Risk reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection and reinfection conferred by humoral antibody levels among essential workers during Omicron predominance.

The extent to which semi-quantitative antibody levels confer protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in populations with heterogenous immune histories is unclear. Two nested case-control studies were designed within the multisite HEROES/RECOVER prospective cohort of frontline workers to study the relationship between antibody levels and protection against first-time post-vaccination infection and reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 from December 2021 to January 2023. All participants submitted weekly nasal swabs for rRT-PCR testing and blood samples quarterly and following infection or vaccination.

Increasing Hispanic Participation in Cognitive Research: An Examination of a Decade of Web-Based Recruitment into MindCrowd.

The research community has struggled to successfully recruit and retain Hispanic participants into research studies. The purpose of our study is to describe Hispanic enrollment into our study across the past decade. We sought to identify trends in Hispanic engagement in internet-based recruitment over three distinct time periods including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Association of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and reductions in Post-COVID Conditions following SARS-CoV-2 infection in a US prospective cohort of essential workers.

Background: While there is evidence that COVID-19 vaccination protects against development of post-COVID conditions (PCC) after severe infection data are limited on whether vaccination reduces the risk after cases of less-severe non-hospitalized COVID-19 disease with more recent SARS-CoV-2 variant viruses. This study assessed whether COVID-19 vaccination was protective against subsequent development of PCC in persons with predominantly mild initial infections during both Delta and Omicron variant predominance.

Methods: This study utilized a case-control design, nested within the HEROES-RECOVER cohort.

Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Against Illness and Asymptomatic Infection in 2022-2023: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Previous estimates of vaccine effectiveness (VE) against asymptomatic influenza virus infection based on seroconversion have varied widely and may be biased. We estimated 2022-2023 influenza VE against illness and asymptomatic infection in a prospective cohort.

Methods: In the HEROES-RECOVER cohort, adults at increased occupational risk of influenza exposure across 7 US sites provided weekly symptom reports and nasal swabs for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) influenza testing.

Estimating the generation time for influenza transmission using household data in the United States.

The generation time, representing the interval between infections in primary and secondary cases, is essential for understanding and predicting the transmission dynamics of seasonal influenza, including the real-time effective reproduction number (Rt). However, comprehensive generation time estimates for seasonal influenza, especially post the 2009 influenza pandemic, are lacking. We estimated the generation time utilizing data from a 7-site case-ascertained household study in the United States over two influenza seasons, 2021/2022 and 2022/2023.

Reduced Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Household Contacts with Recent Vaccination and Past COVID-19 Infection: Results from Two Multi-Site Case-Ascertained Household Transmission Studies.

Households are a primary setting for transmission of SARS-CoV-2. We examined the role of prior SARS-CoV-2 immunity on the risk of infection in household close contacts. Households in the United States with an individual who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during September 2021-May 2023 were enrolled if the index case's illness began ≤6 days prior.

Evaluating Immunologic and Illness Outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Children Aged ≥ 5 Years, in a Multisite Longitudinal Cohort.

Unlabelled: Hybrid immunity, as a result of infection and vaccination to SARS-CoV-2, has been well studied in adults but limited evidence is available in children. We evaluated the antibody responses to primary SARS-CoV-2 infection among vaccinated and unvaccinated children aged ≥ 5 years.

Methods: A longitudinal cohort study of children aged ≥ 5 was conducted during August 2021-August 2022, at sites in Arizona, Texas, Utah, and Florida.

SARS-CoV-2 Viral Shedding and Rapid Antigen Test Performance - Respiratory Virus Transmission Network, November 2022-May 2023.

As population immunity to SARS-CoV-2 evolves and new variants emerge, the role and accuracy of antigen tests remain active questions. To describe recent test performance, the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by antigen testing was compared with that by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and viral culture testing during November 2022-May 2023. Participants who were enrolled in a household transmission study completed daily symptom diaries and collected two nasal swabs (tested for SARS-CoV-2 via RT-PCR, culture, and antigen tests) each day for 10 days after enrollment.

