A new study found more than 80 percent of raw
chicken used in hospitals in food for patients and staff was contaminated with
a form of antibiotic resistant bacteria called extended-spectrum beta-lactamase
(ESBL) producing E. coli. While sufficient preparation eliminated the presence
of bacteria, poultry meat delivered to hospital kitchens remains a potential
point of entry for these dangerous bacteria into the hospital.
The study was published in the April issue of
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for
Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
"While a high proportion of chicken
contaminated by antibiotic resistant E.coli is a significant concern, robust
food safety measures taken by hospital kitchen staff are able to prevent the
spread of these pathogens and minimize risk to food handlers, staff and
patients," said Andrew Stewardson, MD, the lead author of the study.
Researchers from the University Hospital of Geneva
in Switzerland collaborated with the Food Control Authority of Geneva to test
raw chicken delivered to the central hospital kitchen that prepares more than
8,000 meals daily. They compared the hospital samples to food in local supermarkets
for the presence of ESBLs finding that most (86%) chicken meat samples were
positive. E. coli is a normal part of healthy human gut flora but can also
cause urinary tract infections and occasionally more serious invasive
infections.
The researchers also looked at how food, as a
potential source of multi-resistant bacteria, impacts the health of food
handlers, healthcare workers and patients. They found six of 93 food handlers
were ESBL carriers, but overall were no more likely to be colonized by
ESBL-producing bacteria than the Swiss population.
The authors concluded that industrial risk
management strategies in the hospital kitchen appear sufficient to minimize
risk to food handlers, hospital staff and patients. However they caution that
this conclusion may not apply to household kitchens, where food safety
precautions are less rigidly applied.
Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Note: Materials may be edited
for content and length.
