Epidemiology and molecular typing of multidrug-resistant bacteria in tertiary hospitals and nursing homes in Flanders, Belgium.
Stefanie van Kleef-van KoeveringeVeerle MatheeussenAnnette SchuermansSien De KosterNatascha Perales SelvaHilde JansensDieter De ConinckKatrien De BruyneKlaas MensaertMarjolein F Q Kluytmans-van den BerghJan KluytmansHerman GoossensWouter DhaezeIsabel Leroux-Roelsnull nullPublished in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology (2023)
This study aimed to map MDRO carriage and potential transmission within and between three Flemish tertiary care hospitals and their neighbouring nursing homes. A cross-sectional MDRO prevalence survey was organized between October 2017 and February 2019. Perianal swabs were cultured for detection of MDRO. Determination of clonal relatedness based on wgMLST allelic profiles was performed. The prevalence of MDRO in Belgian hospitals and NHs is on the rise, compared to previous studies, and transmission in and between institutions is observed. These results re-emphasize the need for a healthcare network-wide infection prevention strategy in which WGS of MDRO strains can be supportive.