Impact of antimicrobial stewardship interventions on Clostridium difficile infection and clinical outcomes: segmented regression analyses

Protection against Clostridioides difficile disease by a naturally avirulent C. difficile strain

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) strains belonging to the epidemic BI/NAP1/027 (RT027) group have been associated with increased transmissibility and disease severity. In addition to the major toxin A and toxin B virulence factors, RT027 strains also encode the CDT binary toxin. Our lab previously identified a toxigenic RT027 isolate, ST1-75, that is avirulent in mice despite densely colonizing the colon. Here, we show that coinfecting mice with the avirulent ST1-75 and virulent R20291 strains protects mice from colitis due to rapid clearance of the virulent strain and persistence of the avirulent strain. Although avirulence of ST1-75 is due to a mutation in the cdtR gene, which encodes a response regulator that modulates the production of all three C. difficile toxins, the ability of ST1-75 to protect against acute colitis is not directly attributable to the cdtR mutation. Metabolomic analyses indicate that the ST1-75 strain depletes amino acids more rapidly than the R20291 strain and supplementation with amino acids ablates ST1-75's competitive advantage, suggesting that the ST1-75 strain limits the growth of virulent R20291 bacteria by amino acid depletion. Since the germination kinetics and sensitivity to the co-germinant glycine are similar for the ST1-75 and R20291 strains, our results identify the rapidity of in vivo nutrient depletion as a mechanism providing strain-specific, virulence-independent competitive advantages to different BI/NAP1/027 strains. They also suggest that the ST1-75 strain may, as a biotherapeutic agent, enhance resistance to CDI in high-risk patients.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Healthcare-Associated Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

This study investigated how the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the rate of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched to identify potentially eligible studies published from December 2019 to September 2022. A random effect model was used to determine the changes in the rate of HAIs during the pandemic. Thirty-seven studies, mostly from the United States (n = 13), were included. Fifteen studies described how the pandemic affected the rate of CLABSIs and CAUTIs, and eight of them showed a significant increase in CLABSIs. The risk of CLABSIs and CDIs was 27% (pooled odds ratio [OR]: 0.73; confidence interval [CI]: 0.61-0.89; p < 0.001) and 20% (pooled OR: 1.20; CI: 1.10-1.31; p < 0.001) higher during the pandemic compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic period, respectively. However, the overall risk of HAIs was unaffected by the pandemic (pooled OR: 1.00; 95 CI: 0.80-1.24; p = 0.990). Furthermore, there were no significant changes in the risk of CAUTIs (pooled OR: 1.01; 95 CI: 0.88-1.16; p = 0.890), and SSIs (pooled OR: 1.27; CI: 0.91-1.76; p = 0.16) between the two periods. The COVID-19 pandemic had no effect on the overall risk of HAIs among hospitalized patients, but an increased risk of CLABSIs and CDI were observed during the pandemic. Therefore, more stringent infection control and prevention measures and prudent interventions to promote the rational use of antibiotics are warranted across all healthcare facilities to reduce the burden of HAIs.

Adverse effects of antibiotics in children with cancer: are short-course antibiotics for febrile neutropenia part of the solution?

INTRODUCTION

Febrile neutropenia is a common complication experienced by children with cancer or those undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Repeated episodes of febrile neutropenia result in cumulative exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics with potential for a range of serious adverse effects. Short-course antibiotics, even in patients with high-risk febrile neutropenia, may offer a solution.

AREAS COVERED

This review addresses the known broad effects of antibiotics, highlights developments in understanding the relationship between cancer, antibiotics, and the gut microbiome, and discusses emerging evidence regarding long-term adverse antibiotic effects. The authors consider available evidence to guide the duration of empiric antibiotics in pediatric febrile neutropenia and directions for future research.

EXPERT OPINION

Broad-spectrum antibiotics are associated with antimicrobial resistance, Clostridioides difficile infection, invasive candidiasis, significant disturbance of the gut microbiome and may seriously impact outcomes in children with cancer or undergoing allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Short-course empiric antibiotics are likely safe in most children with febrile neutropenia and present a valuable opportunity to reduce the risks of antibiotic exposure.

