- “The objective of the present study was to determine the additional total hospital
cost and LOS attributable to health care-associated infections (HAIs) caused by
antibiotic-resistant, gram-negative (GN) pathogens.”
McArthur, J. V., Tuckfield, R. C., Lindell, A. H. and Baker-Austin, C. (2011). When
rivers become reservoirs of antibiotic resistance: industrial effluents and gene nurseries.
Proceedings of the 2011 Georgia Water Resources Conference, held April 11-13, 2011
at the University of Georgia.
https://smartech.gatech.edu/bitstream/handle/1853/46105/4.5.1McArthur.pdf
- “Some water resources have become reservoirs af antibiotic resistance genes that
can, under natural conditions, be transferred to water-borne pathogens.” - “The current opinion in the scientific community is that the rapid and continuing
increase in antibiotic resistance found in clinical settings is caused by the misuse
and overuse of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture.” - “Bacteria exposed to heavy metal pollution show elevated levels of antibiotic
resistance (AR) and multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) without ever being
directly exposed to antibiotics.”
McBryde, E., Bradley, L., Whitby, M. and McElwain, D. (2004). An investigation of
contact transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Journal of Hospital
Infection. 58(2). pg. 104-108. http://www.journalofhospitalinfection.com/article/S0195-
6701(04)00251-8/abstract
- “Hand hygiene is critical in the healthcare setting and it is believed that
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), for example, is transmitted
from patient to patient largely via the hands of health professionals. A study has
been carried out at a large teaching hospital to estimate how often the gloves of a
healthcare worker are contaminated with MRSA after contact with a colonized
patient. The effectiveness of handwashing procedures to decontaminate the
health professionals' hands was also investigated, together with how well
different healthcare professional groups complied with handwashing procedures.
The study showed that about 17% (9–25%) of contacts between a healthcare
worker and a MRSA-colonized patient results in transmission of MRSA from a
patient to the gloves of a healthcare worker. Different health professional groups
have different rates of compliance with infection control procedures. Non-
contact staff (cleaners, food services) had the shortest handwashing times. In this
study, glove use compliance rates were 75% or above in all healthcare worker
groups except doctors whose compliance was only 27%.”