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Background: Healthcare systems and public health agencies use different methods to measure the impact of substance use (SU) on population health. We studied the ability of systems to accurately capture data on drug use-associated infective endocarditis (DUA-IE).Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with IE discharge diagnosis from an academic medical center, 2011-2017, comparing data from hospital Electronic Health Record (EHR) to State Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set (UHDDS). To identify SU we developed a composite measure.Results: EHR identified 472 IE discharges (430 of these were captured in UHDDS); 406 (86.0%) were correctly coded based on chart review. IE discharges increased from 57 to 92 (62%) from 2012 to 2017. Hospitalizations for the subset of DUA-IE identified by any measure of SU increased from 10 to 54 (440%). Discharge diagnosis coding identified 128 (60.7%) of total DUA-IE hospitalizations. The composite measure identified an additional 65 (30.8%) DUA-IE hospitalizations and chart review an additional 18 (8.5%).Conclusions: The failure of discharge diagnosis coding to identify DUA-IE in 40% of hospitalizations demonstrates the need for better systems to capture the impact of SU. Collaborative data sharing could help improve surveillance responsiveness to address an emerging public health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In May 2012, the New Hampshire (NH) Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) was notified of 4 persons with newly diagnosed hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection at hospital X. Initial investigation suggested a common link to the hospital cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) because the infected persons included 3 CCL patients and a CCL technician. NH DPHS initiated an investigation to determine the source and control the outbreak. Methods NH DPHS conducted site visits, case patient and employee interviews, medical record and medication use review, and employee and patient HCV testing using enzyme immunoassay for anti-HCV, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction for HCV RNA, nonstructural 5B (NS5B) and hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) sequencing, and quasispecies analysis. Results HCV HVR1 analysis of the first 4 cases confirmed a common source of infection. HCV testing identified 32 of 1074 CCL patients infected with the outbreak strain, including 3 patients coinfected with >1 HCV strain. The epidemiologic investigation revealed evidence of drug diversion by the HCV-infected technician, evidenced by gaps in controlled medication control, higher fentanyl use during procedures for confirmed cases, and building card key access records documenting the presence of the technician during days when transmission occurred. The employee’s status as a traveling technician led to a multistate investigation, which identified additional cases at prior employment sites. Conclusions This is the largest laboratory-confirmed drug diversion–associated HCV outbreak published to date. Recommendations to reduce drug diversion risk and to conduct outbreak investigations are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2006, NASW launched the Social Work Reinvestment Initiative by granting each state chapter $15,000 in seed money to address the most pressing social work needs in the state. This article describes how NASW-SD, with 246 members, launched an epic campaign that resulted in the establishment of the only MSW program in South Dakota. Using historical research methods, this article demonstrates the power of social work advocacy when members unify in pursuit of a common goal and describes how the social workers rallied to educate policymakers and the public on the value of social work and its delivery of necessary social services at all levels and in all fields of practice. The research highlights an uphill battle of advocacy and the skillful planning and implementation of a campaign to secure state funding to establish the first MSW program in the state, at the beginning of the most difficult economic recession since the Great Depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel medicine is the medical subspecialty which promotes healthy and safe travel. Numerous studies have been published that provide evidence for the practice of travel medicine, but gaps exist. The Research Committee of the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) established a Writing Group which reviewed the existing evidence base and identified an initial list of research priorities through an interactive process that included e-mails, phone calls, and smaller meetings. The list was presented to a broader group of travel medicine experts, then was presented and discussed at the Annual ISTM Meeting, and further revised by the Writing Group. Each research question was then subject to literature search to ensure that adequate research had not already been conducted. Twenty-five research priorities were identified and categorized as intended to inform pre-travel encounters, safety during travel, and post-travel management. We have described the research priorities that will help to expand the evidence base in travel medicine. This discussion of research priorities serves to highlight the commitment that the ISTM has in promoting quality travel-related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the kinetics of the humoral immune response to pertussis antigens following vaccination of health care personnel with adult tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap). By 2 weeks after vaccination, 88%-94% of subjects demonstrated a booster response. This brisk response of adults to Tdap supports a role for vaccination in pertussis outbreak control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A strategy to combat multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella in ground beef is urgently needed. A national multi-disciplinary meeting reviewed the epidemiology of MDR Salmonella infection and contamination in humans, animals, and retail meat. In spite of a recent overall decrease in human MDR Salmonella isolates, certain types, such as Salmonella enterica serotype Newport multidrug-resistant-AmpC strain and Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium definitive type (DT) 104, have persisted, and several recent large outbreaks of human infection have occurred. Key agencies that contribute to a safe ground beef supply were represented at the meeting and contributed to the discussion of possible control strategies from the farm to the table. Several of the control strategies suggested are unpopular to some, including restricting the use of antimicrobial agents in food animals, designation of multidrug-resistant Salmonella as an adulterant in ground beef, and improving the mechanisms for product trace-back investigations. Nevertheless, enhanced farm-based animal infection control, judicious veterinary and human antibiotic use, regulatory controls, and consumer practices will lead to important industry, veterinary, and public