Antimicrobial Stewardship in Public-Sector Hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious global public-health threat. Evidence suggests that antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is a valuable tool to facilitate rational antibiotic use within healthcare facilities. A cross-sectional situational analysis using a questionnaire was conducted to determine the current status of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) activities in all public-sector hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The survey had a 79% (57, N = 72) response rate. A total of 75% of hospitals had an antimicrobial stewardship committee (AMSC), 47% (20, N = 43) had a formal written statement of support from leadership, and 7% (3, N = 43) had budgeted financial support. Only 37% (16, N = 43) had on-site or off-site support from a clinical microbiologist, and 5% (2, N = 43) had an on-site infectious disease (ID) physician. Microbiologist input on pathogen surveillance data (aOR: 5.12; 95% CI: 4.08–22.02; p-value = 0.001) and microbiological investigations prior to the commencement of antibiotics (aOR: 5.12; 95% CI: 1.08–42.01; p-value = 0.041) were significantly associated with having either on- or off-site microbiology support. Respondents that had a representative from microbiology on the AMSC were significantly associated with having and interrogating facility-specific antibiograms (P = 0.051 and P = 0.036, respectively). Those facilities that had access to a microbiologist were significantly associated with producing an antibiogram (aOR: 4.80; 95% CI: 1.25–18.42; p-value = 0.022). Facilities with an ID physician were significantly associated with having a current antibiogram distributed to prescribers within the facility (P = 0.010) and significantly associated with sending prescribers personalized communication regarding improving prescribing (P = 0.044). Common challenges reported by the facilities included suboptimal hospital management support; a lack of clinicians, pharmacists, nurses, microbiologists, and dedicated time; the lack of a multidisciplinary approach; low clinician buy-in; inadequate training; a lack of printed antibiotic guidelines; and financial restrictions for microbiological investigations. The survey identified the need for financial, IT, and management support. Microbiology and infectious disease physicians were recognized as scarce human resources.

Correlation between antibiotic consumption and the incidence of healthcare facility-onset Clostridioides difficile infection: a retrospective chart review and analysis

Background

Healthcare facility-onset Clostridioides difficile infection is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and is associated with morbidity and mortality. The use of antibiotics is an important risk factor for healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection. We evaluated the correlation between the incidence of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection and antibiotic consumption, according to antibiotic class.

Methods

Patients with healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection from January 2017 to December 2018 at Konkuk University Medical Center (a tertiary medical center) were included. We evaluated changes in the incidence of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection and antibiotic consumption. The correlation between the incidence of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection and antibiotic consumption was evaluated two ways: without a time interval and with 1-month interval matching.

Results

A total of 446 episodes of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection occurred during the study period. The incidence of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection was 9.3 episodes per 10,000 patient-days, and increased significantly. We observed an increase in the consumption of β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors, and a decrease in the consumption of other classes of antibiotics, with a significant decrease in the consumption of fluoroquinolones, glycopeptides, and clindamycin (P = 0.01, P < 0.001, and P = 0.001, respectively). The consumption of β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors was independently correlated with the incidence of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection in the analysis without a time interval. When the analysis was conducted with 1-month interval matching, glycopeptide consumption was independently associated with the incidence of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection.

Conclusions

Despite the reduction in fluoroquinolone and clindamycin consumption, the incidence of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection increased during the study period, and was correlated with increased consumption of β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors. Reduced consumption of specific antibiotics may be insufficient to reduce the incidence of healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13756-021-00986-9.

Bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed literature on antimicrobial stewardship from 1990 to 2019

BACKGROUND

The World Health Organization recommended the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in the clinical settings to minimize the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The current study aimed to assess global research activity on AMS as one measure for efforts dedicated to contain AMR.

METHOD

A bibliometric method was applied using Scopus. A validated search query was implemented. Bibliometric indicators and mapping were generated. The study period was from 1990 to 2019. The search query utilized the keywords "antimicrobial stewardship" or "antibiotic stewardship" in the titles or abstracts. In addition, documents with the term "restrict" or "restriction" if used with the terms "antimicrobial" or "antibiotic" were retrieved.

