Evaluation of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy as a First-Line Typing Tool for the Identification of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Outbreaks in the Hospital Setting.

Early detection of pathogen cross-transmission events and environmental reservoirs is needed to control derived nosocomial outbreaks. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is considered the gold standard for outbreak confirmation, but, in most cases, it is time-consuming and has elevated costs. Consequently, the timely incorporation of WGS results to conventional epidemiology (CE) investigations for rapid outbreak detection is scarce.