Tailored positioning and number of hand rub dispensers: the fundamentals for optimized hand hygiene compliance.

Background: Availability of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) dispensers at positions adapted to the work flow of healthcare workers (HCWs) is decisive in order to carry out indication-based hand rubbing. Although requirements and guidelines regarding the positioning of ABHR dispensers are in place, scientific evidence is often lacking.

Methods: In order to analyse the impact of the location and number of ABHR dispensers on hand hygiene performance, additional dispensers were systematically placed in patient rooms in a surgical 38-bed ward at Marburg University Hospital, Germany to complement the existing dispenser locations.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs in seven Latin American countries: facing the challenges.

Background: Studies have shown that more than 50% of the antibiotics used in hospitals are unnecessary or inappropriate and, that antimicrobial resistance may cost up to 20 billion USD in excess medical costs each year. On the other hand, Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs (ASP) significantly reduce inappropriate antimicrobial use, emergence of antimicrobial resistance, healthcare associated infections, and costs in hospital settings.

Objective: To evaluate the development of ASP and antibiotic savings in 7 Latin American hospitals using standardized quantitative indicators in all the participating health care institutions.

Efficiency analysis of rapid antigen test based SARS-CoV-2 in hospital contact tracing and screening regime: test characteristics and cost effectiveness.

In the context of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, reliable and cost-efficient screening and testing strategies are crucial to prevent disease transmission and reduce socioeconomic losses. To assess the efficiency of a rapid antigen test (RAT)-based SARS-CoV-2 contact-tracing and screening regime, we conducted a retrospective analysis of RAT and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test data over a 1-year period, assessed test characteristics and estimated cost-effectiveness. The RAT had a sensitivity of 70.

The present and future of blood virome in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients.

Purpose Of Review: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allogeneic HCT) is a highly effective therapy for a broad range of hematological diseases and its use is increasing worldwide. Despite advances in antiviral prophylaxis and treatment, viral infections are still one of the leading causes of post-HCT morbidity and mortality. In this patient population, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) revealed a much larger diversity of viruses than previously suspected via the targeted screening approach.

Influence of public health and infection control interventions during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic on the in-hospital epidemiology of pathogens: in hospital versus community circulating pathogens.

Background: The first detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Germany was reported in early February 2020. In addition, extensive control measures on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have been placed in Germany since March 2020. These include contact and travel restrictions, distance rules, mandatory wearing of face masks and respirators, cancellation of mass events, closures of day-care centers, schools, restaurants and shops, isolation measures, and intensified infection control measures in medical and long-term care facilities.

High Level Bioaerosol Protection against Infective Aerosols: How Medical Face Masks Compare against Respirators.

Face masks and respirators are commonly used to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases that spread by respiratory droplets and aerosols. However, there is still uncertainty about the protective effect of the different types of masks against virus containing aerosols. To determine the as-worn bioaerosol protection efficacy of different face coverings and estimate the possible protective function against airborne diseases, we challenged different respirators and medical masks on a standardized dummy head with a bioaerosol containing MS2 bacteriophages as virus surrogates.

High-touch surfaces disinfection compliance in a COVID-19 intensive care unit.

Environmental cleaning and disinfection are fundamental health care-associated infection prevention measures. This study aimed to evaluate the disinfection compliance of high-touch surfaces in a COVID-19-only intensive care unit, using a fluorescent marker. It was divided into 3 phases, baseline assessment, educational feedback, and post feedback.

Effective phage cocktail to combat the rising incidence of extensively drug-resistant sequence type 16.

Bacteriophages are the most abundant organisms on Earth. As there are few effective treatment options against some pathogens, the interest in the bacteriophage control of multi-drug-resistant bacterial pathogens is escalating, especially for . This study aimed to develop a phage-based solution to the rising incidence of extensively drug-resistant clinical sequence type (ST16) infections starting from a set of phages recently characterized against this lineage.

Hospital outcomes of community-acquired COVID-19 versus influenza: Insights from the Swiss hospital-based surveillance of influenza and COVID-19.

BackgroundSince the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disease has frequently been compared with seasonal influenza, but this comparison is based on little empirical data.AimThis study compares in-hospital outcomes for patients with community-acquired COVID-19 and patients with community-acquired influenza in Switzerland.MethodsThis retrospective multi-centre cohort study includes patients > 18 years admitted for COVID-19 or influenza A/B infection determined by RT-PCR.

