Geographical clustering of cases of infection with moxifloxacin-resistant Clostridium difficile PCR-ribotypes 012, 017 and 046 in Sweden, 2008 and 2009.

We report the results of two nationwide surveillance studies of Clostridium difficile infection conducted during 2008 and 2009 in Sweden. The first study aimed to identify and quantify the proportion of C. difficile isolates with decreased susceptibility to moxifloxacin, particularly those of PCR-ribotype 027. From December 2007 to September 2008, 20 of 28 regional laboratories sent 585 isolates to the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control for typing. A majority of the isolates (454 of 585; 78%) belonged to four PCR ribotypes (012, SE37, 017 and 046), all clustered in geographical regions. Only two type 027 isolates were found, both from the same patient. In the second study, involving all 28 regional laboratories, all consecutive C. difficile isolates collected during two time periods in 2009 (n=364) were typed and tested for susceptibility to clindamycin, erythromycin, moxifloxacin, metronidazole and vancomycin. The three most common PCR ribotypes were SE21, 001 and 020 (22% of all isolates). Types 012, 017, and 046 were geographically clustered and associated with decreased susceptibility to moxifloxacin, clindamycin and erythromcin. The extent of moxifloxacin prescription was highly variable among counties, indicating a need for careful monitoring of prescription rates to follow its role in C. difficile epidemiology.

National surveillance of surgical-site infection through register-based analysis of antibiotic use after inguinal hernia repair.

BACKGROUND: Systematic surveillance of surgical-site infections is not standard. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the feasibility of using existing national health registers for surveillance of postoperative antibiotic treatment suggestive of surgical-site infection. METHODS: Data from national registers on hospital admissions and drug use were combined. Antibiotic purchases by 8856 patients subject to ambulatory care for inguinal hernia repair in Sweden during 2006 were ascertained during a 30-day interval immediately after surgery (postsurgical period) and in an 11-month control period (6 months before and 5 months after the postsurgical period). RESULTS: The incidence of first purchases of skin and soft tissue antibiotics was 245 per 8697 person-months in the first postoperative month and 180 per 52 612 person-months in the preoperative control period, representing a 1-month risk difference of 2.4 (95 per cent confidence interval (c.i.) 2.0 to 2.7) per cent. Hence, a 1-month risk of 2.4 per cent could be attributed tentatively to the surgery. The rate of episodes with antibiotics used mainly for skin and soft tissue infection was sevenfold higher in the first postoperative month than in the control period (rate ratio 7.01, 95 per cent c.i. 5.94 to 8.27). CONCLUSION: The risk of antibiotic treatment during the postsurgical period was of the same order of magnitude as infection rates reported in the Swedish Hernia Register and review studies. Surveillance of postoperative antibiotic use may be considered as a resource-saving surrogate marker for surgical-site infections or an indicator of inappropriate use.

Alarming spread of vancomycin resistant enterococci in Sweden since 2007.

The total number of persons infected or colonised with vancomycin-resistant enterococci mandatorily reported to the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control increased dramatically during 2007 and 2008. During a period of twenty months from 1 July 2007 to 28 February 2009, a total of 760 cases were reported compared with 194 cases reported during the entire period from 2000 to 2006. This rise was mainly attributed to a wide dissemination of vancomycin resistant enterococci which started in a number of hospitals in Stockholm in the autumn of 2007 and was followed by dissemination in various healthcare facilities (hospitals and homes for the elderly) in a further two Swedish counties in 2008. The majority of the cases (97%) were acquired in Sweden and among these, healthcare-acquired E. faecium vanB dominated (n=634). The majority of these isolates had identical or closely related pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns indicating clonal dissemination in the affected counties. The median minimum inhibitory concentration of vancomycin was 32 mg/L (ranging from 4 to >128 mg/L) and of teichoplanin 0.12 mg/L (ranging from 0.06 to 0.25 mg/L). Particular emphasis was placed on countermeasures such as screening, contact tracing, cleaning procedures, education in accurate use of infection control practices as well as increasing awareness of hygiene among patients and visitors. With these measures the dissemination rate decreased substantially, but new infections with the E. faecium vanB strain were still detected.

Strama--a Swedish working model for containment of antibiotic resistance.

The overall aim of Strama (The Swedish Strategic Programme Against Antibiotic Resistance) is to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics in humans and animals. Strama is organised at two levels: a network of independent local multidis ciplinary groups in each county that provide prescribers with feedback on antibiotic use and resistance and implement guidelines; and a national executive working group funded by the government. To gain an insight into antibiotic use, Strama has conducted several large diagnosis prescribing surveys in primary care, in the hospital settings and in nursing homes. National antibiotic susceptibility data for Sweden and mandatory notification show that in recent years the proportion of Streptococcus pneumoniae with decreased sensitivity to penicillin V has stabilised (around 6 %), but the number of notified cases of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)has increased and ESBL-producing Enterobacteraceae have turned into an endemic situation. Still, Sweden is among the countries with the lowest rates of MRSA (<1 %), S. pneumoniae can still be treated with penicillin V and the rate of Escherichia coli-producingESBLs is below 5 %. Strama's activities have contributed to a steady decrease in antibiotic use from the mid 1990s until 2004(when total use slowly started to increase again) without measurable negative consequences. Regular collaboration with national and regional news media has been one of the key strategies.

