Publications by authors named "Longtin Y"
The changing epidemiology of infection and the NAP1/027 strain in two Québec hospitals: a 17-year time-series study.
Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol
June 2024
Objective: To describe the epidemiology of healthcare-associated infection (HA-CDI) in two Québec hospitals in Canada following the 2003 epidemic and to evaluate the impact of antibiotic stewardship on the incidence of HA-CDI and the NAP1/027 strain.
Design: Time-series analysis.
Setting: Two Canadian tertiary care hospitals based in Montréal, Québec.
Unlabelled: The detection of infections (CDI) relies on testing the stool of patients by toxin antigen detection or PCR methods. Although PCR and antigenic methods have significantly reduced the time to results, delays in stool collection can significantly add to the turnaround time. The use of rectal swabs to detect could considerably reduce the time to diagnosis of CDI.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Recent studies show nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is effective for mild to moderate COVID-19 outpatient care, but its impact on hospitalized patients remains unclear.
- In a Canadian study during the Omicron phase, 13% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients received this treatment, mostly older adults with pre-existing conditions.
- Results indicate low ICU admission rates and a small percentage of deaths among treated patients, highlighting the need for more research to optimize treatment guidance for hospitalized cases.
Background: is a non-fermenting, gram-negative bacteria that has previously been implicated in multiple nosocomial outbreaks through the use of contaminated medical devices and substances. This article reports on an outbreak of infections and colonizations, involving 11 patients from five acute care hospitals in Montréal, Canada.
Methods: One sample was not available for testing, but the remaining 10 isolates (91%) were sent for phylogenetic testing.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on emergency department (ED) care in Canada and around the world. To prevent transmission of COVID-19, personal protective equipment (PPE) was required for all ED care providers in contact with suspected cases. With mass vaccination and improvements in several infection prevention components, our hypothesis is that the risks of transmission of COVID-19 will be significantly reduced and that current PPE use will have economic and ecological consequences that exceed its anticipated benefits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlasmid genomic epidemiology of carbapenemase-producing in Canada, 2010-2021.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother
December 2023
Article Synopsis
- Carbapenems are vital last-resort antibiotics against multidrug-resistant infections, but their effectiveness is threatened by the global rise of carbapenem-resistant bacteria due to carbapenemase genes.
- In Canada, a specific carbapenemase type has been identified as prevalent, capable of breaking down various antibiotics, and commonly found on mobile genetic elements like plasmids and transposons.
- Through whole genome sequencing of 829 carbapenemase-producing isolates from 2010 to 2021, researchers discovered diverse plasmid clusters responsible for resistance spread, revealing both clonal and horizontal transmission patterns across different bacterial strains in Canada.
Background: There is a need to understand the duration of infectivity of primary and recurrent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and identify predictors of loss of infectivity.
Methods: Prospective observational cohort study with serial viral culture, rapid antigen detection test (RADT) and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on nasopharyngeal specimens of healthcare workers with COVID-19. The primary outcome was viral culture positivity as indicative of infectivity.
Article Synopsis
- Standalone nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for Clostridioides difficile infections often don't differentiate between colonization and actual disease, but a 2-stage algorithm combining NAATs with toxin immunoassays (Toxin) could improve diagnostic specificity.
- A systematic review of 26 studies including 12,737 patients found no significant difference in 30-day mortality between NAAT+/Toxin+ and NAAT+/Toxin- patients, but a higher recurrence rate for the former group.
- Treating patients who tested NAAT+/Toxin- lowered all-cause mortality but did not affect recurrence rates, suggesting that some of these patients might still benefit from treatment despite the limitations of observational studies.
Article Synopsis
- Trends in severe COVID-19 outcomes in Canada highlight a shift in hospitalization rates and associated risks during different waves of the pandemic, particularly higher admissions in the later waves.
- A study conducted across 155 hospitals included both adults and children, examining data from March 2020 to May 2022, focusing on severe outcomes such as ICU admissions and death rates.
- Findings indicate that while overall hospitalizations increased in later waves, the rates of severe outcomes were lower, especially among vaccinated patients compared to the unvaccinated.
Importance: Cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infection is a potentially devastating complication with an estimated 12-month mortality of 15% to 30%. The association of the extent (localized or systemic) and timing of infection with all-cause mortality has not been established.
Objective: To evaluate the association of the extent and timing of CIED infection with all-cause mortality.
