Top in ID: Hospital outbreak measures in Japan; antibiotic use for urology outpatients
Multidrug-resistant bacteria were believed to spread to rooms in a Japanese pediatric ward through sink drains and plumbing, as replacing contaminated sinks did not end the outbreak, according to a recent study.
The outbreak of carbepenemase-producing Enterobacterales occurred in 2017 at Toho University Omori Medical Center in Tokyo and lasted roughly 7 months. Although replacing sinks was ineffective at stopping transmission, adding other measures like using hand disinfection after sink use and restricting items placed near sinks worked.
It was the top story in infectious disease last week.
In another top story, an analysis of antibiotic prescriptions from outpatient urology clinics found that nearly three-quarters of 1- to 28-day prescriptions were from nonvisit encounters.
“We believe that this is the highest rate of antibiotic prescribing without an office or virtual visit that we have seen in the literature,” Sonal S. Munsiff, MD, an associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Rochester, told Healio.
Read these and more top stories from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Spring Conference below:
Replacing contaminated sinks did not stop drug-resistant outbreak in pediatric ward
Replacing contaminated sinks did not end an outbreak of multidrug-resistant bacteria in a Japanese pediatric ward but other infection prevention measures did, such as forbidding mouth-washing using sink water, researchers reported. Read more.
Urology outpatient antibiotic use may be ‘substantially underestimated’
Antibiotic use in urology outpatient settings may be “substantially underestimated” if only prescriptions made during in-person encounters are considered, researchers found. Read more.
ID consult shortens antibiotics for uncomplicated gram-negative bacteremia
Consulting with an infectious disease physician can shorten antibiotic prescriptions for uncomplicated gram-negative bacteremia and move patients from IV to oral antibiotics more quickly, according to a study. Read more.
Plan to control rare Ebola outbreak in Uganda could be blueprint for others
Uganda rapidly scaled up screening during a rare outbreak of Ebola virus in 2022 using a plan that researchers said could be a blueprint for future responses. Read more.
S. aureus screening program helps identify hospital transmissions
A Staphylococcus aureus screening program paired with genomic sequencing and electronic health data improved a New York hospital’s ability to identify transmissions and patients at high risk, according to a study. Read more.