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Mitchell J Schwaber

Mitchell J Schwaber
National Center for Infection Control, Israel Ministry of Health

MD, MSc

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165
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Introduction
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Publications

Publications (165)
Article
Full-text available
Background Creating and sustaining an institutional climate conducive to patient and health worker safety is a critical element of successful multimodal hand hygiene improvement strategies aimed at achieving best practices. Repeated WHO global surveys indicate that the institutional safety climate consistently ranks the lowest among various interve...
Article
Background Little is known about the risk of progression from carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) carriage to CPE bloodstream infection (BSI) outside of high-risk settings. We aimed to determine the incidence of CPE BSI among CPE carriers and to assess whether the incidence differs by carbapenemase, species, and setting. Methods We cond...
Article
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Background Efficient infection control during carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales outbreaks demands rapid and simple techniques for outbreak investigations. WGS, the current gold standard for outbreak identification, is expensive, time-consuming and requires a high level of expertise. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy (IR Biotyper) i...
Article
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Acinetobacter baumannii (Ab) bloodstream infections (BSIs) are a major public health concern and associated with high mortality. We describe the nationwide incidence, antimicrobial resistance, and mortality of Ab-BSI in Israel using laboratory-based BSI surveillance data from January 2018 to December 2019. During the study period, there were 971 Ab...
Article
In national surveys of infection preventionists in Israel (n=15), the United States (n=415), and Thailand (n=100), we found that views of organizational culture track well with these countries' cultural dimension scores of power distance and individualism. Our findings highlight the importance of considering cultural dimensions when implementing in...
Article
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Background Central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) is among the most common preventable infectious complications in patients in intensive care units (ICU). In 2011, the Israel National Center for Infection Control initiated a nationwide CLABSI prevention programme.AimTo evaluate the impact of different components of the programme on...
Article
Background: We sought to determine incidence of common hospital-acquired bacteria among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in Israeli general hospitals during the first year of the pandemic. Methods: We analyzed routinely collected incidence data to determine hospital acquisition of the following sentinel bacteria: Klebsiella pneumonia...
Article
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Background Limited data exist on the long-term consequences of bloodstream infections (BSI). We examined incidence, 1-year mortality, and years of potential life lost (YPLL) following BSI by eight sentinel bacteria in adults. We also estimated the relative contribution of hospital-onset BSI (HO-BSI) and of antibiotic-resistant BSI to the burden of...
Article
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Background Limited data exist on long-term consequences of bloodstream infections (BSIs). We aimed to examine incidence, 1-year mortality, and years of potential life lost (YPLL) following BSI. We estimated the relative contribution of hospital-onset BSI (HO-BSI) and antibiotic-resistant BSI to incidence, mortality and YPLL. Methods We used data f...
Article
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Strategic and standardised approaches to analysis and reporting of surveillance data are essential to inform antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mitigation measures, including antibiotic policies. Targeted guidance on linking full-scale AMR and antimicrobial consumption (AMC)/antimicrobial residues (AR) surveillance data from the human, animal, and envi...
Article
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Background The incidence of Escherichia coli bloodstream infections (BSI) is high and increasing. We aimed to describe the effect of season and temperature on the incidence of E. coli BSI and antibiotic-resistant E. coli BSI and to determine differences by place of BSI onset. Methods All E. coli BSI in adult Israeli residents between January 1, 20...
Article
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Background Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) is a common and largely preventable cause of morbidity and mortality. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to health systems. We conducted a national survey to ascertain hospital characteristics and the use of HAI prevention measures in Israel. Methods We e-mailed surveys to...
Article
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Nationwide studies on hospital-onset bloodstream infections (HO-BSIs) are scarce. To describe incidence, mortality and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of HO-BSI caused by eight sentinel bacteria in Israel, we used laboratory-based BSI surveillance data from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019. All hospitals reported positive blood cultures growing Es...
