Table 1.
Microbiological techniques.
| Microbiological Technique | Agar | Contact Agar | Swab | Cloth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of sample | HCWs’ handprints | Environmental sampling |
Patient skin or rectum and environmental sampling |
Environmental sampling |
| Sampling | Palm and fingertip application on Columbia agar + sheep blood plus (Thermoscientific, OXOID Wesel, Germany) |
Agar (TSA with disinhibitor plus, Thermoscientific, OXOID) in contact with the surface |
Scrubbing of the target area (skin, rectum, or surface) |
Application of a non-woven sterile compresses (Laboratoires Euromédis, ref: 175572, Picardy, France) soaked in sterile water |
| 1st step | Agar media incubated at 35 °C during 24–48 h |
− | Suspension of the cloth in 10 mL of fluid D (Merck-Millipore, Alsace, France) and mix with a bag mixer |
|
| 2nd step | Identification of each colony type with MALDI-TOF MS (Bruker daltonic, Bremen, Germany) |
Inoculation onto a selective medium for the detection of carbapenemase producing bacteria (chromID CARBA SMART agar, and incubation at 35 °C during 24–48 h |
||
| 3rd step | If positive to Acinetobacter baumannii, colonies are repicked onto a selective medium for the detection of carbapenemase producing bacteria (chromID CARBA SMART agar, bioMérieux, Craponne, France) and incubation at 35 °C during 24–48 h |
− | − | − |