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Background: Multistep laboratory testing is recommended for the diagnosis of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). The aim of this study was to present the impact of multistep CDI diagnostic testing in an academic hospital system and evaluate the toxin B gene polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cycle threshold (Ct) values of PCR-positive tests., Methods: In October 2022, our system began reflex testing all PCR-positive stool samples with the C. DIFF QUIK CHEK COMPLETE (Techlab), an enzyme immunoassay-based test with results for the glutamate dehydrogenase antigen (GDH) and C difficile toxin A/B. Hospital-onset (HO) CDI and CDI antibiotic use before and after testing were tracked. Ct values were obtained from the Infectious Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to examine the sensitivity and specificity for identifying GDH + /toxin + and GDH - /toxin - at various Ct thresholds., Results: The HO-CDI rate decreased from 0.352 cases per 1000 patient-days to 0.115 cases per 1000 patient-days post-reflex testing ( P < .005). Anti-CDI antibiotics use decreased, but the decrease was not commensurate with CDI rates following reflex testing. PCR + /GDH + /toxin + samples had a lower mean Ct value than PCR + /GDH - /toxin - samples (23.3 vs 33.5, P < .0001). A Ct value of 28.65 could distinguish between those 2 groups. Fifty-four percent of PCR + /GDH + /toxin - samples had a Ct value below that cut-off, suggesting the possibility of CDI with a negative toxin test., Conclusions: Reflex testing for a laboratory diagnosis of CDI results in rapid, systemwide decreases in the rate of HO-CDI. Additional research is needed to distinguish CDI from C difficile colonization in patients with discordant testing., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. B. P. V. has received consulting fees for AbbVie, Prometheus, and Illuma Advisors. All other authors report no potential conflicts., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) are disproportionately affected by severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). To characterize factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 positivity among LTCF HCWs, we performed a retrospective cohort study among HCWs in 32 LTCFs in the Minneapolis-St Paul region., Methods: We analyzed the outcome of SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positivity among LTCF HCWs during weeks 34-52 of 2020. LTCF and HCW-level characteristics, including facility size, facility risk score for resident-HCW contact, and resident-facing job role, were modeled in univariable and multivariable generalized linear regressions to determine their association with SARS-CoV-2 positivity., Results: Between weeks 34 and 52, 440 (20.7%) of 2,130 unique HCWs tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at least once. In the univariable model, non-resident-facing HCWs had lower odds of infection (odds ratio [OR], 0.50; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.36-0.70). In the multivariable model, the odds remained lower for non-resident-facing HCW (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.36-0.71), and those in medium- versus low-risk facilities experienced higher odds of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (OR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.08-2.02)., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that COVID-19 cases are related to contact between HCW and residents in LTCFs. This association should be considered when formulating infection prevention and control policies to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in LTCFs.

