Meghan Brett

U.S. healthcare providers’ experience with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases

Surveillance indicates that tick-borne diseases are a common problem in the United States. Nevertheless, little is known regarding the experience or management practices of healthcare providers who treat these conditions. The purpose of the present study was to characterize the frequency of tick-borne diseases in clinical practice and the knowledge of healthcare providers regarding their management. Four questions about tick-borne diseases were added to the 2009 Docstyles survey, a nationally representative survey of >2000 U.S. healthcare providers. Topics included diseases encountered, management of patients with early Lyme disease (LD), provision of tick-bite prophylaxis, and sources of information on tick-borne diseases. Overall, 51.3% of practitioners had treated at least one patient for a tick-borne illness in the previous year. Among these, 75.1% had treated one type of disease, 19.0% two types of disease, and 5.9% three or more diseases. LD was encountered by 936 (46.8%) providers; Rocky Mountain spotted fever was encountered by 184 (9.2%) providers. Given a scenario involving early LD, 89% of providers would prescribe antibiotics at the first visit, with or without ordering a blood test. Tick-bite prophylaxis was prescribed by 31.0% of all practitioners, including 41.1% in high-LD-incidence states and 26.0% in low-incidence states. Tick-borne diseases are encountered frequently in clinical practice. Most providers would treat early LD promptly, suggesting they are knowledgeable regarding the limitations of laboratory testing in this setting. Conversely, providers in low-LD-incidence states frequently prescribe tick-bite prophylaxis, suggesting a need for education to reduce potential misdiagnosis and overtreatment.

Francisella novicida Bacteremia after a Near-Drowning Accident

ABSTRACT We describe a rare case of Francisella novicida bacteremia following a near-drowning event in seawater. We highlight the challenges associated with laboratory identification of F. novicida and differences in the epidemiology of F. novicida and Francisella tularensis infections.

Epidemiology of Lyme disease in low-incidence states

Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S. Surveillance data from four states with a low-incidence of Lyme disease was evaluated. Most cases occurred after travel to high-incidence Lyme disease areas. Cases without travel-related exposure in low-incidence states differed epidemiologically; misdiagnosis may be common in these areas.

Outbreak of Francisella novicida Bacteremia Among Inmates at a Louisiana Correctional Facility

BACKGROUND Francisella novicida is a rare cause of human illness despite its close genetic relationship to Francisella tularensis, the agent of tularemia. During April-July 2011, 3 inmates at a Louisiana correctional facility developed F. novicida bacteremia; 1 inmate died acutely. METHODS We interviewed surviving inmates; reviewed laboratory, medical, and housing records; and conducted an environmental investigation. Clinical and environmental samples were tested by culture, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and multigene sequencing. Isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). RESULTS Clinical isolates were identified as F. novicida based on sequence analyses of the 16S ribosomal RNA, pgm, and pdpD genes. PmeI PFGE patterns for the clinical isolates were indistinguishable. Source patients were aged 40-56 years, male, and African American, and all were immunocompromised. Two patients presented with signs of bacterial peritonitis; the third had pyomyositis of the thigh. The 3 inmates had no contact with one another; their only shared exposures were consumption of municipal water and of ice that was mass-produced at the prison in an unenclosed building. Swabs from one set of ice machines and associated ice scoops yielded evidence of F. novicida by PCR and sequencing. All other environmental specimens tested negative. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first reported common-source outbreak of F. novicida infections in humans. Epidemiological and laboratory evidence implicate contaminated ice as the likely vehicle of transmission; liver disease may be a predisposing factor. Clinicians, laboratorians, and public health officials should be aware of the potential for misidentification of F. novicida as F. tularensis.

Misidentification of Yersinia pestis by Automated Systems, Resulting in Delayed Diagnoses of Human Plague Infections—Oregon and New Mexico, 2010–2011

One human plague case was reported in Oregon in September 2010 and another in New Mexico in May 2011. Misidentification of Yersinia pestis by automated identification systems contributed to delayed diagnoses for both cases.