RESULTS

The search query returned 4402 documents. The keyword "antimicrobial stewardship" returned 2849 documents while the keyword "antibiotic stewardship" returned 1718 documents. The terms restrict/restriction and antimicrobial/antibiotics returned 209 documents. The number of publications and cumulative citations showed a steep and parallel increase in the last decade. The region of the Americas returned the most while the Eastern Mediterranean region returned the least. The United States (n = 1834, 41.7%) ranked first. Main research themes in the retrieved literature were the (1) impact of AMS on hospital length stay, (2) role of pharmacists, and (3) development of resistance of various pathogens. Clostridium difficile (n = 94) and Staphylococcus aureus (n = 76) were among the most frequently encountered author keywords. The Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology journal ranked first (n = 245, 5.6%, h-index = 134) while documents published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases journal (h-index = 321) received the highest number of citations per document (70.7). At the institutional level, the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (n = 93, 2.1%) ranked first followed by the Imperial College London (n = 86, 2.0%). The main funding sponsors were the National Institute of Health. Pfizer, Merck, and Bayer pharmaceutical companies played a key role in funding AMS research. International research collaboration between developed (n = 3693, 83.9%) and developing countries (n = 759, 17.2%).

CONCLUSION

The fight against AMR is a global responsibility and implementation of AMS need to be carried out across the globe. International research collaboration between developing and developed countries should be encouraged.

Clostridioides difficile Infection: The Challenge, Tests, and Guidelines

Clostridioides difficile is a dangerous human pathogen because it can grow to high numbers in the intestine, cause colitis with its potent toxins, and persist as spores. C. difficile infection (CDI) is the primary hospital-acquired infection in North America and Europe, and it now is a global disease. Even with newer laboratory tests, there still is confusion on accurately diagnosing this disease. Three guidelines from three different healthcare-affiliated societies have recently been published. Consensus consolidated recommendations from these guidelines should be recognized by healthcare professionals, who need to understand why this disease continues to be difficult to diagnose and need a clear understanding of the advantages and limitations of current tests. Hopefully, these combined efforts will lead to an improvement in the recognition of this pathogen and a reduction in the suffering and economic loss caused by CDI.

Clinical impact of a Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile bedside infectious disease stewardship intervention

Objectives

To evaluate the clinical impact of a bedside visit to patients with a positive Clostridioides difficile test on the antimicrobial stewardship of C. difficile infection (CDI) and non-C. difficile infections.

Methods

All patients ≥18 years old with positive CDI laboratory tests hospitalized between January 2017 and August 2017 received an immediate bedside intervention that consisted mainly of checking protective measures and providing recommendations on infection control and the management of CDI and other infections.

Results

A total of 214 patients were evaluated. The infectious disease (ID) physician was the first to establish protective measures in 25.2% of the cases. In 22/29 (75.9%) cases, physicians in charge accepted ID consultant recommendations to stop CDI treatment in asymptomatic patients. Unnecessary non-CDI antibiotics were discontinued in 19.1% of the cases. ID recommendations were not accepted by physicians in charge in only 12.6% of the cases.

Conclusions

A bedside rapid intervention for patients with a CDI-positive faecal sample was effective in avoiding overdiagnosis and unnecessary antibiotic treatment, optimizing anti-CDI drugs, increasing compliance with infection control measures and providing educational advice.

Antibiotics and adverse events: the role of antimicrobial stewardship programs in 'doing no harm'

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global threat worldwide, with deaths associated with AMR infections projected to exceed 10 million per year by the year 2050. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics is the primary driver of this resistance, with up to 50% of antibiotics prescribed in the hospital setting being either unnecessary or inappropriate. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programs (ASPs) can mitigate some of this resistance, with the benefits well recognized; however, if we are to truly advance the state of AMS, the principles and practices should align with patient safety.

RECENT FINDINGS

In a recent evaluation, among 1488 adult patients receiving systemic antibiotic therapy, 298 (20%) experienced at least one antibiotic-associated adverse drug event (ADE). Fifty-six (20%) nonclinically indicated antibiotic regimens were associated with an ADE. It is also well recognized that besides ADEs, the inappropriate use of antibiotics is associated the development of multidrug-resistant infections and Clostridium difficile infection.

SUMMARY

Currently, there is a significant gap in ASPs correlating initiatives with patient safety goals, including reductions in antibiotic-associated ADEs and multidrug-resistant infections. Therefore, in this article, we provide the rationale for why ASPs are best suited to lead a collaborative effort to prevent antibiotic-associated ADEs and multidrug-resistant infections.

