Do patients need advice and information to prevent infections - results of a single centre structured survey.

Background: Healthcare-associated infections are a major burden for hospitals, leading to morbidity and mortality and unnecessary medical costs. They can probably be reduced through what is known as patient empowerment. This study aims to address the question of whether patients are interested in receiving infection prevention and control information.

Determining the need for additional training among hospital infection-control workforce - results from a multicentric survey within the multiresistance network of southern Lower Saxony (MRNS), Germany.

Infection-control nurses (ICN) and infection-control link physicians (ICLP) are both responsible for infection prevention practices in hospitals. However, their topic-specific education levels and extent of engagement in infection-control issues are diverse, creating potential needs for additional training. We aimed at determining the potential need for additional training in infection-control among ICN, ICLP and medical Chief Executive Officers (CEO) in hospitals of the Multiresistance Network of southern Lower Saxony (MRNS), via structured surveys (n=48; 55.

Infection surveillance measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.

To address the question as to which infection surveillance measures are used during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and how they differ from pre-existing approaches. In accordance with the systematic approach of a scoping review, a literature search was conducted in national and international medical literature databases using a search string. The search in the databases was limited to the period from 01.

Discrimination of Human Pathogen Clostridium Species Especially of the Heterogeneous C. sporogenes and C. botulinum by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry.

Clostridium species cause several local and systemic diseases. Conventional identification of these microorganisms is in part laborious, not always reliable, time consuming or does not always distinguish different species, i.e.

Influence of oral bacteria on adhesion of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguinis to dental materials.

In this study, the effect of bacterial multispecies communities on the adhesion of and to dental restorative material was investigated. The saliva-coated specimens of zirconia and composite were incubated with the following combinations: single species, or ; two species, single species combined with other oral streptococci; multiple species, combination of , , and ssp.; and the two-species combinations.

Identification of viridans streptococci With Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption & Ionization Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry by an In-house Method and a Commercially Available System.

Two matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS)-based methods were compared for their ability to identify viridans streptococci. One approach employed a reference database and software developed in-house. All inhouse measurements were performed using an Autoflex II Instrument (Bruker Daltonics GmbH, Germany).

[First Results of the German consulting center for infection control outbreak registry].

Background: Outbreaks of infectious diseases and / or colonization pose an increasing burden on hospitals and the health system in general and can be a threat to patient safety.

Methods: At the end of 2013 we implemented a quality assurance registry of outbreak investigations performed by the Deutsches Beratungszentrum für Hygiene (German Consulting Center for Infection Control and prevention) in Freiburg. Now we analyzed the registered outbreaks until January 2015.

The importance of growth kinetic analysis in determining bacterial susceptibility against antibiotics and silver nanoparticles.

Routine antibiotics susceptibility testing still relies on standardized cultivation-based analyses, including measurement of inhibition zones in conventional agar diffusion tests and endpoint turbidity-based measurements. Here, we demonstrate that common off-line monitoring and endpoint determination after 18-24 h could be insufficient for reliable growth-dependent evaluation of antibiotic susceptibility. Different minimal inhibitory concentrations were obtained in 20- and 48 h microdilution plate tests using an Enterococcus faecium clinical isolate (strain UKI-MB07) as a model organism.

Activity of the investigational fluoroquinolone finafloxacin and seven other antimicrobial agents against 114 obligately anaerobic bacteria.

The activity of finafloxacin against 73 strains of the Bacteroides fragilis group, 10 other Gram-negative anaerobic rods and 31 Clostridium difficile strains was determined by the broth microdilution technique. The activity was compared with that of moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, imipenem, piperacillin/tazobactam and metronidazole. MIC(50/90) values (minimum inhibitory concentration, in μg/mL, at which 50% and 90% of the isolates tested are inhibited, respectively) for finafloxacin for the different species were determined: B.

Monoclonal antibodies against all known variants of EspA: development of a simple diagnostic test for enteropathogenic Escherichia coli based on a key virulence factor.

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) are a major cause of infant diarrhoea in developing countries and a significant public health issue in industrialized countries. Currently there are no simple tests available for the diagnosis of EPEC. Serology of O-antigens is widely used routinely in many laboratories throughout the world, even though it has been known for many years to be an unreliable indicator of EPEC virulence.

Inguinal skin colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria among residents of elderly care facilities: frequency, persistence, molecular analysis and clinical impact.

Frequency, persistence and molecular characteristics of multidrug resistant bacteria colonizing inhabitants of long term care facilities are topics of current concern. We performed a point-prevalence survey of 402 residents in 7 elderly care facilities in Berlin, Germany. Inguinal swabs were analyzed for the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), and multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria.

72 hours standby time of wet-primed cardiopulmonary bypass circuits: a microbiological quality assurance study.

In a microbiological sample study of 15 wet-primed cardiopulmonary bypass circuits in standby mode for 72 hours under regular clinical conditions, no contamination of the priming fluid or the connectors could be detected. Hand contact surfaces of the machines demonstrated environmental microorganisms. These findings indicate the safe use of primed cardiopulmonary bypass circuits in standby mode for 72 hours.

