ABSTRACT
Real-world studies have demonstrated impressive effectiveness of the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in preventing symptomatic and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. We describe an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infections in a hospital with high vaccine uptake. We found a low secondary attack rate (7%), suggesting low infectivity of vaccinated persons with vaccine breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Humans , BNT162 Vaccine , COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , Disease Outbreaks , Personnel, Hospital , mRNA VaccinesABSTRACT
Among 46 infants colonized with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium during an outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit, the estimated time until half had achieved clearance was 217 days. All 40 infants who completed follow-up cleared carriage by 1 year. No predictors of prolonged carriage (> 6 months) were identified.
Subject(s)
Enterococcus faecium , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections , Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci , Infant, Newborn , Humans , Infant , Vancomycin/pharmacology , Vancomycin/therapeutic use , Enterococcus faecium/genetics , Intensive Care Units, Neonatal , Vancomycin Resistance , Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci/genetics , Disease Outbreaks , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/epidemiology , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/drug therapy , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL-KP) are on a constant rise and are a noted cause of outbreaks in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). We used whole genome sequencing (WGS) to investigate the epidemiology of consecutive and overlapping outbreaks caused by ESBL-KP in NICUs in three hospitals in close proximity. Clonality of 43 ESBL-KP isolates from 40 patients was determined by BOX-PCR. Short-read sequencing was performed on representative isolates from each clone. The dominant clones from each NICU were sequenced using long-read sequencing. Bioinformatics methods were used to define multilocus sequence type (MLST), analyze plasmid content, resistomes, and virulence factors. In each NICU, we found a unique dominant clone (ST985, ST37, and ST35), each belonging to a distinct sequence type (ST), as well as satellite clones. A satellite strain in NICU-2 (ST35) was the dominant strain in NICU-3, where it was isolated four weeks later, suggesting transmission. NICU-1- and NICU-2-dominant strains had blaCTX-M-15 carried on a similar transposable element (Tn3-ISEcp1) but at different locations: on a plasmid and on the chromosome, respectively. We concluded that the overlapping ESBL-KP outbreaks were a combination of clonal transmission within NICUs, possible transposable element transmission between NICUs, and repeated importation of ESBL-KP from the community.