Review
Infectious Diseases
Jessica L. Fraser, Athman Mwatondo, Yewande H. Alimi, Jay K. Varma, Victor J. Del Rio Vilas
Summary: In Africa, there is a significant under-detection and under-reporting of healthcare-associated infection outbreaks over the 10-year period. The quality and timeliness of reporting need to be improved to ensure changes in public health practice.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Tim Du, Kelly B. Choi, Anada Silva, George R. Golding, Linda Pelude, Romeo Hizon, Ghada N. Al-Rawahi, James Brooks, Blanda Chow, Jun C. Collet, Jeannette L. Comeau, Ian Davis, Gerald A. Evans, Charles Frenette, Guanghong Han, Jennie Johnstone, Pamela Kibsey, Kevin C. Katz, Joanne M. Langley, Bonita E. Lee, Yves Longtin, Dominik Mertz, Jessica Minion, Michelle Science, Jocelyn A. Srigley, Paula Stagg, Kathryn N. Suh, Nisha Thampi, Alice Wong, Susy S. Hota
Summary: We investigated the epidemiology and molecular characteristics of healthcare-associated and community-associated Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in adult patients in Canadian hospitals. Our study found higher mortality rate associated with healthcare-associated CDI, and a decrease in both healthcare-associated and community-associated CDI rates from 2015 to 2019. Certain ribotypes were more commonly associated with CDI-related deaths.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Ronan F. O'Toole
Summary: Recent data indicate the occurrence of hospital-onset bacterial infections, including antibiotic-resistant isolates, in COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 has impacted bacterial healthcare-associated infections in several ways, with recommended guidelines focusing on minimizing broad-spectrum antibiotic use in patient treatment.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Richard E. Nelson, Kelly M. Hatfield, Hannah Wolford, Matthew H. Samore, R. Douglas Scott, Sujan C. Reddy, Babatunde Olubajo, Prabasaj Paul, John A. Jernigan, James Baggs
Summary: This study estimated the healthcare costs associated with infections due to multidrug-resistant bacteria in the United States, revealing that these infections resulted in substantial healthcare costs.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Richard E. Nelson, David Hynn, Amanda Jezek, Matthew H. Samore
Summary: This study analyzed data from the Department of Veterans Affairs in the United States and found that infections due to multidrug-resistant bacteria were associated with high healthcare costs and mortality rates. Efforts to prevent these infections could save a significant number of lives and healthcare resources.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Flora Cruz-Lopez, Adrian Martinez-Melendez, Elvira Garza-Gonzalez
Summary: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a global public health concern and are associated with high mortality and antimicrobial resistance. The hospital environment serves as a potential reservoir for pathogenic microbial strains, which can persist on medical equipment surfaces, patient surroundings, and patient and healthcare worker surfaces. Understanding the hospital microbiota can provide knowledge on the relationship between commensal and pathogenic microorganisms, their role in HAI development, and the environmental conditions that promote their proliferation.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Tingting Le, Ling Wang, Chaoying Zeng, Leiwen Fu, Zhihua Liu, Jing Hu
Summary: Nosocomial and healthcare-associated K. pneumoniae infections displayed similar clinical features and antimicrobial resistance, differing from community-acquired infections. CRKP and ESBL-producing strains were mainly found in HCA and nosocomial groups, showing clonal diversity. Cross transmission of CRKP existed among HCA and nosocomial patients, suggesting the need for consistent empirical therapy and resistance surveillance for these infections.
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND INFECTION CONTROL
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
G. E. Yamaguto, F. Zhen, M. M. Moreira, B. M. Montesanti, S. M. Raboni
Summary: This study evaluated hospital-acquired infections caused by respiratory viruses over six years, finding that in immunosuppressed patients, hematologic neoplasia was the main comorbidity, while prematurity was the most prevalent comorbidity in non-immunosuppressed patients. The results indicated that the circulation of CRVs in the hospital environment is frequent, highlighting the need for enhanced preventive measures in healthcare settings.
JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Nicolas Francisco Fernandez-Martinez, Mario Rivera-Izquierdo, Rocio Ortiz-Gonzalez-Serna, Virginia Martinez-Ruiz, Pablo Lardelli-Claret, Adrian Hugo Aginagalde-Llorente, Maria del Carmen Valero-Ubierna, Maria Auxiliadora Vergara-Diaz, Nicola Lorusso
Summary: This study indicates that social factors should be considered when investigating healthcare-associated infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. The heterogeneity in the incidence of cases between municipalities in Andalusia may be explained by social determinants of health, as well as under-notification.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mariachiara Carestia, Massimo Andreoni, Ersilia Buonomo, Fausto Ciccacci, Luigi De Angelis, Gerardo De Carolis, Patrizia De Filippis, Daniele Di Giovanni, Leonardo Emberti Gialloreti, Carla Fontana, Luca Guarente, Andrea Magrini, Marco Mattei, Stefania Moramarco, Laura Morciano, Claudia Mosconi, Stefano Orlando, Giuseppe Quintavalle, Fabio Riccardi, Viviana Santoro, Leonardo Palombi
Summary: In Italy, the integration of microbiology laboratory data with electronic health records (EHRs) has provided a valuable tool for evaluating healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study successfully established a management system that accurately assessed the burden of HAIs and the impact of AMR. Despite a low percentage of HAIs caused by antimicrobial resistant bacteria, the contribution of AMR to increased mortality risk was significant.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Seok Jun Mun, Si-Ho Kim, Hyoung-Tae Kim, Chisook Moon, Yu Mi Wi
Summary: The contribution of different pathogens to mortality in bloodstream infection varies by acquisition site, with hospital-acquired BSI showing higher rates of drug resistance, specific infection focus, and inappropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Kate Shapiro, Shane J. Cross, Ted H. Morton, Hiroto Inaba, Ashley Holland, Francisca R. Fasipe, Elisabeth E. Adderson
Summary: This article summarizes a case of catheter-related M. neoaurum bacteremia in a child with leukemia and 36 previously reported cases of M. neoaurum infection. Most infections occurred in young to middle-aged adults with serious underlying medical conditions and commonly involved medical devices. Overall, infections were generally not severe and responded well to treatment.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Ayman Elbehiry, Eman Marzouk, Adil Abalkhail, Yasmine El-Garawany, Sulaiman Anagreyyah, Yaser Alnafea, Abdulaziz M. Almuzaini, Waleed Alwarhi, Mohammed Rawway, Abdelmaged Draz
Summary: The growing risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has negative impacts on the healthcare system, calling for the development of quick diagnostic tools and new treatment approaches to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens in healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
Article
Infectious Diseases
Yonghong Xiao, Xing Xin, Yunbo Chen, Qing Yan, China PPS team
Summary: The purpose of this study is to assess antimicrobial prescribing and resistance in general hospitals and clinical specialties in China using a point prevalence survey (PPS), and compare them with global data. The study found that the overall prevalence of antibiotic use was 37.00% in Chinese hospitals, with high use of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical patients. The study also revealed low prescribing quality, lack of documentation for prescribing reasons, and low utilization of microbiological or biomarker tests. Additionally, the incidence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) was 3.79%, with factors such as invasive procedures and longer hospital stays contributing to the occurrence of HAIs.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Paula Soza-Ossandon, Dacil Rivera, Kasim Allel, Gerardo Gonzalez-Rocha, Mario Quezada-Aguiluz, Ivan San Martin, Patricia Garcia, Andrea Moreno-Switt
Summary: Healthcare-associated infections caused by Staphylococcus, particularly Staphylococcus aureus, pose a high risk to human and animal health. The study identified methicillin resistant staphylococci in equine patients and hospital environments, showing the presence of multidrug resistance genes and potential transmission risks. Tackling antimicrobial resistance within equine hospitals should involve wider control over antimicrobial consumption and reducing exposure to AMR reservoirs in animals to prevent cross-transmission of drug-resistant Staphylococcus.
Article
Immunology
Christine Tedijanto, McKenna Nevers, Matthew H. Samore, Marc Lipsitch
Summary: This study analyzed patterns of antibiotic use, infectious diagnoses, and microbiological laboratory results among hospitalized patients. The majority of antibiotic use could be linked to an infectious diagnosis or microbiological specimen. However, a significant proportion of antibiotic use occurred when there was no bacterial isolate, highlighting the need for improved diagnostics to optimize antibiotic use.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Sarah E. Daugherty, Yinglong Guo, Kevin Heath, Micah C. Dasmarinas, Karol Giuseppe Jubilo, Jirapat Samranvedhya, Marc Lipsitch, Ken Cohen
Summary: The study evaluated the excess risk and relative hazards for developing incident clinical sequelae after the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults aged 18-65. The results show that individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 may have a higher risk of developing new clinical sequelae after the acute phase compared to the control groups, with some sequelae more commonly seen in other viral illnesses.
BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Samah Hayek, Galit Shaham, Yatir Ben-Shlomo, Eldad Kepten, Noa Dagan, Daniel Nevo, Marc Lipsitch, Ben Y. Reis, Ran D. Balicer, Noam Barda
Summary: Children who are not vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 can still be protected by vaccinated parents. A study found that having a single vaccinated parent reduced the risk of infection for unvaccinated children by 26.0% and 20.8% in two different periods, while having two vaccinated parents reduced the risk by 71.7% and 58.1%, respectively.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ken Cohen, Sheng Ren, Kevin Heath, Micah C. Dasmarinas, Karol Giuseppe Jubilo, Yinglong Guo, Marc Lipsitch, Sarah E. Daugherty
Summary: A retrospective cohort study found that adults aged 65 and older face an increased risk of persistent and new clinical sequelae after acute infection with SARS-CoV-2, with respiratory failure, dementia, and post-viral fatigue being the most common sequelae.