Article
Objectives Escherichia coli is the leading cause of bloodstream infection (BSI). The incidence of E. coli BSI caused by antibiotic-resistant strains is increasing. We aimed to describe the nationwide incidence and resistance profile of E. coli BSI in Israel and its impact on mortality, to compare E. coli BSI mortality to all-cause mortality, and co...
Article
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Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are opportunistic pathogens that cause illness primarily in the elderly, in the immunocompromised or in patients with underlying lung disease. Since 2013, a global outbreak of NTM infection related to heater-cooler units (HCU) used in cardio-thoracic surgery has been identified. This outbreak was caused by a singl...
Preprint
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Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are opportunistic pathogens that cause illness primarily in the elderly, in the immunocompromised or in patients with underlying lung disease. Mycobacterium chimaera is a NTM species belonging to the M. avium Complex (MAC) group of species. Since 2013, a global outbreak of M. chimaera infection related to heater-c...
Article
Objectives The Israeli national policy for containing carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) includes a protocol allowing for discontinuation of carrier status following spontaneous decolonization. We examined the strategy's effectiveness based on carbapenemase type. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study comparing individuals c...
Article
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Objectives: This study aims to examine the prevalence and risk factors of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sero-positivity in health care workers (HCWs), a main risk group, and assess the sero-incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection between the first and second waves of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Israel. Methods: A...
Article
Background In June 2018, the Ministry of Health received notification from 2 hospitals about 2 patients who presented with overwhelming Enterobacter kobei sepsis that developed within 24 hours after a dental procedure. We describe the investigation of this outbreak. Methods The epidemiologic investigation included site visits in 2 dental clinics a...
Article
Objective To determine the effect of two regulations issued by the Israeli Ministry of Health on COVID-19 infections and quarantine among health care workers (HCW) in general hospitals Design Before-after intervention study without a control group (interrupted time-series analysis) Setting All 29 Israeli general hospitals Participants All HCW I...
Article
We characterized 57 isolates from a 2-phase clonal outbreak of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase–producing Eschericha coli , involving 9 Israeli hospitals; all but 1 isolate belonged to sequence-type (ST) 410. Most isolates in the second phase harbored bla KPC-2 in addition to bla NDM-5 . Genetic sequencing revealed most dual-carbapenemase–producing is...
Article
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Objectives To systematically summarize the evidence on how to collect, analyse and report antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance data to inform antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) teams providing guidance on empirical antibiotic treatment in healthcare settings. Methods The research group identified 10 key questions about the link between AMR sur...
Article
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Infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP) are on a constant rise and are a noted cause of outbreaks in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). We used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to investigate the epidemiology of consecutive and overlapping outbreaks caused by ESBL-KP in NICUs in three hospita...
Article
Objectives We aimed to compare the prevalence of asymptomatic coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) among clinical staff in designated COVID-19 units versus that among staff in similar units with no known or suspected COVID-19 patients. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of healthcare workers (HCWs) in eight Israeli general hospitals. The s...
Article
Background: Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is considered a preventable healthcare-associated infection. Many local and national interventions using multimodal prevention measures have targeted CAUTI incidence as the primary outcome. Other undesirable events related to urinary catheters and infections such as overuse of urine cu...
Article
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Update This article was updated on September 4, 2020, because of a previous error. On page 1211, in the author affiliation section, “W.L. Walter, MBBS, PhD ³ ” now reads “W.L. Walter, MBBS, PhD 3,4 ,” the affiliation for Dr. Van Onsem that had read “ ³ Specialist Orthopedic Group, The Mater Clinic, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia” now read...
Article
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The IR Biotyper is a new automated typing system based on Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy that gives results within 4 hours. We aimed: 1) to use the IR Biotyper to retrospectively analyze an outbreak of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP) in a neonatal intensive care unit and to compare results...
