A recent study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified several multi drug-resistant pathogens on the skin of residents in nursing homes. These pathogens are often bacteria or viruses that can cause illnesses in its host, which in this case would be the residents in the nursing homes. Focusing on a nursing home in Chicago, researchers sequenced DNA from skin swabs taken from six different sites on the bodies of 40 residents revealing that identities of Candida auris, a type of fungus, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus. These two are "ESKAPE pathogens" meaning that they are bacteria resistant to many types of drugs. In order to trace how these microbes spread between residents, the researchers analyzed the genetic makeup of each strain. If two individuals have microbes that are genetically very similar, one person likely spread the microbe to the other, but if the microbes are genetically distinct, it’s more likely that each person picked up their microbes from an outside source. Overall, it was determined that in order to help prevent the spread of these pathogens, the care takers within the nursing homes should wash their hands more frequently since they provide hands on care to multiple residents a day. This research is important because it highlights why it is so important to have proper hygiene, especially in the medical field because someone could unknowingly transfer a virus or disease to someone else just because they did not wash their hands properly.
Sources:
https://www.genome.gov/news/news-release/multidrug-resistant-pathogens-living-on-the-skin-spread-widely-in-nursing-homes
https://www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
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