BMJ-BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Ofer Margalit, Einat Shacham-Shmueli, Amit Itay, Raanan Berger, Sharon Halperin, Menucha Jurkowicz, Einav G. Levin, Liraz Olmer, Gili Regev-Yochay, Yaniv Lustig, Galia Rahav
Summary: Six months after the second dose of BNT162b2 vaccine, patients with cancer have lower seropositivity rates and RBD-IgG titres compared to healthy controls. However, the Nabs titre is similar, suggesting comparable protection among seropositive individuals. Lymphocyte count is not predictive of antibody response.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Ori Magen, Jacob G. Waxman, Maya Makov-Assif, Roni Vered, Dror Dicker, Miguel A. Hernan, Marc Lipsitch, Ben Y. Reis, Ran D. Balicer, Noa Dagan
Summary: The use of a fourth dose of BNT162b2 vaccine in Israel starting on January 3, 2022, has shown significant reductions in infection rate, symptomatic infection, hospitalization, and Covid-19-related deaths by February 18.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Gili Regev-Yochay, Tal Gonen, Mayan Gilboa, Michal Mandelboim, Victoria Indenbaum, Sharon Amit, Lilac Meltzer, Keren Asraf, Carmit Cohen, Ronen Fluss, Asaf Biber, Ital Nemet, Limor Kliker, Gili Joseph, Ram Doolman, Ella Mendelson, Laurence S. Freedman, Dror Harats, Yitshak Kreiss, Yaniv Lustig
Summary: Health care workers in Israel received a fourth dose of mRNA vaccine during the prevalence of the omicron variant. The fourth dose boosted antibody levels but did not surpass the maximum observed after the third dose. The vaccine demonstrated an efficacy of 31 to 43% against symptomatic disease.
NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Daphne S. Sun, Stephen M. Kissler, Sanjat Kanjilal, Scott W. Olesen, Marc Lipsitch, Yonatan H. Grad
Summary: Understanding the relationship between antibiotic use and resistance is crucial for guiding effective strategies to limit resistance spread. Research findings showed that the use-resistance relationship varied across different pathogens and antibiotics, with resistance peaking in the winter and spring. These findings challenge the simple model of antibiotic use independently selecting for resistance and highlight the importance of considering differences between pathogens and antibiotics when developing stewardship strategies.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Edward Goldstein, Bruce H. Fireman, Nicola P. Klein, Marc Lipsitch, G. Thomas Ray
Summary: The study estimated the proportion of antibiotic prescriptions associated with influenza in the population of Kaiser Permanente Northern California, finding varying proportions among different age groups. It suggests that increasing influenza vaccination coverage may help reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing to mitigate antimicrobial resistance.
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Keya Joshi, Eva Rumpler, Lee Kennedy-Shaffer, Rafia Bosan, Marc Lipsitch
Summary: Vaccine allocation decisions during emerging pandemics are challenging due to ethical, practical, and political considerations. This study provides insights into optimal vaccine allocation strategies considering various population, vaccine, pathogen, and delivery characteristics. The findings suggest that proportional allocation based on population size performs well or comparably in minimizing the cumulative number of infections, supporting the sharing of vaccines between locations during epidemics caused by emerging pathogens.
Article
Microbiology
Gili Joseph, Carmit Cohen, Carmit Rubin, Havi Murad, Victoria Indenbaum, Keren Asraf, Yael Weiss-Ottolenghi, Gabriella Segal-Lieberman, Yitshak Kreiss, Yaniv Lustig, Gili Regev-Yochay
Summary: In this study, we compared the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. The results showed that vaccination leads to higher initial antibody levels, but they decline more rapidly compared to the antibody response after infection. However, the antibody response after infection persists for a longer duration.
Article
Immunology
Katherine M. Jia, Rebecca Kahn, Rebecca Fisher, Sharon Balter, Marc Lipsitch
Summary: To allocate more testing resources to communities with higher test positivity, we developed and evaluated quantitative approaches for geographic targeting. The simplest model based on recent test positivity performed well in predicting communities with high positivity 2 weeks ahead.
OPEN FORUM INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Stephen Moss, Menucha Jurkowicz, Ital Nemet, Nofar Atari, Limor Kliker, Bayan Abd-Elkader, Tal Gonen, Emily Toth Martin, Yaniv Lustig, Gili Regev-Yochay, Michal Mandelboim
Summary: Concurrent administration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines does not cause immunogenic interference and can enhance immune responses. The study findings have important implications for public health in the 2023-2024 winter season and support the co-administration of both vaccines as an effective immunization strategy.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Edward Goldstein, Bruce H. Fireman, Nicola P. Klein, Marc Lipsitch, G. Thomas Ray
Summary: This study estimated the proportion of influenza-associated antibiotic prescriptions in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California population. It found that children aged 5-17 had a higher proportion of influenza-associated antibiotic prescriptions compared to children under 5. For adults aged over 20, the majority of influenza-associated antibiotic prescriptions were for respiratory diagnoses without bacterial indication.
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Marc Lipsitch, Florian Krammer, Gili Regev-Yochay, Yaniv Lustig, Ran D. Balicer
Summary: The study evaluates the impact of breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections in vaccinated individuals and discusses the challenges in measuring breakthrough infections and determining the factors affecting vaccine effectiveness. The research also addresses key questions on transitioning to endemicity, tracking viral variants, identifying immune correlates of protection, and dealing with public health challenges in countering breakthrough infections amid global vaccine shortages.
NATURE REVIEWS IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