Background: In the name of extensive vaccine uptake, understanding the public's attitude, perception, and intent toward COVID-19 vaccination is a significant challenge for public health officials.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey via an online questionnaire rooted in the Health Belief Model and Integrated Behavioral Model was conducted to evaluate COVID-19 vaccination intent and its associated factors. Factor analysis and multivariate logistic regression were operated to be satisfactory.
Public health vaccination recommendations for COVID-19 primary series and boosters in previously infected individuals differ worldwide. As infection with SARS-CoV-2 is often asymptomatic, it remains to be determined if vaccine immunogenicity is comparable in all previously infected subjects. This study presents detailed immunological evidence to clarify the requirements for one- or two-dose primary vaccination series for naturally primed individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: In Québec, Canada, we evaluated the risk of severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection associated with (1) the demographic and employment characteristics among healthcare workers (HCWs) and (2) the workplace and household exposures and the infection prevention and control (IPC) measures among patient-facing HCWs.
Design: Test-negative case-control study.
Setting: Provincial health system.
Trends in infection rates in Canadian hospitals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol
July 2023
Article Synopsis
- - The COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted healthcare systems and resource availability.
- - A study was conducted comparing Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates before and during the pandemic in 71 Canadian hospitals.
- - Results from the study showed a significant increase in CDI rates during the pandemic period.
Background: We investigated whether an anonymous automated electronic monitoring system (EMS) could be used to compare hand hygiene (HH) performance of individual nurses.
Methods: Prospective observational cohort study. HH performance in 10 acute-care patient rooms was estimated through an EMS that anonymously measured HH events, and room entries and exits.
Background: The incidence of health-care-associated Clostridioides difficile infections has been declining in the Canadian province of Quebec since 2015. We examined whether changes in high-risk antibiotic use could account for this decrease, as reported in other jurisdictions.
Methods: We did a retrospective interrupted time-series analysis of 12 hospitals in the Canadian province of Quebec, representing a quarter of all health-care-associated C difficile infections in this region between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2017.
Background: Understanding the immune response to natural infection by SARS-CoV-2 is key to pandemic management, especially in the current context of emerging variants. Uncertainty remains regarding the efficacy and duration of natural immunity against reinfection.
Methods: We conducted an observational prospective cohort study in Canadian healthcare workers (HCWs) with a history of PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection to (i) measure the average incidence rate of reinfection and (ii) describe the serological immune response to the primary infection.
Article Synopsis
- - The study examined over 18,000 cases of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in Canadian hospitals from 2015 to 2019, finding that healthcare-associated (HA) infections accounted for 74.4% while community-associated (CA) infections made up 25.6%.
- - During the study period, HA CDI rates dropped by 23.8% and CA rates by 18.8%, with HA CDI linked to higher 30-day mortality rates compared to CA CDI.
- - The most prevalent ribotypes were RT027, RT106, RT014, and RT020, with RT027 showing a stronger association with CDI-related deaths; the findings emphasize the need for ongoing infection prevention
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected health care workers. We sought to estimate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among hospital health care workers in Quebec, Canada, after the first wave of the pandemic and to explore factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity.
Methods: Between July 6 and Sept.
We performed viral culture of nasopharyngeal specimens in individuals aged 79 and older, infected with severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), 10 days after symptom onset. A positive viral culture was obtained in 10 (45%) of 22 participants, including 4 (33%) of 12 individuals with improving symptoms. The results of this small study suggest that infectivity may be prolonged among older individuals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Prevention of Arrhythmia Device Infection Trial (PADIT) investigated whether intensification of perioperative prophylaxis could prevent cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections. Compared with a single dose of cefazolin, the perioperative administration of cefazolin, vancomycin, bacitracin, and cephalexin did not significantly decrease the risk of infection. Our objective was to compare the microbiology of infections between study arms in PADIT.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell cytotoxicity neutralization assay (CCNA) is considered to be a gold standard to diagnose infections. We performed CCNA on 77 consecutive admission screening rectal swabs from asymptomatic toxigenic carriers. Thirty-nine percent of specimens from asymptomatic carriers were positive.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among healthcare workers (HCW) remains poorly understood. We assessed HCWs' willingness to be vaccinated and reasons underlying hesitancy.
Methods: Cross-sectional survey across 17 healthcare institutions.