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Impact of a new hospital with close to 100% single-occupancy rooms on environmental contamination and incidence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium colonization or infection: a genomic surveillance study.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Article

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Authors

Blane, B 
Coll, F 
Raven, K 
Allen, O 
Kappeler, ARM 

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) is a leading cause of nosocomial infection, driven by its ability to spread between patients and persist in the hospital environment. AIM: To investigate the impact of a long-established cardiothoracic hospital moving to new premises with close to 100% single-occupancy rooms on the rates of environmental contamination and infection or colonization by VRE. METHODS: Prospective environmental surveillance for VRE was conducted at five time-points between April and November 2019, once in the original building, and four times in the new building. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of VRE infection/colonization were determined for the one-year period before and after the hospital move, and compared to a nearby hospital. FINDINGS: In the original location, the first environmental screen found 29% VRE positivity. The following four screens in the new location showed a significant reduction in positivity (1-6%; P<0.0001). The VRE infection/colonization rates were halved in the new location (IRR: 0.56; 95% confidence interval: 0.38-0.84), compared to the original location, contrasting with an increase in a nearby hospital (1.62; 1.17-2.27) over the same time-period. Genomic analysis of the environmental isolates was consistent with reduced transmission in the new hospital. CONCLUSION: The use of single-occupancy rooms was associated with reduced environmental contamination with VRE, and lower transmission and isolation of VRE from clinical samples. The cost-effectiveness of single-occupancy room hospitals in reducing healthcare-associated infections should be reassessed in the context of operational costs of emerging pandemic and increasing antimicrobial resistance threats.

Description

Keywords

Colonization, Environment, Genomics, Infection, Single occupancy, Vancomycin-resistant enterococci, Humans, Vancomycin, Enterococcus faecium, Incidence, Prospective Studies, Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections, Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci, Cross Infection, Hospitals, Genomics

Journal Title

J Hosp Infect

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0195-6701
1532-2939

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier BV
Sponsorship
National Institute for Health and Care Research (HICF-T5-342)
Wellcome Trust (098600/Z/12/Z)