Epidemic process of respiratory infections and particulate matter as a route for transmission of multidrug-resistant microorganisms in medical organisations

Abstract

Aim. To study the trends in the prevalence of respiratory tract infections in the population of Kemerovo Region and to interrogate the particulate matter as a possible route for the transmission of multidrug-resistant microorganisms into medical organisations.Materials and Methods. We investigated the prevalence of acute respiratory infections and community-acquired pneumonia among the population of Kuzbass (Kemerovo Region) according to the offcial medical records collected from 2004 to 2020. The study included 10,320,384 cases of acute respiratory infections, 145,357 cases of community-acquired pneumonia, 344,703 hospitalisations of the adults (subjects ≥ 18 years of age) and 75,041 hospitalisations of children (< 18 years of age). Collection of particulate matter samples (n = 97) was performed using sterile gloves and containers from ventilation grilles and adjacent air ducts of the exhaust ventilation systems in various healthcare settings. Bacterial composition of the dust was examined using a VITEK 2 Compact biochemical analyzer. Viral diversity was screened by polymerase chain reaction.Results. Over the study period, respiratory infections were common in Kemerovo Region (average prevalence 22,155.9 per 100,000 population) and showed an increasing incidence. Frequency of respiratory infections among the hospitalised patients was 207.14 per 1,000, being 1.63-fold higher in children than in adults (304.15 and 186.02, respectively). In 2020, the proportion of cefotaxime-resistant Klebsiella spp. was 26.20% that was strikingly high compared to 2019. Hospital particulate matter frequently (71.13% samples) harboured multidrug-resistant microorganisms.Conclusions. High prevalence and morbidity from respiratory infections in Kemerovo Region are combined with high prevalence and biodiversity of airborne microorganisms, in particular multidrug-resistant microbes contaminating the hospital particulate matter.