Impact of new water systems on healthcare-associated colonization or infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Aim: We aimed to study the impact of new water systems, which were less contaminated with P. aeruginosa, on the incidence of healthcare-associated P. aeruginosa cases (colonizations or infections) in care units that moved to a different building between 2005 and 2014. Methods: Generalized Estimated Equations were used to compare the incidence of P. aeruginosa healthcare-associated cases according to the building. Results: Twenty-nine units moved during the study period and 2,759 cases occurred in these units. No difference was observed when the new building was compared with older buildings overall. Conclusion: Our results did not support our hypothesis of a positive association between water system contamination and the incidence of healthcare-associated P. aeruginosa cases. These results must be confirmed by linking results of water samples and patients’ data.