Temporal change of risk factors in hospital-acquired Clostridioides difficile infection using time-trend analysis

OBJECTIVE

Given recent changes in the epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and prevention efforts, we investigated temporal changes over a period of 11 years (2006-2016) in incidence and risk factors for CDI.

DESIGN

Retrospective matched case-control study.

SETTING/PATIENTS

Pediatric and adult inpatients (n = 694,849) discharged from 3 hospitals (tertiary and quaternary care, community, and pediatric) in a large, academic health center in New York City.

METHODS

Risk factors were identified in cases and controls matched by length of stay at a ratio of 1:4. A Cochran-Armitage or Mann-Kendall test was used to investigate trends of incidence and risk factors.

RESULTS

Of 694,849 inpatients, 6,038 (0.87%) had CDI: 44% of these cases were hospital acquired (HA-CDI) and 56% were community acquired (CA-CDI). We observed temporal downward trends in HA-CDI (-0.03% per year) and upward trends in CA-CDI (+0.04% per year). Over time, antibiotics were administered to more patients (+3% per year); the use of high-risk antibiotics declined (-1.2% per year); and antibiotic duration increased in patients with HA-CDI (+4.4% per year). Fewer proton-pump inhibitors and more histamine-2 blockers were used (-3.8% and +7.3% per year, respectively; all Ptrend <.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the incidence of HA-CDI decreased over time, CA-CDI simultaneously increased. Continued efforts to assure judicious use of antibiotics in inpatient and community settings is clearly vital. Measuring the actual the level of exposure of an antibiotic (incidence density) should be used for ongoing surveillance and assessment.

Impact of an antimicrobial stewardship program in the antimicrobial-resistant and prevalence of clostridioides difficile infection and amount of antimicrobial consumed in cancer patients

OBJECTIVE

The The impact of a hospital antimicrobial stewardship was determined on antimicrobial-resistant, Clostridioides difficile rates and the amount of antimicrobial consumed in cancer patients.The intervention effects of antimicrobial stewardship (ASP) plans in 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 were respectively evaluated among hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplant patients in Ayatollah Taleghani University Hospital, Tehran, Iran. In this interventional quasi-experimental study, the ASP repository was utilized to capture four survey questions encompassed in these immunocompromised patients: amount of antibiotics (meropenem and vancomycin) consumption gr-year, the number of positive Clostridioides difficile infection and multidrug-resistant positive cases in blood cultures.

RESULTS

The number of MDR cases in the periods of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 were 145 and 75, respectively (p = 0.011). A significant reduction in all positive blood cultures from 2017-2018 to 2018-2019 was found (p = 0.001). 574 patients admitted to our hospital in these periods of 2017- 2018 and 2018- 2019were assessed for MPM and VMN use. The amounts of MPM prescriptions in 2018-2019 was significantly decreased from 22464 to 17262 g (p = 0.043). The significant reduction in antibiotic consumption, MDR organisms, and CDI can highly promote patients' health and decreasing medical costs and long-term defects for patients.

Hospital Infection Control: Clostridioides difficile

Clostridioides difficile remains a leading cause of healthcare-associated infection. Efforts at C. difficile prevention have been hampered by an increasingly complex understanding of transmission patterns and a high degree of heterogeneity among existing studies. Effective prevention of C. difficile infection requires multimodal interventions, including contact precautions, hand hygiene with soap and water, effective environmental cleaning, use of sporicidal cleaning agents, and antimicrobial stewardship. Roles for probiotics, avoidance of proton pump inhibitors, and isolation of asymptomatic carriers remain poorly defined.

Diarrhoeal events can trigger long-term Clostridium difficile colonization with recurrent blooms

Although Clostridium difficile is widely considered an antibiotic- and hospital-associated pathogen, recent evidence indicates that this is an insufficient depiction of the risks and reservoirs. A common thread that links all major risk factors of infection is their association with gastrointestinal disturbances, but this relationship to C. difficile colonization has never been tested directly. Here, we show that disturbances caused by diarrhoeal events trigger susceptibility to C. difficile colonization. Using survey data of the human gut microbiome, we detected C. difficile colonization and blooms in people recovering from food poisoning and Vibrio cholerae infections. Carriers remained colonized for year-long time scales and experienced highly variable patterns of C. difficile abundance, where increased shedding over short periods of 1-2 d interrupted week-long periods in which C. difficile was undetectable. Given that short shedding events were often linked to gastrointestinal disturbances, our results help explain why C. difficile is frequently detected as a co-infecting pathogen in patients with diarrhoea. To directly test the impact of diarrhoea on susceptibility to colonization, we developed a mouse model of variable disturbance intensity, which allowed us to monitor colonization in the absence of disease. As mice exposed to avirulent C. difficile spores ingested increasing quantities of laxatives, more individuals experienced C. difficile blooms. Our results indicate that the likelihood of colonization is highest in the days immediately following acute disturbances, suggesting that this could be an important window during which transmission could be interrupted and the incidence of infection lowered.