health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. We conducted a pharmacokinetic study of antimycobacterial drugs involving a cohort of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in Gaborone, Botswana, to assess the prevalence of and risk factors for low drug concentrations in serum. Methods. Adults participated if they had a history of cough fl weeks, had abnormal chest radiograph findings, consented to testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), had sputum cultures positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and were receiving antituberculous therapy for >7 days. Observed maximum serum concentrations were compared with published normal ranges. Results. Of 91 patients enrolled, 89 (98%) were outpatients, and 59 (68%) of 87 patients tested had HIV infection. The following numbers of patients had low serum concentrations of the following drugs: isoniazid, 27 (30%) of 90; rifampin, 71(78%) of 91; ethambutol, 37 (41%) of 91; and pyrazinamide, 1 (1%) of 91. Low serum concentrations of both isoniazid and rifampin occurred in 23 (26%) of 90 patients. Low serum concentrations of rifampin were found in both HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected patients, and such patients were less likely to have >4 weeks of symptoms, more likely to have lymphadenopathy, and more likely to have low serum albumin levels (P < .05 for all). The associations with noncavitary pulmonary disease (P = .12) and HIV infection (P = .07) did not reach statistical significance. Delayed absorption was most common with ethambutol, followed by rifampin. Conclusions. These data, predominantly from HIV-infected patients with TB, suggest that low isoniazid, rifampin, and ethambutol concentrations are common in Botswana. In contrast, pyrazinamide usually is well absorbed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sensitive and accurate tuberculosis (TB) serodiagnostic test would aid in the control of TB, but results of current tests are relatively unreliable for persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We evaluated a new prototype immunochromatographic strip test and 5 commercially available serodiagnostic TB tests in a prospective study comprised of 465 consecutively enrolled patients with suspected TB from 2 hospitals in Botswana. Consenting adults underwent HIV testing, &ges;2 sputum smears and cultures, and mycobacterial blood culture. Patients were defined as having TB on the basis of any positive smear or culture. Between January and September 2002, 465 of 498 consecutive patients consented to enrollment. A total of 384 patients (83%) were infected with HIV, and 175 (38%) had TB; the mycobacterial blood culture was the sole source of diagnosis for 26 patients (15%) with TB. Among the tests evaluated, the sensitivity was 0%- 63%, the specificity was 39%-99%, the positive predictive value was 0%-39%, and the negative predictive value was 63%-65%. We conclude that the serodiagnostic tests evaluated in this study lacked sufficient sensitivity as sole tests for TB in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attenuated bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is administered to prevent tuberculosis. Complications of vaccination are uncommon. We report a new case of disseminated BCG disease and review 27 additional cases identified from a review of >5,000 reports published between 1980 and 1996. Twenty-four of the 28 total cases were associated with an immune deficiency, including nine cases of AIDS. Seventy-one percent of the cases occurred in children younger than 2 years old. Sixty-eight percent of the patients were male. About one-half of the patients were vaccinated in a developed nation, but 85% of the cases were reported from a developed nation. Response to therapy was poor, with an overall mortality rate of 71%. We made two new observations. Disseminated BCG disease has historically been a disease of infants, but cases now occur in adults and older children coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus. Cases also occur after revaccination of individuals who were anergic following the initial administration of BCG vaccine. Disseminated BCG disease is an uncommon but devastating complication of vaccination that should be considered in the appropriate clinical setting. Immunocompromised infants and patients with late-stage AIDS are at greatest risk and respond poorly to standard therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Infective endocarditis (IE) is a morbid and often lethal complication of injection drug use. There is an urgent need for accurate surveillance for IE related to substance use (SU) to support control strategies. Methods We conducted a retrospective comparative analysis of 3 datasets evaluating patients aged ≥16 years admitted to an academic medical center in New England with an ICD-9/10 discharge diagnosis of IE from April 2011 to December 2017. The 3 datasets included the hospital's electronic medical record (EMR); the hospital's Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) program dataset; and the New Hampshire Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Set (UHDDS). We analyzed the number of admissions for IE per year, stratified by SU. We developed a SU composite measure by incorporating multiple sources of data from the EMR, and then verified accuracy of both the SU and IE diagnoses through manual chart review. Results The EMR documented 472 hospital admissions for IE, representing 385 unique patients. The median age was 56 years and 59% were men. Admissions increased 67%, from 56 in 2012 to 84 in 2017. SU was coded as a discharge diagnosis in 27% of these admissions; however, based on our composite measure of SU, 45% IE admissions were possibly associated with SU. The proportion of IE patients who had evidence of SU increased from 20% in 2011 to 49% in 2017 (P = 0.002). Patients with SU compared with those without were younger (40.5 vs. 65.2 years, P < 0.001) and more likely to be on Medicaid (59% vs. 8%, P < 0.001). They had higher average charges ($146,633 vs. $107,223, P = 0.002) and lengths of stay (19.1 vs. 13.4 days, P < 0.001). The UHDDS and EMR datasets identified a similar numbers of patients with a diagnosis of IE; however, manual chart review revealed that IE was over-coded in ~one-fifth of admissions. Conclusion The rate of IE in our hospital increased dramatically between 2011 and 2017, with a rising proportion associated with SU. Despite these trends, we found that discharge diagnosis coding alone substantially underestimated associated SU and overestimated IE disease burden. Our findings suggest public health administrative datasets, such as the UHDDS, can contribute to surveillance of IE disease burden with consideration of these important limitations, especially for assessing disease trends. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A response by Elizabeth A. Talbot and colleagues to a letter to the editor about their article regarding travel medicine research is presented.

Presents a letter to the editor on tuberculosis diagnosis using both acid-fast bacillus smear and solid-media mycobacterial culture.