Personal protective equipment, hygiene behaviours and occupational risk of illness after July 2011 flood in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Incidence of various diseases can increase following a flood. We aimed to identify professionals in Copenhagen who became ill after contact with 2 July 2011 floodwater/sediment and determine risks and protective factors associated with illness. We conducted a cohort study of employees engaged in post-flood management activities. Participants completed a questionnaire collecting information about demographics, floodwater/sediment exposure, compliance with standard precautions, and symptoms of illness. Overall, 257 professionals participated, with 56 (22%) cases. Risk of illness was associated with not washing hands after floodwater/sediment contact [relative risk (RR) 2∙45], exposure to floodwater at work and home (RR 2∙35), smoking (RR 1∙92), direct contact with floodwater (RR 1∙86), and eating/drinking when in contact with floodwater (RR 1∙77). Professionals need to follow standard precautions when in contact with floodwater/sediment, especially proper hand hygiene after personal protective equipment use and before eating/drinking and smoking.

Anthrax among heroin users in Europe possibly caused by same Bacillus anthracis strain since 2000.

Injection anthrax was described first in 2000 in a heroin-injecting drug user in Norway. New anthrax cases among heroin consumers were detected in the United Kingdom (52 cases) and Germany (3 cases) in 2009-10. In June 2012, a fatal case occurred in Regensburg, Bavaria. As of December 2012, 13 cases had been reported in this new outbreak from Germany, Denmark, France and the United Kingdom. We analysed isolates from 2009-10 and 2012 as well as from the first injection anthrax case in Norway in 2000 by comparative molecular typing using a high resolution 31 marker multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and a broad single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. Our results show that all cases may be traced back to the same outbreak strain. They also indicate the probability of a single source contaminating heroin and that the outbreak could have lasted for at least a decade. However, an additional serological pilot study in two German regions conducted in 2011 failed to discover additional anthrax cases among 288 heroin users.

Who should be screened for carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales and when? A systematic review.

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) cases increases every year in Denmark and the proportion of CPE-positive cases with a travel history decreases. Several epidemiological links show transmission in Danish healthcare setting indicating infection prevention and control challenges and raising questions about the Danish CPE screening protocol. The aim of this review was to identify additional risk factors to those described in the Danish CPE-screening protocol in order to detect the Danish CPE-positive patients and thereby reduce the risk of transmission and outbreaks. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library during March 2022. A total of 1487 articles were screened, and 19 studies were included. Retrieved studies dealt with patients with laboratory-confirmed CPE (colonization and/or infection) and associated risk factors. Antimicrobial therapy, especially broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents, prior or current hospitalization of approximately one week in ICU and 20-28 days in other wards and travel history with or without hospitalization abroad were significant risk factors associated with CPE acquisition. Comorbidities and invasive procedures were identified as risk factors, but without identifying specific comorbidities or invasive procedures associated with risk for CPE-acquisition. This study suggests the need to develop an additional algorithm for CPE-screening in Denmark. In addition to risk-based screening on admission, screening of inpatients should be considered. The screening protocol might include screening of inpatients with comorbidities who are hospitalized >1 week in ICU or >3 weeks in other wards and who have previously received or currently are receiving antibiotic treatment. Further research is needed to develop a new CPE-screening algorithm.

Surveillance of surgical site infection in a teaching hospital in Ghana: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Surveillance systems for surgical site infections (SSIs), as a measure of patient safety, help health institutions devise strategies to reduce or prevent them. No surveillance systems exist to monitor SSIs in Ghana. AIM: To establish a system for monitoring trends and detecting outbreaks in order to create awareness of and control SSIs. METHODS: An active 30-day surveillance was undertaken at the general surgical unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, from July 1st, 2017 to December 31st, 2018 to identify SSI. It involved a daily inpatient surveillance of patients who had had a surgical procedure, followed by post-discharge surveillance by means of a healthcare personnel-based survey and a patient-based telephone survey. We supplied quarterly feedback of results to surgeons. FINDINGS: Among the 3267 patients included, 331 were identified with an SSI, a 10% incidence risk. Patients who acquired an SSI experienced increased morbidity including nine extra days in hospital and an adjusted relative mortality risk of 2.3 (95% confidence interval: 1.3 - 4.1; P=0.006) compared to patients without SSI. Forty-nine per cent (161/331) of SSIs were diagnosed post discharge using the healthcare personnel-based survey. The patient-based telephone survey contributed 12 additional cases. SSI incidence risk decreased from 12.8% to 7.5% during the study period. CONCLUSION: Post-discharge surveillance is feasible using existing healthcare personnel, and the results highlight the high risk and burden of SSIs in Ghana. A surveillance system with feedback for monitoring SSIs may contribute to reducing SSIs; however, firm conclusions regarding the impact need longer observation time.