Article
Background: In 2009, the Israeli Ministry of Health implemented in post-acute care hospitals (PACHs) a process of discontinuing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) carrier status. . We evaluated the policy's impact on isolation-days, CRE prevalence among known carriers who had completed clearance testing, and CRE acquisition among non-ca...
Article
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Abstract We analyzed Israeli national data on antimicrobial susceptibility from bloodstream isolates collected between 2014 and 2017 and compared resistance proportions with those of Europe. The incidence of bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by most antibiotic-resistant organisms remained unchanged or decreased. An exception was increased incidenc...
Article
The association between implementation of second-tier prevention practices and CLABSI incidence: A national survey—CORRIGENDUM - Volume 40 Issue 11
Article
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Background In 2012, Israel's National Center for Infection Control initiated a national stewardship programme that included mandatory annual reporting of antimicrobial use. Here we present nationwide Israeli data for the period 2012 to 2017.AimThe goal of this study was to detect trends in antimicrobial use in Israel following the introduction of t...
Article
Background Prevention of central-line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) represents a complex challenge for the teams involved in device insertion and maintenance. First-tier practices for CLABSI prevention are well established. Objective We describe second-tier prevention practices in Israeli medical-surgical ICUs and assess their associat...
Article
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Scope: The aim of these guidelines is to provide recommendations for decolonizing regimens targeting multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) carriers in all settings. Methods: These evidence-based guidelines were produced after a systematic review of published studies on decolonization interventions targeting the following MDR-GNB:...
Article
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Background: Prevention of central-line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) represents a complex challenge for the teams involved in device insertion and maintenance. First-tier practices for CLABSI prevention are well established. Objective: We describe second-tier prevention practices in Israeli medical-surgical ICUs and assess their associa...
Article
Full-text available
Background Central-line-associated bloodstream infections comprise 35% of acquired BSI in Israeli intensive care units (ICUs). In 2012, an ongoing national intervention was initiated, including insertion and maintenance bundles, education, outcome surveillance and feedback on CLABSI rates. Following the intervention, a significant decrease in both...
Article
Background: Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are a major reservoir of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in healthcare facilities, contributing to rapid regional dissemination of CRE. Methods: In 2008, The Israeli National Center for Infection Control (NCIC) initiated a coordinated, comprehensive intervention in Israel's LTCFs, encom...
Article
Purpose: Few data are reported in literature regarding severe sepsis or septic shock due to extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae (E). The aim of this study was to assess predictors of outcome in septic patients with bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by ESBL-E. Methods: Patients with severe sepsis or septic shock an...
Article
OBJECTIVE To compare the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and mortality of patients with bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) versus ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP) and to examine the differences in clinical characteristics and outcome between BSIs cau...
Article
Since 2006, Israel has been confronting an outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), and in 2007 Israel implemented a national strategy to contain spread. The intervention was initially directed toward acute-care hospitals and later expanded to include an established reservoir of carriage in long-term-care hospitals. It included re...
Article
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Background Hospital-acquired bloodstream infections and the subclass of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) are associated with considerable morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. The burden of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in Israeli intensive care units (ICUs) has not been previously described. T...
Article
Background: There is little information about the efficacy of active alternative drugs to carbapenems except β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors for the treatment of bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E). The objective of this study was to assess the outcomes of patients with BSI due t...
Article
We aimed to describe regional differences in therapy for bloodstream infection (BSI) caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) or carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). 1,482 patients in 12 countries were included from an observational study of BSI caused by ESBL-E or CPE. Multivariate logistic regress...
Article
In 2006 the Israeli healthcare system faced an unprecedented outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, primarily involving KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae clonal complex CC258. This public health crisis exposed major gaps in infection control. In response, Israel established a national infection control infrastructure. The steps take...
Article
Objectives: The KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPC-KP) clonal group (CG) 258 has disseminated throughout Israeli post-acute care hospitals (PACHs). The objectives of the study were (i) to describe the evolution and (ii) to understand the dissemination modes of CG 258 in the PACH system in Israel. Methods: KPC-KP surveillance cultures isola...
