Research reveals role of skin in antimicrobial-resistant infection spread
Understanding how skin harbors and spreads antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in nursing home settings is the latest research published in Nature from the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics faculty.
Diana Proctor, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, is the lead author of “Clonal Candida auris and ESKAPE pathogens on the skin of residents of nursing homes,” which was published Feb. 26. In addition, Nature published a news and views article about the research.
Nursing home residents are at an increased risk of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and fungi infection as this environment acts as reservoirs, amplifiers, and disseminators of these dangerous pathogens, Proctor said. The risk of infection with antibiotic-resistant pathogens is a growing public health concern, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and health care costs.
While antibiotic-resistant infections affect patients throughout the health care system, nursing home residents are particularly at risk, Proctor said.
In this study, investigators focused on Candida auris, a newly emerging and drug-resistant fungus, and its spread within a nursing home and throughout metropolitan Chicago. Using advanced genomic sequencing, they found C. auris on multiple skin sites of nursing home residents and documented that C. auris can spread from one resident to another. The researchers also discovered that several other dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacterial germs, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, spread between nursing home residents.
“Our research suggests that the skin is likely an under-appreciated site for the spread of not just C. auris but also other antibiotic-resistant germs,” she said, adding that measures to reduce spread of infection include increased screening to identify residents carrying a germ of concern, as well as ensuring that health care providers clean their hands before caring for residents or patients and maintaining a clean health care environment.
Senior researchers on the study include Julia A. Segre of the National Human Genome Research Institute and Mary K. Hayden of Rush University Medical Center.