Characteristics of healthcare personnel with SARS-CoV-2 infection: 10 emerging infections program sites in the United States, April 2020-December 2021.

BACKGROUND: Understanding characteristics of healthcare personnel (HCP) with SARS-CoV-2 infection supports the development and prioritization of interventions to protect this important workforce. We report detailed characteristics of HCP who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 from April 20, 2020 through December 31, 2021. METHODS: CDC collaborated with Emerging Infections Program sites in 10 states to interview HCP with SARS-CoV-2 infection (case-HCP) about their demographics, underlying medical conditions, healthcare roles, exposures, personal protective equipment (PPE) use, and COVID-19 vaccination status. We grouped case-HCP by healthcare role. To describe residential social vulnerability, we merged geocoded HCP residential addresses with CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) values at the census tract level. We defined highest and lowest SVI quartiles as high and low social vulnerability, respectively. RESULTS: Our analysis included 7,531 case-HCP. Most case-HCP with roles as certified nursing assistant (CNA) (444, 61.3%), medical assistant (252, 65.3%), or home healthcare worker (HHW) (225, 59.5%) reported their race and ethnicity as either non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic. More than one third of HHWs (166, 45.2%), CNAs (283, 41.7%), and medical assistants (138, 37.9%) reported a residential address in the high social vulnerability category. The proportion of case-HCP who reported using recommended PPE at all times when caring for patients with COVID-19 was lowest among HHWs compared with other roles. CONCLUSIONS: To mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection risk in healthcare settings, infection prevention, and control interventions should be specific to HCP roles and educational backgrounds. Additional interventions are needed to address high social vulnerability among HHWs, CNAs, and medical assistants.

Evaluation of Asymptomatic Bordetella Carriage in a Convenience Sample of Children and Adolescents in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

Few data exist on asymptomatic carriage of Bordetella species among populations receiving acellular pertussis vaccine. We conducted a cross-sectional study among acellular-vaccinated children presenting to an emergency department (ED). Bordetella pertussis carriage prevalence was <1% in this population, a lower prevalence than that found in recent studies among whole-cell pertussis-vaccinated participants.

Pneumococcal infections in children with sickle cell disease before and after pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at increased risk of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Over 25 years, the Georgia Emerging Infections Program/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Active Bacterial Core Surveillance network identified 104 IPD episodes among 3707 children with hemoglobin SS (HbSS) or HbSC aged <10 years, representing 6% of IPD in Black or African American children residing in Metropolitan Atlanta (reference population). Children with IPD and HbSS/SC were older than those with IPD in the reference population (P < .001). From 1994-1999 to 2010-2018, IPD declined by 87% in children with HbSS aged 0 to 4 years, and by 80% in those aged 5 to 9 years. However, IPD incidence rate ratios when comparing children with SCD with the reference population increased from 20.2 to 29.2 over these periods. Among children with HbSS and IPD, death declined from 14% to 3% after 2002, and meningitis declined from 16% to 8%. Penicillin resistance was more prevalent in children with SCD before 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) licensure. After 2010, all IPD serotypes were not included in the 13-valent PCV (PCV13). Within 3 years of vaccination, the effectiveness of the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) against non-PCV13 serotypes included in PPSV23 plus 15A/15C was 92% (95% confidence interval, 40.8- 99.0, P = .014; indirect-cohort effect adjusted for age and hydroxyurea). PPSV23 would cover 62% of non-PCV13 serotype IPD in children with SCD, whereas PCV15, PCV20, and PCV21/V116 (in development) could cover 16%, 51%, and 92%, respectively. Although less frequent, IPD remains a life-threatening risk in children with SCD. Effective vaccines with broader coverage could benefit these children.

Clinical Characteristics, Health Care Utilization, and Outcomes Among Patients in a Pilot Surveillance System for Invasive Mold Disease-Georgia, United States, 2017-2019.

