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Background Contaminated blenderised tube feeding (BTF) causes numerous infections in patients with deficient immune systems. The microbial quality of BTF should be thoroughly monitored to reduce the risks of microbial agents and prevent food safety problems such as food poisoning and food‐borne illnesses. The aim of this study was to survey the contamination rate of BTF samples prepared in the teaching hospitals in Mashhad, Iran. Methods This study was conducted on 24 samples of BTF prepared in four teaching hospitals in Mashhad city; the samples were collected randomly. Then specific culture media were used for detected and counted Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus, coliforms and Escherichia coli. The final confirmation of the isolates was performed using polymerase chain reaction. Results The total bacterial count was determined in the BTF samples and compared with the Food and Drug Administration medical food standards; 91.6% of the samples had 5.2 ± 0.1 log CFU/ml microbial bacterial contamination considering the standard range. The mean prevalence of contamination in these samples was measured for coliforms 4.9 ± 0.17 log CFU/ml, B. cereus 3.6 ± 0.16 log CFU/ml, S. aureus 3.7 ± 0.15 log CFU/ml and C. perfringens 4.7 ± 0.08 log CFU/ml (p < 0.05). Moreover, E. coli 11 (45.8%), Salmonella spp. 9 (37.5%) and L. monocytogenes 17 (70.8%) samples were detected. Conclusion Given the high consumption of BTF and the transmission of food contamination to hospitalised patients, it is essential to improve the hygienic conditions at the site of BTF preparation to prevent re‐contamination.
BackgroundEnd-stage renal disease (ESRD) is currently a major global public health issue, particularly among old age populations (1,2). Available data shows that the incidence of ESRD has an increasing trend in both developing and developed regions of the world (1).In addition, ESRD patients should undergo regular hemodialysis through a vascular access. Three main types of vascular access are now available including central venous catheters, synthetic arteriovenous grafts, and arteriovenous fistulas (3).Central venous catheters are not always the best choice although they are yet used as frequent vascular access for hemodialysis (4). The complications of these catheters can be categorized into infectious and non-infectious groups (4). Catheter dysfunction, central vein stenosis, and catheter-related thrombi are among the non-infectious complications of hemodialysis catheters (4). Further, catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBI) is the main infectious complication of hemodialysis catheters. The term CRBI is used to describe bacteremia that originate from an intravenous catheter (5). CRBI, as the most frequent complication of central venous catheters, is known as a major cause of nosocomial bacteremia as well (4-6). It is evident that the use of central venous catheters increases all causes of mortality among hemodialysis patients. This is particularly due to CRBI (7). Previous research has shown that patients with ESRD with a tunneled central venous catheter for hemodialysis are at about 15-fold increased risk of CRBI in comparison with those who use arterio-venous fistula for this purpose (6).The above-mentioned facts emphasize the importance of planning and policy-making regarding prevention, timely diagnosis, and treatment of catheter-related complications, specifically CRBI in order to reduce the burden of these issues for patients and the health-care system. To this end, it is essential to collect local data on the prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of hemodialysis patients with catheter-related complications, which was the aim of the current research.
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