Hospital Infection Control & Prevention
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CDC Narrows In on Viral Cause of Paralytic Syndrome
Acute flaccid myelitis — a paralytic condition in children that appeared mysteriously in 2014 — is almost certainly of viral origin and most likely an enterovirus, an investigator with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported.
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Drug Diversion, Resulting Infections on Rise
Infection preventionists should be vigilant in detecting and preventing drug diversion by healthcare workers, as outbreaks linked to this crime appear to be increasing, says Kimberly New, JD, BSN, RN, founder of Diversion Specialists.
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Mutant Strep Shows Resistance to Beta-Lactams
Capable of causing invasive infections, Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A strep) has been susceptible to beta-lactam antibiotics for more than a half century. Ominously, researchers investigating an upsurge of Group A strep cases in Seattle found a mutated strain that confers resistance to ampicillin and other beta-lactam drugs.
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CDC Investigators Report Pseudomonas Superbug
An emerging strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a novel mechanism of resistance to most antibiotics has been detected in healthcare outbreaks in Lubbock, TX, and Tijuana, Mexico, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
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CDC Recommends Measles Shot for Travelers
Lowering the age of measles immunization for travelers due to international outbreaks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “strongly recommends” that infants six months through 11 months receive one dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine before travel. -
Measles Breaks Case Record, Hits 22 States and Big Apple
A record resurgence of measles in 2019 includes two large, ongoing outbreaks in New York, where the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is helping hospitals and outpatient clinics prevent transmission from incoming cases. -
Undetected Plague Exposes Hospital Workers
In an incident that could have implications for therapy and support dogs in healthcare, 116 employees and students in a veterinary teaching hospital were exposed to pneumonic plague by a dog with unrecognized infection, investigators report. -
Intervention Reduces MRSA in Non-ICU Patients With Devices
Routine chlorhexidine bathing and targeted use of mupirocin dramatically reduced methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in non-ICU patients with invasive devices like central lines, researchers report.
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Avoid Antibiotics by Reducing Unnecessary Urine Tests
Changing urine culture order test indications during a switch to a computerized physician order entry sharply reduced unnecessary cultures and saved considerable costs in lab expenses, researchers report. Moreover, it spared patients with asymptomatic bacteriuria from treatment more appropriate for a fully diagnosed urinary tract infection. -
Surgical Site Infections and the Patient Microbiome
Evidence is mounting that the vast majority of surgical site infections (SSIs) are caused by microorganisms on patients’ skin and in their nares, meaning intensifying and improving skin prep and nasal decolonization could greatly reduce SSIs.