

A point-prevalence study was conducted in 28 Dutch (499 children) and 18 Belgian (448 children) DCCs. Stool samples were taken from the children's diapers and a questionnaire was filled in by their parents. Hygiene related to stool and toilet use, hygiene related to food, environmental contamination, hand hygiene and hygiene guidelines were assessed conform a standardized questionnaire by the infection prevention and control expert visiting the DCC. Multilevel logistical regression analyses were used to define which characteristics predicted the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E), carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and ciprofloxacin-resistant Enterobacterales (CipR-E).

RESULTS

The ESBL-E prevalence was 16% (n = 71) in Belgium and 6% (n = 30) in the Netherlands. The CipR-E prevalence was 17% (n = 78) in Belgium and 8% (n = 38) in the Netherlands. Antimicrobial use (RR: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.33-0.48) and hospital admissions (RR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.25-0.54) were lower in the Netherlands. Children travelling to Asia were at higher risk of being an ESBL-E carrier. Children using antimicrobials were at higher risk of being a CipR-E carrier. Cleaning the changing mat after each use was found as a protective factor for CipR-E carriage.

CONCLUSIONS

We established a significant difference in ESBL-E and CipR-E carriage and antimicrobial use and hospital admissions between the Netherlands and Belgium among children attending DCCs. The differences between both countries should be further studied to improve the policy on anti-microbial use and hospital admissions in children.

Infections due to carbapenemase-producing bacteria, clinical burden, and impact of screening strategies on outcome

OBJECTIVES

To characterize the risk factors, impact of screening, and clinical burden of colonization and/or infection by carbapenemase-producing bacteria (CPB) in hospitalized patients.

METHOD

Retrospective study in a tertiary care hospital between 2008 and 2016.

RESULTS

Among 88 included patients, 41% were colonized, 59% developed an infection, and 69% of all cases were hospital-acquired. Risk factors for CPB contamination included recent invasive medical device (94% of patients), antibiotic therapy (82%), travel abroad (17%), and hospitalization (>50%) with 80% of all patients with underlying chronic condition. Intestinal carriage represented 89% of all colonization cases and 50% of infections were located in the urinary tract. The recent use of mechanical ventilation devices was significantly more observed in infected patients than colonized patients. The most frequent CPB was Klebsiella pneumoniae and the most frequent carbapenemase was OXA-48. Overall mortality rate was 19%. Prevalence of CPB detection in intensive care units (ICU) based on systematical rectal screen swab upon admission remained <0.5%. The infected/colonized ratio (CPB colonization cases evolving into an infection) was 23%. The time between CPB infection diagnosis and start of appropriate antimicrobial therapy increased from 1 day in previously screened patients with positive CPB to 4 days in patients with previous negative or absent screening.

CONCLUSION

Our results emphasize the importance of CPB screening in all ICU patients and in at-risk patients hospitalized in other units, to allow earlier adequate antibiotic therapy in case of infection which occurred in 23% of the colonized patients.

Isolation of Enterobacter aerogenes carrying blaTEM-1 and blaKPC-3 genes recovered from a hospital Intensive Care Unit

Enterobacter aerogenes has recently emerged as an important hospital pathogen. In this study, we showed the emergence of E. aerogenes isolates carrying the blaKPC gene in patients colonized by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. Two multiresistant E. aerogenes isolates were recovered from bronchial aspirates of two patients hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit at the "Santa Maria della Scaletta" Hospital, Imola. The antimicrobial susceptibility test showed the high resistance to carbapenems and double-disk synergy test confirmed the phenotype of KPC and AmpC production. Other investigation revealed that ESBL and blaKPC genes were carried on the conjugative pKpQIL plasmid. This is a relevant report in Italy that describes a nosocomial infection due to the production of KPC beta-lactamases by an E. aerogenes isolate in patients previously colonized by K. pneumoniae carbapenem-resistant. In conclusion, it's necessary a continuous monitoring of multidrug-resistant strains for the detection of any KPC-producing bacteria that could expand the circulation of carbapenem-resistant pathogens.