Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Among Residents and Employees in a Veterans Affairs Community Living Center: A 42-Month Prospective Cohort Study

Background

Understanding routes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission in long-term care facilities is essential for the development of effective control measures.

Methods

Between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2023, we identified coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases among residents and employees in a Veterans Affairs community living center that conducted routine screening for asymptomatic COVID-19. Contact tracing was conducted to identify suspected transmission events, and whole genome sequencing was performed to determine the relatedness of SARS-CoV-2 samples.

Results

During the 42-month study period, 269 cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed, including 199 employees and 70 residents. A total of 48 (24.1%) employees and 30 (42.9%) residents were asymptomatic. Sequencing analysis provided support for multiple events in which employees transmitted SARS-CoV-2 to co-workers and residents. There was 1 episode of likely transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from one resident to another resident, but no documented transmissions from residents to employees.

Conclusions

Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the community living center predominantly involved transmission from employees to co-workers and residents. There is a need for improved measures to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 by healthcare personnel.

Interim Estimates of 2023-24 Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness - United States

In the United States, annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons aged ≥6 months. Using data from four vaccine effectiveness (VE) networks during the 2023-24 influenza season, interim influenza VE was estimated among patients aged ≥6 months with acute respiratory illness-associated medical encounters using a test-negative case-control study design. Among children and adolescents aged 6 months-17 years, VE against influenza-associated outpatient visits ranged from 59% to 67% and against influenza-associated hospitalization ranged from 52% to 61%. Among adults aged ≥18 years, VE against influenza-associated outpatient visits ranged from 33% to 49% and against hospitalization from 41% to 44%. VE against influenza A ranged from 46% to 59% for children and adolescents and from 27% to 46% for adults across settings. VE against influenza B ranged from 64% to 89% for pediatric patients in outpatient settings and from 60% to 78% for all adults across settings. These findings demonstrate that the 2023-24 seasonal influenza vaccine is effective at reducing the risk for medically attended influenza virus infection. CDC recommends that all persons aged ≥6 months who have not yet been vaccinated this season get vaccinated while influenza circulates locally.

Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Older Adults

Older adults are at an increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases partly because of physiologic changes in the immune and other body systems related to age and/or accumulating comorbidities that increase the vulnerability to infections and decrease the response to vaccines. Strategies to improve the response to vaccines include using a higher antigenic dose (such as in the high-dose inactivated influenza vaccines) as well as adding adjuvants (such as MF59 in the adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine).

Can Electronic Clinical Decision Support Systems Improve the Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a commonly misdiagnosed infectious syndrome. Diagnostic stewardship interventions can reduce rates of asymptomatic bacteriuria treatment but are often labor intensive, and thus an automated means of reducing unnecessary urine testing is preferred. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we sought to identify studies describing interventions utilizing clinical decision support (CDS) to optimize UTI diagnosis and to characterize the effectiveness of these interventions.

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive electronic search and manual reference list review for peer-reviewed articles published before July 2, 2021. Publications describing an intervention intending to enhance UTI diagnosis via CDS were included. The primary outcome was urine culture test rate.

Results

The electronic search identified 5013 studies for screening. After screening and full-text review, 9 studies met criteria for inclusion, and a manual reference list review identified 5 additional studies, yielding a total of 14 studies included in the systematic review. The most common CDS intervention was urinalysis with reflex to urine culture based on prespecified urinalysis parameters. All 9 studies that provided statistical comparisons reported a decreased urine culture rate postintervention, 8 of which were statistically significant. A meta-analysis including 4 studies identified a pooled urine culture incidence rate ratio of 0.56 (95% confidence interval, .52-.60) favoring the postintervention versus preintervention group.

Conclusions

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, CDS appeared to be effective in decreasing urine culture rates. Prospective trials are needed to confirm these findings and to evaluate their impact on antimicrobial prescribing, patient-relevant outcomes, and potential adverse effects.

High-dose influenza vaccines for the prevention of hospitalization due to cardiovascular events in older adults in the nursing home: Post-hoc analysis of a cluster-randomized trial

Older adults are at high risk of major acute cardiovascular events (MACE) linked to influenza illness andpreventable by influenza vaccination. It is unknown whether high-dose vaccine might incrementally reduce the risk of MACE.We conducted a post-hoc analysis of data collected from a pragmatic cluster randomized study of 823 nursing homes (NH) randomized to standard-dose (SD) or high-dose (HD) influenza vaccine in the 2013-14 season. Adults age 65 year or older who are Medicare-enrolled long-stay residents were included in the analysis.There were no statistically significant differences in hospitalization for MACE, acute coronary syndromes (ACS), stroke or heart failure between the HD and SD arms. However, in the fee-for-service group, participants in the HD arm had significantly decreased risk of hospitalization for respiratory problems, which was not observed in the Medicare Advantage group.High-dose influenza vaccine was not shown to be incrementally protective against MACE relative to standard-dose vaccine.

Prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in patients with benign and malignant blood disorders

Patients with moderate to severe immunosuppression, a condition that is common in many hematologic diseases because of the pathology itself or its treatment, are at high risk for COVID-19 and its complications. While empirical data are sometimes conflicting, this heightened risk has been confirmed in multiple well-done studies for patients with hematologic malignancies, particularly those with B-cell lymphoid malignancies who received lymphocytotoxic therapies, those with a history of recent hematopoietic stem cell transplant and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, and, to a lesser degree, those with hemoglobinopathies. Patients with immunosuppression need to have a lower threshold for avoiding indoor public spaces where they are unable to effectively keep a safe distance from others, and wear a high-quality well-fitting mask, especially when community levels are not low. They should receive an enhanced initial vaccine regimen and additional boosting. Therapeutic options are available and immunosuppressed patients are prioritized per the NIH.

Seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) among healthcare providers prior to the vaccine era in an integrated midwestern healthcare system

We performed severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antinucleocapsid IgG testing on 5,557 healthcare providers and found a seroprevalence of 3.9%. African Americans were more likely to test positive than Whites, and HCWs with household exposure and those working on COVID-19 cohorting units were more likely to test positive than their peers.

SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection in skilled nursing facility residents

OBJECTIVE

To describe the frequency and timing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody detection in a convenience sample of skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents with and without confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of SNF electronic health records.

SETTING

Qualitative SARS-CoV-2 antibody test results were available from 81 SNFs in 16 states.

PARTICIPANTS

Six hundred and sixty nine SNF residents who underwent both polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2.

MEASUREMENTS

Presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies following the first positive PCR test for confirmed cases, or first PCR test for non-cases.

RESULTS

Among 397 residents with PCR-confirmed infection, antibodies were detected in 4 of 7 (57.1%) tested within 7-14 days of their first positive PCR test; in 44 of 47 (93.6%) tested within 15-30 days; in 182 of 219 (83.1%) tested within 31-60 days; and in 110 of 124 (88.7%) tested after 60 days. Among 272 PCR negative residents, antibodies were detected in 2 of 9 (22.2%) tested within 7-14 days of their first PCR test; in 41 of 81 (50.6%) tested within 15-30 days; in 65 of 148 (43.9%) tested within 31-60 days; and in 9 of 34 (26.5%) tested after 60 days. No significant differences in baseline resident characteristics or symptoms were observed between those with versus without antibodies.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that vulnerable older adults can mount an antibody response to SARS-CoV-2, and that antibodies are most likely to be detected within 15-30 days of diagnosis. That antibodies were detected in a large proportion of residents with no confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection highlights the complexity of identifying who is infected in real time. Frequent surveillance and diagnostic testing based on low thresholds of clinical suspicion for symptoms and/or exposure will remain critical to inform strategies designed to mitigate outbreaks in SNFs while community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence remains high.

Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Escherichia coli Infections After Transrectal Biopsy of the Prostate in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System

Background:

Recent reports suggest that infections due to fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli) are an increasingly common complication of transrectal biopsy of the prostate (TBP) in the United States. A better understanding of the magnitude and scope of these infections is needed to guide prevention efforts. Our objective is to determine whether the incidence of infections due to fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli after TBP has increased nationwide in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System and to identify risk factors for infection.

Methods:

We performed a retrospective, observational cohort study and a nested case-control study within the US Deparment of Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. The primary outcomes were the incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) and bacteremia with E. coli and with fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli strains within 30 days after TBP. Secondary endpoints focused on the correlation between fluoroquinolone-resistance in all urinary E. coli isolates and post-TBP infection and risk factors for infection due to fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli infection.

Results:

245,618 patients undergoing 302,168 TBP procedures from 2000 through 2013 were included in the cohort study, and 59,469 patients undergoing TBP from 2011 through 2013 were included in the nested case-control study. Between 2000 and 2013, there was a 5-fold increase in the incidence of E. coli UTI (0.18%–0.93%) and a 4-fold increase in the incidence of E. coli bacteremia (0.04%–0.18%) after TBP that was attributable to an increase in the incidence of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli UTI (0.03%–0.75%) and bacteremia (0.01%–0.14%). The increasing incidence of fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli infections after TBP occurred in parallel with increasing rates of fluoroquinolone-resistance in all urinary E. coli isolates. By multivariable logistic regression analysis, independent risk factors for fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli UTI after TBP included diabetes mellitus, fluoroquinolone exposure, prior hospitalization, and prior cultures with fluoroquinolone-resistant gram-negative bacilli.

Conclusion:

In the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, the incidence of E. coli infection after TBP has increased significantly since 2000 due to a dramatic rise in infections with fluoroquino-lone-resistant E. coli.