Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Found on Nursing Home Residents’ Skin: Study

Researchers warn “that the skin is a reservoir for the colonization” of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in nursing homes, posing a serious health threat for residents.

New data indicates nursing home residents consistently carry high levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on their skin, which can find its way into their bodies, causing dangerous infections.

Skin swabs taken from residents of nursing homes tested positive for the fungus Candida auris, and several other strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to findings published in the journal Nature on February 26.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are bacteria that have developed a resistance to antibiotic drugs. They make infections difficult to treat and increase the risk of an infection progressing to serious stages, including death.

Health experts have warned for years that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are becoming more common with the overuse and misuse of antibiotics on health conditions that cannot be treated with antibiotics, like viruses that cause the flu.

In this new study, researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other medical research institutions studied bacteria found on nursing home residents. The team, led by Diana M. Proctor, took skin swabs from 42 patients at seven nursing homes in the Chicago area. Samples were taken from multiple sites on the body, including the nostrils, palms, webs of the feet, groin and skin from the buttocks.

All patients tested positive for Candida auris, a fungus that grows as yeast and is resistant to antibiotics. It is one of several infections often found in hospital and nursing home settings.

Every patient in the study also tested positive for at least one more bacterium in the ESKAPE pathogen list.

ESKAPE is an acronym researchers use for a group of bacteria that commonly lie on the skin and often proliferate in nursing homes. ESKAPE bacteria are highly resistant to antibiotics, and include Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Entobacter species as well as other harmful pathogens like Escherichia coli, Providencia stuartii, Proteus mirabilis and Morganella morganii.

The bacteria were found over multiple instances across several months of testing. Researchers determined that this suggests antibiotic-resistant bacteria commonly infect patients’ skin. However, it may also indicate repeated infections across that time frame.

They concluded that “the skin is a reservoir for the colonization” of antibiotic-resistant bacteria i nursing homes, which may result in severe and life threatening infections for residents throughout the U.S., who are already in a vulnerable health condition.

Nursing Home Antibiotic Resistance Concerns

Nursing homes are disproportionately affected by “superbugs” resistant to antibiotics. For years, health officials have warned that the facilities serve as a breeding ground for the creation and spread of bacteria, and staffing problems worsen the issue.

While a decolonization technique used to decrease the number of bacteria in nursing homes can lead to fewer infections, many nursing homes claim they do not have the resources to implement the technique. Nursing homes with fewer registered nurses on staff have more cases of antibiotic-resistant infections among residents.

Previous research has warned that antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” will kill nearly 40 million people by 2050 unless drastic measures are taken, even as the evolution of so-called “superbugs” are outpacing the development of new antibiotics.