We determined the presence of extended-spectrum--lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli among 3,344 study participants from the German community. Intestinal colonization was detected in 211 persons (6.3%), without significant differences among the different age groups. The majority (95.2%) of isolates harbored CTX-M-type ESBL, with CTX-M-15 (46%) and CTX-M-1 (24.2%) as the most common types. The finding of ESBL producers and one isolate additionally producing carbapenemase OXA-244 indicates a risk of dissemination of resistant bacteria outside the hospitals. Escherichia coli strains producing extended-spectrum -lactamases (ESBLs) represent a major threat among the increasing number of drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (1). Fecal carriage of ESBL-producing E. coli has been described worldwide in hospitals and the ambulatory care setting (2-6) as well as in the community (7-9). A recent study investigating healthy infection control personnel (n ϭ 231) in Germany revealed that 3.5% are carriers of ESBL-producing E. coli (10). In the present study, we determined the fecal carriage rate of ESBL-producing E. coli in a large sample of persons from the German community, including molecular analysis of the isolates.From October 2009 to November 2012, we collected 3,344 nonreplicate fecal samples from individuals living in seven different areas of Bavaria (Upper Bavaria, 29.2%; Central Franconia, 20.8%; Upper Franconia, 15.0%; Upper Palatinate, 12.0%; Swabia, 10.8%; Lower Franconia, 9.0%; Lower Bavaria, 3.1%), Germany. The median age of the study participants was 32.0 years (range, 0 to 98 years), with a male/female ratio of 0.96. All probands had at the time of investigation a close contact to patients with bacterial gastroenteritis and were subsequently screened for fecal carriage of intestinal bacterial pathogens by 74 local health authorities. However, they did not show any symptoms related to gastroenteritis, and intestinal bacterial pathogens were not detected in any of these study participants. All 3,344 fecal samples were investigated for the presence of ESBL-producing E. coli by inoculation on MacConkey agar supplemented with cefotaxime (1 mg/liter). Identification to the species level was performed using API E strips (bioMérieux, Nürtingen, Germany), and ESBL production was confirmed by the combined disc method (Mast Diagnostica, Rheinfeld, Germany) using cefotaxime and ceftazidime with and without clavulanic acid. Susceptibility testing for 18 antimicrobial substances (ampicillin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefepime, cefpodoxime, cefoxitin, ertapenem, imipenem, meropenem, aztreonam, amikacin, gentamicin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) was performed by disc diffusion (Oxoid Ltd., Basingstoke, United Kingdom), and interpretation was done according to EUCAST (http://www.eucast.org/clinical _breakpoints) and CLSI criteria (nalidixic acid, tetracycline) (11). E. coli isolates with the ESBL phenotype were investigated for the pres...
In this study we determined the prevalence of intestinal carriage, the antimicrobial susceptibility rates, and the genetic diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the community. From July 2010 to December 2011, a total of 2110 nonreplicate fecal samples from individuals living in Bavaria were collected. Samples were screened for P. aeruginosa by a selective medium and antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disc diffusion technique. Genetic diversity was assessed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Intestinal colonization was detected in 31 of 2110 (1.47%) individuals. None of the isolates showed resistance to aztreonam, imipenem, meropenem, ciprofloxacin, amikacin or colistin. Twenty-five isolates could be assigned to 20 different sequence types (STs), whereas the remaining 6 could not be assigned. Interestingly, four isolates belonged to ST253. These data show that intestinal colonization by P. aeruginosa occurs in the community with high genetic diversity and low rates of antimicrobial resistance.
An ageing population correlates with rising needs for long-term care (LTC). Support programmes should consider the specific needs of the various subgroups of care dependents and family caregivers. The objective of this study was to analyse the gender-specific disparities in home-care arrangements in Germany, and for this purpose, survey and insurance claims data were used. A survey of 2545 insured care recipients with high-level care needs was conducted in 2012 with the Barmer GEK, a major German statutory healthcare insurance. Insurance claims data were provided for a follow-up, focussing on the group aged 60 years and older. For statistical comparison, chi-squared test and t-tests were used, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Most care recipients are female, and they are on average 2 years older than males. Men receive family care mostly from their wives, whereas widows frequently live alone and receive care from daughters, sons, other relatives, neighbours and friends, as well as from professional nursing services. Furthermore, women more often anticipate the need for (further) professional assistance and move in with a relative or to an assisted living facility or a nursing home in good time. The desired rate for relocation to a nursing home was higher than the anticipated, and during the 6-month follow-up, the actual rate of relocations was in between both. In summary, the caring situation of men and women is different. Care-receiving men are most often cared for by their wives. Widowed women need a social network and their children in order to remain in their own home. To provide better home-care arrangements for women in this situation, the family and social networks need a stronger focus in politics and research. To stabilise the home-care situation of men with high-level care needs, their wives need more support.
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