High-level isolation units (HLIUs) are specially designed facilities for care and management of patients with suspected or confirmed high-consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs), equipped with unique infrastructure and operational features. While individual HLIUs have published on their experiences caring for patients with HCIDs and two previous HLIU consensus efforts have outlined key components of HLIUs, we aimed to summarise the existing literature that describes best practices, challenges and core features of these specialised facilities. A narrative review of the literature was conducted using keywords associated with HLIUs and HCIDs. A total of 100 articles were used throughout the manuscript from the literature search or from alternate methods like reference checks or snowballing. Articles were sorted into categories (eg, physical infrastructure, laboratory, internal transport); for each category, a synthesis of the relevant literature was conducted to describe best practices, experiences and operational features. The review and summary of HLIU experiences, best practices, challenges and components can serve as a resource for units continuing to improve readiness, or for hospitals in early stages of developing their HLIU teams and planning or constructing their units. The COVID-19 pandemic, a global outbreak of mpox, sporadic cases of viral haemorrhagic fevers in Europe and the USA, and recent outbreaks of Lassa fever, Sudan Ebolavirus, and Marburg emphasise the need for an extensive summary of HLIU practices to inform readiness and response., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Select circumstances require outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT). The potency of OPAT agents presents an increased risk of adverse events and unscheduled medical care. We analyzed these outcomes among OPAT recipients as part of the implementation of a collaborative OPAT program., Methods: Adult patients discharged home from an academic hospital with OPAT between January 2019 and June 2021 were included in this retrospective cohort; participants discharged between June 2020 and June 2021 were part of the collaborative OPAT program. Patients with cystic fibrosis were excluded. Data on patient characteristics and outcomes were collected from electronic medical records by two reviewers. Multivariable analysis was conducted to identify predictors of vascular access device (VAD) complications, adverse drug events (ADEs), and OPAT-related emergency department (ED) visits and rehospitalizations., Results: Among 265 patients included in the cohort, 57 (21.5%) patients experienced a VAD complication; obesity [odds ratio (OR): 3.32; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38-8.73; p  = 0.01) and multi-drug therapy (OR: 2.56; 95% CI: 1.21-5.39; p  = 0.01) were associated with an increased odds of VAD complication. Eighty-two (30.9%) participants experienced an ADE; 30 (11.3%) experienced a severe/serious ADE. Lipo/glycopeptide receipt, (OR: 5.28; 95% CI: 1.89-15.43; p  < 0.01) and Black/African American race (OR: 4.85; 95% (CI): 1.56-15.45; p  < 0.01) were associated with an increased odds of severe/serious ADE. Inclusion in the OPAT collaborative was associated with a decreased odds of severe/serious ADE (OR: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.08-0.77; p  = 0.01). Fifty-eight (21.9%) patients experienced an OPAT-related ED visit and 53 (20.0%) experienced an OPAT-related rehospitalization. VAD complication (OR: 2.37; 95% (CI): 1.15-4.86, p  = 0.02) and ADEs (OR: 2.19; CI: 1.13-4.22; p  = 0.02) were associated with OPAT-related ED visits. ADE was associated with 90-day OPAT-related rehospitalization (OR: 3.21; (CI): 1.59-6.58; p  < 0.01)., Conclusion: Adverse safety events and OPAT-related unscheduled care occurred often in our cohort. A structured OPAT program that includes ID pharmacist antibiotic reconciliation may reduce rates of ADEs., Competing Interests: The authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: EBH has received advisory board honoraria from Melinta, MeMed, and Merck, and has received research funding from Merck; honoraria and research funding are not directly related to OPAT. No other authors report conflicts of interest., (© The Author(s), 2023.)

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a highly effective treatment for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI). However, standardization of FMT products is essential for its broad implementation into clinical practice. We have developed an oral preparation of freeze-dried, encapsulated microbiota, which is ~ 80% clinically effective, but results in delayed engraftment of donor bacteria relative to administration via colonoscopy. Our objective was to measure the engraftment potential of freeze-dried microbiota without the complexity of variables associated with oral administration. We compared engraftment of identical preparations and doses of freeze-dried microbiota following colonoscopic (9 patients) versus oral administration (18 patients). Microbiota were characterized by sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, and engraftment was determined using the SourceTracker algorithm. Oligotyping analysis was done to provide high-resolution patterns of microbiota engraftment. Colonoscopic FMT was associated with greater levels of donor engraftment within days following the procedure (ANOVA P = 0.035) and specific increases in the relative abundances of donor Lachnospiraceae, Bacteroidaceae, and Porphyromonadaceae (P ≤ 0.033). Lower relative abundances of Bacteroidaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Ruminococcaceae families were associated with clinical failures. These results suggest that further optimization of oral capsule FMT may improve its engraftment efficiency and clinical efficacy.

Mucormycosis outbreaks have been linked to contaminated linen. We performed fungal cultures on freshly-laundered linens at 15 transplant and cancer hospitals. At 33% of hospitals, the linens were visibly unclean. At 20%, Mucorales were recovered from >10% of linens. Studies are needed to understand the clinical significance of our findings., (Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2018.)

