Reduced Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase–producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-KP) colonization in a hematological-emergency setting during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic

• Published in: Infection control and hospital epidemiology 2022-12, Vol.43 (12), p.1963-1965
• Main Authors: Laganà, Alessandro, Ferri, Gianluca, Passucci, Mauro, Salvatori, Martina, Bisegna, Maria Laura, Paoletti, Francesca, Aji, Francesco, Breccia, Massimo, Brunetti, Gregorio Antonio, Morano, Giacomo Salvatore, Annechini, Giorgia, Carmosino, Ida, Martelli, Maurizio, Girmenia, Corrado
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Bacterial Proteins; beta-Lactamases; Blood diseases; Colonization; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease control; Disease transmission; Hematology; Hospitalization; Humans; Klebsiella; Klebsiella Infections - drug therapy; Klebsiella Infections - epidemiology; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Letter to the Editor; Nosocomial infection; Nosocomial infections; Pandemics; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
• ISSN: 0899-823X; 1559-6834
• DOI: 10.1017/ice.2022.92

From March 9, 2020, according to COVID-19 national government and hospital guidelines, intensified infection control measures took place in the hematology departments and HEU of our Institute to prevent patients with hematological diseases and healthcare personnel from becoming infected by severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as well as to guarantee continuity of care in a COVID-19–free setting.8 A reduction of KPC-KP diffusion since March 2020 was observed at the hematology departments of our institution. Despite the application of infection control measures, nosocomial transmission of KPC-KP represented an unsolved problem along the last decade at our institution.6,7 Since March 2020, an important reduction of KPC-KP cases has been observed at the hematology departments,9 which has resulted in the progressive reduction of cases of colonization in discharged patients who eventually attended the HEU. [...]few cases of primary colonization were observed at the HEU during the second half of period 2. [...]the strategies that we put in place in our institution, including the HEU dedicated to outpatients, successfully prevented the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to hospitalized patients and avoided the horizontal transmission of KPC-KP.