Article
Background: The best available treatment against carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of appropriate therapy and of appropriate combination therapy on mortality of patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to CPE. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study,...
Article
The incidence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) has increased worldwide with great regional variability. Infections caused by these organisms are associated with crude mortality rates of up to 70%. The spread of CRE in healthcare settings is both an important medical problem and a major global public health threat. All countries are...
Article
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Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) are frequent yet outcome prediction rules for clinical use have not been developed. The objective was to define and validate a predictive risk score for 30 day mortality. Methods: A multinational retrospective cohort study including consecutive episodes o...
Article
Our objectives were to establish a methodology for surveillance of ciprofloxacin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and gentamicin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CPRE and GNRE, respectively) in cattle and to study the prevalence and risk factors for carriage of these bacteria in a national survey. This was a point prevalence study conducted from July to O...
Article
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Objective: To develop a score to predict mortality in patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE). Patients and methods: A multinational retrospective cohort study (INCREMENT project) was performed from January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2013. Patients with clinically relevant monomicrob...
Article
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Spread of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) is leading to increased carbapenem consumption. Alternatives to carbapenems need to be investigated. We investigated whether β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor (BLBLI) combinations are as effective as carbapenems in the treatment of bloodstream infections (BSI) due ESBL-E. M...
Article
Prophylactic antibiotics are an important measure in preventing perioperative infection, Failure to cover multidrug-resistant pathogens may place carriers at increased risk of infection. We conducted a prospective, cross-sectional study in patients prior to bowel surgery to measure the carriage prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing...
Article
Objectives: Data about the efficacy of ertapenem for the treatment of bloodstream infections (BSI) due to ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) are limited. We compared the clinical efficacy of ertapenem and other carbapenems in monomicrobial BSI due to ESBL-E. Methods: A multinational retrospective cohort study (INCREMENT project) was perf...
Article
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Since 2013, four hospitals in northern Israel have been providing care for Syrian nationals, primarily those wounded in the ongoing civil war. We analyzed carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) isolates obtained from these patients. Isolate identification was performed using the VITEK 2 system. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performe...
Article
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Our objectives were to study the prevalence, risk factors for carriage and transmission dynamics of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLPE) in a national survey of cattle. This was a point-prevalence study conducted from July to October 2013 in Israel. Stool samples were collected from 1226 cows in 123 sections in 40 farms of all production type...
Article
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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection or colonization has become a serious emerging condition in equine veterinary hospitals, involving MRSA strains which differ from common human healthcare-associated clones. In 2010, MRSA of spa type t535 caused an outbreak involving both horses and personnel in a veterinary teaching hospit...
Article
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Our goals were to study the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial susceptibilities of C. difficile strains in Israel. Microbiology laboratories serving 6 general hospitals (GH) and 10 long-term care facilities (LTCF) were asked to submit all stool samples in January-February 2014 that tested positive for C. difficile. Toxigenic C. difficile isol...
Article
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In 2012, the Israeli Ministry of Health issued national guidelines for antibiotic stewardship. The guidelines require that all general hospitals, post-acute care hospitals and the ambulatory care sectors of health maintenance organizations report annual consumption of antibiotics. Data regarding antibiotic use in post-acute care hospitals are scarc...
Article
Carriers of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) are increasingly recognised through active surveillance in much of the world. We studied incidence, aetiology and predictors of bloodstream infections (BSI) among such carriers. Via a retrospective cohort study conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital, we examined occurrence of BSI...
Article
Objectives: To study the molecular characteristics of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in post-acute-care hospitals (PACHs) in Israel and to analyse the temporal changes between 2008 and 2013. Methods: CPE isolates were obtained during two cross-sectional, point prevalence national surveys of PACHs in Israel performed in 2008 and 20...
