Last week, the International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) took place to highlight how we can protect our health by reducing infection. IIPW awareness week provides an opportunity to emphasise the importance of effective infection prevention and control measures throughout our health service.
Following on from IIPW, we would like to shine a spotlight on Copan’s FecalSwab®, a collection, transport and preservation system for pathogenic enteric bacteria prior to laboratory testing, and the important role it plays in protecting patients from surges in healthcare-associated infections. FecalSwab® has been adopted in hospital’s around the world as an essential part of active screening programmes to tackle the burden of Multidrug Resistant Organisms (MDRO’s).
A study by NorthShore University HealthSystem/Evanston Hospital, in Evanston, IL focused on long-term acute care hospitals and active screening for the presence of ESBLs, CREs and C. difficile, specifically. Between April and September of 2017, Copan’s FecalSwab® was tested against a regular rayon swab to determine MDRO carriage rates and whether they could be isolated and help Prevent the spread of such organisms. FecalSwab® was used in conjunction with the Cepheid Xpert® (C. difficile/Epi PCR assay) for the detection of C.diff. To cross-reference the results, traditional culture was also performed, using FecalSwab® and the regular rayon swab.
The study showed the high rate of Gram-negative MDRO and C. difficile carriage (46%) in Long-term Acute Care Hospital facilities. A positive finding from the study is that FecalSwab® facilitates single specimen collection that can be used for both culture and molecular testing for active surveillance of at risk patients. In addition, FecalSwab’s high sensitivity and specificity for rectal detection of CREs, ESBLs and C. difficile was shown highlighting it’s importance as part of the infection control surveillance program.
Closer to home, in 2018 Tallaght university Hospital (TUH) also conducted a validation study on “How FecalSwab can improve sample workflow and molecular testing in a large multidrug-resistance OXA-48 outbreak management’. At ECCMID 2019, Nuala Kealy from TUH microbiology department had the opportunity to present the work carried out at TUH and their findings in the amazing surrounds of Theatre Amsterdam. Nuala spoke about the positive impact delivered by FecalSwab® in terms of reducing turnaround times, increased sensitivity and earlier identification of CPE cases. You can view Nuala’s poster here and find further details on FecalSwab® here
If you would like further information on Copan’s FecalSwab® or would like to speak with a product specialist, please get in contact below.
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