Prof Diekema is director at the division of infectious diseases, at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, in Iowa City, and is a specialist in healthcare-associated infections and control of antibiotic resistance.
He was commenting during a keynote address on "Healthcare-associated infections: responding to emerging threats", on the first day of the Australasian Society of Infectious Disease New Zealand two-day annual conference.
Prof Diekema said that comprehensive ‘‘bundles’’ of related measures were needed to counter superbugs, that were resistant to a wide range of antibiotic drugs.
One of the keys to maintaining good handwashing standards in hospitals was to keep such awareness campaigns novel and fresh, and that was also happening at Iowa City, where competitions and a host of different methods had been used successfully.
Handwashing was needed not only when health professionals moved from one patient to another, but also if undertaking different procedures with a single patient, where infections could be spread from one part of the body to another.
Prof Diekema said one recently emerging threat had been traced to the bacteria, Mycobacterium chimaera, often found in soil and water.
This micro-organism had been spread accidentally in an aerosol spray to some overseas open heart surgery patients, from heater-cooler machines used in operating theatres.
He later agreed with moves at a symposium within the conference to develop a collaborative response plan, including the Ministry of Health, to counter the introduction and spread of superbugs in New Zealand.
