Sylvie Maugat

Mycobacterium xenopi spinal infections after discovertebral surgery: investigation and screening of a large outbreak

BACKGROUND Mycobacterium xenopi spinal infections were diagnosed in 1993 in patients who had undergone surgical microdiscectomy for disc hernia, by nucleotomy or microsurgery, in a private hospital. Contaminated tap water, used for rinsing surgical devices after disinfection, was identified as the source of the outbreak. Several cases were recorded in the 4 years after implementation of effective control measures because of the long time between discectomy and case detection. The national health authorities decided to launch a retrospective investigation in patients who were exposed to M xenopi contamination in that hospital. METHODS Mailing and media campaigns were undertaken concurrently to trace exposed patients for spinal infections. Patients were screened by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the scans were reviewed by a radiologist who was unaware of the diagnosis. Suspected cases had discovertebral biopsy for histopathological and bacteriological examination. FINDINGS Of 3244 exposed patients, 2971 (92%) were informed about the risk of infection and 2454 (76%) had MRI. Overall, 58 cases of M xenopi spinal infection were identified (overall cumulative frequency 1.8%), including 26 by the campaign (mean delay in detection 5.2 years, SD 2.4, range 1-10 years). Multivariate analysis showed that the risk of M xenopi spinal infection was related to nucleotomy and high number of patients per operating session. INTERPRETATION Failures in hygiene practices could result in an uncontrolled outbreak of nosocomial infection. Patients who have been exposed to an iatrogenic infectious hazard should be screened promptly and receive effective information.

Changing trends in vancomycin-resistant enterococci in French hospitals, 2001–08

OBJECTIVES Unprecedented outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have occurred in French hospitals since 2004. The aim of this study was to provide a picture of the spread and control of VRE in France and to characterize the isolates. METHODS Notification of VRE cases to Institut de Veille Sanitaire has been mandatory since 2001. Isolates of VRE were sent to the National Reference Centre for species and vancomycin-resistance gene identification. Isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility and typed by PFGE and multilocus sequence typing. RESULTS Five hundred and four VRE notifications from 195 hospitals were recorded, corresponding to 2475 cases of infection (n=243) or colonization (n=2232) and 74 episodes of clustered cases. Outbreaks were controlled by implementation of infection control measures, although the number of new hospitals reporting isolation of VRE was increasing. The majority of 902 VRE isolated from 2006 to 2008 were Enterococcus faecium (94.8%) with the vanA or vanB gene. No isolate was resistant to linezolid, tigecycline or fusidic acid. PFGE analysis showed 161 different patterns. Generally a few predominant clones and several minor clones spread in a single hospital. In a subset of 46 representatives of PFGE clones, 13 different sequence types were characterized, all belonging to clonal complex CC17, while the esp and hyl genes were inconsistently detected. CONCLUSIONS The national mandatory notification of unusual nosocomial events allowed rapid identification of VRE outbreaks and early implementation of control measures that have proved effective. However, VRE continue to emerge in a growing number of hospitals.

National multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) surveillance in France through the RAISIN network: a 9 year experience

BACKGROUND In the mid-1990s, the prevalence rate of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) in French hospitals was high and control of MDRB spread then became a major priority in the national infection control programme (ICP). METHODS To evaluate the impact of the ICP, a national coordination of MDRB surveillance was set up in 2002. Data were collected 3 months a year in healthcare facilities (HCFs) on a voluntary basis. All clinical specimens of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLE) were prospectively included. Incidences per 1000 patient days (PDs) were calculated and trends in incidence from 2003 to 2010 were assessed. RESULTS Participation in the surveillance increased from 478 HCFs in 2002 to 933 in 2010. In 2010, MRSA incidence was 0.40/1000 PDs: 1.14 in intensive care units (ICUs), 0.48 in acute care facilities (ACFs) and 0.27 in rehabilitation and long-term care facilities (RLTCFs). ESBLE incidence was 0.39/1000 PDs: 1.63 in ICUs, 0.46 in ACFs and 0.23 in RLTCFs. MRSA incidence significantly decreased from 0.72/1000 PDs in 2003 to 0.41/1000 PDs in 2010 (P<10(-3)); in contrast, ESBLE incidence significantly increased from 0.17/1000 PDs to 0.48/1000 PDs (P<10(-3)). The most prevalent ESBLE were Enterobacter aerogenes (34%) and Escherichia coli (25%) in 2003 and E. coli (60%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (18%) in 2010. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate the positive impact of the national ICP on MRSA rates. In contrast, ESBLE incidence, especially ESBL-producing E. coli, is increasing dramatically and represents a serious threat for hospitals and for the community that deserves specific control actions.

