J Hosp Infect. 2023 Jun 2:S0195-6701(23)00161-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2023.05.008. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that nutritional products are discarded via handwashing sinks by healthcare workers, and this practice may promote bacterial growth, including of pathogens such as Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE). Outbreaks and acquisition of CPE in nosocomial settings are associated with negative outcomes for patients and hospitals.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate potential growth-promoting effect of nutritional support drinks (NSDs) and enteral tube-feed products (ETFPs) on CPE.
METHODS: Six different CPE strains were grown in 5 different diluted NSD, 5 different diluted ETFP, Mueller Hinton Broth (MHB) and M9 minimal salts media to simulate discarding of a small volume of nutritional product in a u-bend, already containing liquid. CPE were enumerated at 0h, 6h and 24h, and compared using two-way ANOVA and Dunett test, with confidence levels at 95%. Spearman’s r (rho) was used to measure strength of correlation between concentrations components in nutritional products and CPE growth.
RESULTS: All NSDs and ETFPs promoted CPE growth that exceeded both M9 (negative growth control) and MHB (positive growth control). In several cases, growth in NSDs/ETFPs reached statistical significance compared to growth in MHB.
CONCLUSION: Nutritional products support CPE growth under in-vitro conditions. The propensity of CPE to survive in drain pipework suggests that inappropriate product disposal, may further nourish established CPE in these environmental reservoirs. The growth observed in diluted NSDs and ETFPs signals that modifiable practices should be optimized to mitigate potential CPE transmission risk from these reservoirs.
PMID:37271316 | DOI:10.1016/j.jhin.2023.05.008