Adult patients with nosocomial pneumonia: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment.

Background: Nosocomial pneumonia is among the most common types of infection in hospitalized patients. The increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) in recent years points to the need for an up-to-date clinical guideline.

Methods: An interdisciplinary S3 guideline was created on the basis of a systematic literature review in the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases, with assessment and grading of the evidence according to the GRADE system.

Discrimination of Enterobacteriaceae and Non-fermenting Gram Negative Bacilli by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry.

Discrimination of Enterobacteriaceae and Non-fermenting Gram Negative Bacilli by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry Matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has proven to be an effective identification tool in medical microbiology. Discrimination to subspecies or serovar level has been found to be challenging using commercially available identification software. By forming our own reference database and using alternative analysis methods, we could reliably identify all implemented Enterobacteriaceae and non-fermenting gram negative bacilli by MALDI-TOF MS and even succeeded to distinguish Shigella sonnei from Escherichia coli (E.

In vitro activities of levofloxacin, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin and garenoxacin against Bacteroides fragilis strains evaluated by kill kinetics.

This study was designed to investigate the killing activity of levofloxacin, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin and garenoxacin against 12 Bacteroides fragilis strains by kill kinetics over time. MIC values were determined by Etest and by agar dilution. B.

[Epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of adult patients with nosocomial pneumonia. S-3 Guideline of the German Society for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, the German Society for Infectious Diseases, the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology, the German Respiratory Society and the Paul-Ehrlich-Society for Chemotherapy].

Nosocomial pneumonia (HAP) is a frequent complication of hospital care. Most data are available on ventilator-associated pneumonia. However infections on general wards are also increasing.

[The challenge of infections and multiresistant bacteria among the elderly living in long-term care facilities].

Healthcare-associated infections not only affect patients in acute care hospitals but also patients in need of long-term care. As the elderly are generally most affected, the demographic change in Germany faces a range of increasing challenges in the field of infection control. The ageing process itself is accompanied by several physiological and pathological changes which may result in an increase in the risk of infectious diseases.

A step towards the discrimination of beta-lactamase-producing clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Background: Matrix-Assisted Laser-Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has already proven to be a powerful tool for species identification in microbiological laboratories. As adequate and rapid screening methods for antibiotic resistance are crucially needed, the present study investigated the discrimination potential of MALDI-TOF MS among extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase (ESBL) or metallo-beta-lactamases- (MBL) producing and the nonproducing strains of Escherichia coli (n=19), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=19), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n=38), respectively.

Material/methods: We used a MALDI-TOF MS protocol, usually applied for species identification, in order to integrate a screening method for beta-lactamases into the routine species identification workflow.

Association of periodontitis with increased colonization by Prevotella nigrescens.

Aim: To estimate differences in the prevalence of Prevotella intermedia and Prevotella nigrescens in the subgingival plaque of patients with periodontitis (including aggressive and advanced chronic periodontitis) compared to healthy controls, and to search for significant associations with clinical status.

Methods: Sixteen patients and 16 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Interproximal plaque index, oral hygiene index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, probing depth, and clinical attachment level were recorded.

In vitro activities of clindamycin, imipenem, metronidazole, and piperacillin-tazobactam against susceptible and resistant isolates of Bacteroides fragilis evaluated by kill kinetics.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the activities of clindamycin, imipenem, metronidazole, and piperacillin-tazobactam against 12 Bacteroides fragilis isolates (resistant and susceptible strains) by kill kinetics over 24 h. In contrast to the other antimicrobial agents, clindamycin did not affect strains with MICs of >8.0 μg/ml.

Microbial profile of patients with periodontitis compared with healthy subjects.

Objective: To define and compare the microbiologic profile of subgingival plaque in German patients with periodontitis (including aggressive and advanced chronic periodontitis) and healthy subjects and to determine significant association between isolates and clinical status. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Tannerella forsythia are major periodontal pathogens, though it is recognized that other species may also contribute to the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.

Method And Materials: Thirty-three patients with clinical and radiologic proof of aggressive and advanced chronic periodontitis and 20 healthy subjects were enrolled in this study.

Phenotypic detection of broad-spectrum beta-lactamases in microbiological practice.

Background: Enterobacteriaceae producing ESBL and AmpC enzymes can be associated with failure of antibiotic therapy and related morbidity and mortality. Their routine detection in microbiology laboratories is still a problem. The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity of selected phenotypic methods.

Epidemiology and antifungal resistance in invasive candidiasis.

The epidemiology of Candida infections has changed over the last two decades: The number of patients suffering from such infections has increased dramatically and the Candida species involved have become more numerous as Candida albicans is replaced as an infecting agent by various non-C. albicans species (NAC). At the same time, additional antifungal agents have become available.

Outbreak of wound botulism in injecting drug users.

Between October and December 2005, 16 cases of wound botulism were notified to the health authorities of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. All patients were injecting drug users (IDU) and the epidemiological investigations suggested contaminated injection drugs as the most probable source of infection. Clostridium botulinum was cultivated from clinical samples of six patients and molecular typing revealed that the different isolates were clonally identical.