Factors associated with Clostridium difficile infection: A nested case-control study in a three year prospective cohort.

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a serious medical condition that is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Identification of risk factors associated with CDI and prompt recognition of patients at risk is key to successfully preventing CDI. METHODS: A 3-year prospective, observational, cohort study was conducted in a French university hospital and a nested case-control study was performed to identify risk factors for CDI. Inpatients aged 18 years or older, suffering from diarrhea suspected to be related to CDI, were asked to participate. RESULTS: A total of 945 patients were included, of which 233 cases had a confirmed CDI. CDI infection was more common in men (58.4%) (P = 0.04) compared with patients with diarrhea not related to C. difficile. Previous hospitalization (P < 0.001), prior treatment with antibiotics (P = 0.001) or antiperistaltics (P = 0.002), liver disease (P = 0.003), malnutrition (P < 0.001), and previous CDI (P < 0.001) were significantly more common in patients with CDI. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that exposure to antibiotics in the last 60 days (especially third generation cephalosporins and penicillins with ß-lactamase inhibitor), chronic renal or liver disease, malnutrition or previous CDI, were associated with an independent high risk of CDI. Age was not related with CDI. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that antibiotics and some comorbid conditions were predictors of CDI. Patients at high risk of acquiring CDI at the time of admission may benefit from careful monitoring of antibiotic prescriptions and early attention to infection control issues. In future, these "high-risk" patients may benefit from novel agents being developed to prevent CDI.

Outbreak of Achromobacter xylosoxidans and Ochrobactrum anthropi Infections after Prostate Biopsies, France, 2014.

We report an outbreak of healthcare-associated prostatitis involving rare environmental pathogens in immunocompetent patients undergoing transrectal prostate biopsies at Hôpital Édouard Herriot (Lyon, France) during August 13-October 10, 2014. Despite a fluoroquinolone-based prophylaxis, 5 patients were infected with Achromobacter xylosoxidans and 3 with Ochrobactrum anthropi, which has not been reported as pathogenic in nonimmunocompromised persons. All patients recovered fully. Analysis of the outbreak included case investigation, case-control study, biopsy procedure review, microbiologic testing of environmental and clinical samples, and retrospective review of hospital records for 4 years before the outbreak. The cases resulted from asepsis errors during preparation of materials for the biopsies. A low-level outbreak involving environmental bacteria was likely present for years, masked by antimicrobial drug prophylaxis and a low number of cases. Healthcare personnel should promptly report unusual pathogens in immunocompetent patients to infection control units, and guidelines should explicitly mention asepsis during materials preparation.

Outbreak of pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infections related to contaminated bronchoscope suction valves, Lyon, France, 2014.

In April 2014, pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia co-infections potentially related to bronchoscopic procedures were identified in the intensive care units of a university hospital in Lyon, France. A retrospective cohort of 157 patients exposed to bronchoscopes from 1 December 2013 to 17 June 2014 was analysed. Environmental samples of suspected endoscopes were cultured. Bronchoscope disinfection was reviewed. Ten cases of pulmonary P. aeruginosa/S. maltophilia co-infections were identified, including two patients with secondary pneumonia. Eight cases were linked to bronchoscope A1 and two to bronchoscope A2. Cultures deriving from suction valves were positive for P. aeruginosa/S. maltophilia. Exposure to bronchoscopes A1 and A2 was independently coupled with increased risk of co-infection (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 84.6; 95% confidence interval (CI): 9.3-771.6 and aOR = 11.8, 95% CI: 1.2-121.3). Isolates from suction valves and clinical samples presented identical pulsotypes. The audit detected deficiencies in endoscope disinfection. No further cases occurred after discontinuation of the implicated bronchoscopes and change in cleaning procedures. This outbreak of pulmonary P. aeruginosa/S. maltophilia co-infections was caused by suction valve contamination of two bronchoscopes of the same manufacturer. Our findings underscore the need to test suction valves, in addition to bronchoscope channels, for routine detection of bacteria.

Clostridium difficile infection in a French university hospital: Eight years of prospective surveillance study.

The epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has changed with an increase in incidence and severity. Prospective surveillance was therefore implemented in a French university hospital to monitor the characteristics of patients at risk and to recognize local trends. Between 2007 and 2014, all hospitalized patients (≥18 years) with CDI were included. During the survey, the mean incidence rate of CDI was 2.9 per 10,000 hospital-days. In all, 590 patients were included. Most of the episodes were healthcare-associated (76.1%). The remaining cases were community-acquired (18.1%) and unknown (5.9%). The comparison with healthcare-associated cases showed that the community-acquired group had a lower rate of antimicrobial exposure (P < 0.001), proton pump inhibitor (P < 0.001), and immunosuppressive drugs (P = 0.02). Over the study period, death occurred in 61 patients (10.3%), with 18 (29.5%) being related to CDI according to the physician in charge of the patient. Active surveillance of CDI is required to obtain an accurate picture of the real dimensions of CDI.