Epidemiology and control of Clostridium difficile infections in healthcare settings: an update
Barbut F et al. – To prevent cross–contamination and to reduce the incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), infection control guidelines, based primarily on experience of hospitals during outbreaks, have been recently updated in Europe and the United States. read more
Increase of patients co-colonised or co-infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium or extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae
Meyer E et al. – Patients harbouring extended–spectrum beta–lactamase (ESBL)–producing Enterobacteriaceae or vancomycin–resistant enterococci (VRE) faecium had a higher risk of being co–colonised or co–infected compared to what was to be extrapolated from their overall incidence. This might be linked to their gastrointestinal reservoir and impracticality to decolonise the gut of resistant VRE and ESBL–producing Enterobacteriaceae. read more
Evidence for persisters in Staphylococcus epidermidis RP62a planktonic cultures and biofilms
Shapiro JA et al. – The pathogenesis of Staphylococcus epidermidis in foreign device–related infections is attributed primarily to its ability to form biofilms on a polymer surface. One mechanism proposed for the survival of organisms in a biofilm is the presence of persister cells. The authors results suggest that antibiotic tolerance in biofilms and in planktonic cultures of Staphylococcus epidermidis RP62a is due in part to the presence of persister cells. read more
Mupirocin Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus Causing Recurrent Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in Children
McNeil JC et al. – Staphylococcus aureus resistance to mupirocin is often caused by acquisition of a novel isoleucyl–tRNA synthetase encoded on the plasmid gene mupA. The authors tested S. aureus isolates from children at Texas Children’s Hospital with recurrent skin and soft tissue infections for mupirocin resistance and mupA. Of 136 isolates, 20 were resistant to mupirocin. 15 isolates carried mupA, and the gene was more common in methicillin–susceptible S. aureus than methicillin–resistant S. aureus. Seven of 20 mupirocin–resistant isolates displayed clindamycin resistance. read more
Risk of Infection and Death due to Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Long-Term Carriers
Datta R et al. – Individuals who are known to have harbored MRSA for >1 year are at high risk for subsequent MRSA morbidity and mortality and should be considered to be targets for intervention, in addition to individuals who have newly acquired this pathogen. read more
