The following post is by Christine Greene, one of our 2011 Risk Science Fellows, Christine has an MPH and is a Doctoral Pre-candidate in the Department of Environmental Health Science. You can read the abstract of her research project here.
Most people have not heard of Acinetobacter baumannii. A. baumannii is an emerging nosocomial pathogen that has developed resistance to most antibiotics. It is historically an environmental pathogen that has found a way to establish itself in the hospital environment, becoming an opportunistic human pathogen over the past 10 or so years. This multi-drug resistant (MDR) microorganism is now endemic in most hospitals around the globe.
It sounds scary, but the truth is, it is largely pathogenic only in those who are critically ill with a high morbidity/mortality rate largely within this population of people. By critically ill, I am referring to those who have certain risk factors such as longer intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization, having ventilator-associated pneumonia or use invasive medical devices, neutropenia (low neutrophil counts in the blood), immunosuppression and chronic disease that make them easy targets for this opportunistic pathogen. Therefore, for most of us, we don’t have too much to worry about at this moment.
My research is concerned with how this pathogen, A. baumannii, is able to survive in the hospital environment in the first place. Having a long history of being a microbe of the environment, it is able to cleverly escape our tightest infection control practices. We know that this particular genus is capable of forming biofilms. Since biofilms provide a protective environment within which the bacteria can thrive, I suspect that biofilm formation is one of the reasons why A. baumannii can survive in the hospital despite the use of antiseptics and strict infection control regimens. To investigate the environmental survival of A. baumannii, my research involves testing the ability for this pathogen to grow and persist on various hospital surfaces such as stainless steel, ceramic and plastics as well as the effectiveness of commonly used hospital disinfectants in biofilm removal. Ultimately, biofilm formation capacity, surface type, duration of survival and resistance patterns along with other important data will be used to construct a mathematical model to evaluate the transmission of A. baumannii in hospitals and to assess exposure risk to patients in this environment. I also expect that this study will provide the data needed to develop appropriate infection control procedures that are more focused and strategic for targeting A. baumannii, thus reducing exposure and providing a more cost-effective method of control. Last, but not least, this study would bring more attention to environmental risks in infection transmission and control.
The Risk Science Center summer research fellowship provided me the opportunity to get started with this research as early as the second semester of my PhD program and I was able to make efficient use of my time during the duration of the fellowship. Moreover, having received this award and having begun the research, I found I was well positioned to receive future fellowships. In fact, I was awarded the Fall 2011 IPID Training Grant through the Department of Epidemiology which will provide the means for me to continue my work. I am very grateful to the Risk Science Center for seeing the value of my proposal and for giving me the opportunity and help I needed to get started with this research. Thank you UMRSC!!
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Sounds interesting and quite pertinent. One thing that has concerned me ab0ut the experiences of a relative in an ICU was the large amount of electronic equipment there that was not really able to be cleaned. It was a congested place. I will look forward to learning more about your findings regarding disinfection and biofilm removal.