Hybrid Immunity and SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies: Results of the HEROES-RECOVER Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: There are limited data on whether hybrid immunity differs by count and order of immunity-conferring events (infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2] or vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]). From a multi-site cohort of frontline workers, we examined the heterogeneity of the effect of hybrid immunity on SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels.

Methods: Exposures included event count and event order, categorized into 7 permutations.

Preferences and Demand for Mosquito Control among Dengue-Endemic Communities in Peñuelas, Puerto Rico: An Application of the Best-Worst Choice Model.

Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue virus and threatens 3.9 billion people living in many tropical and subtropical countries. Prevention and reduction of dengue and other Aedes-borne viruses, including Zika and chikungunya, requires control of mosquito populations.

Symptoms, Viral Loads, and Rebound Among COVID-19 Outpatients Treated With Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir Compared With Propensity Score-Matched Untreated Individuals.

Background: Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (N/R) reduces severe outcomes from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, rebound after treatment has been reported. We compared symptom and viral dynamics in individuals with COVID-19 who completed N/R treatment and similar untreated individuals.

Methods: We identified symptomatic participants who tested severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-positive and were N/R eligible from a COVID-19 household transmission study.

Introduction to .

Since the initial publication of in 2008, the prevention of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) has continued to be a national priority. Progress in healthcare epidemiology, infection prevention, antimicrobial stewardship, and implementation science research has led to improvements in our understanding of effective strategies for HAI prevention. Despite these advances, HAIs continue to affect ∼1 of every 31 hospitalized patients, leading to substantial morbidity, mortality, and excess healthcare expenditures, and persistent gaps remain between what is recommended and what is practiced.

Disease and social factors associated with healthcare utilization for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections in a longitudinal cohort of essential workers in Arizona.

Background: Demands on health systems due to COVID-19 are substantial, but drivers of healthcare utilization are not well defined in non-severe SARS-CoV-2 infections. Among a prospective cohort of frontline workers from July 2020 to February 2023, we assessed predictors of healthcare utilization during SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Methods: Weekly specimens tested via real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis.

Serum per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance concentrations and longitudinal change in post-infection and post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are ubiquitous throughout the United States. Previous studies have shown PFAS exposure to be associated with a reduced immune response. However, the relationship between serum PFAS and antibody levels following SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination has not been examined.

Determinants of B cell responses to drifted epitopes in post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Vaccine-induced immunity may impact subsequent responses to drifted epitopes in SARS-CoV-2 variants, but this has been difficult to quantify due to the challenges in recruiting unvaccinated control groups whose first exposure to SARS-CoV-2 is a primary infection. Through local, statewide, and national SARS-CoV-2 testing programs, we were able to recruit cohorts of individuals who had recovered from either primary or post-vaccination infections by either the Delta or Omicron BA.1 variants.

Humoral Immune Response to Messenger RNA Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination Among Children Aged 5-11 Years in a Multisite Prospective Cohort Study, September 2021-September 2022.

Background: The PROTECT study is a longitudinal cohort study initiated in July 2021 with weekly testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in 4 states: Arizona, Florida, exas, and Utah. This study aims to examine vaccine-elicited antibody response against postvaccination SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Methods: Children aged 5-11 years had serum collected 14-59 days after their second dose of monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 messenger RNA vaccine.

SHEA/IDSA/APIC Practice Recommendation: Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene: 2022 Update.

The purpose of this document is to highlight practical recommendations to assist acute-care hospitals in prioritization and implementation of strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene. This document updates the , published in 2014. This expert guidance document is sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology (SHEA).

Improving Early Recognition of Coccidioidomycosis in Urgent Care Clinics: Analysis of an Implemented Education Program.

Background: Only 0.2% of coccidioidomycosis (CM) diagnoses were made in patients (pts) with pneumonia (PNA) in urgent care (UC), because they were not being tested for CM. Our objective in this study was to improve CM testing rates.

Risk Factors for Reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant among Previously Infected Frontline Workers.

In a cohort of essential workers in the United States previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, risk factors for reinfection included being unvaccinated, infrequent mask use, time since first infection, and being non-Hispanic Black. Protecting workers from reinfection requires a multipronged approach including up-to-date vaccination, mask use as recommended, and reduction in underlying health disparities.