Making infection prevention education interactive can enhance knowledge and improve outcomes: Results from the Targeted Infection Prevention (TIP) Study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess effectiveness of an interactive educational program in increasing knowledge of key infection prevention and control (IPC) principles with emphasis on indwelling device care, hand hygiene, and multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) among nursing home (NH) health care personnel (HCP). METHODS: We conducted a multimodal randomized controlled study involving HCP at 12 NHs. Ten comprehensive and interactive modules covered common IPC topics. We compared intervention and control scores to assess differences in pretest scores as a result of field interventions, pre- and post-test scores to assess knowledge gain, and magnitude of knowledge gain based on job categories. RESULTS: We conducted over 200 in-services across 10 topics at six intervention sites over 36 months. There were 4,962 tests returned over the course of the study, ranging from 389-633 per module. Participants were mostly female certified nursing assistants (CNAs). Score improvement was highest for modules emphasizing hand hygiene, urinary catheter care, and MDROs (15.6%, 15.9%, and 22.0%, respectively). After adjusting for cluster study design, knowledge scores were significantly higher after each educational module, suggesting the education delivery method was effective. When compared with CNAs, nursing and rehabilitation personnel scored significantly higher in their knowledge tests. CONCLUSIONS: Our intervention significantly improved IPC knowledge in HCP, especially for those involved in direct patient care. This increase in knowledge along with preemptive barrier precautions and active surveillance has enhanced resident safety by reducing MDROs and infections in high-risk NH residents.

Long-Term Carriage of Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolates in High-Risk Nursing Home Residents.

BACKGROUND Rates of multidrug-resistant gram-negative organisms are surpassing those of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci in nursing homes (NHs). OBJECTIVE To characterize the incidence and duration of carriage of ciprofloxacin-resistant Escherichia coli (CipREc) in NHs and identify those in the O25b-ST131 lineage. METHODS We collected 227 CipREc isolates obtained by routine and regular surveillance of high-risk NH residents with indwelling devices. Repetitive element palindromic (REP)-polymerase chain reaction assay and multiplex polymerase chain reaction amplification for O25b-ST131 E. coli detection were performed using (GTG)5-primers and O25pabBspe and trpA2 primer pairs, respectively. RESULTS We found a high period prevalence of CipREc colonization (21.5%), high rates of recolonization with the same strain following clearing (0.46 recolonizations/ person/ year), and an acquisition incidence of 1.05 cases/1,000 person-days. Almost three-quarters of colonized residents carried strains in the O25b-ST131 E. coli lineage. Compared with isolates not in the lineage, O25b-ST131 isolates were carried significantly longer (10 vs 3 months). We identified 18 different REP-types; 2 occurred in 55% of the residents colonized with CipREc, and in more than 1 NH. Duration of CipREc carriage varied by REP-type and averaged 6 months. CONCLUSION CipREc occurred frequently in NH residents and is carried for long durations, and reacquisition following clearance is common Trial registration. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01062841.

A targeted infection prevention intervention in nursing home residents with indwelling devices: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: Indwelling devices (eg, urinary catheters and feeding tubes) are often used in nursing homes (NHs). Inadequate care of residents with these devices contributes to high rates of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and device-related infections in NHs. OBJECTIVE: To test whether a multimodal targeted infection program (TIP) reduces the prevalence of MDROs and incident device-related infections. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Randomized clinical trial at 12 community-based NHs from May 2010 to April 2013. Participants were high-risk NH residents with urinary catheters, feeding tubes, or both. INTERVENTIONS: Multimodal, including preemptive barrier precautions, active surveillance for MDROs and infections, and NH staff education. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was the prevalence density rate of MDROs, defined as the total number of MDROs isolated per visit averaged over the duration of a resident's participation. Secondary outcomes included new MDRO acquisitions and new clinically defined device-associated infections. Data were analyzed using a mixed-effects multilevel Poisson regression model (primary outcome) and a Cox proportional hazards model (secondary outcome), adjusting for facility-level clustering and resident-level variables. RESULTS: In total, 418 NH residents with indwelling devices were enrolled, with 34,174 device-days and 6557 anatomic sites sampled. Intervention NHs had a decrease in the overall MDRO prevalence density (rate ratio, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.62-0.94). The rate of new methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus acquisitions was lower in the intervention group than in the control group (rate ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.64-0.96). Hazard ratios for the first and all (including recurrent) clinically defined catheter-associated urinary tract infections were 0.54 (95% CI, 0.30-0.97) and 0.69 (95% CI, 0.49-0.99), respectively, in the intervention group and the control group. There were no reductions in new vancomycin-resistant enterococci or resistant gram-negative bacilli acquisitions or in new feeding tube-associated pneumonias or skin and soft-tissue infections. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Our multimodal TIP intervention reduced the overall MDRO prevalence density, new methicillin-resistant S aureus acquisitions, and clinically defined catheter-associated urinary tract infection rates in high-risk NH residents with indwelling devices. Further studies are needed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of this approach as well as its effects on the reduction of MDRO transmission to other residents, on the environment, and on referring hospitals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01062841.

Inflammasome-dependent caspase-1 activation in cervical epithelial cells stimulates growth of the intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis.

Inflammasomes have been extensively characterized in monocytes and macrophages, but not in epithelial cells, which are the preferred host cells for many pathogens. Here we show that cervical epithelial cells express a functional inflammasome. Infection of the cells by Chlamydia trachomatis leads to activation of caspase-1, through a process requiring the NOD-like receptor family member NLRP3 and the inflammasome adaptor protein ASC. Secretion of newly synthesized virulence proteins from the chlamydial vacuole through a type III secretion apparatus results in efflux of K(+) through glibenclamide-sensitive K(+) channels, which in turn stimulates production of reactive oxygen species. Elevated levels of reactive oxygen species are responsible for NLRP3-dependent caspase-1 activation in the infected cells. In monocytes and macrophages, caspase-1 is involved in processing and secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1beta. However, in epithelial cells, which are not known to secrete large quantities of interleukin-1beta, caspase-1 has been shown previously to enhance lipid metabolism. Here we show that, in cervical epithelial cells, caspase-1 activation is required for optimal growth of the intracellular chlamydiae.