Reference Susceptibility Testing and Genomic Surveillance of Clostridioides difficile, United States, 2012-17.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) is not routinely performed for Clostridioides difficile and data evaluating minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) are limited. We performed AST and whole genome sequencing (WGS) for 593 C. difficile isolates collected between 2012 and 2017 through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Emerging Infections Program. METHODS: MICs to 6 antimicrobial agents (ceftriaxone, clindamycin, meropenem, metronidazole, moxifloxacin, and vancomycin) were determined using the reference agar dilution method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Whole genome sequencing was performed on all isolates to detect the presence of genes or mutations previously associated with resistance. RESULTS: Among all isolates, 98.5% displayed a vancomycin MIC ≤2 µg/mL and 97.3% displayed a metronidazole MIC ≤2 µg/mL. Ribotype 027 (RT027) isolates displayed higher vancomycin MICs (MIC50: 2 µg/mL; MIC90: 2 µg/mL) than non-RT027 isolates (MIC50: 0.5 µg/mL; MIC90: 1 µg/mL) (P < .01). No vanA/B genes were detected. RT027 isolates also showed higher MICs to clindamycin and moxifloxacin and were more likely to harbor associated resistance genes or mutations. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated MICs to antibiotics used for treatment of C. difficile infection were rare, and there was no increase in MICs over time. The lack of vanA/B genes or mutations consistently associated with elevated vancomycin MICs suggests there are multifactorial mechanisms of resistance. Ongoing surveillance of C. difficile using reference AST and WGS to monitor MIC trends and the presence of antibiotic resistance mechanisms is essential.

Cost-effectiveness of Increasing Access to Contraception during the Zika Virus Outbreak, Puerto Rico, 2016.

We modeled the potential cost-effectiveness of increasing access to contraception in Puerto Rico during a Zika virus outbreak. The intervention is projected to cost an additional $33.5 million in family planning services and is likely to be cost-saving for the healthcare system overall. It could reduce Zika virus-related costs by $65.2 million ($2.8 million from less Zika virus testing and monitoring and $62.3 million from avoided costs of Zika virus-associated microcephaly [ZAM]). The estimates are influenced by the contraception methods used, the frequency of ZAM, and the lifetime incremental cost of ZAM. Accounting for unwanted pregnancies that are prevented, irrespective of Zika virus infection, an additional $40.4 million in medical costs would be avoided through the intervention. Increasing contraceptive access for women who want to delay or avoid pregnancy in Puerto Rico during a Zika virus outbreak can substantially reduce the number of cases of ZAM and healthcare costs.

Unmet Needs for Ancillary Services Among Hispanics/Latinos Receiving HIV Medical Care - United States, 2013-2014.

The prevalence of diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Hispanics/Latinos in the United States is more than twice as high as the prevalence among non-Hispanic whites (1). Services that support retention in HIV medical care and assist with day-to-day living, referred to here as ancillary services, help persons living with HIV access HIV medical care, adhere to HIV treatment, and attain HIV viral suppression. The needs for these ancillary services among Hispanics/Latinos are not well described (2). To obtain nationally representative estimates of and reasons for unmet needs for such services among Hispanic/Latino adults receiving outpatient HIV medical care during 2013-2014, CDC analyzed data from the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP). The analysis found that Hispanics/Latinos in all age and sexual orientation/behavior subgroups reported substantial unmet needs, including 24% needing dental care, 21% needing eye or vision care, 15% needing food and nutrition services, and 9% needing transportation assistance. Addressing unmet needs for ancillary services among Hispanics/Latinos living with HIV might help increase access to HIV care, improve health outcomes, and reduce health disparities.

Unmet Needs for Ancillary Services Among Men Who Have Sex with Men and Who Are Receiving HIV Medical Care - United States, 2013-2014.

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the United States (1). Ancillary services, defined as services that support retention in HIV medical care and assist with day-to-day living, can improve the health of HIV-infected MSM and help them achieve viral suppression (2). To assess the unmet needs for ancillary services among MSM receiving outpatient HIV medical care during 2013-2014, CDC used data from the Medical Monitoring Project (MMP), a surveillance system designed to assess clinical and behavioral characteristics of adults receiving HIV care, to obtain nationally representative estimates of, and identify reasons for, unmet needs (3). Based on self-reported needs of persons responding to the MMP survey, the most prevalent unmet needs were for non-HIV medical care services: approximately 23% had an unmet need for dental care, and 19% had an unmet need for eye or vision care. Unmet needs were most prevalent among young, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic/Latino MSM. State and local health departments, community-based organizations, and health care providers might improve the health of MSM living with HIV by promoting access to ancillary services using strategies that increase patient awareness of how to obtain these services, especially among young, non-Hispanic black, and Hispanic/Latino MSM.