Conference Paper
Background: We aimed to study the molecular characteristics and clonal structure of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae(CPE) in post-acute care facilities (PACF's) in Israel and to analyze the temporal changes that have occurred between 2008 and 2013. Methods: The prevalence of CPE carriage in PACF's in Israel was determined in two point p...
Article
To study the molecular characteristics of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in post-acute-care hospitals (PACHs) in Israel and to analyse the temporal changes between 2008 and 2013.
Article
Objective: Patients hospitalized in post-acute care hospitals (PACHs) constitute an important reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. High carriage prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) has been observed among patients hospitalized in PACHs. The objective of the study is to describe the impact of a national infection c...
Article
Full-text available
Prolonged outbreaks of multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in health care facilities are uncommon. We found persistent transmission of a fluroquinolone-resistant S. pneumoniae clone during 2006-2011 in a post-acute care facility in Israel, despite mandatory vaccination and fluoroquinolone restriction. Capsular switch and multiple antimicro...
Article
Background In June 2012, Israeli guidelines for laboratories were published defining the recommended methods for diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). We conducted this survey to examine the effects of the new recommendations on the proportions of rejected and positive samples by the different methods.MethodA survey was mailed to the...
Article
Patients newly admitted to rehabilitation centres are at high risk for colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria because many of them have experienced prolonged stays in other healthcare settings and have had high exposure to antibiotics. We conducted a prospective study to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for colonization with ext...
Article
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Resistance to carbapenems in Aeromonas species is rare and mediated mostly by the chromosomal cphA gene. Our aims were to describe the molecular characteristics of the first cases of VIM-producing Aeromonas caviae isolated from human samples. Carbapenem-resistant Aeromonas (CRA) spp. were isolated from rectal surveillance cultures. Bacterial identi...
Article
In 2007, the Israel Ministry of Health initiated a nationwide intervention aimed at containing the spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), primarily manifested by the rapid dissemination of a single clone of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Data were gathered from acute and long-term care facilities, and ward-based mandatory guidelines for c...
Article
To the Editor: Huang and colleagues (June 13 issue)(1) report that universal decolonization was more effective than targeted decolonization or screening and isolation in reducing rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clinical isolates. However, the study protocol indicates that patients with a history of MRSA infection who und...
Article
Abstract Tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) is endemic in Israel. Military activities pose a particular risk for TBRF, and its prevention is based on heightened awareness and risk stratification by active surveillance of tick bites and selective postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) with doxycycline for tick-bitten individuals. We report three outbreaks of...
Article
Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPCs) were originally identified in the USA in 1996. Since then, these versatile β-lactamases have spread internationally among Gram-negative bacteria, especially K pneumoniae, although their precise epidemiology is diverse across countries and regions. The mortality described among patients infected with organ...
Article
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This study describes the course of an OXA-48-producing Enterobacteriaceae (OPE) outbreak that started in March 2012 in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Jerusalem, Israel. During the peak of the outbreak (January to August 2012), there were 49 patients who had proven or suspected acquisition of OPE in the NICU, including 16 with invasive inf...
Article
SUMMARY Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a growing clinical problem and public health threat. Antibiotic use is a known risk factor for the emergence of antibiotic resistance, but demonstrating the causal link between antibiotic use and resistance is challenging. This review describes different study designs for assessing the association betw...
Article
Full-text available
From 2006 to 2009, 315 clinical methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates were collected from 5 hospitals across Israel. Most isolates (64%) were related to the global clones spa types t001-SCCmec-I (SCCmec-I stands for staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec type I) (n = 99; 31%), t002-SCCmec-II (n = 82; 26%), and t008-SCCmec-IV (...
Article
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection or colonization has become a serious emerging condition in equine hospitals. Following the detection of MRSA in asymptomatic hospitalized horses and in two horses with post-operative wound infections, an investigation was conducted. Twelve of 84 horses (14.3%) and 16 of 139 personnel (11....
Conference Paper