Infections in some hospitalized patients are

Hospitals have strict sanitation and hygiene to protect patients from germs that rarely get sick in healthy people but can be deadly to vulnerable patients who are already hospitalized with serious illness. I have a protocol. Nearly 100,000 people die in U.S. hospitals each year from infections that develop after admission. However, despite strong infection control efforts, new strains continue to emerge, seemingly out of nowhere, making people sick in hospitals around the world.

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found evidence pointing to an unexpected source of such bacteria. It is the inpatient himself. Researchers studying mice have found that urinary tract infections (UTIs) can occur after a sterile tube called a catheter is inserted into the urinary tract. Such tubes are commonly used in hospitals to empty the bladders of people undergoing surgery.In mice, insertion of a tube activated hibernation Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii)Bacteria hidden in bladder cells emerge, multiply, and cause UTIs, researchers say.

Findings announced on January 11 Science Translational Medicinesuggests that screening patients for hidden reservoirs of dangerous bacteria may complement infection control efforts and help prevent deadly infections.

“Even if you disinfect the entire hospital, there will still be new strains. A. Baumany pops up,” co-lead author said Dr. Mario Feldman, Professor of Molecular Microbiology. “Cleaning alone isn’t enough, and no one knows why. This study suggests that patients may be unknowingly bringing germs into the hospital, which can affect infection control.” Shows. If someone is scheduled for surgery and is going to have a catheter inserted, we can determine if the patient has bacteria and cure the person before surgery. , can reduce the chances of developing any of these life-threatening infections.”

A. Baumany Causes many cases of urinary tract infections in people with urinary catheters, pneumonia in people on ventilators, and bloodstream infections and hospitalizations in people with central line catheters in veins A great threat to patients. Bacteria are known to be resistant to a wide range of antibiotics, so such infections are difficult to treat and can easily be fatal.

Feldman teamed up with co-lead author Dr. Scott J. HartgrenHelen L. Stoever Professor of Molecular Microbiology and UTI Expert A. Baumany A urinary tract infection occurs after a catheter is inserted.

Most urinary tract infections in otherwise healthy people are caused by bacteria Escherichia coli (E.coli)According to research, Escherichia coli After a urinary tract infection appears to be cured, it hides in bladder cells for several months before reappearing and causing another infection.

Feldman and Hultgren — with co-first author and graduate student Jennie E. Hazen Gisela DiVenanzio, PhDmolecular microbiology instructors – investigated whether A. Baumany You can hide it inside a cell like Escherichia coli can. They studied mice with UTI. A. BaumanyThey used mice with weak immune systems because, just like humans, healthy mice can fight. A. Baumany.

After the infection subsided and no bacteria were detected in the mice’s urine for two months, the researchers used aseptic technique to insert a catheter into the mice’s urinary tract. Within 24 hours, approximately half of the mice developed a UTI caused by the same strain. A. Baumany as an initial infection.

“The bacteria must have been hiding inside the bladder cells until the catheter was introduced,” Hultgren said. “Catheterization induces inflammation, inflammation activates the reservoir, and the infection blossoms.”

ever since A. Baumany It rarely causes symptoms in otherwise healthy people, and many people who carry the bacterium may be unaware that they are infected, the researchers said. As part of , researchers searched the scientific literature and found that about 2% of healthy people are colonized. A. Baumany in their urine.

“I’m not going to put weight on exact percentages, but I can say with certainty that some percentage of the population walks around with a mobile phone. A. Baumanysaid Feldman. “If you’re basically healthy, you’re fine, but if you’re hospitalized, that’s another story. This changes the way we think about infection control. can start Acinetobacter Before undergoing certain types of treatment. How can I remove it? For other bacteria that cause fatal outbreaks in hospitals, Klebsierra, likewise hides in the body. That’s what we’re trying to figure out now. ”

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