BACKGROUND Hand washbasin U-bends have increasingly been associated with nosocomial outbreaks by Gram-negative bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is virtually ubiquitous in U-bends. Wastewater networks servicing U-bends are potential highways for trafficking pathogenic bacteria. AIM To use P. aeruginosa to investigate trafficking of bacteria between hospital washbasin U-bends. METHODS Twenty-five washbasin U-bends in five locations in Dublin Dental University Hospital (DDUH) were investigated for trafficking of P. aeruginosa: 10 in Clinic 2 (C2), 10 in the Accident & Emergency Department (A&E) and five in three other locations. In addition, washbasin tap samples (N=80) and mains and tap water samples (N=72) were cultured for P. aeruginosa. Selected P. aeruginosa isolates recovered over 29 months underwent whole-genome sequencing, and relatedness was interpreted using whole-genome multi-locus sequence typing and pairwise single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. FINDINGS P. aeruginosa was recovered from all U-bends but not from taps or water. Eighty-three U-bend isolates yielded 10 sequence types (STs), with ST560 and ST179 from A&E, C2 and two other locations predominating (70%). ST560 was also recovered from a common downstream pipe. Isolates within ST560 and ST179 were highly related regardless of source. ST560 was divided into Cluster I (N=25) and Cluster II (N=2) with average allelic differences and SNPs of three and zero, and two and five, respectively. The 31 ST179 isolates exhibited an average allelic difference and SNPs of three and 12, respectively. CONCLUSION Highly related P. aeruginosa strains were identified in multiple U-bends in several DDUH locations, indicating trafficking via the wastewater network.

中文翻译：

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全基因组测序可在一家医院的多个位置的多个水盆U型弯头中鉴定出高度相关的铜绿假单胞菌菌株：证据表明可能通过污水管道贩运潜在的病原体。

背景技术洗手盆的U形弯头越来越多地与革兰氏阴性细菌包括铜绿假单胞菌的医院内暴发相关，铜绿假单胞菌实际上在U形弯头中普遍存在。维修U型弯的废水网络是潜在的运输病原细菌的高速公路。目的使用铜绿假单胞菌调查医院水盆U型弯头之间细菌的运输情况。方法对都柏林牙科大学医院（DDUH）五个地点的25个洗脸盆U型弯头进行了铜绿假单胞菌贩运调查：诊所2（C2）10个，急症室（A＆E）10个，三分之五其他位置。此外，为铜绿假单胞菌培养了洗脸盆的自来水样品（N = 80）以及自来水和自来水样品（N = 72）。选定的P。对经过29个月恢复的铜绿菌分离株进行了全基因组测序，并使用全基因组多基因座序列分型和成对单核苷酸多态性（SNP）分析来解释相关性。发现铜绿假单胞菌是从所有U型弯头中回收的，但不是从水龙头或水中回收的。83个U形弯头分离物产生10个序列类型（ST），其中A560E，C2和其他两个位置的ST560和ST179占主导地位（70％）。ST560也从一条普通的下游管道中回收。不论来源如何，ST560和ST179内的隔离株都高度相关。ST560被分为群I（N = 25）和群II（N = 2），平均等位基因差异和SNP分别为3和0，以及2和5。31个ST179分离株表现出平均等位基因差异和SNP分别为3和12。