Decolonization and Pathogen Reduction Approaches to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections Volume 30, Number 6—June 2024 Perspective

Decolonization and Pathogen Reduction Approaches to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare-Associated Infections Volume 30, Number 6—June 2024 Perspective Mihnea R. MangaleaComments to Author , Alison Laufer Halpin, Melia Haile, Christopher A. Elkins, and L. Clifford McDonald Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (M.R. Mangalea, A.L. Halpin, M. Haile, C.A. Elkins, L.C. McDonald); United States Public Health Service, Rockville, Maryland, USA (A.L. Halpin) https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/30/6/23-1338_article?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_0XtUo5fyxz6O8s7lXivgr40YUwGS6Fr300vQgqbn4brNnfB2flza0FVLFA-d16PSUcULMkPs1VcSEEW6c39r5DAXqyQ&_hsmi=308341219&utm_content=308341219&utm_source=hs_email Fighting antimicrobial resistance, one patient at a time It shouldn’t be shocking, but still: Pretty much every health care building has antimicrobial-resistant bacteria living somewhere inside. Of course, so do we humans, when you consider the bugs residing in our microbiomes. But the danger is higher for hospital patients who might have weakened immunity or open wounds, from trauma or surgery. When the population of microbes living within us expands through greater exposure, that can lead to infections in vulnerable people, particularly when the bacteria are resistant to antibiotics that disrupt the human microbiome and weaken its defenses. Pathogen reduction, which whittles down the number of resistant bacteria colonizing the human microbiome, is the goal described in a new report from the CDC journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. Strategies include giving combined oral antimicrobial drugs to patients before elective colorectal surgery and using anti-staphylococcal treatments for patients undergoing orthopedic surgeries or procedures involving the heart and chest