Crossed immunoelectrophoresis used for bacteriological diagnosis in patients with endocarditis.

Sera from 151 patients suspected of having endocarditis were obtained during a period of 3 1/2 years at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen. The sera were examined by crossed immunoelectrophoresis for antibodies to bacteria causing endocarditis. The patients were divided into four groups: 1. Patients with definite endocarditis, 2. Patients with culture-negative endocarditis, 3. Patients with uncertain endocarditis, and 4. Patients without endocarditis. In sera from patients suffering from endocarditis caused by viridans streptococci, precipitating antibodies were demonstrated by crossed immunoelectrophoresis (diagnostic specificity = 86%; diagnostic sensitivity = 100%) while other bacterial etiologies of endocarditis were less reliably demonstrated by this method.

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci at a large university hospital in Denmark.

Enterococci are part of the normal human fecal flora and also part of the fecal flora of many animals. Vancomycin- and ampicillin-resistant enterococci give rise to infections that may virtually be untreatable with antibiotics. Antibiotic use in humans is a risk factor for development or selection of vancomycin-resistant enterococci. In animals the related glycopeptide avoparcin is used, especially in poultry, as a food additive to promote growth. Selective pressures for vancomycin-resistant enterococci are high in Denmark with the production of 105 million poultry and the use of 24,000 kg avoparcin per year. The possible impact on vancomycin resistance among human isolates of enterococci remains to be defined. Furthermore, there has been a 3-fold increase in vancomycin usage during the last 5 years at our hospital, from 2.4 to 7 kg/year. We examined 91 stool specimens from 67 patients in risk units at our hospital. Using a selective medium (KAA agar), 17 strains of Enterococcus faecium grew on the selective medium and 3 (18%) were vancomycin-resistant (MIC > 256 mg/l). Using PCR and an internal probe, vanA was found in the vancomycin-resistant enterococci. No association between vancomycin therapy and carriage of VRE was demonstrated in these patients.

IgG antibody response in bacterial endocarditis using ELISA with multiple antigens.

By means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) the antibody responses were detected in sera from normal persons (n = 275), patients with various types of bacteremia (n = 137), and patients with endocarditis (n = 28). Four ELISAs were evaluated. As antigens ultrasonic extracts of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, and nonhemolytic streptococci were used. The antibody levels against S. aureus increased with age, while antibodies against the other bacteria showed no age variation. The different ELISA systems showed many serological cross-reactions. The ELISA in this limited material was 72% successful in identifying cases of bacterial endocarditis caused by S. aureus (diagnostic sensitivity 84%; diagnostic specificity 89%), while in other cases of bacterial endocarditis it was less successful.

Serological diagnosis of experimental Enterococcus faecalis endocarditis.

