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Municipal wastewater treatment plants are recognized reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Three municipal wastewater treatment plants differing on the dimensions and bio-treatment processes were compared for the loads of amoxicillin-, tetracycline-, and ciprofloxacin-resistant heterotrophic bacteria, enterobacteria, and enterococci in the raw inflow and in the treated effluents. The sewage received by each plant, in average, corresponded to 85,000 inhabitant equivalents (IE), including pretreated industrial effluents (

Two bacterial strains, G30 T and A1PC16, isolated respectively from raw milk and raw wastewater, were characterized using a polyphasic approach. Chemotaxonomic characterization supported the inclusion of these strains in the genus Acinetobacter, with Q-8 and Q-9 as the major respiratory quinones, genomic DNA G+C contents within the range observed for this genus (38-47 mol%) and C 16 : 0 , C 18 : 1 v9c and C 16 : 1 v7c/iso-C 15 : 0 2-OH as the predominant fatty acids. The observation of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity lower than 97 % with other Acinetobacter species with validly published names led to the hypothesis that these isolates could represent a novel species. This hypothesis was supported by comparative analysis of partial sequences of the genes rpoB and gyrB, which showed that strains G30 T and A1PC16 did not cluster with any species with validly published names, forming a distinct lineage. DNA-DNA hybridizations confirmed that the two strains were members of the same species, which could be distinguished from their congeners by several phenotypic characteristics. On the basis of these arguments, it is proposed that strains G30 T and A1PC16 represent a novel species, for which the name Acinetobacter rudis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is strain G30 T (5LMG 26107 T 5CCUG 57889 T 5DSM 24031 T 5CECT 7818 T ).

The potential of domestic wastewater treatment plants to contribute for the dissemination of ciprofloxacin-resistant bacteria was assessed. Differences on bacterial counts and percentage of resistance in the raw wastewater could not be explained on basis of the size of the plant or demographic characteristics of population served. In contrast, the treated effluent of the larger plants had significantly more heterotrophs and enterobacteria, including ciprofloxacin-resistant organisms, than the smaller (p<0.01). Moreover, longer hydraulic retention times were associated with significantly higher percentages of resistant enterobacteria in the treated effluent (p< 0.05). Independently of the size or type of treatment used, domestic wastewater treatment plants discharged per day at least 10 10 -10 14 colony forming units of ciprofloxacin-resistant bacteria into the receiving environment.

Summary Background Surgical site infections (SSIs) are one of the most frequently reported types of hospital-acquired infection and are associated with substantial clinical and economic burden. Aim To assess the incidence of SSIs and analyze contributing risk factors in a real-world Spanish hospital setting before and after the implementation of triclosan-coated sutures (TCS). Methods A prospective, observational study was conducted at Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Enrolled patients underwent surgery in the following specialties: general surgery, urology, neurosurgery, gynaecology, and traumatology. The primary outcome of the study was SSI incidence, assessed at a 30-day follow-up. Secondary outcomes were length of hospital stay, and readmission, reintervention, and mortality rates, also at 30 days. Findings 5,081 patients were included in the study, of which 2,591 were treated using non-coated sutures (NCS) and 2,490 using TCS. After adjusting for potential confounders, TCS significantly reduced SSI rate by 36%, compared with NCS (odds ratio [OR]: 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.48–0.85; P <0.003). When stratified by wound classification, a statistically significant reduction in SSI incidence, in favour of TCS use, was observed for Class IV (dirty) wounds (35.6% versus 22.7% for NCS and TCS, respectively; OR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.31–0.90). Conclusion The use of TCS reduced SSI risk when compared with NCS. This reduction was significant for Class IV wounds, providing evidence that supports the use of TCS for this type of wound.