Long-Term Central Venous Catheter Infection in HIV-infected and Cancer Patients: A Multicenter Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES To evaluate and compare the risk of long-term central venous catheter (CVC) infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and cancer patients. DESIGN Prospective multicenter cohort study based on active surveillance of long-term CVC manipulations and patient outcome over a 6-month period. SETTING Services of infectious diseases and oncology of 12 university hospitals in Paris, France. PARTICIPANTS In 1995, all HIV and cancer patients with solid malignancy were included at the time of long-term CVC implantation. RESULTS Overall, 31.6% of long-term CVC infections were identified in 32% of 201 HIV and 5% of 255 cancer patients. Most were associated with bacteremia, most commonly coagulase-negative staphylococci. The long-term CVC time-related infection risk was greater in HIV than in cancer patients (3.78 vs 0.39 infections per 1,000 long-term CVC days; P<.001). The independent risk factors of long-term CVC infection were as follows: in HIV patients, frequency of long-term CVC handling and neutropenia; in cancer patients, poor Karnofsky performance status; in both HIV and cancer patients, recent history of bacterial infection. The risk of long-term CVC infection was similar for tunneled catheters and venous access ports in each population. CONCLUSIONS Prevention of long-term CVC infection should focus first on better sterile precautions while handling long-term CVC, especially in HIV patients who have frequent and daily use of the long-term CVC.

Ongoing increasing temporal and geographical trends of the incidence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae infections in France, 2009 to 2013

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) are a major focus of multidrug-resistant organisms (MRO) surveillance programmes in France. To describe the temporal and geographical trends of these pathogens, we conducted an epidemiological study based on data extracted from the nationwide MRO surveillance network from 2009 to 2013. During this time, the incidence of ESBL-E infections in French hospitals increased by 73%, from 0.35 to 0.60 per 1,000 patient days (PD) (p<0.001) and ESBL-E bacteraemia by 77%, from 0.03 to 0.05 per 1,000 PD (p<0.001). The incidence of ESBL-E infections was higher in intensive-care units (1.62 to 2.44 per 1,000 PD (p<0.001)) than in recovery and long-term care facilities (0.20 to 0.31 per 1,000 PD (p<0.001)). Escherichia coli was the most frequent extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing (ESBL) pathogen, representing 59% (26,238/44,425) of all ESBL isolates, followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (20%; 8,856/44,425) in 2013. The most frequent infection was urinary tract infection, for all species. The incidence of ESBL-E varied by region but showed an upward trend overall. Reinforcement of control measures for halting the spread of such MRO is crucial.

Risk factors for resistance in urinary tract infections in women in general practice: A cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVES In 2012 and 2013, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in women visiting a general practitioner for a urinary tract infection (UTI) to i) describe the patterns of antibiotic resistance of Enterobacteriaceae involved in community-acquired UTIs and ii) identify the factors associated with UTIs due to a multi-drug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (MDREB). METHODS Urine analyses were performed systematically for all adult women presenting with signs of UTI. Characteristics of women with UTI due to MDREB were compared to those with UTI due to non-MDREB. Weighted logistic regressions were performed to adjust for the sampling design of the survey. RESULTS Significant factors associated with MDREB included the use of penicillin by the patient in the last three months (OR = 3.1; [1.2-8.0]); having provided accommodation in the previous 12 months to a resident from a country at high risk for drug resistance (OR = 4.0; [1.2-15.1]); and the consumption of raw meat within the previous three months (OR = 0.3; [0.1-0.9]). CONCLUSIONS In the community, antibiotic use and exposure to a person returning from an area with a high risk of drug resistance are associated with UTIs due to MDREB. The potentially protective role of raw meat consumption warrants further study.

Outbreaks of health care–associated influenza-like illness in France: Impact of electronic notification

Background Mandatory notification of health care–associated (HA) infections, including influenza‐like illness (ILI) outbreaks, has been implemented in France since 2001. In 2012, the system moved to online electronic notification of HA infections (e‐SIN). The objectives of this study are to describe ILI outbreak notifications to Santé publique France (SPF), the French national public health agency, and to evaluate the impact of notification dematerialization. Methods: All notifications of HA ILI outbreaks between July 2001 and June 2015 were included. Notifications before and after e‐SIN implementation were compared regarding notification delay and information exhaustiveness. Results: Overall, 506 HA ILI outbreaks were reported, accounting for 7,861 patients and health care professionals. Median delay between occurrence of the first case and notification was, respectively, 32 and 13 days before and after e‐SIN utilization (P < .001). Information exhaustiveness was improved by electronic notification regarding HA status (8.5% of missing data before and 2.3% after e‐SIN, P = .003), hypotheses of cause (25.4% of missing data before vs 8.0% after e‐SIN, P < .001), and level of event control (23.7% of missing data before vs 7.5% after e‐SIN, P < .001). Conclusions: HA influenza notifications, including HA ILI or influenza, to health authorities are essential to guide decisional instances and health care practices. Electronic notifications have improved the timeliness and quality of information transmitted.