Antimicrobial ethicists: Making ethics explicit in antimicrobial stewardship.

Antimicrobial prescribing and the associated discipline of antimicrobial stewardship have inherent ethical and moral dimensions. We contend that the explicit, formal application of ethical principles and frameworks can strengthen and further justify the value of antimicrobial stewardship programs and their work. To illustrate the value of this process, we highlight 3 ethical scenarios that antimicrobial stewardship programs regularly encounter at the prescriber, institutional, and societal levels, and we analyze these scenarios using the Beauchamp and Childress biomedical ethics framework.

Development of a web-based contact tracing and point-of-care-testing workflow for SARS-CoV-2 at a German University Hospital.

Introduction: In late 2019, a novel coronavirus was detected in China. Supported by its respiratory transmissibility, even by people infected without symptomatic disease, this coronavirus soon began to rapidly spread worldwide.

Background: Many countries have implemented different infection control and containment strategies due to ongoing community transmission.

Medical face masks offer self-protection against aerosols: An evaluation using a practical in vitro approach on a dummy head.

Since the appearance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the question regarding the efficacy of various hygiene measures and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) has become the focus of scientific and above all public discussion. To compare respirators, medical face masks, and cloth masks and determine if it is recommendable to wear face masks to protect the individual wearer of the mask from inhaling airborne particles, we challenged 29 different masks with aerosols and tested the pressure drop as a surrogate for breathing resistance owing to the mask material. We found that Type II medical face masks showed the lowest pressure drop (12.

Outbreak of hepatitis C virus infections originating from a breach in safe injection practices before contrast-enhanced computed tomography scanning.

Four patients who underwent contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scanning were infected with hepatitis C virus from a contaminated multi-dose vial of NaCl. The outbreak likely occurred due to a breach in safe injection practices, resulting in contamination of the vial. Not all patients exposed to the same vial were infected.

Recommended immunization schedules for adults: Clinical practice guidelines by the Escmid Vaccine Study Group (EVASG), European Geriatric Medicine Society (EUGMS) and the World Association for Infectious Diseases and Immunological Disorders (WAidid).

Rapid population aging has become a major challenge in the industrialized world and progressive aging is a key reason for making improvement in vaccination a cornerstone of public health strategy. An increase in age-related disorders and conditions is likely to be seen in the near future, and these are risk factors for the occurrence of a number of vaccine-preventable diseases. An improvement in infectious diseases prevention specifically aimed at adults and the elderly can therefore also decrease the burden of these chronic conditions by reducing morbidity, disability, hospital admissions, health costs, mortality rates and, perhaps most importantly, by improving the quality of life.

National European guidelines for the prevention of Clostridium difficile infection: a systematic qualitative review.

Background: Clostridium difficile is the most frequent infectious cause of nosocomial diarrhoea and a major topic in infection prevention.

Aim: To overview current national European guidelines for C. difficile infection (CDI) prevention and review the recommendations in respect of their evidence base and conformity to each other and the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) guidance.

Public reporting of healthcare-associated infection data in Europe. What are the views of infection prevention opinion leaders?

Background: There is increasing interest in public reporting of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) data in Europe, mostly for patient safety reasons. But it is uncertain whether patients and other stakeholders benefit from them.

Aim: To obtain the views of European infection control opinion leaders and provide information about public reporting of HAI in Europe.

Skin disinfection with octenidine dihydrochloride for central venous catheter site care: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.

To compare the efficacy of two commercially available, alcohol-based antiseptic solutions for preparation and care of central venous catheter (CVC) insertion sites, with and without octenidine dihydrochloride, a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was undertaken in the haematology units and in one surgical unit of two university hospitals. Adult patients with a non-tunnelled CVC were randomly assigned to two different skin disinfection regimens at the insertion site: 0.1% octenidine with 30% 1-propanol and 45% 2-propanol, and as control 74% ethanol with 10% 2-propanol.

Introducing alcohol-based hand rub for hand hygiene: the critical need for training.

Background: Use of an alcohol-based hand rub for hand hygiene has recently been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, the proper technique for using hand rub has not been well described and is not routinely taught in hospitals.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of training on proper technique as outlined by the European Standard for testing alcohol-based hand rubs (European Norm 1500) in a clinical study.