Volume 72, Issue Supplement_1, 15 January 2021

We used a dynamic transmission model to investigate the epidemiology of Clostridioides difficile in 2 high-acuity hospital units. We found consistent differences in rates of transmission and clearance between the 2 units across a range of surveillance sensitivity and specificity.

We assessed the frequency of multidrug-resistant organism contamination on common area and patient contact and non-contact precautions room surfaces in 6 acute-care hospitals. Contamination was frequently detected in contact precautions rooms (32%) but was not uncommon in nonprecaution rooms (12%).

This study reports estimates of the healthcare costs associated with infections due to multidrug-resistant bacteria in the US. Treatment of these infections costs an estimated $4.6 billion in 2017 in the US for community- and hospital-onset infections combined.

This study estimates the attributable cost of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus healthcare-associated infections in United States Veterans Affairs long-term care centers. We found a significant increase in the odds of being transferred to an acute care facility and in acute care costs.

We used a transmission model to analyze cost-effectiveness of new antibiotics that combat drug-resistant organisms in recipients and their hospital contacts. In most scenarios, antibiotics that decolonize carriers were less costly and more effective than antibiotics that treat bloodstream infections.

We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from the Strategies to Reduce Transmission of Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria in Intensive Care Units trial, finding no evidence that contact precautions reduced transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci.>

This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness and the budget impact of the VA MRSA Prevention Initiative taking into account MRSA, GNR, VRE, and C. difficile infections. Including spillover effects of organism-specific prevention efforts onto other organisms is important.

Across VA facilities nationwide, universal adoption of 2019 ATS/IDSA community-acquired pneumonia guidelines would substantially reduce blood culturing, empiric anti-MRSA, and antipseudomonal therapies and overcoverage for MRSA and Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia but slightly increase respiratory cultures and undercoverage compared with previous practice.

In a cohort study of patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections admitted to 124 hospitals, there was an association between switch from vancomycin to daptomycin in the first 3 days of treatment and reduced mortality compared with remaining on vancomycin.