Abstract
We evaluated the Copan Eswab transport system for the quantitative recovery of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa after 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 days of storage at room and refrigerator temperatures, and 7 and 30 days of storage at −80 °C and −20 °C using mono- and polymicrobial samples. The study was based on Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M40-A2 standard procedures on the quality control of microbiological transport systems. Eswab met the CLSI standards at room and refrigerator temperatures for all (combinations of) bacterial strains tested. At room temperature, after 24 h, bacterial growth was observed. At −80 °C, bacterial viability was maintained in monomicrobial samples; however, in polymicrobial samples, P. aeruginosa recovery was compromised. Storage at −20 °C was unsuitable. We conclude that specimens collected using Eswab should be transported to the laboratory as soon as possible. If transport or processing is delayed, specimens should preferably be stored at refrigerator temperatures.
Highlights
Rectal screening for antimicrobial resistant aerobic gram-negative bacteria is becoming increasingly important in the daily routine handling of patients in hospitals
The bacteria that are most often found in these types of rectal screening are Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Six gram-negative bacterial strains (n=2 E. coli, n=2 K. pneumoniae, n=2 P. aeruginosa) from clinical stool samples were selected for the study (Table 1)
Summary
Rectal screening for antimicrobial resistant aerobic gram-negative bacteria is becoming increasingly important in the daily routine handling of patients in hospitals. This is mainly due to the rapid emergence and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in these bacteria (Glupczynski et al, 2001; Hoogkamp-Korstanje et al, 2003; Shannon and French, 2004). Resistant gram-negative bacteria pose a threat to the use of effective empirical prophylaxis in surgical procedures such as transrectal prostate biopsy. In these cases, rectal swab based screening can be used to personalize antimicrobial prophylaxis based on culture results (Cussans et al, 2016; Farrell et al, 2017).
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