Investigating the association of room features with healthcare-facility-onset Clostridioides difficile: An exploratory study

Early identification of a ward-based outbreak of Clostridioides difficile using prospective multilocus sequence type-based Oxford Nanopore genomic surveillance

OBJECTIVE

To describe an outbreak of sequence type (ST)2 Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) detected by a recently implemented multilocus sequence type (MLST)-based prospective genomic surveillance system using Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing.

SETTING

Hemato-oncology ward of a public tertiary referral centre.

METHODS

From February 2022, we began prospectively sequencing all C. difficile isolated from inpatients at our institution on the ONT MinION device, with the output being an MLST. Bed-movement data are used to construct real-time ST-specific incidence charts based on ward exposures over the preceding three months.

RESULTS

Between February and October 2022, 76 of 118 (64.4%) CDI cases were successfully sequenced. There was wide ST variation across cases and the hospital, with only four different STs being seen in >4 patients. A clear predominance of ST2 CDI cases emerged among patients with exposure to our hemato-oncology ward between May and October 2022, which totalled ten patients. There was no detectable rise in overall CDI incidence for the ward or hospital due to the outbreak. Following a change in cleaning product to an accelerated hydrogen peroxide wipe and several other interventions, no further outbreak-associated ST2 cases were detected. A retrospective phylogenetic analysis using original sequence data showed clustering of the suspected outbreak cases, with the exception of two cases that were retrospectively excluded from the outbreak.

CONCLUSIONS

Prospective genomic surveillance of C. difficile using ONT sequencing permitted the identification of an outbreak of ST2 CDI that would have otherwise gone undetected.

A Systematic Literature Review on Risk Factors for and Timing of Clostridioides difficile Infection in the United States

INTRODUCTION

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major public health threat. Up to 40% of patients with CDI experience recurrent CDI (rCDI), which is associated with increased morbidity. This study aimed to define an at-risk population by obtaining a detailed understanding of the different factors leading to CDI, rCDI, and CDI-related morbidity and of time to CDI.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of MEDLINE (using PubMed) and EMBASE for relevant articles published between January 1, 2016, and November 11, 2022, covering the US population.

RESULTS

Of the 1324 articles identified, 151 met prespecified inclusion criteria. Advanced patient age was a likely risk factor for primary CDI within a general population, with significant risk estimates identified in nine of 10 studies. Older age was less important in specific populations with comorbidities usually diagnosed at earlier age, such as bowel disease and cancer. In terms of comorbidities, the established factors of infection, kidney disease, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and bowel disease along with several new factors (including anemia, fluid and electrolyte disorders, and coagulation disorders) were likely risk factors for primary CDI. Data on diabetes, cancer, and obesity were mixed. Other primary CDI risk factors were antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors, female sex, prior hospitalization, and the length of stay in hospital. Similar factors were identified for rCDI, but evidence was limited. Older age was a likely risk factor for mortality. Timing of primary CDI varied depending on the population: 2-3 weeks in patients receiving stem cell transplants, within 3 weeks for patients undergoing surgery, and generally more than 3 weeks following solid organ transplant.

CONCLUSION

This SLR uses recent evidence to define the most important factors associated with CDI, confirming those that are well established and highlighting new ones that could help to identify patient populations at high risk.

Environmental approaches to controlling Clostridioides difficile infection in healthcare settings

As today's most prevalent and costly healthcare-associated infection, hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (HO-CDI) represents a major threat to patient safety world-wide. This review will discuss how new insights into the epidemiology of CDI have quantified the prevalence of C. difficile (CD) spore contamination of the patient-zone as well as the role of asymptomatically colonized patients who unavoidable contaminate their near and distant environments with resilient spores. Clarification of the epidemiology of CD in parallel with the development of a new generation of sporicidal agents which can be used on a daily basis without damaging surfaces, equipment, or the environment, led to the research discussed in this review. These advances underscore the potential for significantly mitigating HO-CDI when combined with ongoing programs for optimizing the thoroughness of cleaning as well as disinfection. The consequence of this paradigm-shift in environmental hygiene practice, particularly when combined with advances in hand hygiene practice, has the potential for significantly improving patient safety in hospitals globally by mitigating the acquisition of CD spores and, quite plausibly, other environmentally transmitted healthcare-associated pathogens.

Mitigating hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile: The impact of an optimized environmental hygiene program in eight hospitals

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of a standardized, process-validated intervention utilizing daily hospital-wide patient-zone sporicidal disinfectant cleaning on incidence density of healthcare-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (HO-CDI) standardized infection ratios (SIRs).

DESIGN

Multi-site, quasi-experimental study, with control hospitals and a nonequivalent dependent variable.

SETTING

The study was conducted across 8 acute-care hospitals in 6 states with stable endemic HO-CDI SIRs.

METHODS

Following an 18-month preintervention control period, each site implemented a program of daily hospital-wide sporicidal disinfectant patient zone cleaning. After a wash-in period, thoroughness of disinfection cleaning (TDC) was monitored prospectively and optimized with performance feedback utilizing a previously validated process improvement program. Mean HO-CDI SIRs were calculated by quarter for the pre- and postintervention periods for both the intervention and control hospitals. We used a difference-in-differences analysis to estimate the change in the average HO-CDI SIR and HO-CAUTI SIR for the pre- and postintervention periods.

RESULTS

Following the wash-in period, the TDC improved steadily for all sites and by 18 months was 93.6% for the group. The mean HO-CDI SIRs decreased from 1.03 to 0.6 (95% CI, 0.13-0.75; P = .009). In the adjusted difference-in-differences analysis in comparison to controls, there was a 0.55 reduction (95% CI, -0.77 to -0.32) in HO-CDI (P < .001) or a 50% relative decrease from baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

This study represents the first multiple-site, quasi-experimental study with control hospitals and a nonequivalent dependent variable to evaluate a 4-component intervention on HO-CDI. Following ongoing improvement in cleaning thoroughness, there was a sustained 50% decrease in HO-CDI SIRs compared to controls.

Reimagining Construction and Renovation of Health Care Facilities During Emergence from a Pandemic

The built environment has been integral to response to the global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). In particular, engineering controls to mitigate risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and other newly emergent respiratory pathogens in the future will be important. Anticipating emergence from this pandemic, or at least adaptation given increasing administration of effective vaccines, and the safety of patients, personnel, and others in health care facilities remain the core goals. This article summarizes known risks and highlights prevention strategies for daily care as well as response to emergent infectious diseases and this parapandemic phase.