Antimicrobial and disinfectant resistance of pathogens isolated from hospital environmental inanimate surfaces and hands of health care workers

Abstract:

ObjectiveTo investigate the types, antimicrobial resistance, and disinfectant resistance of pathogens isolated from hospital environmental inanimate surfaces and hands of health care workers (HCWs).MethodsPathogens isolated from hospital environmental inanimate surfaces and hands of HCWs in intensive care units and general wards in 16 hospitals in Beijing were performed bacterial identification, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and disinfectant resistance testing. The carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes and disinfectant genes in pathogens were also detected.ResultsA total of 979 specimens were collected from inanimate surfaces and hands of HCWs in 16 hospitals, 75（7.66%）pathogenic strains were isolated, 78.67% of which were gramnegative bacilli. The top 3 pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P.aeruginosa, n=24), Enterobacter cloacae (E. cloacae, n=14), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae, n=4). One P. aeruginosa strain was resistant to aztreonam, gentamycin, tobramycin, ciprofloxacin, and levofloxacin; One E. cloacae strain was resistant to piperacillin, 7 strains were resistant to nitrofurantoin; 4 K. pneumoniae strains were all resistant to piperacillin, 2 were resistant to cephalosporins, and 1 was resistant meropenem. P. aeruginosa had 7 drugresistant genes, positive rate of mir was 100.00%; E. cloacae had 4 drugresistant genes, positive rates of tem 1and shv were both 100.00%; K. pneumoniae had 5 drugresistant genes, positive rates of shv and mir were both 100.00%. The resistant rates of P. aeruginosa and E. cloacae to chlorhexidine gluconate were 4.17% and 57.14% respectively, to trichloroisocyanuric acid were both 50.00%, positive rates of drugresistant genes （qacE△1sul 1）were 79.17% and 57.14% respectively； K. pneumoniae had no resistance to two kinds of disinfectant, dugresistance gene was not found.ConclusionMultiple common pathogens which can cause healthcareassociated infection exist in hospital environmental inanimate surfaces and hands of HCWs, which are dominated by gramnegative bacilli, pathogens had resistance to antimicrobial agents and disinfectant in different degrees.