Background: Invasive mold diseases (IMDs) cause severe illness, but public health surveillance data are lacking. We describe data collected from a laboratory-based, pilot IMD surveillance system. Methods: During 2017-2019, the Emerging Infections Program conducted active IMD surveillance at 3 Atlanta-area hospitals. We ascertained potential cases by reviewing histopathology, culture, and Aspergillus galactomannan results and classified patients as having an IMD case (based on European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Invasive Fungal Infections Cooperative Group and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group [MSG] criteria) or a non-MSG IMD case (based on the treating clinician's diagnosis and use of mold-active antifungal therapy). We described patient features and compared patients with MSG vs non-MSG IMD cases. Results: Among 304 patients with potential IMD, 104 (34.2%) met an IMD case definition (41 MSG, 63 non-MSG). The most common IMD types were invasive aspergillosis (n = 66 [63.5%]), mucormycosis (n = 8 [7.7%]), and fusariosis (n = 4 [3.8%]); the most frequently affected body sites were pulmonary (n = 66 [63.5%]), otorhinolaryngologic (n = 17 [16.3%]), and cutaneous/deep tissue (n = 9 [8.7%]). Forty-five (43.3%) IMD patients received intensive care unit-level care, and 90-day all-cause mortality was 32.7%; these outcomes did not differ significantly between MSG and non-MSG IMD patients. Conclusions: IMD patients had high mortality rates and a variety of clinical presentations. Comprehensive IMD surveillance is needed to assess emerging trends, and strict application of MSG criteria for surveillance might exclude over one-half of clinically significant IMD cases.

Practices and activities among healthcare personnel with severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection working in different healthcare settings-ten Emerging Infections Program sites, April-November 2020.

Healthcare personnel with severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection were interviewed to describe activities and practices in and outside the workplace. Among 2,625 healthcare personnel, workplace-related factors that may increase infection risk were more common among nursing-home personnel than hospital personnel, whereas selected factors outside the workplace were more common among hospital personnel.

Treatment Practices for Adults With Candidemia at 9 Active Surveillance Sites-United States, 2017-2018.

BACKGROUND: Candidemia is a common opportunistic infection causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Because of an increasing proportion of non-albicans Candida species and rising antifungal drug resistance, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) changed treatment guidelines in 2016 to recommend echinocandins over fluconazole as first-line treatment for adults with candidemia. We describe candidemia treatment practices and adherence to the updated guidelines. METHODS: During 2017-2018, the Emerging Infections Program conducted active population-based candidemia surveillance at 9 US sites using a standardized case definition. We assessed factors associated with initial antifungal treatment for the first candidemia case among adults using multivariable logistic regression models. To identify instances of potentially inappropriate treatment, we compared the first antifungal drug received with species and antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) results from initial blood cultures. RESULTS: Among 1835 patients who received antifungal treatment, 1258 (68.6%) received an echinocandin and 543 (29.6%) received fluconazole as initial treatment. Cirrhosis (adjusted odds ratio = 2.06; 95% confidence interval, 1.29-3.29) was the only underlying medical condition significantly associated with initial receipt of an echinocandin (versus fluconazole). More than one-half (n = 304, 56.0%) of patients initially treated with fluconazole grew a non-albicans species. Among 265 patients initially treated with fluconazole and with fluconazole AFST results, 28 (10.6%) had a fluconazole-resistant isolate. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of patients with candidemia were initially treated with fluconazole, resulting in potentially inappropriate treatment for those involving non-albicans or fluconazole-resistant species. Reasons for nonadherence to IDSA guidelines should be evaluated, and clinician education is needed.

Changes in treatment of community-onset Clostridioides difficile infection after release of updated guidelines, Atlanta, Georgia, 2018.

Updated Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) guidelines published in 2018 recommend vancomycin as first-line treatment. Of 833 community-onset CDI cases in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia in 2018, over half did not receive first-line treatment, although guideline adherence increased over the year. Second-line treatment was more common in patients treated in ambulatory settings.

Burden of Candidemia in the United States, 2017.

BACKGROUND: Candidemia is a common healthcare-associated bloodstream infection with high morbidity and mortality. There are no current estimates of candidemia burden in the United States (US). METHODS: In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted active population-based surveillance for candidemia through the Emerging Infections Program in 45 counties in 9 states encompassing approximately 17 million persons (5% of the national population). Laboratories serving the catchment area population reported all blood cultures with Candida, and a standard case definition was applied to identify cases that occurred in surveillance area residents. Burden of cases and mortality were estimated by extrapolating surveillance area cases to national numbers using 2017 national census data. RESULTS: We identified 1226 candidemia cases across 9 surveillance sites in 2017. Based on this, we estimated that 22 660 (95% confidence interval [CI], 20 210-25 110) cases of candidemia occurred in the US in 2017. Overall estimated incidence was 7.0 cases per 100 000 persons, with highest rates in adults aged ≥ 65 years (20.1/100 000), males (7.9/100 000), and those of black race (12.3/100 000). An estimated 3380 (95% CI, 1318-5442) deaths occurred within 7 days of a positive Candida blood culture, and 5628 (95% CI, 2465-8791) deaths occurred during the hospitalization with candidemia. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis highlights the substantial burden of candidemia in the US. Because candidemia is only one form of invasive candidiasis, the true burden of invasive infections due to Candida is higher. Ongoing surveillance can support future burden estimates and help assess the impact of prevention interventions.

