High Prevalence Rate of Microbial Contamination in Patient-Ready Gastrointestinal Endoscopes in Tehran, Iran: an Alarming Sign for the Occurrence of Severe Outbreaks
Year: 2022
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: In the light of severe outbreaks caused by multidrug-resistant microorganisms due to contaminated GI endoscopes, understanding to what extent GI endoscopes are inadequately reprocessed is crucial. Several studies assessed contamination of GI endoscopes with various outcomes across the world; however, the prevalence and risk factors of contaminated GI endoscopes and potential subsequent nosocomial spread are still unknown in Iran. The present study is the first large-scale multicenter survey to evaluate the microbial contamination of repossessed and ready-to-use GI endoscopes in Tehran, Iran. Our study showed a higher-than-expected contamination rate among reprocessed GI endoscopes, which suggests potential seeding of deadly but preventable outbreaks associated with endoscopy procedures in Iran. These results suggest that the current reprocessing and process control guidelines do not suffice in Iran. The current study is of particular importance and could provide insights into unrecognized and unidentified endoscopy-associated outbreaks in Iran.
Source: Microbiology Spectrum
Authors: Hamidreza Houri, Hamid Asadzadeh Aghdaei, Sepideh Firuzabadi, Babak Khorsand, Fatemeh Soltanpoor, Maedeh Rafieepoor, Mohammad Tanhaei, Ghazal Soleymani, Masoumeh Azimirad, Amir Sadeghi, Nasser Ebrahimi Daryani, Farhad Zamani, Ramin Talaei, Abbas Yadegar, Seyed Reza Mohebi, Ghazal Sherkat, Mehrdad Hagh Azalli, Habib Malekpour, Gholamreza Hemmasi, Mohammad Reza Zali
Institutions: Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Shaheed Rajaei Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center
Language: English
Subfield: Microbiology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,500
Award: G121041434
OpenAlex ID: W4297965495