Co-Colonization by Multiple Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in a Long-Term Neurorehabilitation Setting: A Case Report

Neurorehabilitation units (NRUs) are long-term care settings associated with multiple risk factors for carriage and infection by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), including prolonged hospitalization, the use of invasive medical devices, high antibiotic exposure, and multiple comorbidities. We report the case of a patient admitted to an NRU for rehabilitation after cerebral hemorrhage who developed complex co-colonization by several MDROs, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa producing either FIM or VIM metallo-β-lactamases, Acinetobacter baumannii producing OXA-23 serine-carbapenemase, Klebsiella pneumoniae producing either KPC or OXA-48 serine-carbapenemases or both, Proteus mirabilis producing VEB extended-spectrum β-lactamase, and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium of the VanA type. During the 22-month hospitalization, the patient experienced several infection episodes, some of which were apparently related with colonizing MDROs. This case highlights that co-colonization by multiple MDROs may occur in patients admitted to NRUs in endemic settings, and emphasizes the importance of implementing targeted infection prevention and control strategies in these healthcare environments.