AUTHOR=Fasciana Teresa , Antonelli Alberto , Bianco Gabriele , Lombardo Donatella , Codda Giulia , Roscetto Emanuela , Perez Marianna , Lipari Dario , Arrigo Ignazio , Galia Elena , Tricoli Maria Rita , Calvo Maddalena , Niccolai Claudia , Morecchiato Fabio , Errico Giulia , Stefani Stefania , Cavallo Rossana , Marchese Anna , Catania Maria Rosaria , Ambretti Simone , Rossolini Gian Maria , Pantosti Annalisa , Palamara Anna Teresa , Sabbatucci Michela , Serra Nicola , Giammanco Anna 

TITLE=Multicenter study on the prevalence of colonization due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales strains before and during the first year of COVID-19, Italy 2018–2020

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1270924

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1270924

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Background: Among multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria able to threaten human health, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) have become a major public health threat globally.National and international guidelines point out the importance of active routine surveillance policies to prevent CRE transmission. Therefore, defining lines of intervention and strategies capable of containing and controlling the spread of CRE is considered determinant. CRE screening is one of the main actions to curb transmission and control outbreaks, outlining the presence and also the prevalence and types of carbapenemase enzymes circulating locally.The purpose of this study was to outline the epidemiology of CRE colonization in Italy, detecting CRE-colonized patients at admission and during hospitalization, before and during the first year of COVID-19.A total of 11,063 patients admitted to seven different hospitals (Bologna,