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Trends in Clostridioides difficile infection rates in Canadian hospitals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic
- Kelly B. Choi, Tim Du, Anada Silva, George R. Golding, Linda Pelude, Robyn Mitchell, Wallis Rudnick, Romeo Hizon, Ghada N Al-Rawahi, Blanda Chow, Ian Davis, Gerald A. Evans, Charles Frenette, Jennie Johnstone, Pamela Kibsey, Kevin C. Katz, Joanne M. Langley, Bonita E. Lee, Yves Longtin, Dominik Mertz, Jessica Minion, Michelle Science, Jocelyn A. Srigley, Paula Stagg, Kathryn N. Suh, Nisha Thampi, Alice Wong, Jeannette L. Comeau, Susy S. Hota, for the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP)
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology / Volume 44 / Issue 7 / July 2023
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 18 August 2022, pp. 1180-1183
- Print publication:
- July 2023
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed significant burden on healthcare systems. We compared Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) epidemiology before and during the pandemic across 71 hospitals participating in the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program. Using an interrupted time series analysis, we showed that CDI rates significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Surveillance of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections in Canadian Acute-Care Hospitals
- Linda Pelude, Jennifer Campbell, Suzanne Bakai-Anderson, Pat Bedard, Jeannette Comeau, Joan Durand, John Embil, Joanne Embree, Gerald Evans, Charles Frenette, Allana Ivany, Kevin Katz, Pamela Kibsey, Joanne Langley, Bonita Lee, Jerome Leis, Allison McGeer, Jennifer Parsonage, Donna Penney, Anada Silva, Jocelyn Srigley, Paula Stagg, Jen Tomlinson, Joseph Vayalumkal, Connie Gittens-Webber, Stephanie Smith, CNISP PHAC
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology / Volume 41 / Issue S1 / October 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 November 2020, pp. s72-s73
- Print publication:
- October 2020
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Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are important causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Long-term national MRSA BSI surveillance establishes rates for internal and external comparison and provide insight into epidemiologic, molecular, and resistance trends. Here, we present and discuss National MRSA BSI incidence rates and trends over time in Canadian acute-care hospitals from 2008 to 2018. Methods: The Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Programme (CNISP) is a collaborative effort of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Since 1995, the CNISP has conducted hospital-based sentinel surveillance of MRSA BSIs. Data were collected using standardized definitions and forms from hospitals that participate in the CNISP (48 hospitals in 2008 to 62 hospitals in 2018). For each MRSA BSI identified, the medical record was reviewed for clinical and demographic information and when possible, 1 blood-culture isolate per patient was submitted to a central laboratory for further molecular characterization and susceptibility testing. Results: From 2008 to 2013, MRSA BSI rates per 10,000 patient days were relatively stable (0.60–0.56). Since 2014, MRSA BSI rates have gradually increased from 0.66 to 1.05 in 2018. Although healthcare-associated (HA) MRSA BSI has shown a minimal increase (0.40 in 2014 to 0.51 in 2018), community-acquired (CA) MRSA BSI has increased by 150%, from 0.20 in 2014 to 0.50 in 2018 (Fig. 1). Laboratory characterization revealed that the proportion of isolates identified as CMRSA 2 (USA 100) decreased each year, from 39% in 2015 to 28% in 2018, while CMRSA 10 (USA 300) has increased from 41% to 47%. Susceptibility testing shows a decrease in clindamycin resistance from 82% in 2013 to 41% in 2018. Conclusions: Over the last decade, ongoing prospective MRSA BSI surveillance has shown relatively stable HA-MRSA rates, while CA-MRSA BSI rates have risen substantially. The proportion of isolates most commonly associated with HA-MRSA BSI (CMRSA2/USA 100) are decreasing and, given that resistance trends are tied to the prevalence of specific epidemic types, a large decrease in clindamycin resistance has been observed. MRSA BSI surveillance has shown a changing pattern in the epidemiology and laboratory characterization of MRSA BSI. The addition of hospitals in later years that may have had higher rates of CA-MRSA BSI could be a confounding factor. Continued comprehensive national surveillance will provide valuable information to address the challenges of infection prevention and control of MRSA BSI in hospitals.
