Tuberculosis Outbreak (Kansas): Lessons Learned from a Community Response

Session Description: Patients colonized with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), such as carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant organisms (CP-CROs), are a source of transmission to other patients, primarily by way of healthcare workers and the healthcare facility environment. Detecting colonized patients can help to reduce the spread of MDROs in healthcare facilities when paired with timely and appropriate infection prevention and control (IPC) actions.

The use of colonization screening is a part of standard IPC practices in US healthcare facilities, however, for many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) it is a new practice and presents feasibility and sustainability challenges due to limited resources. This session will describe the implementation of colonization screening in healthcare facilities participating in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's global network for the prevention, detection, and response of antimicrobial resistance threats, with a focus on CP-CROs.

The session will also explore the challenges of implementing colonization screening in limited resource settings and offer potential solutions to overcoming those challenges. Lastly, this session will discuss how colonization screening can be an integral component of global MDRO prevention efforts, particularly for organisms of greatest concern, such as CP-CROs.