Generating evidence on Resistant bacteria in the Aged Care Environment

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.