Funding: None
Disclosures: None
Variability in Antimicrobial Use Among Hospitals Participating in the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program
- Wallis Rudnick, Linda Pelude, Michelle Science, Daniel J.G. Thirion, Jeannette Comeau, Bruce Dalton, Johan Delport, Rita Dhami, Joanne Embree, Yannick Émond, Gerald Evans, Charles Frenette, Susan Fryters, Greg German, Jennifer Grant, Jennifer Happe, Kevin Katz, Pamela Kibsey, Justin Kosar, Joanne Langley, Bonita E. Lee, Marie-Astrid Lefebvre, Jerome Leis, Susan McKenna, Allison McGeer, Heather Neville, Anada Silva, Andrew Simor, Kathryn Slayter, Kathryn Suh, Alena Tse-Chang, Karl Weiss, John Conly, CNISP PHAC
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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. s509
- Print publication:
- October 2020
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Background: The association between antimicrobial use (AMU) and emergence of antimicrobial resistance is well documented. The Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP) has conducted sentinel surveillance of AMU at participating Canadian hospitals since 2009 resulting in the largest pan-Canadian hospital database of dispensed antimicrobials. Objectives: Describe interhospital variability of AMU across Canada. Methods: Hospitals submit annual AMU data based on patient days (PD). Antimicrobials were measured in defined daily doses (DDD) for adults using the WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) system. The AMU data among pediatric patients have been available since 2017 using days of therapy (DOT). Surveillance includes systemic antibacterial agents (J01 ATC codes), oral metronidazole, and oral vancomycin. AMU was assessed using quintiles, interquartile ranges (IQR), and relative IQRs (upper- and lower-quartile values divided by the median). Results: Between 2009 and 2018, 20–26 hospitals participated in adult surveillance each year (35 teaching hospitals and 3 nonteaching hospitals participated in ≥1 year). Over this period, overall AMU decreased by 13% at participating adult hospitals from 645 to 560 DDD per 1,000 PD. AMU varied substantially between hospitals, but this variability decreased over time (Fig. 1). In 2009, the IQRs for overall AMU spanned 309 DDD per 1,000 PD, and in 2018 it spanned only 103 DDD per 1,000 PD. This decrease in variability was due to large decreases in use among hospitals with high use in 2009–2010. Among hospitals in the highest use quintile in 2009–2010, AMU decreased, on average, 44 DDD per 1,000 PD each year. Among hospitals in the lowest use quintile in 2009–2010, AMU increased, on average, 6 DDD per 1,000 PD each year. In 2018, antibiotics with the largest absolute IQR variability were cefazolin (61–113 DDD per 1,000 PD), piperacillin-tazobactam (32–64 DDD per 1,000 PD), and vancomycin (24–49 DDD per 1,000 PD). Among antibiotics with ≥1 DDD per 1,000 PD, antibiotics with the largest relative IQR variability were tobramycin (0.3–6 DDD per 1,000 PD), cefadroxil (0.08–9 DDD per 1,000 PD), and linezolid (0.2–3 DDD per 1,000 PD). In 2018, the IQR for overall pediatric AMU (n = 7 teaching hospitals) was 426–581 DOT per 1,000 PD. Antibiotics with the largest IQRs were vancomycin (0.6–58 DOT per 1,000 PD), cefazolin (33–88 DOT per 1,000 PD), and tobramycin (3–57 DOT per 1,000 PD). Among antibiotics with ≥1 DOT per 1,000 PD in 2018, antibiotics with the largest relative IQRs were tobramycin (3–57 DOT per 1,000 PD), cefuroxime (1–6 DOT per 1,000 PD), and amoxicillin (8–42 DOT per 1,000 PD). Conclusions: There is wide variation in overall antibiotic use across hospitals. Variation between AMU at adult hospitals has decreased between 2009 and 2018; in 2018, antibiotics with the largest IQRs were cefazolin and piperacillin-tazobactam. Benchmarking AMU is crucial for informing antimicrobial stewardship efforts.