Objective: Recovery of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae from a cluster of patients in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) prompted an epidemiologic investigation for a common exposure., Methods: Clinical and microbiologic data from MICU patients were retrospectively reviewed, MICU bronchoscopes underwent culturing and borescopy, and bronchoscope reprocessing procedures were reviewed. Bronchoscope and clinical MDR isolates epidemiologically linked to the cluster underwent molecular typing using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) followed by whole-genome sequencing., Results: Of the 33 case patients, 23 (70%) were exposed to a common bronchoscope (B1). Both MDR P. aeruginosa and K. pneumonia were recovered from the bronchoscope's lumen, and borescopy revealed a luminal defect. Molecular testing demonstrated genetic relatedness among case patient and B1 isolates, providing strong evidence for horizontal bacterial transmission. MDR organism (MDRO) recovery in 19 patients was ultimately linked to B1 exposure, and 10 of 19 patients were classified as belonging to an MDRO pseudo-outbreak., Conclusions: Surveillance of bronchoscope-derived clinical culture data was important for early detection of this outbreak, and whole-genome sequencing was important for the confirmation of findings. Visualization of bronchoscope lumens to confirm integrity should be a critical component of device reprocessing.

OBJECTIVE To determine risk factors for the development of surgical site infections (SSIs) in neurosurgery patients undergoing spinal fusion. DESIGN Retrospective case-control study. SETTING Large, academic, quaternary care center. PATIENTS The study population included all neurosurgery patients who underwent spinal fusion between August 1, 2009, and August 31, 2013. Cases were defined as patients in the study cohort who developed an SSI. Controls were patients in the study cohort who did not develop an SSI. METHODS To achieve 80% power with an ability to detect an odds ratio (OR) of 2, we performed an unmatched case-control study with equal numbers of cases and controls. RESULTS During the study period, 5,473 spinal fusion procedures were performed by neurosurgeons in our hospital. With 161 SSIs recorded during the study period, the incidence of SSIs associated with these procedures was 2.94%. While anterior surgical approach was found to be a protective factor (OR, 0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08-0.52), duration of procedure (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.29-1.93), American Society of Anesthesiologists score of 3 or 4 (OR, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.00-3.18), and hospitalization within the prior 30 days (OR, 5.8; 95% CI, 1.37-24.57) were found in multivariate analysis to be independent predictors of SSI following spinal fusion. Prior methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nares colonization was highly associated with odds 20 times higher of SSI following spinal fusion (OR, 20.30; 95% CI, 4.64-8.78). CONCLUSIONS In additional to nonmodifiable risk factors, prior colonization with MRSA is a modifiable risk factor very strongly associated with development of SSI following spinal fusion. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:348-352.

Clostridium difficile (CD) infection (CDI) is the leading cause of healthcare associated diarrhea despite intense hospital infection prevention programs. A substantial proportion of the population is asymptomatically colonized with CD, and evidence is mounting that these individuals serve as a reservoir for CDI. The purpose of this review is to discuss the mechanisms by which individuals may harbor toxigenic CD but remain asymptomatic, the evidence that asymptomatically colonized individuals serve as a source of CDI, and the implications of this potential CD reservoir for healthcare infection prevention.

Previous studies suggested that 7 to 15% of healthy adults are colonized with toxigenic Clostridium difficile. To investigate the epidemiology, genetic diversity, and duration of C. difficile colonization in asymptomatic persons, we recruited healthy adults from the general population in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Participants provided epidemiological and dietary intake data and submitted stool specimens. The presence of C. difficile in stool specimens was determined by anaerobic culture. Stool specimens yielding C. difficile underwent nucleic acid testing of the tcdA gene segment with a commercial assay; tcdC genotyping was performed on C. difficile isolates. Subjects positive for C. difficile by toxigenic anaerobic culture were asked to submit additional specimens. One hundred six (81%) of 130 subjects submitted specimens, and 7 (6.6%) of those subjects were colonized with C. difficile. Seven distinct tcdC genotypes were observed among the 7 C. difficile-colonized individuals, including tcdC genotype 20, which has been found in uncooked ground pork in this region. Two (33%) out of 6 C. difficile-colonized subjects who submitted additional specimens tested positive for identical C. difficile strains on successive occasions, 1 month apart. The prevalence of C. difficile carriage in this healthy cohort is concordant with prior estimates. C. difficile-colonized individuals may be important reservoirs for C. difficile and may falsely test positive for infections due to C. difficile when evaluated for community-acquired diarrhea caused by other enteric pathogens., (Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)