title: Preventing the spread of multidrug-resistant gram-negative pathogens: recommendations of an expert panel of the German Society For Hygiene and Microbiology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infections with multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria are hard to treat and cause high morbidity and mortality. The direct transmission of such pathogens is well documented, and measures to protect other patients would seem indicated. Nonetheless, evidence-based recommendations are not yet available because of insufficient data from clinical trials.
  
  
  METHODS
  An expert panel was convened by two sections of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology (the permanent committee on general and hospital hygiene and the special committee on infection prevention and antibiotic resistance in hospitals) to review existing data on the epidemiology and diagnostic evaluation of multidrug-resistant gram-negative pathogens. The panel carried out a selective review of the relevant literature, with special attention to national guidelines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this paper, the expert panel presents a definition of multidrug-resistant gram-negative pathogens and recommends measures for presenting the spread of infection from colonized and infected patients in non-outbreak situations. These measures depend on the risk profile of the clinical setting. They are mostly to be considered "expert opinion," rather than "evidence-based."
authors.affiliation: Institut für Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Witten-Herdecke, Campus Köln-Merheim.
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mattner
authors.forename: Franz-C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Bange
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seifert
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Wichelhaus
authors.forename: Iris F
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Chaberny
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D005858:Germany; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects*; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008403:Mass Screening; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance