Emergence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cross-infection in children with cystic fibrosis attending an Iranian referral pediatric center

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out with the objective of determining the genomic variability of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from patients suffering from cystic fibrosis or from environmental cultures collected from different locations in the unit they admitted. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 57 clinical and environmental P. aeruginosa isolates were genotyped by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR (ERIC-PCR), and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute method. RESULTS: One predominant ERIC profile (type A) was identified in 46 strains (81% of all typed isolates) which was responsible for thirty-nine of 44 clinical isolates (89%) and 7 of 13 environmental isolates (54%). All clinical isolates were susceptible to piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftazidime and cefepime followed by ticarcillin, aztreonam, amikacin and tobramycin (96.5%). CONCLUSIONS: In our country CF patients are not segregated from other patients, and transmission of bacteria between these patients and other patients might occur in the wards via personal contact or contaminated environment. Future evaluation for policy of patient segregation is necessary and the elimination of contaminated sources and control of environmental spread and recurrent contamination risk is needed.