2 results
Vaccinating to Prevent Antibiotic Use: Potential Impact of a Group A Streptococcus Vaccine on Acute Respiratory Infections
- Joseph Lewnard, Laura King, Katherine Fleming-Dutra, Ruth Link-Gelles, Chris Van Beneden
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology / Volume 41 / Issue S1 / October 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 November 2020, p. s428
- Print publication:
- October 2020
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Background: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) causes acute upper respiratory tract infections that are frequently treated with antibiotics. GAS vaccines in development may prevent both disease and outpatient antibiotic prescribing. We estimated (1) the incidences of GAS-attributable pharyngitis, sinusitis, and acute otitis media (AOM) infections in the United States; (2) the proportion of these infections resulting in antibiotic prescriptions; and (3) the incidence of infection and antibiotic prescribing potentially preventable by vaccination against GAS. Methods: We estimated annual rates of US outpatient visits and antibiotic prescriptions for pharyngitis, sinusitis, and AOM using physician office and emergency department visit data in the National Ambulatory Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2012 to 2015. We supplemented this with visits to other outpatient settings (eg, urgent care) from the 2016 IBM MarketScan Commercial Database. We estimated the proportion of episodes attributable to GAS and to GAS emm types targeted by a 30-valent vaccine in development using data from previously conducted etiology studies. We estimated the incidence of disease and antibiotic prescribing preventable by a vaccine meeting the WHO 80% efficacy target for preventing noninvasive GAS disease, with doses administered during infancy and at age 4 years. We estimated the proportion of outpatient antibiotic prescribing preventable by vaccination by dividing estimates by total antibiotic dispensations, estimated from the IQVIA TM dataset. Results: Among individuals aged 0–64 years, GAS causes 27.3 (95% CI, 24.6–30.6) ambulatory care visits and 16.4 (95% CI, 14.5–18.6) outpatient antibiotic prescriptions per 1,000 population annually for pharyngitis, sinusitis, and AOM combined, representing 2.1% (95% CI, 1.8%–2.4%) of all outpatient antibiotic prescriptions. Among children aged 3–9 years, GAS-attributable incidence includes 124.4 (95% CI, 109.0–142.1) visits and 77.1 (95% CI, 65.7–90.6) antibiotic prescriptions per 1,000 population annually, representing 8.6% (95% CI, 7.3%–10.1%) of antibiotic prescriptions in this age group. Individual-level direct protection from a 30-valent vaccine meeting the WHO target could prevent 26.0% (95% CI, 24.0%–28.1%) of pharyngitis visits; 17.3% (95% CI, 15.5%–19.5%) of pharyngitis, sinusitis, and AOM visits; and 5.5% (95% CI, 4.7%–6.4%) of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions among children aged 3–9 years. If vaccination eliminated the need for antibiotic treatment of pharyngitis (for which GAS is the only etiology warranting antibiotic treatment), the total effects of vaccination could include the prevention of up to 17.2% (95% CI, 15.0%–19.6%) and 6.8% (95% CI, 6.3%–7.3%) of antibiotic prescriptions among persons 3–9 years and 0–64 years of age, respectively. Conclusions: In addition to preventing infections and healthcare visits, an efficacious GAS vaccine could prevent a substantial volume of outpatient antibiotic prescribing in the United States.
Funding: This work was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Disclosures: Laura M. King is a contractor employed by Northrop Grumman Corporation to fulfill research needs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of a contract covering many positions and tasks. All other authors declare no conflicts.
Nursing Home Outbreak of Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infections Caused by 2 Distinct Strains
- Michael C. Thigpen, D. Michael Thomas, David Gloss, Sarah Y. Park, Amy J. Khan, Vicky L. Fogelman, Bernard Beali, Chris A. Van Beneden, Randall L. Todd, Carolyn M. Greene
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology / Volume 28 / Issue 1 / January 2007
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 17 August 2016, pp. 68-74
- Print publication:
- January 2007
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Objective.
To identify factors contributing to a cluster of deaths from invasive group A streptococcus (GAS) infection in a nursing home facility and to prevent additional cases.
Design.Outbreak investigation.
Setting.A 146-bed nursing home facility in northern Nevada.
Methods.We defined a case as the isolation of GAS from a normally sterile site in a resident of nursing home A. To identify case patients, we reviewed resident records from nursing home A, the local hospital, and the hospital laboratory. We obtained oropharyngeal and skin lesion swabs from staff and residents to assess GAS colonization and performed emm typing on available isolates. To identify potential risk factors for transmission, we performed a cohort study and investigated concurrent illness among residents and surveyed staff regarding infection control practices.
Results.Six residents met the case patient definition; 3 (50%) of them died. Among invasive GAS isolates available for analysis, 2 distinct strains were identified: emm11 (3 isolates) and emm89 (2 isolates). The rate of GAS carriage was 6% among residents and 4% among staff; carriage isolates were emm89 (8 isolates), emm11 (2 isolates), and emm1 (1 isolate). Concurrently, 35 (24%) of the residents developed a respiratory illness of unknown etiology; 41% of these persons died. Twenty-one (30%) of the surveyed employees did not always wash their hands before patient contacts, and 27 (38%) did not always wash their hands between patient contacts.
Conclusions.Concurrent respiratory illness likely contributed to an outbreak of invasive GAS infection from 2 strains in a highly susceptible population. This outbreak highlights the importance of appropriate infection control measures, including respiratory hygiene practices, in nursing home facilities.