Interprofessional Antimicrobial Stewardship Influencing Clostridioides difficile Infection: An 8-Year Study Using Antimicrobial Use Density

PURPOSE

To reduce Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), we implemented interprofessional antimicrobial, infection control, and diagnostic stewardship (ipAS) conducted by physicians/pharmacists, infection control nurses, and medical technologists, respectively. As a numerical indicator for ipAS, we used antimicrobial use density (AUD) in an 8-year study to validate its efficacy in CDI reduction.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was an observational study. CDI was defined as stool samples or C. difficile isolates containing toxin A and/or B from a patient with diarrhea occurring three or more times per day. From 2011-2018 at a 10-ward single site the subjects were in-patients with CDI, and the following data were collected: AUDs for 23 antibiotics, and antimicrobial test results. By 2015, we had established ipAS, consisting of culture submission before the administration of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, the promotion of point-of-care testing for diagnosis-based antimicrobials, perioperative prophylactic antibiotics, intervention at positive diagnosis of blood culture, team round for diarrhea, and inspection on contact precautions and disinfection in CDI cases. The study outcomes included annual numbers of CDI patients and blood culture sets. We compared annual AUDs between former (2011-14) and latter (2015-18) periods using Kruskal-Wallis tests and examined the correlation between AUDs and CDI numbers.

RESULTS

Of a total 50,970 patients, 1,750 patients underwent C. difficile toxin tests, of whom 171 patients (9.8%) were positive for CDI. Between the former and latter periods, AUDs for flomoxef (11.96 to 2.71 by medians), panipenem/betamipron (0.30 to 0.00), and clindamycin (3.87 to 2.19) significantly decreased (P<0.05) as did numbers of CDIs (26.5 to 10) (P=0.043). The correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between AUD for flomoxef and CDIs (P=0.004) and the AUD for piperacillin/tazobactam and CDIs (P=0.010) with a positive Pearson r.

CONCLUSION

The integrated antimicrobial, diagnostic, and infection control approach used in ipAS may reduce CDIs.

Care bundles for acute kidney injury: a balanced accounting of the impact of implementation in an acute medical unit

In 2009, a National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death report detailed significant shortcomings in recognition and management of patients with acute kidney injury (AKI). As part of a national collaborative to reduce harm from AKI, the Scottish Patient Safety Programme developed two care bundles to improve response ('SHOUT') and review ('BUMP') of AKI. Baseline data from eight patients with AKI on the acute medical unit (AMU) in Ninewells Hospital showed 62% compliance with SHOUT. However, most patients were transferred from AMU within 24 hours so BUMP could not be assessed. Our aim was to achieve >95% compliance with SHOUT on AMU within 2 months. The content of the SHOUT bundle was condensed onto a sticker for the case notes, which was implemented using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Compliance was assessed weekly and feedback obtained from stakeholders concerning their opinion of the sticker, SHOUT bundle and care bundles in general. Use of the sticker was 27% in week 1 but fell to 5% by week 4. Compliance with the bundle varied from 45% to 60% and was only slightly improved by use of the sticker (OR 1.58, 95% CI 0.39 to 6.42). Staff found the sticker burdensome and did not agree that all elements of SHOUT were equally important. This opinion was supported by finding that their compliance with sepsis and hypovolaemia recommendations was 91%-100% throughout, whereas urinalysis was documented in only 55%-63% of patients. Several staff mentioned 'bundle fatigue' and on one day we identified 22 other care bundles or structured improvement forms in AMU. We concluded that the AMU staff had legitimate concerns about the SHOUT care bundle and that our intervention was demotivating. Overcoming bundle fatigue will not be a simple task. We plan to work with staff on integrating AKI into patient safety huddles and on using modelling and recognition of good practice to improve motivation.