A Promising Strategy Against Multidrug-Resistant Nosocomial Infections
1. Public health experts have defined certain environments and specific pathogens for which alternatives to antibiotics will be particularly crucial.
0. What is a nosocomial infection? What is one reason why nosocomial infections are particularly difficult to treat? (4 pts)
A nosocomial infection is an infection acquired by a patient during a hospital stay or while receiving care in another healthcare facility (Blot et al., 2022). These infections are particularly difficult to treat because hospitalized patients are often immunocompromised, and the pathogens involved are frequently multidrug resistant.
0. What are ESKAPE pathogens, generally speaking? Which six bacterial species make up the ESKAPE pathogens? (4 pts)
ESKAPE pathogens are a group of bacteria that are known for escaping the effects of conventional antibiotics. They are responsible for many hospital-acquired infections and significantly contribute to antibiotic resistance.
The six bacterial species that make up the ESKAPE pathogens are:
i. Enterococcus faecium
ii. Staphylococcus aureus
iii. Klebsiella pneumoniae
iv. Acinetobacter baumannii
v. Pseudomonas aeruginosa
vi. Enterobacter species
1. Answer the following questions to learn more about phage therapy.
1. Broadly, what is the goal of phage therapy? (4 pts)
The primary goal of phage therapy is to use...
What are lytic phages? Why are lytic phages (as opposed to other types of phages) required for phage therapy? (6 pts)Lytic phages are bacteriophages that infect bacterial cells, rapidly replicate within them, and then cause cell lysis to...
…(4 pts)A phage cocktail is used to broaden the range of targeted bacteria. By combining multiple phages, the treatment can cover a broader spectrum of bacterial strains and reduce the chance of bacteria developing resistance against a single phage type (Akram et al., 2023).
1. Phage therapy is not likely to be a replacement for antibiotics, but there are indications that the two therapies can be used synergistically to combat MDR infections. What does the term synergism mean in relation to drugs and therapeutics? (4 pts)
Synergism refers to the phenomenon where the combined effect of two treatments is greater than the sum of their individual effects. For example, when phage therapy and antibiotics are used together, they may work more effectively to eliminate multidrug-resistant bacteria than either treatment…
References
Source #1: Akram, F., Imtiaz, M., & ul Haq, I. (2023). Emergent crisis of antibiotic resistance: A silent pandemic threat to 21st century. Microbial pathogenesis, 174, 105923. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2022.105923
This peer-reviewed article provides insights into antibiotic resistance a critical context for understanding the need for alternative therapies like phage therapy. Its widespread citation supports its credibility.
Source #2: Blot, S., Ruppé, E., Harbarth, S., Asehnoune, K., Poulakou, G., Luyt, C.-E., Rello, J., Klompas, M., Depuydt, P., & Eckmann, C. (2022). Healthcare-associated infections in adult intensive care unit patients: Changes in epidemiology, diagnosis, prevention and contributions of new technologies. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 70, 103227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iccn.2022.103227
Published in a leading medical journal, this study offers robust epidemiological data on nosocomial infections. Its rigorous peer review and high impact ensure its credibility.
Source #3: Lin, D. M., Koskella, B., & Lin, H. C. (2017). Phage therapy: An alternative to antibiotics in the age of multi-drug resistance. World journal of gastrointestinal pharmacology and therapeutics, 8(3), 162. https://doi.org/10.4292/wjgpt.v8.i3.162This is a peer-reviewed article authored by experts in bacteriophage research. It provides a detailed explanation of phage therapy and its mechanisms, making it a highly credible source.
Nurse burnout is a common occurrence. This can exacerbate an ongoing problem that is seen in hospitals, nosocomial infections. Nosocomial infections remain prevalent for patients with extended hospital stays like those in intensive care units. An infection that starts roughly 48 hours after admission, those in intensive care units (ICUs) experience a continued rate of infection leading to increase length of stay, mortality, and morbidity. The number of patients that
Applying the Theory of Planned Behaviors to Nosocomial Infections Identify a public health theory you will use to support the implementation of your prevention and health promotion activities. Provide evidence that supports the use of this theory within the program you designed According to the tenets of the theory of planned behavior, individuals first think about a behavior (e.g., the intent to act) and only then proceed to act (Chambers & Benibo,
hygiene techniques with traditional soaps may or may not be more effective than using alcohol-based solutions concerning reduction in nosocomial infection rates in acute hospitals. With recent usage of alcohol-based solutions, use of traditional antibacterial soaps may be outdated and take longer. Nosocomial infections present as a major issue for acute care hospitals and require research in identifying the most effective way to sterilize hands to avoid increasing infection
Potential topics 1. Patient positioning 2. Nosocomial infections 3. Infrequent monitoring Picot Question In mechanically ventilated patients on a pulmonary Med Surg floor, does positioning the patient in a semi fowlers position result in a decrease incidence of nosocomial pneumonia when compared to the supine or side lying positions? Positioning can play a crucial role in developing nosocomial infections. Those under mechanical ventilation may experience a higher rate of nosocomial pneumonia (Gunay et al., 2018). Positioning
NICU Nosocomial Infections Preventing NICU Nosocomial Infections Rhine (2006) writes an editorial to appeal to clinicians staffing neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) to increase their awareness of patient safety measures because a large number of studies have shown that educating and training clinicians on how to prevent nosocomial infections (NI) can have a significant positive impact on patient outcomes. The author was motivated to write this editorial because of the findings from
Problem From the onset, it is important to note that nosocomial or healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) happen to be rather common in our healthcare settings. In basic terms, nosocomial infections could be defined as the all those infections that are acquired or contracted within the healthcare environment. To be more specific, the World Health Organization – WHO (2020) defines the said infections as all those infections that “affect patients in a hospital
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