Survey Results Released: Antimicrobial Resistance in Common Hospital Pathogens in Ontario (2024)

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious threat to patient safety and global public health, as current antimicrobials (antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals etc.) become less effective at treating resistant organisms. Health care-associated infections contribute to increased length of hospitalization, mortality and use of health care resources.

As antimicrobial resistant organisms (AROs) are a major reservoir for health care-associated pathogens, the importance of screening and surveillance programs has been put into the spotlight. Such programs further our understanding of the burden of AROs and the impact of infection control programs in health care settings.

Annual Survey on AROs
This year marks the ten-year milestone since the establishment of the strong partnership between PHO and the Institute for Quality Management in Healthcare (IQMH) to conduct an annual survey of antimicrobial resistant organisms (AROs) across all laboratories and public hospitals for surveillance. A survey to capture information about 2024 was distributed to all licensed microbiology labs and all public hospitals in Ontario.

Participants were surveyed on screening and infection control programs, as well as the prevalence of AROs.

New 2024 Report on ARO Surveillance
Our new report, produced collaboratively with IQMH, summarizes the findings of the annual survey on antimicrobial resistance of common hospital pathogens from 2024. The survey also included questions regarding the consistency of IPAC practices across hospital sites within the same corporation.

Key findings from the report include:

• Compared to 2023, 2024 results showed no substantial changes to overall incidence of MRSA, VRE, CPO and C. auris in Ontario.
• Among Gram-negative bacilli, resistance to 3rd generation cephalosporins and ciprofloxacin among Klebsiella spp. increased over the past decade. More hospitals in Ontario implemented CPE and C. auris screening programs in 2024.
• There is regional variation across the province among pathogens. Additionally, infection control practices vary widely throughout hospitals in Ontario.

The results of this survey are important to support our understanding of the impact of AROs and can help inform recommendations to prevent spread within Ontario.

Continued surveillance of AROs is necessary to understand the current landscape of resistance. Identifying regional variation in incidence of organisms can inform provincial and local decisions regarding appropriate application of infection control policies.