Alert surveillance of intensive care unit-acquired Acinetobacter infections in a Sicilian hospital.
Clin Microbiol Infect
; 12(3): 241-7, 2006 Mar.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16451411
ABSTRACT
The epidemiological impact of Acinetobacter baumannii nosocomial infections in a Sicilian intensive care unit (ICU) was investigated to determine the Acinetobacter-specific infection rates, to estimate the preventable proportion of Acinetobacter infections, i.e., those resulting from cross-transmission, and to investigate the molecular epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in Acinetobacter. The impact of Acinetobacter nosocomial infection in the ICU was determined to be 3.0 new cases per 100 admissions. Site-specific rates confirmed that ICU-acquired pneumonia was the most important infection type. The incidence rate, adjusted by the number of patient-days, was 3.3 infections/1000 patient-days. The estimated preventable proportion of A. baumannii nosocomial infections in the ICU was 66.7%. A class 1 integron, characterised by its gene cassette content, was present in all A. baumannii isolates of four different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis types, and was associated significantly with clones implicated in cross-transmission episodes. Furthermore, the same integron was detected in two genetically distinct isolates responsible for recurrent infection in the same patient, suggesting the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer in vivo. Even in an endemic setting with low infection rates, spread of A. baumannii was caused mainly by infection control shortcomings that require appropriate surveillance and control policies.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Acinetobacter Infections
/
Cross Infection
/
Acinetobacter baumannii
/
Intensive Care Units
Type of study:
Screening_studies
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Clin Microbiol Infect
Journal subject:
DOENCAS TRANSMISSIVEIS
/
MICROBIOLOGIA
Year:
2006
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country: