Promoting hand hygiene in a chemotherapy day center: the role of a robot.

Background: Hand hygiene is a critical component of infection prevention in healthcare settings. Innovative strategies are required to enhance hand hygiene practices among patients and healthcare workers (HCWs).

Methods: This study was conducted at the Chemotherapy Day Center of Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong.

Bismuth-based drugs sensitize Pseudomonas aeruginosa to multiple antibiotics by disrupting iron homeostasis.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections are difficult to treat due to rapid development of antibiotic drug resistance. The synergistic combination of already-in-use drugs is an alternative to developing new antibiotics to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Here we demonstrate that bismuth-based drugs (bismuth subsalicylate, colloidal bismuth subcitrate) in combination with different classes of antibiotics (tetracyclines, macrolides, quinolones, rifamycins and so on) can eliminate multidrug-resistant P.

Genomic investigation of , , and reveals differences in species distribution by human and animal sources.

Unlabelled: is a fish pathogen that can cause diseases in humans and cows. Two genetically related species, and , may be misidentified as . It is unclear if these species differ in host specificity and virulence genes.

The Emergence of is Not Associated with Changes in Antifungal Prescription at Hospitals.

Purpose: This study describes the emergence of in Hong Kong, focusing on the incidence and trends of different species over time. Additionally, the study analyzes the relationship between and antifungal prescription, as well as the impact of outbreaks caused by .

Patients And Methods: Data were collected from 43 public hospitals across seven healthcare networks (A to G) in Hong Kong, including species culture and antifungal prescription information.

An outbreak of complex exit site infection among peritoneal dialysis patients caused by contaminated spray dressing.

Background: Wound dressing is intended to provide a physical barrier from microorganisms. Spray dressing is convenient and can be applied to wounds of various contours. In July 2020, a cluster of four complex (BCC) exit site infections was identified among peritoneal dialysis patients in a regional hospital in Hong Kong.

SaeR as a novel target for antivirulence therapy against .

is a major human pathogen responsible for a wide range of clinical infections. SaeRS is one of the two-component systems in that modulate multiple virulence factors. Although SaeR is required for to develop an infection, inhibitors have not been reported.

Epidemiology of multidrug-resistant organisms before and during COVID-19 in Hong Kong.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has influenced antimicrobial consumption and incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). We aimed to study the epidemiology of MDROs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong.

Methods: With the maintenance of infection control measures, we described the trend of MDRO infections, including methicillin-resistant (MRSA), carbapenem-resistant (CRA), and extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase-(ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales, in a healthcare region with 3100-bed before (1 January 2016 to 31 December 2019, period 1) and during COVID-19 (1 January 2020 to 30 September 2022, period 2), together with the antimicrobial consumption using piecewise Poisson regression.

Genomic Investigation of Typhi in Hong Kong Revealing the Predominance of Genotype 3.2.2 and the First Case of an Extensively Drug-Resistant H58 Genotype.

Typhoid fever is a notable disease in Hong Kong. We noticed two local cases of typhoid fever caused by Typhi within a two-week period in late 2022, which had no apparent epidemiological linkage except for residing in the same region of Hong Kong. A phylogenetic study of Typhi isolates from Hong Kong Island from 2020 to 2022 was performed, including a whole-genome analysis, the typing of plasmids, and the analysis of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs), to identify the dominant circulating strain and the spread of ARGs.

Infection of healthcare workers despite a high vaccination rate during the fifth wave of COVID-19 due to Omicron variant in Hong Kong.

Background: No nosocomial infection was recorded in our healthcare workers (HCWs) during the early phase of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With the emergence of the Omicron variant of increased transmissibility, infection in HCWs occurred as expected. We aimed to study the epidemiology of infection in HCWs and to describe the infection control measures during the outbreak of the Omicron variant.

Gastrointestinal Colonization of Carbapenem-Resistant : What Is the Implication for Infection Control?

The epidemiology of patients with gastrointestinal colonization of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has not been systematically analyzed. We aimed to analyze the incidence, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of patients with newly identified gastrointestinal colonization of CRAB in a healthcare region in Hong Kong, where a multi-pronged screening strategy for gastrointestinal colonization of CRAB, together with other multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), was conducted by collecting fecal specimens (rectal swab or stool) upon admission and during hospitalization. From 1 October 2015 to 31 December 2019, a total of 161,339 fecal specimens from 63,588 patients, 61,856 (97.

Air dispersal of severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): Implications for hospital infection control during the fifth wave of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to the SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant in Hong Kong.

We obtained 24 air samples in 8 general wards temporarily converted into negative-pressure wards admitting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) omicron variant BA.2.2 in Hong Kong.

Control of Healthcare-Associated Carbapenem-Resistant by Enhancement of Infection Control Measures.

Antimicrobial stewardship and infection control measures are equally important in the control of antimicrobial-resistant organisms. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the incidence rate of hospital-onset carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infection (per 1000 patient days) in the Queen Mary Hospital, a 1700-bed, university-affiliated teaching hospital, from period 1 (1 January 2007 to 31 December 2013) to period 2 (1 January 2014 to 31 December 2019), where enhanced infection control measures, including directly observed hand hygiene before meal and medication rounds to conscious patients, and the priority use of single room isolation, were implemented during period 2. This study aimed to investigate the association between enhanced infection control measures and changes in the trend in the incidence rate of hospital-onset CRAB infection.

