Outbreak with OXA-23-producing Acinetobacter baumannii in a COVID-19 ICU cohort: unraveling routes of transmission

Sandra Zingg; Sabine Kuster; Matthias von Rotz; Aurore Portmann; Adrian Egli; Helena M B Seth-Smith; Pascal Schlaepfer; Daniel Goldenberger; Stefano Bassetti; Stephan Marsch; Hans Pargger; Richard Kuehl; Sarah Tschudin-Sutter

doi:10.1186/s13756-024-01485-3

Outbreak with OXA-23-producing Acinetobacter baumannii in a COVID-19 ICU cohort: unraveling routes of transmission

Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. 2024 Oct 19;13(1):127. doi: 10.1186/s13756-024-01485-3.

Authors

Sandra Zingg¹, Sabine Kuster¹, Matthias von Rotz¹, Aurore Portmann¹, Adrian Egli^{2

3

4}, Helena M B Seth-Smith^{2

3

4}, Pascal Schlaepfer⁵, Daniel Goldenberger², Stefano Bassetti⁶, Stephan Marsch⁷, Hans Pargger⁷, Richard Kuehl¹, Sarah Tschudin-Sutter⁸

Affiliations

¹ Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, Basel, CH-4031, Switzerland.
² Division of Clinical Bacteriology and Mycology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
³ Applied Microbiology Research, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
⁴ Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
⁵ Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
⁶ Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
⁷ Division of Intensive Care, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
⁸ Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Basel, Petersgraben 4, Basel, CH-4031, Switzerland. [email protected].

Abstract

An outbreak of OXA-23-producing carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii amongst ICU-patients with COVID-19 likely occurred by transmission through inanimate surfaces, potentially facilitated by a contaminated positioning pillow shared between patients. Subsequent rapid spread may have been caused by exposure to respiratory secretions contaminating healthcare worker's gloves and gowns during prone positioning.

MeSH terms

Acinetobacter Infections* / epidemiology
Acinetobacter Infections* / microbiology
Acinetobacter baumannii* / genetics
Aged
COVID-19* / epidemiology
COVID-19* / transmission
Carbapenems / pharmacology
Cross Infection* / epidemiology
Cross Infection* / microbiology
Cross Infection* / transmission
Disease Outbreaks*
Female
Humans
Intensive Care Units*
Male
Middle Aged
SARS-CoV-2* / genetics
beta-Lactamases* / genetics
beta-Lactamases* / metabolism

Substances

beta-Lactamases
Carbapenems