Funding: CNISP is funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Disclosures: Allison McGeer reports funds to her institution from Pfizer and Merck for projects for which she is the principal investigator. She also reports consulting fees from Sanofi-Pasteur, Sunovion, GSK, Pfizer, and Cidara.
A Growing Concern: The Emergence and Dissemination of Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) in Canada
- Robyn Mitchell, Laura Mataseje, David Boyd, Ghada Al-Rawahi, Ian Davis, Chelsey Ellis, Joanne Embree, Susy Hota, Pamela Kibsey, pital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Jerome Leis, Allison McGeer, Jessica Minion, Appelle Health Region, Michael Mulvey, Sonja Musto, Linda Pelude, Jocelyn Srigley, Stephanie Smith, Kathryn N. Suh, Geoffrey Taylor, Nisha Thampi, Titus Wong, Kevin Katz, CNISP PHAC
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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. s454
- Print publication:
- October 2020
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Background: Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) have rapidly become a global health concern and are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality due to limited treatment options. Travel to endemic areas, especially healthcare exposure in these areas, is an important risk factor for acquisition. We describe the evolving epidemiology, molecular features, and outcomes of CPE in Canada through surveillance by the Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP). Methods: CNISP has conducted surveillance for CPE among inpatients and outpatients of all ages since 2010. Participating acute-care facilities submit eligible specimens to the National Microbiology Laboratory for detection of carbapenemase production, and epidemiological data are collected. Incidence rates per 10,000 patient days are calculated based on inpatient data. Results: In total, 59 CNISP hospitals in 10 Canadian provinces representing 21,789 beds and 6,785,013 patient days participated in this surveillance. From 2010 to 2018, 118 (26%) CPE-infected and 547 (74%) CPE-colonized patients were identified. Few pediatric cases were identified (n = 18). Infection incidence rates remain low and stable (0.02 per 10,000 patient days in 2010 to 0.03 per 10,000 patient days in 2018), and colonization incidence rates have increased by 89% over the surveillance period. Overall, 92% of cases were acquired in a healthcare facility: 61% (n = 278) in a Canadian healthcare facility and 31% (n = 142) in a healthcare facility outside Canada. Of the 8% of cases not acquired in a healthcare facility, 50% (16 of 32) reported travel outside of Canada in the 12 months prior to positive culture. The distribution of carbapenemases varied by region; New Delhi metallo-B-lactamase (NDM) was dominant (59%) in western Canada and Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) (66%) in central Canada. NDM and class D carbapenemase OXA-48 were more commonly identified among those who traveled outside of Canada, whereas KPC was more commonly identified among patients without travel. In addition, 30-day all-cause mortality was 14% (25 of 181) among CPE infected patients and 32% (14 of 44) among those with bacteremia. Conclusions: CPE rates remain low in Canada; however, national surveillance data suggest that the increase in CPE in Canada is now being driven by local nosocomial transmission as well as travel and healthcare within endemic areas. Changes in screening practices may have contributed to the increase in colonizations; however, these data are currently lacking and will be collected moving forward. These data highlight the need to intensify surveillance and coordinate infection control measures to prevent further spread of CPE in Canadian acute-care hospitals.
Funding: None
Disclosures: Susy Hota reports contracted research for Finch Therapeutics. Allison McGeer reports funds to her institution for projects for which she is the principal investigator from Pfizer and Merck, as well as consulting fees from the following companies: Sanofi-Pasteur, Sunovion, GSK, Pfizer, and Cidara.
