After contact precautions were discontinued, we determined nosocomial transmission of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli by screening hospital patients who shared rooms with ESBL-producing E. coli-infected or -colonized patients. Transmission rates were 2.6% and 8.8% at an acute-care and a geriatric/rehabilitation hospital, respectively. Prolonged contact was associated with increased transmission.
Keywords: ESBL; ESBL-producing E. coli; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli; Switzerland; bacteria; contact precautions; extended-spectrum beta-lactamases; infection control measures; nosocomial spread; transmission.