The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) Interim Health Officer has mandated that all Los Angeles County acute care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities report all clinical laboratory carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) positive tests from any specimen. The order also requires that acute care hospitals, and skilled nursing facilities that generate an annual antibiogram, submit it to LACDPH each year.
CRE, defined as Enterobacteriaceae (Klebsiella sp., E. coli, and Enterobacter sp.) resistant to carbapenem antibiotics or that produce carbapenemases, are a persistent and growing public health threat. These healthcare-associated pathogens are difficult to treat, have a high mortality rate, and are easily spread between patients in health care facilities. The mandate is a necessary step to control the spread of this healthcare-associated infection.