Air dispersal of respiratory viruses other than severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the implication on hospital infection control.

Background: Air dispersal of respiratory viruses other than SARS-CoV-2 has not been systematically reported. The incidence and factors associated with air dispersal of respiratory viruses are largely unknown.

Methods: We performed air sampling by collecting 72,000 L of air over 6 hours for pediatric and adolescent patients infected with parainfluenza virus 3 (PIF3), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus, and adenovirus.

The impact of personal coaching on influenza vaccination among healthcare workers before and during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Without the implementation of mandatory vaccination, it was difficult to increase the influenza vaccination rate among healthcare workers. We described the strategy of personal coaching and assess its impact in increasing the influenza vaccination rate among healthcare workers in Hong Kong.

Methods: Personal coaching of individual staff led by the infection control officer (ICO) and senior nursing officer (SNO) from infection control team could overcome barriers and promote on-site vaccination.

Explosive outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is associated with vertical transmission in high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong.

The phenomenon of vertical transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in high-rise residential buildings (HRRBs) is unique in our densely populated cosmopolitan city. The compulsory testing of a whole building under the scheme of restriction-testing declaration (RTD) during the fourth wave (non-Omicron variant) and fifth wave (mostly Omicron variant) of COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong allowed us to study the prevalence of this phenomenon, which may represent a form of airborne transmission. From 23 January 2021 to 24 March 2022, 25,450 (5.

Subinhibitory Concentrations of Antibiotics Exacerbate Staphylococcal Infection by Inducing Bacterial Virulence.

Antibiotics are widely used for the treatment of bacterial infections. However, injudicious use of antibiotics based on an empirical method may lead to the emergence of resistant strains. Despite appropriate administration of antibiotics, their concentrations may remain subinhibitory in the body, due to individual variations in tissue distribution and metabolism rates.

Antivirulence Agent as an Adjuvant of β-Lactam Antibiotics in Treating Staphylococcal Infections.

can cause a plethora of life-threatening infections. Antibiotics have been extensively used to treat infections. However, when antibiotics are used at sub-inhibitory concentrations, especially for β-lactam antibiotics, they may enhance staphylococcal pathogenicity and exacerbate the infection.

Decreased Antibiotic Consumption Coincided with Reduction in Bacteremia Caused by Bacterial Species with Respiratory Transmission Potential during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Nonpharmaceutical interventions implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020−2021) have provided a unique opportunity to understand their impact on the wholesale supply of antibiotics and incidences of infections represented by bacteremia due to common bacterial species in Hong Kong. The wholesale antibiotic supply data (surrogate indicator of antibiotic consumption) and notifications of scarlet fever, chickenpox, and tuberculosis collected by the Centre for Health Protection, and the data of blood cultures of patients admitted to public hospitals in Hong Kong collected by the Hospital Authority for the last 10 years, were tabulated and analyzed. A reduction in the wholesale supply of antibiotics was observed.

Multipronged infection control strategy to achieve zero nosocomial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases among Hong Kong healthcare workers in the first 300 days of the pandemic.

Background: Nosocomial outbreaks leading to healthcare worker (HCW) infection and death have been increasingly reported during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Objective: We implemented a strategy to reduce nosocomial acquisition.

Methods: We summarized our experience in implementing a multipronged infection control strategy in the first 300 days (December 31, 2019, to October 25, 2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic under the governance of Hospital Authority in Hong Kong.

The use of multi-pronged screening strategy to understand the epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Hong Kong: transition from epidemic to endemic setting.

A multi-pronged carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) screening strategy was implemented in Hong Kong West healthcare network. Of 199,192 fecal specimens from 77,194 patients screening from 1 July 2011 to 30 June 2019, the incidence of CPE per 1000 patient admission significantly increased from 0.01 (2012) to 1.

Infection control challenges in setting up community isolation and treatment facilities for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Implementation of directly observed environmental disinfection.

Background: Extensive environmental contamination by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been reported in hospitals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We report our experience with the practice of directly observed environmental disinfection (DOED) in a community isolation facility (CIF) and a community treatment facility (CTF) in Hong Kong.

Methods: The CIF, with 250 single-room bungalows in a holiday camp, opened on July 24, 2020, to receive step-down patients from hospitals.

Absence of nosocomial influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infection in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era: Implication of universal masking in hospitals.

Universal masking for healthcare workers and patients in hospitals was adopted to combat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with compliance rates of 100% and 75.9%, respectively. Zero rates of nosocomial influenza A, influenza B, and respiratory syncytial virus infection were achieved from February to April 2020, which was significantly lower than the corresponding months in 2017-2019.

SARS-CoV-2 shedding and seroconversion among passengers quarantined after disembarking a cruise ship: a case series.

Background: A cruise ship is a closed-off environment that simulates the basic functioning of a city in terms of living conditions and interpersonal interactions. Thus, the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was quarantined because of an onboard outbreak of COVID-19 in February, 2020, provides an opportunity to define the shedding pattern of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and patient antibody responses before and after the onset of symptoms.

Methods: We recruited adult (≥18 years) passengers from Hong Kong who had been on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Yokohama, Japan in February, 2020.