Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: Concomitant Contamination of Air and Environmental Surfaces

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2016 Jul;37(7):777-81. doi: 10.1017/ice.2016.69.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To concomitantly determine the differential degrees of air and environmental contamination by Acinetobacter baumannii based on anatomic source of colonization and type of ICU layout (single-occupancy vs open layout). DESIGN Longitudinal prospective surveillance study of air and environmental surfaces in patient rooms. SETTING A 1,500-bed public teaching hospital in Miami, Florida. PATIENTS Consecutive A. baumannii-colonized patients admitted to our ICUs between October 2013 and February 2014. METHODS Air and environmental surfaces of the rooms of A. baumannii-colonized patients were sampled daily for up to 10 days. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to type and match the matching air, environmental, and clinical A. baumannii isolates. RESULTS A total of 25 A. baumannii-colonized patients were identified during the study period; 17 were colonized in the respiratory tract and 8 were colonized in the rectum. In rooms with rectally colonized patients, 38.3% of air samples were positive for A. baumannii; in rooms of patients with respiratory colonization, 13.1% of air samples were positive (P=.0001). In rooms with rectally colonized patients, 15.5% of environmental samples were positive for A. baumannii; in rooms of patients with respiratory colonization, 9.5% of environmental samples were positive (P=.02). The rates of air contamination in the open-layout and single-occupancy ICUs were 17.9% and 21.8%, respectively (P=.5). Environmental surfaces were positive in 9.5% of instances in open-layout ICUs versus 13.4% in single-occupancy ICUs (P=.09). CONCLUSIONS Air and environmental surface contaminations were significantly greater among rectally colonized patients; however, ICU layout did not influence the rate of contamination. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;37:777-781.

MeSH terms

  • Acinetobacter Infections / drug therapy
  • Acinetobacter Infections / epidemiology
  • Acinetobacter Infections / microbiology
  • Acinetobacter baumannii / drug effects*
  • Air Microbiology*
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Carbapenems / therapeutic use*
  • Cross Infection / drug therapy
  • Cross Infection / epidemiology
  • Cross Infection / microbiology
  • Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field
  • Environmental Exposure / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Intensive Care Units / statistics & numerical data
  • Patients' Rooms* / statistics & numerical data
  • Rectum / microbiology
  • Respiratory System / microbiology
  • beta-Lactam Resistance

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Carbapenems