Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Contaminating Plumbing Components and Sanitary Installations of Hospital Restrooms
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses several issues concerning the management of hospital-acquired infections, leading to increasing morbidity and mortality rates and higher costs of care. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria can spread in the healthcare setting by different ways. The most important a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/1/136 |
| _version_ | 1797339591372439552 |
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| author | Felice Valzano Anna Rita Daniela Coda Arcangelo Liso Fabio Arena |
| author_facet | Felice Valzano Anna Rita Daniela Coda Arcangelo Liso Fabio Arena |
| author_sort | Felice Valzano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses several issues concerning the management of hospital-acquired infections, leading to increasing morbidity and mortality rates and higher costs of care. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria can spread in the healthcare setting by different ways. The most important are direct contact transmission occurring when an individual comes into physical contact with an infected or colonized patient (which can involve healthcare workers, patients, or visitors) and indirect contact transmission occurring when a person touches contaminated objects or surfaces in the hospital environment. Furthermore, in recent years, toilets in hospital settings have been increasingly recognised as a hidden source of MDR bacteria. Different sites in restrooms, from toilets and hoppers to drains and siphons, can become contaminated with MDR bacteria that can persist there for long time periods. Therefore, shared toilets may play an important role in the transmission of nosocomial infections since they could represent a reservoir for MDR bacteria. Such pathogens can be further disseminated by bioaerosol and/or droplets potentially produced during toilet use or flushing and be transmitted by inhalation and contact with contaminated fomites. In this review, we summarize available evidence regarding the molecular features of MDR bacteria contaminating toilets of healthcare environments, with a particular focus on plumbing components and sanitary installation. The presence of bacteria with specific molecular traits in different toilet sites should be considered when adopting effective managing and containing interventions against nosocomial infections potentially due to environmental contamination. Finally, here we provide an overview of traditional and new approaches to reduce the spreading of such infections. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:49:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-09c1320189ed474eb9241a7b3ba6e1c8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:49:20Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-09c1320189ed474eb9241a7b3ba6e1c82024-01-29T14:06:31ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072024-01-0112113610.3390/microorganisms12010136Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Contaminating Plumbing Components and Sanitary Installations of Hospital RestroomsFelice Valzano0Anna Rita Daniela Coda1Arcangelo Liso2Fabio Arena3Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 20, 71122 Foggia, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 20, 71122 Foggia, ItalyDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 20, 71122 Foggia, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Via Napoli 20, 71122 Foggia, ItalyAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses several issues concerning the management of hospital-acquired infections, leading to increasing morbidity and mortality rates and higher costs of care. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria can spread in the healthcare setting by different ways. The most important are direct contact transmission occurring when an individual comes into physical contact with an infected or colonized patient (which can involve healthcare workers, patients, or visitors) and indirect contact transmission occurring when a person touches contaminated objects or surfaces in the hospital environment. Furthermore, in recent years, toilets in hospital settings have been increasingly recognised as a hidden source of MDR bacteria. Different sites in restrooms, from toilets and hoppers to drains and siphons, can become contaminated with MDR bacteria that can persist there for long time periods. Therefore, shared toilets may play an important role in the transmission of nosocomial infections since they could represent a reservoir for MDR bacteria. Such pathogens can be further disseminated by bioaerosol and/or droplets potentially produced during toilet use or flushing and be transmitted by inhalation and contact with contaminated fomites. In this review, we summarize available evidence regarding the molecular features of MDR bacteria contaminating toilets of healthcare environments, with a particular focus on plumbing components and sanitary installation. The presence of bacteria with specific molecular traits in different toilet sites should be considered when adopting effective managing and containing interventions against nosocomial infections potentially due to environmental contamination. Finally, here we provide an overview of traditional and new approaches to reduce the spreading of such infections.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/1/136multidrug resistancetoiletplumbing systemsbioaerosoldropletshospital |
| spellingShingle | Felice Valzano Anna Rita Daniela Coda Arcangelo Liso Fabio Arena Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Contaminating Plumbing Components and Sanitary Installations of Hospital Restrooms Microorganisms multidrug resistance toilet plumbing systems bioaerosol droplets hospital |
| title | Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Contaminating Plumbing Components and Sanitary Installations of Hospital Restrooms |
| title_full | Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Contaminating Plumbing Components and Sanitary Installations of Hospital Restrooms |
| title_fullStr | Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Contaminating Plumbing Components and Sanitary Installations of Hospital Restrooms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Contaminating Plumbing Components and Sanitary Installations of Hospital Restrooms |
| title_short | Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Contaminating Plumbing Components and Sanitary Installations of Hospital Restrooms |
| title_sort | multidrug resistant bacteria contaminating plumbing components and sanitary installations of hospital restrooms |
| topic | multidrug resistance toilet plumbing systems bioaerosol droplets hospital |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/1/136 |
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