Analysis of a high-prescribing state’s 2016 outpatient antibiotic prescriptions: Implications for outpatient antimicrobial stewardship interventions
- Milner B. Staub, Youssoufou Ouedraogo, Christopher D. Evans, Sophie E. Katz, Pamela P. Talley, Marion A. Kainer, George E. Nelson
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- Journal:
- Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology / Volume 41 / Issue 2 / February 2020
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 22 November 2019, pp. 135-142
- Print publication:
- February 2020
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Objective:
To identify prescriber characteristics that predict antibiotic high-prescribing behavior to inform statewide antimicrobial stewardship interventions.
Design:Retrospective analysis of 2016 IQVIA Xponent, formerly QuintilesIMS, outpatient retail pharmacy oral antibiotic prescriptions in Tennessee.
Setting:Statewide retail pharmacies filling outpatient antibiotic prescriptions.
Participants:Prescribers who wrote at least 1 antibiotic prescription filled at a retail pharmacy in Tennessee in 2016.
Methods:Multivariable logistic regression, including prescriber gender, birth decade, specialty, and practice location, and patient gender and age group, to determine the association with high prescribing.
Results:In 2016, 7,949,816 outpatient oral antibiotic prescriptions were filled in Tennessee: 1,195 prescriptions per 1,000 total population. Moreover, 50% of Tennessee’s outpatient oral antibiotic prescriptions were written by 9.3% of prescribers. Specific specialties and prescriber types were associated with high prescribing: urology (odds ratio [OR], 3.249; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.208–3.289), nurse practitioners (OR, 2.675; 95% CI, 2.658–2.692), dermatologists (OR, 2.396; 95% CI, 2.365–2.428), physician assistants (OR, 2.382; 95% CI, 2.364–2.400), and pediatric physicians (OR, 2.340; 95% CI, 2.320–2.361). Prescribers born in the 1960s were most likely to be high prescribers (OR, 2.574; 95% CI, 2.532–2.618). Prescribers in rural areas were more likely than prescribers in all other practice locations to be high prescribers. High prescribers were more likely to prescribe broader-spectrum antibiotics (P < .001).
Conclusions:Targeting high prescribers, independent of specialty, degree, practice location, age, or gender, may be the best strategy for implementing cost-conscious, effective outpatient antimicrobial stewardship interventions. More information about high prescribers, such as patient volumes, clinical scope, and specific barriers to intervention, is needed.
9 - Directing Dickens: Alfonso Cuaron's 1998 Great Expectations
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- By Pamela Katz, Screenwriter and novelist
- Edited by John Glavin, Georgetown University, Washington DC
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- Dickens on Screen
- Published online:
- 22 September 2009
- Print publication:
- 27 November 2003, pp 95-103
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Summary
“Let desire be your destiny.”
(Tagline for the movie poster)Adapting a literary classic to the screen is a no-win game. Intellectuals hate you. And the non-literary public has no idea what the big deal is about. So what is it that attracted the young Mexican director, Alfonso Cuaron, to attempt something like this, knowing that the critics lie in wait, eager to prove that Hollywood is once again behaving in a shameless manner toward high literature? Here are the answers Cuaron gave me when I put that question to him.
Cuaron was approached for the 1998 Twentieth Century Fox version of Great Expectations largely because he had already directed, with great success, the adaptation of another beloved classic, A Little Princess. He began his career in 1991, with a Mexican feature, Solo con tue pareja (Love in the Time of Hysteria). This promising first film landed him a gig on the prestigious television series, Fallen Angels. Next in line was A Little Princess, the success of which (both box-office and critical) procured him a strong foothold in Hollywood. Coincidentally, part of Cuaron's preparation for A Little Princess included multiple screenings of David Lean's adaptation of Great Expectations. What he had yet to learn was that his Princess would be far more Dickensian than his Great Expectations ever had the chance to become.
When Cuaron first received the script by Mitch Glazer, he was daunted by the title alone.