Antibiotic resistant pathogens – an increasing problem in hospitals: Can a probiotic cleaning regime help?

Antibiotic resistant pathogens play an increasing role in hospital acquired infections. The extent to which the spread of these pathogens is promoted by surfaces is not yet clear. In a study conducted by the Septomics research group Host Septomcis (head: Prof. Dr. Hortense Slevogt) and the Institute for Hygiene and Environmental Medicine, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (head: Prof. Dr. Petra Gastmeier), the effects of three cleaning regimes (disinfectants, detergents, and probiotics) on the environmental microbiota was investigated. Over a 9-month period, the researchers took samples from three different sites: the floor, the door handle and the sink, in 9 independent patient rooms at a neurological ward. Results showed that the environmental microbiota changed and became more complex and stable after probiotic sanitization compared to disinfectant application. Furthermore, antibiotic resistant genes occurred significantly less frequently in sinks during probiotic cleaning. Therefore, the favorable effect of a probiotic cleaning strategy should be further analyzed and validated in follow-up study with multiple hospitals involved. The study was supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Science as part of the InfectControl research network.

The data were published in the journal “Clinical Microbiology and Infection”:

Klassert TE, Zubiria-Barrera C, Neubert R, Stock M, Schneegans A, López M, Driesch D, Zakonsky G, Gastmeier P, Slevogt H*, Leistner R*. (2022) Comparative analysis of surface sanitization protocols on the bacterial community structures in the hospital environment. Clin Microbiol Infect S1198-743X(22)00109-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2022.02.032
*contributed equally

Tilman Klassert, first author of the study, in an interview on MDR AKTUELL "Krankenhaus-Hygiene: Schlechte Keime durch gute ersetzen" (in German, 27.04.2022)

Report on www.mdr.de "Gefährliche Keime im Krankenhaus: Mikroben-Putztrupp kann helfen" (in German, 24.04.2022)

Report on www.spiegel.de "Bakterien können besser gegen Keime wirken als Desinfektionsmittel" (in German, 26.04.2022)