Generating evidence on Resistant bacteria in the Aged Care Environment. GRACE

The emergence of strains of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotic therapy represents a considerable threat to human health. This is particularly true for vulnerable populations, such as those living in residential aged care. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can be carried asymptomatically in commensal microbial populations, including in the intestinal and upper respiratory tract. Carriage is often only detected as a result of antibiotic treatment failure. Levels of AMR carriage, and the principal pathways through which resistant bacteria are spread, remains incompletely understood. The Generating evidence on antimicrobial Resistance in the Aged Care Environment (GRACE) study was established to determine the prevalence and principal risk factors for AMR carriage in residential aged care facilities (RACF) and to investigate the potential for person-to-person and environmental transmission.

对抗生素治疗产生耐药性的细菌菌株的出现，对人类健康构成了重大威胁。这对于脆弱人群而言尤为如此，例如居住在养老照护机构的人群。抗菌药物耐药性（Antimicrobial Resistance, AMR）可在共生微生物群落中无症状携带，包括肠道与上呼吸道内的菌群。这种携带状态通常仅在抗生素治疗失败后才会被检出。抗菌药物耐药性的携带率以及耐药菌传播的主要途径，目前仍未得到完全阐明。「老年照护环境中抗菌药物耐药性相关证据生成（Generating evidence on antimicrobial Resistance in the Aged Care Environment, GRACE）」研究旨在明确养老机构（Residential Aged Care Facilities, RACF）内抗菌药物耐药性携带的流行率与主要危险因素，并探究耐药菌的人际传播与环境传播潜力。