Publications by authors named "Behnke M"
Purpose: To analyze the longitudinal epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns of Gram-negative bloodstream infections (BSI) in Germany.
Methods: Post-hoc analysis of prospectively documented BSI due to Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp.
Article Synopsis
- Ideal partner preferences shape key insights in human mating research, but recent studies face issues such as inconsistent analysis methods and varying findings across different populations.
- A large-scale study involving 10,358 participants from 43 countries revealed significant effects of preference matching, particularly when analyzing traits collectively, with some traits showing minimal impact on partner evaluations.
- The research also highlighted gender differences, where both men and women misjudged the importance of traits like attractiveness and earning potential in their stated preferences compared to actual revealed preferences.
A library of degradable poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline) analogues (dPOx) with different length of the alkyl substituents was characterized in detail by gradient elution liquid chromatography. The hydrophobicity increased with increased side chain length as confirmed by a hydrophobicity row, established by reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Those dPOx were cytocompatible and formed colloidally stable nanoparticle (NP) formulations with positive zeta potential.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFederated systems for automated infection surveillance: a perspective.
Antimicrob Resist Infect Control
September 2024
Article Synopsis
- Automation of surveillance of infectious diseases can streamline processes and enhance quality but faces implementation barriers.
- The manuscript discusses the pros and cons of two strategies for automated surveillance: centralized and localized systems.
- The concept of federated automated surveillance is proposed as a potential solution to challenges, facilitating better data access, maintaining privacy, and promoting international collaboration in monitoring healthcare-associated infections and severe respiratory illnesses.*
Background: The WHO Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Framework (IPCAF) is a standardized tool to assess infection prevention and control (IPC) structures in healthcare facilities. The IPCAF reflects the eight WHO core components (CC) of IPC. Besides facility self-assessment, the IPCAF can be used for national surveys, and repeated usage can aid in describing trends concerning IPC structures.
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- Affective responses to stress can significantly influence performance, where positive emotions like excitement can enhance outcomes, while negative emotions like nervousness can hinder them.
- The study tested a mindsets intervention in a high-stakes esports environment to see if it could help gamers manage their stress responses and improve their performance.
- Results showed that the intervention did not lead to increased positive feelings or better performance in esports, suggesting that such strategies may not be effective across all stressful contexts.
Background: For Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) in Germany no longitudinal multi-centre studies with standardized protocols for diagnosing CDI are available. Recent evaluations of general surveillance databases in Germany indicate a downward trend in CDI rates. We aimed to describe the actual burden and trends of CDI in German university hospitals from 2016 to 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[Automated surveillance and risk prediction with the aim of risk-stratified infection control and prevention (RISK PRINCIPE)].
Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz
June 2024
Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) represent an enormous burden for patients, healthcare workers, relatives and society worldwide, including Germany. The central tasks of infection prevention are recording and evaluating infections with the aim of identifying prevention potential and risk factors, taking appropriate measures and finally evaluating them. From an infection prevention perspective, it would be of great value if (i) the recording of infection cases was automated and (ii) if it were possible to identify particularly vulnerable patients and patient groups in advance, who would benefit from specific and/or additional interventions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - The study analyzed trends of bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by Enterococcus spp. in adult patients at German tertiary care centers from October 2016 to June 2020, finding a significant increase in cases over this period.
- - Among 3001 identified patients, E. faecium was the most prevalent species (61%), and the study revealed a concerning rise in vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), which accounted for more than 12% of cases by 2020.
- - The increase in VRE BSI is linked to factors like prior antibiotic use and invasive procedures, emphasizing the need for better treatment options due to the high mortality associated with these infections.
Article Synopsis
- The study aims to enhance antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) by understanding the barriers veterinary surgeons face in changing antimicrobial prescribing practices.
- Through interviews and discussions in Northern Ireland, key barriers were identified, including commercial constraints, farmer behaviors, multiple sources of medicines, and inadequate regulatory actions.
- The study suggests that improving AMS will require behavioral changes from both vets and farmers, with a call for greater state involvement in regulating medicine sales and fostering better communication about flock health.
Article Synopsis
- Antibiotic use in livestock, particularly sheep, is under scrutiny due to animal welfare concerns and the potential for antibiotic resistance affecting human health, but current data on this usage in Northern Ireland is limited.
- This study aimed to analyze antibiotic consumption in 52 Northern Irish sheep farms through surveys, medicine records, and interviews with farmers, finding that the overall use was low, primarily driven by health issues like lameness and some routine prophylactic treatments.
- The study highlighted farmers’ reliance on their veterinarians for flock management, yet revealed that many were hesitant to invest in veterinary advice, despite recognizing its value for improving animal welfare and productivity.
