ArticleThe Journal of hospital infection2024
The drainome: longitudinal metagenomic characterization of wastewater from hospital ward sinks to characterize the microbiome and resistome and to assess the effects of decontamination interventions.
Article in The Journal of hospital infection, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Gram-negative bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics from wastewater within a hospital building.Infection prevention in practice · 2026Article
- Strategies to prevent cross-transmission of multidrug-resistant microorganisms in intensive care units: A narrative review.Journal of intensive medicine · 2026Review
- Disinfection of hospital sink drains enriches pseudomonadota and efflux pump-mediated antibiotic resistance in reestablished biofilms.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Biofilm removal in hospital sink drains drives unintended surges in antibiotic resistance.npj antimicrobials and resistance · 2026Article
- Stewarding the hospital sink drain: a narrative review of practical approaches for controlling gram negative pathogens in low- and middle-income countries.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2026Review
- Stopping an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa ST111 by temporarily blocking the siphon to disinfect it before the transition to the wastewater drain.GMS hygiene and infection control · 2026Article
- Hospital Wastewater Surveillance and Antimicrobial Resistance: A Narrative Review.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Disinfection of Hospital Sink Drains Enriches Pseudomonadota and Efflux Pump-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in Reestablished Biofilms.Research square · 2025Article
- The hospital sink drain microbiome as a melting pot for AMR transmission to nosocomial pathogens.npj antimicrobials and resistance · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
17 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHospital drains and water interfaces are implicated in nosocomial transmission of pathogens. Metagenomics can assess the microbial composition and presence of antimicrobial resistance genes in drains ('the drainome') but studies applying these methods longitudinally and to assess infection control interventions are lacking.
aimTo apply long-read metagenomics coupled with microbiological measurements to investigate the drainome and assess the effects of a peracetic-acid-containing decontamination product.
methodsTwelve-week study in three phases: a baseline phase, an intervention phase of enhanced decontamination with peracetic acid, and a post-intervention phase. Five hospital sink drains on an intensive care unit were sampled twice weekly. Each sample had: (1) measurement of total viable count (TVC); (2) metagenomic analyses including (i) taxonomic classification of bacteria and fungi (ii), antibiotic resistance gene detection, (iii) plasmid identification; and (3) immunochromatographic detection of antimicrobial residues.
findingsOverall TVCs remain unchanged in the intervention phase (+386 cfu/mL, SE 705, P = 0.59). There was a small but significant increase in the microbial diversity in the intervention phase (-0.07 in Simpson's index, SE 0.03, P = 0.007), which was not sustained post-intervention (-0.05, SE 0.03, P = 0.08). The intervention was associated with increased relative abundance of the Pseudomonas genus (18.3% to 40.5% (+22.2%), SE 5.7%, P < 0.001). Extended spectrum β-lactamases were found in all samples, with NDM-carbapenemase found in three drains in six samples. Antimicrobial residues were detected in a large proportion of samples (31/115, 27%), suggesting use of sinks for non-handwashing activities.
conclusionMetagenomics and other measurements can determine the composition of the drainome and assess the effectiveness of decontamination interventions.
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