Benchmarking antimicrobial drug use at university hospitals in five European countries.

A point-prevalence survey of five European university hospitals was performed to benchmark antimicrobial drug use in order to identify potential problem areas in prescribing practice and to aid in establishing appropriate and attainable goals. All inpatients at the university hospitals of Rijeka (Croatia), Tartu (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Vilnius (Lithuania) and Karolinska-Huddinge (Sweden) were surveyed for antimicrobial drug use during a single day. The frequency of antimicrobial drug use was 24% in Rijeka, 30% in Tartu, 26% in Riga, 14% in Vilnius and 32% in Huddinge. Surgical patients were treated with antimicrobial agents more often than medical patients in Riga (53% vs. 31%), Tartu (39% vs. 26%) and Vilnius (54% vs. 25%). Two-thirds of patients in Rijeka, Tartu, Riga and Vilnius, and fewer than half of the patients in Huddinge, received antimicrobial agents intravenously. Broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents were used most commonly in Rijeka. The prevalence of nosocomial infections treated with antibiotics was 9% at Huddinge, and 3-5% at the other centres. Benchmarking antimicrobial drug use at five university hospitals identified differences and problem areas. The high rates of intravenous administration, poor compliance with guidelines, and prolonged surgical prophylaxis were general problems that deserved specific attention at all centres. A change in prescription practices may reduce unnecessary drug use and decrease antimicrobial resistance.

Differences in antibiotic prescribing in three university hospitals in the Baltic region revealed by a simple protocol for quality assessment of therapeutic indications.

OBJECTIVE: To identify inexpensive and simple quality parameters for the surveillance of antibiotic use in hospital settings. METHODS: A modified point-prevalence study was conducted in three university hospitals in Huddinge, Sweden, Riga, Latvia, and Vilnius, Lithuania. Each ward was visited once during May in the year 2002. All patients receiving antibiotics were identified and their medical records were reviewed by the authors according to the same protocol. Only data from corresponding departments were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: The prevalence of antibiotic use was 35%, 25% and 24% in Huddinge, Riga and Vilnius, respectively. Almost 2/3 of antibiotics were prescribed for treatment and 1/3 for either surgical or medical prophylaxis. Parenteral administration was significantly more common in Riga and Vilnius than in Huddinge. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics were cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. Prescription of antibiotics for different diagnoses showed large variation between and within hospitals. The first or second generation cephalosporins were prescribed in most cases of surgical prophylaxis. The duration of surgical prophylaxis exceeded one day in 57%, 63% and 87% of cases in Huddinge, Riga and Vilnius, respectively. All antibiotics in Huddinge, and all except five in Riga were supplied by the hospital pharmacy. Antibiotics bought by patients and donated made up 41% of prescribed antibiotics in Vilnius. CONCLUSION: This point-prevalence survey using a simple and inexpensive method for benchmarking demonstrated quantitative and qualitative differences in the use of antibiotics between three university hospitals in the Baltic region, differences that now calls for explanations to their rationality. We suggest that the choice of an antibiotic, rates of intravenously administered treatment and duration of surgical prophylaxis are examples of suitable indicators of rational antibiotic use within a hospital but that comparison of such rates between hospitals is less meaningful.

Healthcare associated infections in university hospitals in Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden: a simple protocol for quality assessment.

Surveillance of healthcare associated infections is an overlooked parameter of good clinical practice in most healthcare institutions, due to the workload demanded in the absence of adequate IT-systems. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a simple protocol could be used to estimate the burden of healthcare associated infections in three university hospitals in Huddinge in Sweden, Riga in Latvia and Vilnius in Lithuania and form the basis for initiating a long term follow up system. The medical records of all patients receiving antibiotics were reviewed according to a standardised protocol, focusing on the indications for the drugs and on the frequency of hospital acquired infection (HAI) in a point-prevalence survey. Only comparable specialties were included. The proportion of patients treated with antibiotics (prophylaxis not included) were 63/280 (22%) in Huddinge, 73/649 (11%) in Riga and 99/682 (15%) in Vilnius. The proportion of admitted patients treated for a HAI were 15%, 3% and 4%, respectively, (both comparisons Huddinge versus other centres P <0.001). Surgical site infections were most common, followed by infections with an onset more than 2 days after admission without any of the other registered risk factors present. Our inexpensive and simple method showed that healthcare associated infections were a significant problem among patients admitted to Huddinge. The figures obtained can be used for further discussion and form a baseline for follow up at the local level. The comparison of figures between centres was far less relevant than the process the study created.

Healthcare associated infections in university hospitals in Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden: a simple protocol for quality assessment.

