β-Lactam and Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Recovered from the Environment of Human and Veterinary Tertiary Care Hospitals.

The dissemination of Enterobacteriaceae expressing resistance to clinically important antibiotics such as extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC), carbapenems, and fluoroquinolones is of critical concern to both human and veterinary medicine. In healthcare facilities, the movement of patients, personnel, and equipment provides an opportunity for Enterobacteriaceae carrying antibiotic resistance genes to disseminate in the hospital environment where they pose a threat to patients, staff, and hospital visitors. We collected environmental samples using electrostatic cloths to estimate the frequency of resistant Enterobacteriaceae contamination on human and veterinary hospital surfaces. Samples were enriched in nutrient broth modified with antibiotics to provide specific selection pressure to select for bacteria expressing AmpC -lactamase (bla(CMY)), extended-spectrum -lactamase (ESBL, bla(CTX-M)), carbapenemase, quinolone, and fluoroquinolone-resistant phenotypes. A total of 31 contact surfaces were sampled at each of five visits to two human hospitals. In addition, 34 surfaces were sampled at each of three visits to a veterinary hospital serving both farm animal and companion animal patients. Isolates expressing the bla(CMY) phenotype were recovered from 0.6%, 100%, and 18.2% of human hospitals, veterinary farm animal, and veterinary companion animal hospital surfaces, respectively. Isolates expressing the bla(CTX-M) phenotype were recovered from 0.6%, 55%, and 16.7% of human hospitals, farm animal, and companion animal veterinary hospital surfaces, respectively. Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) were detected from 1.3% of human hospital surfaces, but none were recovered from the veterinary hospital. Fluoroquinolone resistance was detected in 0.6%, 5.0%, and 37.9% of human hospitals, farm animal, and companion animal veterinary hospital surfaces, respectively. Our results indicate that ESC and fluoroquinolone-resistant Enterobacteriaceae can contaminate surfaces in both human and veterinary medical settings, with higher prevalence observed in veterinary hospitals, although the recovery of CPE from human hospital environments is concerning. Hospital medical trolleys or carts may serve as fomites for the dissemination of clinically relevant resistant bacteria.