Severe Pertussis Infections in the United States, 2011-2015.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of pertussis in the United States has increased in recent years. While characteristics of severe pertussis infection have been described in infants, fewer data are available in older children and adults. In this analysis, we characterize pertussis infections in hospitalized patients of all ages. METHODS: Cases of pertussis with cough onset from 1 January 2011 through 31 December 2015 from 7 US Emerging Infections Program Network states were reviewed. Additional information on hospitalized patients was obtained through abstraction of the inpatient medical record. Descriptive and multivariable analyses were conducted to characterize severe pertussis infection and identify potential risk factors. RESULTS: Among 15942 cases of pertussis reported, 515 (3.2%) were hospitalized. Three hospitalized patients died. Infants aged <2 months accounted for 1.6% of all pertussis cases but 29.3% of hospitalizations. Infants aged 2-11 months and adults aged ≥65 years also had high rates of hospitalization. Infants aged <2 months whose mothers received acellular pertussis during the third trimester and children aged 2 months to 11 years who were up to date on pertussis-containing vaccines had a 43%-66% reduced risk of hospitalization. Among adolescents aged 12-20 years, 43.5% had a history of asthma, and among adults aged ≥65 years, 26.8% had a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals at the extreme ends of life may be the most vulnerable to severe pertussis infections, though hospitalization was reported across all age groups. Continued monitoring of severe pertussis infections will be important to help guide prevention, control, and treatment options.

Emergence of Localized Serogroup W Meningococcal Disease in the United States - Georgia, 2006-2016.

Several countries in Europe and Australia are reporting an increasing incidence of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W (NmW) as a consequence of the rapid expansion of a single NmW clone belonging to clonal complex 11 (1-5). Because this clone is reported to be associated with more severe disease, unusual clinical presentations, and a high case fatality ratio (CFR), it is considered a hypervirulent strain (1,6). In the United States, NmW accounts for approximately 5% of meningococcal disease reported each year, and this proportion has remained stable for several years (7). However, localized increases in NmW have been reported, most notably in Florida during 2008-2009 (8). In Georgia, NmW accounted for only 3% of meningococcal disease cases reported during 2006-2013; however, between January 2014 and December 2016, 42% of all reported cases were NmW. Surveillance data from Georgia were analyzed to describe the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of NmW cases, and whole-genome sequencing of NmW isolates was performed for comparison with NmW strains circulating in the United States and worldwide. These data indicate that the U.S. NmW strains might have evolved from the same ancestor as the hypervirulent strain that is circulating globally. Genetic analysis demonstrates that these strains are closely related, which would suggest that genetic variation led to the rise of different strains from the same ancestor. Given the recent global expansion of this potentially hypervirulent NmW lineage, clinicians and public health officials need to remain vigilant in obtaining isolates to monitor changes in circulating strains.

Decline in Pneumococcal Nasopharyngeal Carriage of Vaccine Serotypes After the Introduction of the 13-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Children in Atlanta, Georgia.

