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How Can I Help Stop the Spreading of ESBL The best way to stop spread of all bugs and viruses is to keep the toilet rim flush handle and seat clean Ensure to clean your hands thoroughly after going to the toilet before eating and after touching raw meat If you go to hospital you will notice that the staff will be especially careful to clean their hands after they have been caring for you Sometimes they will wear aprons and gloves Also you may be given a single room if it s possible These steps are taken to help reduce the spread of ESBL in hospital It is important to tell a member of staff if you know you have an ESBL What Happens When I Go Home The risk is very small that ESBLs will do major harm to people in fairly good general health You do not need to do anything different from anyone else as you go about your normal life at home or when you re out and about Clothes bed linen and dishes can be washed as usual Just as for everybody else though we recommend that you are mindful of cleaning your hands thoroughly Everyone should clean their hands before eating or preparing food Clean hands protect you and others from the spread of most bugs not just ESBLs Following good hand hygiene practice all the time helps to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses When you use the toilet it is really important that you leave the toilet clean and in the condition that you would like to find it INFORMATION ON ESBL Further information Please do not hesitate to ask the healthcare staff caring for you if you have any questions or if you require more information about ESBLs Information on hand hygiene infection control and managing superbugs at home is available on www hse ie infectioncontrol EXTENDED SPECTRUM BETA LACTAMASE INFECTION PREVENTION CONTROL TEAM Beacon Hospital Sandyford Dublin 18 D18 AK68 This leaflet is adapted from the information leaflet produced by the HSE www hse ie August 2022 Tel 01 293 6600 www beaconhospital ie Version 1

INFORMATION ON ESBL EXTENDED SPECTRUM BETA LACTAMASE What are ESBLs How Did I Get an ESBL ESBLs are bugs bacteria that live in the bowel ESBLs are much more common than they were 20 years ago Because they are so common nowadays there is usually no way of telling where you picked it up You might have had it in your bowel for months or even years before you had a test that showed you had an ESBL This is because in most people an ESBL bug can live harmlessly in the bowel for a long time ESBL is short for extended spectrum beta lactamase producer but we will use only the short name ESBL in this leaflet ESBLs are resistant to many antibiotics This means they are harder to kill with antibiotics than other common bugs that live in the bowel Sometimes these bugs that are resistant to antibiotics are called superbugs ESBLs are a lot like another superbug called CPE Carbapenemase Producing Enterobacterales The difference is that CPE is even more resistant to antibiotics than ESBLs For most people ESBLs live harmlessly in the bowel and do not cause infection Sometimes though they can get into the bladder and cause bladder infection cystitis or kidney infection pyelonephritis even in people who are generally in good health ESBLs can cause very serious infection in some patients for example those in intensive care or patients undergoing chemotherapy If you get an ESBL infection it can be treated with special antibiotics but some common antibiotics will not work If you get a serious infection with an ESBL doctors need to know as soon as possible to ensure that you are put on these special antibiotics without delay ESBLs are common in some animals and certain types of raw meat ESBLs are more common in some countries than others Because of this people sometimes get an ESBL while on holiday working abroad or getting healthcare outside of Ireland Twenty years ago ESBLs were rare except in people who spent a lot of time in hospital You could still pick up an ESBL in hospitals but now ESBLs are also common in nursing homes in people at home and in the community What Are the Symptoms of an ESBL Bug As long as the ESBL bug stays in your bowel it does not cause an illness It does not cause diarrhoea or stomach pains However if the ESBL bug gets into the bladder kidney or blood it can cause infection When this happens the person will often get a temperature feel pain and start shivering similar to that of most other infections The only difference is that if you need treatment your doctor will have to give you special antibiotics to treat the ESBL infection How Long Will I Have ESBL The ESBL bug can live in your bowel for months or even years If you do not have to take antibiotics for a long time you increase the chance that it will fade away If you need to take antibiotics often it will take ESBL longer to clear