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Introduction: National efforts to curtail healthcare-associated infections (HAI) proliferated recently, though data detailing progress over time are limited. This retrospective cohort study aims to describe changes in incidence and antimicrobial susceptibility of HAI in four New York City hospitals over seven years. Methods: Electronic data were collected retrospectively for all patients discharged from 2006 through 2012. Previously validated computerized algorithms based on National Healthcare Safety Network criteria detected bloodstream infections, pneumonia, surgical site infections, and urinary tract infections with Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were obtained from electronic laboratory records. Logistic regression was used to assess changes in odds of acquiring an HAI and odds of antimicrobial resistance over time, controlling for age, gender, severity of illness, previous hospitalizations, and admission source. Results: In total, 19,052 HAI were identified among 761,426 discharges. HAI rates fell for all organisms, all infection types, and within all hospitals. Odds of acquiring an HAI decreased significantly over time for all organisms. Resistance levels were stable for Enterococcus spp., S. aureus, A. baumannii, and S. pneumoniae. Multidrug resistance increased for P. aeruginosa and decreased for K. pneumoniae, though imipenem resistance among K. pneumoniae climbed sharply in 2011. Conclusions: This study suggests that HAI incidence rates are falling, possibly due to increased federal, state and local attention to healthcare quality and patient safety. Though we found no substantial reductions in resistance, recent national attention towards antimicrobial stewardship may precipitate a change in coming years., Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene, Vol 58, No 4 (2017): 2017584

Self- administered questionnaires or interviews and medical records are often used as sources of research data; thus it is essential to evaluate their concordance and reliability. The aim of this paper was to assess the concordance between medical and behavioral data obtained from medical records and interview questionnaires in two correctional facilities.

Background Acinetobacter baumannii can cause serious healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and the incidence is increasing, with many strains now resistant to multiple antibiotic classes. The aims of this study were to examine factors associated with HAIs caused by antimicrobial-resistant as compared with antimicrobial-susceptible strains of A. baumannii and to investigate trends in the incidence of resistance over time. Electronic data from two U.S. hospitals in a large urban healthcare system in over the years 2006–2012 were used for the analysis. Multiple logistic regression was used to explore risk factors for infection with A. baumannii resistant to ampicillin or ampicillin/sulbactam in the bloodstream, urinary tract, and respiratory tract. The Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to explore resistance trends over time. Findings A total of 671 adults with first-time A. baumannii infection were included in the analysis; 302 isolates (45 %) were resistant to ampicillin or ampicillin/sulbactam and 369 (55 %) were susceptible. In the multivariable analysis, significant risk factors included longer length of stay prior to infection (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.03; 95 % Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.01, 1.04), hospital A versus B (OR = 0.35; 95 % CI: 0.13, 0.93), and antibiotic use prior to infection (OR = 2.88; 95 % CI: 1.02, 8.13). Resistance was more common in respiratory infections (OR = 2.96; 95 % CI: 1.04, 8.44). No trend was found between year of infection and resistance. Conclusions The risk factors we identified are consistent with previous findings, but we found no evidence in this population that resistance to ampicillin or ampicillin/sulbactam was increasing over time.

One function of skin microbiota is to resist colonization and infection by external microorganisms. We sought to detect whether the structure of the hand microbiota of 34 healthcare workers (HCW) in a surgical intensive care unit mediates or modifies the relationship between demographic and behavioral factors and potential pathogen carriage on hands after accounting for pathogen exposure. We used a taxonomic screen (16S rRNA) to characterize the bacterial community, and qPCR to detect presence of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Candida albicans on their dominant hands. Hands were sampled weekly over a 3-week period. Age, hand hygiene, and work shift were significantly associated with potential pathogen carriage and the associations were pathogen dependent. Additionally, the overall hand microbiota structure was associated with the carriage of potential pathogens. Hand microbiota community structure may act as a biomarker of pathogen carriage, and modifying that structure may potentially limit pathogen carriage among HCW.

Background. Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) infection is a rising public health threat since its first outbreaks in New York City (NYC) in the early 2000s. We investigated annual trends of CRKP infection in hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and community-onset infections (COIs) treated in 3 NYC hospitals from 2006 to 2014. Methods. We extracted K pneumoniae infection data including carbapenem susceptibility and anatomical sites, compared clinical characteristics between CRKP and carbapenem-susceptible K pneumoniae infections, and determined CRKP infection proportions in total K pneumoniae infections in HAI and COI to identify statistically significant trends from 2006 to 2014 using the Cochran-Armitage trend test. Results. Carbapenem-resistant K pneumoniae contributed 17.3% (601 of 3477) of hospital-acquired K pneumoniae infection compared with 7.7% (149 of 1926) in COI from 2006 to 2014. Carbapenem-resistant K pneumoniae proportions in HAI and COI were positively correlated over time (r = 0.83, P < .01), and there were downward annual trends of CRKP proportions from 2006 to 2014 in both HAI and COI (25.8% to 10.5% in HAI, P < .001; 13.6% to 3.1% in COI, P < .001). By anatomical site, significant downward annual trends were present only in urinary tract infection (P < .001 for both HAI and COI) from 2006 to 2014. Conclusions. Annual trends of CRKP proportions from 2006 to 2014 were downward in both HAI and COI, and HAI and COI were positively correlated. Efforts to reduce and prevent CRKP infections in both hospital and community settings were successful and warrant continuation.

Background: While several studies have documented the importance of hand washing in the university setting, the added role of environmental hygiene remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to characterize the personal and environmental hygiene habits of college students, define the determinants of hygiene in this population, and assess the relationship between reported hygiene behaviors, environmental contamination, and health status. Methods: 501 undergraduate students completed a previously validated survey assessing baseline demographics, hygiene habits, determinants of hygiene, and health status. Sixty survey respondents had microbiological samples taken from eight standardized surfaces in their dormitory environment. Bacterial contamination was assessed using standard quantitative bacterial culture techniques. Additional culturing for coagulase-positive Staphylococcus and coliforms was performed using selective agar. Results: While the vast majority of study participants (n = 461, 92%) believed that hand washing was important for infection prevention, there was a large amount of variation in reported personal hygiene practices. More women than men reported consistent hand washing before preparing food (p = .002) and after using the toilet (p = .001). Environmental hygiene showed similar variability although 73.3% (n = 367) of subjects reported dormitory cleaning at least once per month. Contamination of certain surfaces was common, with at least one third of all bookshelves, desks, refrigerator handles, toilet handles, and bathroom door handles positive for

Background: Hospital associated infections are major problems, which are increasing in incidence and very costly. However, most research has focused only on measuring consequences associated with the initial hospitalization. We explored the long-term consequences of infections in elderly Medicare patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) and discharged alive, focusing on: sepsis, pneumonia, central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP); the relationships between the infections and long-term survival and resource utilization; and how resource utilization was related to impending death during the follow up period. Methods: Clinical data and one year pre- and five years post-index hospitalization Medicare records were examined. Hazard ratios (HR) and healthcare utilization incidence ratios (IR) were estimated from state of the art econometric models. Patient demographics (i.e., age, gender, race and health status) and Medicaid status (i.e., dual eligibility) were controlled for in these models. Results: In 17,537 patients, there were 1,062 sepsis, 1,802 pneumonia, 42 CLABSI and 52 VAP cases. These subjects accounted for 62,554 person-years post discharge. The sepsis and CLABSI cohorts were similar as were the pneumonia and VAP cohorts. Infection was associated with increased mortality (sepsis HR = 1.39, P