A recent US study has investigated CPE contamination of sinks, drains, and wastewater. Carbapenemase-producing bacteria were identified throughout the drainage and water system, from drains in patient rooms, right through to wastewater sampled through manholes adjacent to the hospital. My main question in all of this is whether this huge reservoir of carbapenemases in hospital wastewater is a risk for patients. The lack of genetic similarity between isolates in hospital wastewater and isolates from patients suggest not, but I suspect there’s an indirect link and these carbapenemases find their way into isolates affecting humans, which is supported by genetic links between the plasmids carrying the carbapenemases.
effluent
Perspectives from ECCMID 2014: the box set
I’ve published a few ‘Perspectives from ECCMID’ on the blog over the last few days, so thought it would be useful to post a summary:
- Part I: A voice against ‘selective’ digestive decontamination.
- Part II: What to do about MDR-GNR?
- Part III: CDI synthetic “repoopulation” (bacteriotherapy) closer than you think & “CA-CDI” still pie in the sky
- Part IV: We need to stop polluting our planet with antibiotics
You may also be interested in some other updates from ECCMID elsewhere in the blogosphere:
- The Year in Infection Control 2014
- Environmental science updates
- Medscape articles
- Updates on DAV-132 (non antibiotic option for gastrointestinal suppression).
Reflections on Infection Prevention and Control 