Hidden reservoirs of hospital-associated infections

Abstract

Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) is a Gram-negative bacterium that is ubiquitous in the environment and is of increasing concern in public health. Kp can be carried asymptomatically as a commensal organism and can cause opportunistic infections in susceptible individuals; this is further complicated by an increasing incidence of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) strains. Given Kp can be carried asymptomatically, and can cause infections, it is possible that asymptomatic carriage acts as a reservoir for infection. Our recent work in Melbourne confirms this is often true. Individuals who tested positive for carriage of Kp, on admission to ICU, were over five times more likely to develop an infection during..