Potential Ceiling Effect of Healthcare Worker Influenza Vaccination on the Incidence of Nosocomial Influenza Infection.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of healthcare worker (HCW) influenza vaccination on the incidence of nosocomial influenza DESIGN Retrospective cross-sectional study SETTING A 550-bed tertiary-care academic medical center METHODS All admitted patients with a direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay positive for influenza ordered between October 1 and May 31 from 2010 to 2015 were eligible for inclusion. Nosocomial influenza was defined as a positive influenza test collected ≥48 hours after admission in patients without influenza-like illness present within 24 hours of admission. Relative nosocomial influenza frequency was calculated by dividing the number of nosocomial cases by the total number of admitted patients with influenza for each season. A univariate logistic regression was used to determine the association between HCW influenza vaccination coverage and nosocomial influenza. RESULTS Over 5 seasons, 533 patients had positive influenza tests during their hospitalization; 29 of these patients (5.4%) acquired influenza during their hospitalization. HCW vaccination coverage increased over the 5 seasons from 47% to 90% (P<.001). Despite an initial decrease in relative nosocomial influenza frequency during the first year (9% to 4.9%), subsequent seasons failed to show an additional decrease in nosocomial infections (4.3%, 5.2%, and 4.8%, respectively); the overall decrease in nosocomial influenza from the first season to the final season was not significant (P=.282). No association was detected between HCW vaccination coverage and nosocomial influenza (odds ratio [OR], 0.990; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.970-1.011). CONCLUSION HCW vaccination >50% may not have a significant effect on nosocomial influenza. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;37:840-844.

Tuberculosis screening using ability to provide sputum in an endemic emergency department

Tuberculosis causes an enormous burden of morbidity and mortality worldwide [1]. Increasing rates of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis pose a serious threat to ongoing efforts in controlling the epidemic, particularly in low- and middle-income countries [2]. Screening all comers able to provide a sputum sample increased TB detection in an emergency department in Peru http://ow.ly/T7pHA

Using medical student observers of infection prevention, hand hygiene, and injection safety in outpatient settings: A cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND Health care-associated infection outbreaks have occurred in outpatient settings due to lapses in infection prevention. However, little is known about the overall infection prevention status in outpatient environments. METHODS A cross-sectional design was employed to assess infection prevention policies and practices at 15 outpatient sites across New Mexico in 2014 during a medical student outpatient rotation. A standardized infection prevention checklist was completed via staff interview; observations of injection safety practices and hand hygiene behavior were conducted. Aggregate data were analyzed using Excel (Microsoft, Redmond, WA) and Stata (version 12.1, Stata Corp, College Station, TX) statistical software. RESULTS Medical practice staff interviews reported a mean of 92.8% (median, 96.7%; range, 75.0%-98.9%) presence of recommended policies and practices. One hundred sixty-three injection safety observations were performed that revealed medication vial rubber septums were disinfected with alcohol 78.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 71.1%-84.7%) of the time before piercing. Three hundred thirty hand hygiene observations revealed 33.9% (95% CI, 28.8%-39.1%) use of alcohol-based handrub, 29.1% (95% CI, 24.2%-34.0%) use of soap and water, and 37.0% (95% CI, 31.8%-42.4%) use of no hand hygiene. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION These findings support the need for ongoing infection prevention quality improvement initiatives in outpatient settings and underscore the importance of assessing both self-report and observed behavior of infection prevention compliance.

Antimicrobial Stewardship Intervention and Feedback to Infectious Disease Specialists: A Case Study in High-Dose Daptomycin

Infectious Diseases specialists have used high-dose daptomycin (≥6 mg/kg/day) in select patients with difficult to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) infections to optimize outcomes. Antimicrobial stewardship programs enforce antimicrobial formulary restrictions; however, interventions specifically aimed at Infectious Disease specialists can be particularly challenging. The purpose of this study was to create a high-dose daptomycin algorithm for Infectious Disease specialists that are consistent with best-practices. Daptomycin prescribing habits pre- and post-daptomycin algorithm implementation were evaluated using a quasi-experimental study design. Patients were included if ≥18 years of age and received daptomycin for ≥48 h. Patients were excluded if daptomycin was initiated on an outpatient setting. During the 12-month pre-intervention phase, 112 patients were included, with 73 patients in the 12-month post-intervention phase. A statistically significant decrease in the mean daptomycin dose from 9.01 mg/kg to 7.51 mg/kg (p < 0.005) was observed, resulting in an annual drug cost-savings of over

Effect of rapid influenza diagnostic testing on antiviral treatment decisions for patients with influenza-like illness: southwestern U.S., May-December 2009.

75,000 without adversely affecting readmission rates due to infection. Creation of a daptomycin algorithm with consideration of pathogen, disease state, and prior treatment, is an effective means of influencing prescribing habits of Infectious Disease specialists.