BackgroundSurveillance of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) of operated patients conventionally focuses on intubated patients in intensive care units (ICU). Post-operative immobilisation increases the risk of LRTI not associated with ventilators. Operated patients, however, have thus far not been a primary target for LRTI surveillance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: A national point prevalence survey (PPS) of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and antibiotic use (AU) was carried out in Germany in 2022 in the framework of the European PPS conducted by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The objective was to determine the prevalence of HAI and AU in German hospitals and to compare the obtained values with those of the most recent previous PPS, which was carried out in 2016.
Methods: The German National Reference Center for the Surveillance of Nosocomial Infections was entrusted with the organization of the PPS of 2022.
Article Synopsis
- - During the COVID-19 pandemic, a study in Berlin identified three outbreaks of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) across five intensive care units, highlighting an increase in multidrug-resistant infections in hospitals.
- - The study employed a case-control design to determine risk factors for acquiring CRAB, analyzing data from August 2020 to March 2021, where cases were patients with hospital-acquired CRAB, and controls were matched patients without CRAB.
- - Two significant risk factors were found: sharing a room with a CRAB patient increased infection risk over tenfold, and bronchoscopy procedures raised the risk by more than six times, emphasizing the need for stringent infection control measures. *
Purpose: Data from the intensive care component of the German hospital infection surveillance system (KISS) was used to investigate the epidemiology of pathogens responsible for the most frequent device-associated infections and their development over time.
Method: The 10 most common pathogens were identified for ventilator-associated lower respiratory tract infections (VALRTI), catheter associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), and central venous catheter associated bloodstream infections (CVC-BSI). The development over time was analyzed based on three five-year time periods: 2008-2012, 2013-2017, 2018-2022.
Background: Management of pain is critical to improve the welfare of farmed livestock and meet consumer expectations. There is limited published information about the use of analgesic drugs in the sheep sector.
Methods: A mixed-method approach was followed.
Background: The effect of leadership support for adherence to infection control and prevention (IPC) measures has been demonstrated. To expand this support, a target group-specific educational study for chief medical officers (CMO) was implemented and its influence on IPC indicators was investigated.
Methods: A controlled cohort study was conducted between 2018 and 2019.
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for efficient data sharing among research institutions to tackle global health issues effectively.
- Germany is working on a national initiative to create common health data models based on international IT standards, focusing on microbiology due to the WHO's emphasis on antimicrobial resistance as a key public health threat.
- The article discusses the development of a microbiology data model using standards like HL7 FHIR and vocabularies like SNOMED CT and LOINC to ensure both syntactic and semantic interoperability, enabling international adoption.
Background: To contain intra-hospital transmission of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (3GCR-E), contact isolation precautions are recommended.
Aim: To quantify transmissions of 3GCR Escherichia coli and 3GCR Klebsiella pneumoniae within a hospital.
Methods: An automated outbreak detection system (AODS) was used to identify clusters (N≥2) of 3GCR Enterobacterales for the years 2016, 2018 and 2020.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how antibiotic use, particularly carbapenems, impacts the incidence of healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI) in a German university hospital over a three-year period.
- A total of 225 wards provided data, revealing that the highest CDI rates were in haematology-oncology wards, with carbapenem usage significantly linked to increased infection rates specifically in that specialty.
- Other factors, like ward specialty and the presence of previous CDI cases, were found to have a greater influence on CDI rates than antibiotic consumption alone.
Background: Sinks in hospitals are a possible reservoir for healthcare-related pathogens. They have been identified as a source of nosocomial outbreaks in intensive care units (ICU); however, their role in non-outbreak settings remains unclear.
Aim: To investigate whether sinks in ICU patient rooms are associated with a higher incidence of hospital-acquired infection (HAI).
Introduction: Intensive care unit (ICU) structural and spatial design may play a role in infection prevention and control.
Methods: Between 09/2021 and 11/2021 we performed an online survey among ICUs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Results: A total of 597 (40%) of the invited ICUs answered the survey; 20% of the ICUs were built before 1990.
Objectives: Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (SAB) is a common and severe infection. This study aims to describe temporal trends in numbers, epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, and outcomes of SAB.
Methods: We performed a post-hoc analysis of three prospective SAB cohorts at the University Medical Centre Freiburg between 2006 and 2019.
Backgrounds: Antiseptic bathing did not reduce central-line (CL) associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rates in intensive care units (ICU) according to a recent cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT). However, this analysis did not consider baseline infection rates. Our post-hoc analysis of this cRCT aimed to use a before-after comparison to examine the effect of daily bathing with chlorhexidine, octenidine or water and soap (control) on ICU-attributable CLABSI rates.
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