A modified rat model of endocarditis with catheterization for 2 days was established in female Lewis rats using different inocula of Enterococcus faecalis (strain no. EF 19) in order to measure IgG antibodies in serum during the course of infection. Increasing the inocula intravenously resulted in an increase in the CFU/g vegetation and the CFU/g spleen, the ID50 being about 10 CFU/ml and the ID90 about 1x10(2) CFU/ml. The lowest bacterial inoculum infecting 100% of the rats was 3x10(3) CFU/ml, and for further investigations we used this inoculum size. Rats were sacrificed on day 2, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 28 after infection. The CFU/g vegetation and the CFU/g spleen increased until day 7 and then decreased. Serum samples were collected from 129 rats at different times after challenge. Three different ELISA systems were established to measure the IgG antibody responses: E. faecalis sonicate ELISA (a pool of four sonicates of strain no. EF 10, EF 11, EF 19 and EF 48), E. faecalis whole cell ELISA (strain no. EF 19) and E. faecalis purified cell wall ELISA (strain no. EF 19). An IgG antibody response was detected already on day 2, and except for a minor decrease on day 6/7 the antibody response continued to increase until day 14 (whole cell ELISA and sonicate ELISA) and day 21 (purified cell wall ELISA) when a plateau was reached. Significant increases in IgG antibody responses (p<0.05) were found between groups of rats from days 0-2, 2-8/9 and 8/9-14 in the E. faecalis whole cell and sonicate ELISAs and from days 0-2, 2-10/11 and 10/11-21 in the E. faecalis purified cell wall ELISA. In conclusion, we established a model of endocarditis in rats with catheterization for 2 days and were able to demonstrate an increase in IgG antibodies during the course of infection.

Bacterial endocarditis at a tertiary hospital--how do we improve diagnosis and delay of treatment? A retrospective study of 140 patients.

During a period of 3.5 years, endocarditis was suspected in 151 patients admitted to Rigshospitalet. 140 were available for this study. In 59 of the 140 patients, the diagnosis was confirmed, and 36 had positive blood cultures. Echocardiographic findings compatible with the diagnosis were present in 92% of the 59 cases. The most common causes of endocarditis were Staphylococcus aureus and viridans streptococci. Patients with endocarditis caused by S. aureus had significantly (p = 0.002) more embolic episodes compared to patients having endocarditis caused by the viridans streptococci. The diagnosis was established at a mean of 3-4 weeks after the onset of symptoms and 2 weeks after admission to hospital. In order to minimize diagnostic delay, the following aspects may be important: (1) earlier detection of endocarditis among physicians examining patients at risk; (2) educating patients with cardiac disease and cardiac valve prosthesis; (3) earlier antibiotic therapy, and (4) developing further diagnostics for endocarditis.

Excretion of ciprofloxacin in sweat and multiresistant Staphylococcus epidermidis.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus epidermidis develops resistance to ciprofloxacin rapidly. That this antibiotic is excreted in apocrine and eccrine sweat of healthy individuals might be the reason for the development of such resistance. We assessed whether S epidermidis isolated from the axilla and nasal flora of healthy people could develop resistance to ciprofloxacin after a 1-week course of this antibiotic. METHODS: The concentration of ciprofloxacin in sweat was measured in seven volunteers after oral administration of 750 mg ciprofloxacin twice daily for 7 days, and the development of resistance in S epidermidis from axilla and nostrils was monitored during and 2 months after the treatment. Genotyping of S epidermidis was done by restriction fragment length polymorphism. FINDINGS: The mean concentration of ciprofloxacin in sweat increased during the 7 days of treatment-from 2.2 micrograms/mL 2.5 h after the first tablet to 2.5 micrograms/mL after the fifth tablet, and 5.5 micrograms/mL after the 13th tablet. All persons harboured susceptible S epidermidis (minimal inhibitory concentration [MIC] 0.25 microgram/mL) in axilla and nostrils before treatment. Four resistant strains were detected, two intermediate-level (MIC 4-12 micrograms/mL) and two high-level (MIC > 32 micrograms/mL). Three of these strains were found in all the participants, and a ciprofloxacin-sensitive variant of one of the high-level resistant strains was also found before the start of the treatment. The high-level resistant strains were also resistant to methicillin, erythromycin, gentamicin, sulphonamide, and trimethoprim. A mean of 2.7 days after the start of the treatment, development of ciprofloxacin resistance was detected in S epidermidis from the axilla of all persons, compared with 11 days for the appearance of resistant S epidermidis in nostrils. The resistant strains persisted for an average of 37 and 39 days in axilla and nostrils, respectively, after the end of the treatment. INTERPRETATION: The rapid development of resistance to ciprofloxacin due to excretion of this drug into the sweat might be involved in the development of multiresistant S epidermidis and possibly other skin bacteria in hospitals and in communities with high use of ciprofloxacin or related drugs.