The spread of multiple bacteria can be tracked simultaneously using sequencing methods
Using a genomic approach, researchers have developed a way to simultaneously track the spread of multiple common antibiotic-resistant bacteria within hospitals.
Because current methods involve culturing and sequencing every pathogen individually, new sequencing techniques could help prevent and control hospital-acquired infections more quickly and effectively.
Published in Lancet MicrobeThe proof-of-concept study, by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Oslo, San Matteo General Hospital Foundation in Italy and collaborators, captured the entire population of pathogenic bacteria found in the gut, upper respiratory tract and lungs of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and general wards across multiple hospitals during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The team found that most ICU patients were colonized with multiple treatment-resistant bacteria, and all patients were colonized with at least one treatment-resistant bacteria, and were able to determine which type of bacteria each patient had.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites adapt over time and find ways to resist the effects of antimicrobial drugs, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of serious complications and death.
AMR has been classified by the World Health Organization as one of the top 10 threats to global public health, and in 2019 it caused approximately 1.27 million deaths worldwide.
It is anticipated that this new approach can be used in conjunction with existing hospital clinical surveillance systems to identify, track and limit the spread of common multidrug-resistant bacteria as part of efforts to reduce drug resistance in hospitals and other clinical settings.