Surveillance of healthcare associated infections is an overlooked parameter of good clinical practice in most healthcare institutions, due to the workload demanded in the absence of adequate IT-systems. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether a simple protocol could be used to estimate the burden of healthcare associated infections in three university hospitals in Huddinge in Sweden, Riga in Latvia and Vilnius in Lithuania and form the basis for initiating a long term follow up system. The medical records of all patients receiving antibiotics were reviewed according to a standardised protocol, focusing on the indications for the drugs and on the frequency of hospital acquired infection (HAI) in a point-prevalence survey. Only comparable specialities were included. The proportion of patients treated with antibiotics (prophylaxis not included) were 63/280 (22%) in Huddinge, 73/649 (11%) in Riga and 99/682 (15%) in Vilnius. The proportion of admitted patients treated for a HAI were 15%, 3% and 4%, respectively, (both comparisons Huddinge versus other centres P<0.001). Surgical site infections were most common, followed by infections with an onset more than 2 days after admission without any of the other registered risk factors present. Our inexpensive and simple method showed that healthcare associated infections were a significant problem among patients admitted to Huddinge. The figures obtained can be used for further discussion and form a baseline for follow up at the local level. The comparison of figures between centres was far less relevant than the process the study created.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections in health care workers (HCWs): guidelines for prevention of transmission of HBV and HCV from HCW to patients.

The transmission of viral hepatitis from health care workers (HCW) to patients is of worldwide concern. Since the introduction of serologic testing in the 1970s there have been over 45 reports of hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission from HCW to patients, which have resulted in more than 400 infected patients. In addition there are six published reports of transmissions of hepatitis C virus (HCV) from HCW to patients resulting in the infection of 14 patients. Additional HCV cases are known of in the US and UK, but unpublished. At present the guidelines for preventing HCW to patient transmission of viral hepatitis vary greatly between countries. It was our aim to reach a Europe-wide consensus on this issue. In order to do this, experts in blood-borne infection, from 16 countries, were questioned on their national protocols. The replies given by participating countries formed the basis of a discussion document. This paper was then discussed at a meeting with each of the participating countries in order to reach a Europe-wide consensus on the identification of infected HCWs, protection of susceptible HCWs, management and treatment options for the infected HCW. The results of that process are discussed and recommendations formed. The guidelines produced aim to reduce the risk of transmission from infected HCWs to patients. The document is designed to complement existing guidelines or form the basis for the development of new guidelines. This guidance is applicable to all HCWs who perform EPP, whether newly appointed or already in post.

Marked differences in antibiotic use and resistance between university hospitals in Vilnius, Lithuania, and Huddinge, Sweden.

Antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance was compared between Vilnius and Huddinge University hospitals. Drug use data were expressed in number of defined daily doses/100 bed-days; antimicrobial resistance were given as percentages of resistant isolates. Thirty-five and 48 different antibiotic drugs were used in Vilnius and Huddinge, respectively. The overall consumption of antibiotics was 15 DDD/100 bed-days in Vilnius and 43 DDD/100 bed-days in Huddinge. Benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, and aminoglycosides were the major antibiotics in Vilnius; beta-lactamase-resistant penicillins, cefalosporins, and quinolones in Huddinge. In Vilnius, gentamicin made up one-quarter of the use. Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative isolates from wounds and blood were more resistant to gentamicin in Vilnius. S. aureus was more often methicillin resistant in Vilnius than in Huddinge. There was no S. aureus-resistant to vancomycin in either hospital. The vancomycin-resistant enterococci made up from 4% to 10% in Vilnius hospital, but they were not detected in Huddinge hospital (0%). The majority of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates were sensitive to benzylpenicillin in both hospitals. The higher resistance of microorganisms to some antibiotics in Vilnius may be explained by heavy use of few antibiotics. Lower level of hygiene procedures, sampling bias, and other methodological issues may also have contributed. Guidelines for antibiotic use and hygienic procedures are now under development in Vilnius.

[Long-term effects of traumatic experiences on somatic and psychic complaints of German World War Two refugees]. / Langfristige Auswirkungen traumatischer Ereignisse auf somatische und psychische Beschwerden. Am Beispiel von Vertriebenen nach dem 2. Weltkrieg.

The effects of expulsion from German territories following World War Two have not been studied systematically, and little is known about long-term effects of this potentially traumatic experience. Via mail, 600 refugees from former German territories due to World War Two were asked to complete questionnaires about biographic data, somatic and psychic health (SCL-90-R questionnaire), and specific aspects related to traumatic experiences (post-traumatic stress disorder questionnaire). Of those contacted, 25% participated in the investigation. Of them, 9.8% fulfilled diagnostic criteria of post-traumatic stress disorder according to DSM IV. Only 1.8% of an age-matched control group met these criteria. Analysis of the SCL-90-R questionnaire showed higher scores for former refugees in somatic and psychic complaints than the control group. We show that expulsion following war may lead to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and somatic and psychic complaints after more than 50 years. Our investigation supports the necessity of adequate care for subjects expelled from their home countries and the psychologically traumatised.