1. The effect of transport temperature and time on the recovery of antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacterales in stool
- Author
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Elizabeth Oliver, Maroya Spalding Walters, Alison Taylor Walker, Lisa Desrosiers, Margaret Becker, Regina C. LaRocque, Sarah E Turbett, Sowmya R. Rao, and Edward T. Ryan
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Microbiology (medical) ,Time Factors ,030106 microbiology ,Transport time ,Sample processing ,Specimen Handling ,03 medical and health sciences ,Feces ,0302 clinical medicine ,Animal science ,Enterobacteriaceae ,Enterobacterales ,Linear regression ,Drug Resistance, Bacterial ,Medicine ,Humans ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Microbial Viability ,business.industry ,Enterobacteriaceae Infections ,Temperature ,General Medicine ,Antimicrobial ,Culture Media ,Clinical microbiology ,Infectious Diseases ,business ,Linear trend - Abstract
Surveillance for antibiotic-resistant (AR) bacteria is challenging. We evaluated AR Enterobacterales survival in stool over various transport conditions. Stool in Cary–Blair medium was spiked with AR Enterobacterales, held at 3 °C, 20 °C, or 37 °C, and cultured on days 3, 8, and 15. Stool from US international travelers sent through the US mail was also screened. We compared recovery rates using Fisher’s exact tests and linear regression models. AR Enterobacterales recovery reduced with time (86% versus 75% versus 61% at days 3, 8, and 15; Beta for linear trend=−0.02, r2=0.99, P=0.02) and colder temperatures [56% (3 °C) versus 89% (20 °C) versus 86% (37 °C); P=0.003]. Traveler sample recovery also reduced with transport time (Beta for linear trend=−0.03, r2=0.70, P=0.01) but not with season [20% (cold) versus 22% (warm), P=0.7]. AR Enterobacterales are found over variable transport conditions, providing rationale for expanding surveillance sample processing timelines.
- Published
- 2020