New Perspectives in Controlling the Spread of Multi-Drug Resistance Organisms (MDROs)

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 4704

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Infection Control Unit, French-Muslim Hospital, Avicenna, 93000 Bobigny, France
Interests: infection control; antimicrobial resistance; antimircrobial stewardship; health acquired infection; environmental contamination
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The evolution of multi-drug resistance organisms in the world and the difficulty of controlling the phenomenon must lead us to consider, evaluate, and propose alternatives to the infection control measures.

Most of the proposed control policies are based on a search for new strategies and recommendations to contact isolated patients who are identified as carriers or infected with MDRO. The recent pandemic related to COVID-19 has shown the limits of these policies and leads us to initiate a debate on new ways and means of prevention.

In this issue, we propose to address important questions that would allow us to consider MDRO control in our hospitals differently, such as:

  • What are the lessons to be drawn from the COVID-19 pandemic and the spread of MDRO?
  • Are MDRO organisms the same or different in terms of risk?
  • Are contact isolations mandatory to control the spread of MDRO?
  • Are adverse events related to contact isolation?
  • What is the role of microbiota in acquisition and clearance of MDRO?
  • Is it necessary to control the risk related to the environment? If so, when and how?
  • Is decolonisation useful? When? For what organisms? How?

Prof. Dr. Jean-Ralph Zahar
Guest Editor

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 7053 KiB  
Article
Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Recently Isolated Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical and Aquatic Strains and Demonstration of Silver Nanoparticle Potency
by Irina Gheorghe-Barbu, Viorica Maria Corbu, Corneliu Ovidiu Vrancianu, Ioana Cristina Marinas, Marcela Popa, Andreea Ștefania Dumbravă, Mihai Niță-Lazăr, Ionut Pecete, Andrei Alexandru Muntean, Mircea Ioan Popa, Liliana Marinescu, Denisa Ficai, Anton Ficai and Ilda Czobor Barbu
Microorganisms 2023, 11(10), 2439; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11102439 - 28 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1097
Abstract
This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) strains isolated from the clinical and aquatic environment. Three types of Ag NPs were investigated for their antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antivirulence properties on a total [...] Read more.
This study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) on multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) strains isolated from the clinical and aquatic environment. Three types of Ag NPs were investigated for their antimicrobial, antibiofilm, and antivirulence properties on a total number of 132 AB strains isolated in the same temporal sequence from intra-hospital infections (IHIs), wastewater (WW), and surface water (SW) samples between 2019 and 2022 from different Romanian locations and characterized at the phenotypic and genotypic levels. The comparative analysis of the antimicrobial resistance (AR) profiles according to the isolation source and the geographical location demonstrated a decrease in MDR level in AB recovered from WW samples in 2022 from north-eastern/central/southern regions (N-E/C-W/analyzed strains S): 87.5/60/32.5%. The AB strains were lecithinase, caseinase, amylase, and lipase producers, had variable biofilm formation ability, and belonged to six genotypes associated with the presence of different virulence genes (ompA, csuE, bap, and bfmS). The Ag NPs synthesized with the solvothermal method exhibited an inhibitory effect on microbial growth, the adherence capacity to the inert substratum, and on the production of soluble virulence factors. We report here the first description of a powerful antibacterial agent against MDR AB strains circulating between hospitals and anthropically polluted water in Romania. Full article
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12 pages, 275 KiB  
Article
Bloodstream Infections: Comparison of Diagnostic Methods and Therapeutic Consequences between a Hospital in a Resource-Limited Setting and Two French Hospitals
by Racha Eid, Jean-Ralph Zahar, Chahrazed Ait Ali, Assaf Mizrahi, Racha Ibrahim, Emeline Banh, Habib Halouani, Françoise Jauréguy, Benoit Pilmis and Rindala Saliba
Microorganisms 2023, 11(9), 2136; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11092136 - 23 Aug 2023
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Abstract
In recent years, the diagnosis of bloodstream infections has been complemented by rapid microbiological methods, unattainable to most clinical laboratories in resource-limited settings. We evaluated the impact of their shortage on antibiotic therapy adequacy. We conducted a prospective multicenter cohort study including 150 [...] Read more.
In recent years, the diagnosis of bloodstream infections has been complemented by rapid microbiological methods, unattainable to most clinical laboratories in resource-limited settings. We evaluated the impact of their shortage on antibiotic therapy adequacy. We conducted a prospective multicenter cohort study including 150 adult Gram-negative bacilli bacteremia episodes, evenly distributed across three university hospitals: one in Lebanon, a resource-limited setting, and two in France, a resource-rich setting. Previous colonization by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) was significantly more prevalent among the Lebanese than the French group of patients (16/50 vs. 5/100; p < 0.01). Bloodstream infections by carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales and other MDRO were higher among the Lebanese than the French group of patients (25/50 vs. 12/100; p < 0.01). For the French group, rapid identification of species and mechanisms of resistance significantly shortened turnaround time for definitive laboratory diagnosis and increased antibiotic therapy adequacy. No statistically significant differences were noted in targeted antibiotic therapy between the two groups. This study suggests that, in settings where bacterial resistance is prevalent, rapid microbiological methods have not provided any additional value. The clinical and economic impact of rapid microbiological methods will likely depend on local CPE, VRE, and other MDRO epidemiology and are areas for future research. Full article
14 pages, 1443 KiB  
Article
Molecular Characterization and Prevalence of Antimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolates Derived from Clinical Specimens and Environmental Habitats
by Chrysoula Dioli, Olga Pappa, Eirini Siatravani, Spyridoula Bratakou, Apostolos Tatsiopoulos, Panagiota Giakkoupi, Vivi Miriagou and Apostolos Beloukas
Microorganisms 2023, 11(6), 1399; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11061399 - 26 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1579
Abstract
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) are present in wastewaters as their elimination during treatment in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is often impossible. Water plays an important role in the spread of these microorganisms among humans, animals and the environment. This study aimed to assess the [...] Read more.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) are present in wastewaters as their elimination during treatment in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is often impossible. Water plays an important role in the spread of these microorganisms among humans, animals and the environment. This study aimed to assess the antimicrobial resistance patterns, resistance genes and molecular genotypes by means of phylogenetic groups of E. coli isolates in aquatic habitats, including sewage and receiving water bodies, as well as clinical settings in the Boeotia regional district of Greece. The highest resistance rates among both environmental and clinical isolates were observed to be for penicillins, ampicillin and piperacillin. Resistance patterns related to extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL) production and ESBL genes were also detected in both environmental and clinical isolates. Phylogenetic group B2 was predominant in clinical settings and the second most frequent among wastewaters, whereas group A was dominant in all environmental isolates. In conclusion, the studied river water and wastewaters may serve as reservoirs of resistant E. coli isolates that pose potential threats to both human and animal health. Full article
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