Mikrobiom in Klinikräumen

Im Krankenhaus erworbene Infektionen (HAIs) sind weltweit ein ernstes Problem: In den Vereinigten Staaten beispielsweise sind HAIs die sechsthäufigste Todesursache und töten mehr Menschen als Diabetes oder Influenza. Trotz effizienter Desinfektionsverfahren werden häufig pathogene Bakterien in Krankenhausumgebungen und -geräten gefunden. Das HAI-Risiko ist oft mit invasiven Verfahren wie Kathetern verbunden, aber die Infektion kann auch über den früher von einem erkrankten Patienten belegten Bettplatz übertragen werden. Mit strengeren Reinigungs- und Desinfektionsverfahren nehmen tödliche Infektionen zu, was darauf hindeutet, dass die derzeitigen Praktiken zum Schutz der Patienten nicht ausreichen. In diesen Projekten verfolgen wir die Übertragung von Mikroben von der Umgebung auf den Patienten und umgekehrt mit DNA-basierten Techniken.

Projekte

Hospital microbiome project

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a serious problem worldwide: for example in the United States, HAIs are the 6th leading cause of death, killing more people than diabetes or influenza. Despite efficient disinfection procedures pathogenic bacteria are commonly found in hospital environment and equipment. Risk of getting HAI is often connected to invasive procedures, such as catheters, but the infection can also be transferred via bed space earlier occupied by a diseased patient. With more stringent cleaning and disinfection procedures, fatal infections are increasing, suggesting that current practices are inadequate to protect the patients.
In this project, we study in practice a recently proposed theory suggesting that hospital-acquired infections could be reduced by increasing the amount of beneficial microbes in hospital environment. To test this idea, we will map the microbiome of a functioning hospital, and correlate the information with prevalence of pathogenic bacteria, their (antibiotic) resistance, and the extent and network of horizontal gene transfer (HGT), reflecting the probability for developing new hospital pathogens. Finally, we test if these risks can be reduced by increasing beneficial microbial diversity.
The project will significantly enhance our understanding of microbial processes behind the development and pathogenicity of HAIs, and open new perspectives with future potential for improving seriously ill patients’ welfare and opportunity to recover in the hospital environment.
Team: Kaisa Koskinen Mora, Stefanie Duller, Christine Moissl-Eichinger

Microbial transfer at intensive care units

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a serious problem worldwide: in the United States, HAIs are the 6th leading cause of death, killing more people than diabetes or influenza.
In hospital environment, the risk of acquiring pathogenic infections is higher than in other environments, and these infections are also more often fatal. Patient groups most often affected are elderly, premature babies and patients suffering from immunodeficiency, in intensive care units in particular. The risk is not only related to invasive, clinically-necessary procedures, like insertion of catheters, structural properties of the hospital environment, such as ventilator systems, or inadequate hygiene-procedures, but an infection could also be transferred via bed space that was previously occupied by a diseased patient. Majority of the hospital acquired infections are believed to be transmitted directly from patient to patient, but increasing evidence demonstrates that also the hospital clinical environment (surfaces and equipment) as well as the personnel often act as a source of infection.
In this project, we analyse the microbiome of patients coming to intensive care unit and the microbes in their environment. We follow the transfer of microbes from environment to patient and vice versa using DNA based technique.
This study provides information on the microbial transfer and the sources of infection risk at intensive care unit to better understand the world wide problem of development and spread of resistant bacterial strains, and to support safe recovery of the patients.
Team: Kaisa Koskinen Mora, Christine Moissl-Eichinger