BACKGROUND: Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) serotype distribution among nasopharyngeal (NP) carriage isolates changed significantly after the introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7). We evaluated the impact on NP carriage and invasive disease of SP after the introduction of the 13-valent PCV (PCV13) in March 2010. METHODS: NP swabs were collected from children 6-59 months of age in an emergency department from July 2010 to June 2013. After broth enrichment, samples were cultured for SP and isolates were serotyped. Clinical and immunization records were reviewed. Findings during 6 sequential 6-month study periods were compared. Surveillance isolates of invasive disease isolates were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 2048 children were enrolled, and 656 (32%) were SP carriers. Mean age of carriers was 27 months, 54% were males. Carriage was higher among day-care attendees (P < 0.01) and children with respiratory tract illnesses (P < 0.5) and otitis media (P < 0.01). Commonly carried serotypes included 35B (15.2%), 15B/C (14.2%), 19A (9.6%), 11A (8%), 23B (5.6%), 6C (5.3%), 21 (5%), and 15A (5%); 13.9% were PCV13 serotypes. The proportion of children with SP carriage remained stable but the serotype distribution changed during the study period. Among carriers, PCV13 serotypes declined from 29% (36/124) to 3% (3/99; P < 0.0001), predominantly because of decline of serotype 19A from 25.8% (32/124) to 3% (3/99; P < 0.0001); non-PCV13 serotypes (excluding 6C) increased from 68.4% (78/114) to 97% (95/98; P < 0.0001); serotype 35B significantly increased from 8.9% (11/124) to 25.3% (25/99; P < 0.05). Nonsusceptibility to ceftriaxone declined from 22.6% (28/124) to 0% (0/99; P < 0.0001), with a similar decline in penicillin nonsusceptibility. CONCLUSIONS: Introduction of PCV13 for universal infant use was associated with significant reductions in nasopharyngeal carriage of PCV13 serotypes and resistant strains. Carriage of non-PCV13 serotypes increased modestly, particularly serotype 35B. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether nonvaccine pneumococcal serotypes carried in the nasopharynx are associated with significant replacement disease.

On-site availability of Legionella testing in acute care hospitals, United States.

We surveyed 399 US acute care hospitals regarding availability of on-site Legionella testing; 300 (75.2%) did not offer Legionella testing on site. Availability varied according to hospital size and geographic location. On-site access to testing may improve detection of Legionnaires disease and inform patient management and prevention efforts.

Early-onset group B streptococcal disease in the United States: potential for further reduction.

OBJECTIVE: To describe lapses in adherence to group B streptococcus (GBS) prevention guidelines among cases of early-onset GBS disease in term and preterm neonates and to estimate the potential for further reduction in disease burden under current prevention strategies. METHODS: We reviewed labor and delivery and prenatal records of mothers of neonates with early-onset GBS disease (aged younger than 7 days with GBS isolated from a normally sterile site) identified at population-based surveillance sites in 2008-2009. We interviewed prenatal care providers about GBS screening practices and obtained relevant laboratory records. We evaluated the data for errors in prenatal screening, laboratory methods, communication of results, and intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis. Using published data on screening sensitivity and intrapartum prophylaxis effectiveness, we estimated the potential reduction in cases under optimal prevention implementation. RESULTS: Among 309 cases, 179 (57.9%) had one or more implementation errors. The most common error type in term and preterm case-patients was prenatal screening (80 of 222 [36.0%]) and intrapartum prophylaxis (46 of 85 [54.1%]), respectively. We estimated that under optimal implementation, cases of early-onset GBS disease could be reduced by 26-59% with the largest benefit from a single intervention coming from improved use of intrapartum prophylaxis (16% decrease). CONCLUSION: Further reduction of early-onset GBS disease burden is possible under current prevention strategies, particularly with improved implementation of antibiotic prophylaxis. However, even with perfect adherence to recommended practices, the decline in cases may be modest. Therefore, novel prevention approaches such as improved intrapartum assays and vaccines are also needed.

Severe diarrhea caused by cholera toxin-producing vibrio cholerae serogroup O75 infections acquired in the southeastern United States.

BACKGROUND: From 2003 through 2007, Vibrio cholerae serogroup O75 strains possessing the cholera toxin gene were isolated from 6 patients with severe diarrhea, including 3 in Georgia, 2 in Alabama, and 1 in South Carolina. These reports represent the first identification of V. cholerae O75 as a cause of illness in the United States. V. cholerae O75 was isolated from a water sample collected from a pond in Louisiana in 2004. Subsequently, 3 V. cholerae isolates from Louisiana (2 from patients with diarrhea in 2000 and 1 from a water sample collected in 1978) that had been previously reported as serogroup O141 were also discovered to be serogroup O75. RESULTS: All 8 patients who were infected with V. cholerae O75 were adults who became ill after consuming seafood; 2 had eaten raw oysters traced back to the Gulf Coast of the United States. All 10 isolates possessed the cholera toxin gene and were susceptible to 10 antimicrobials. One clinical isolate and 1 environmental (water) isolate had the same pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern; 4 clinical isolates shared a common pulsed-field gel electrophoresis pattern. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of these cases over many years and the concurrent identification of V. cholerae O75 in water from a Gulf Coast state suggest that these strains may survive for long periods in this environment. The patients' exposure histories suggest that infection can be acquired from consumption of raw oysters from the Gulf Coast. Clinicians and public health authorities should be vigilant for the occurrence of new toxigenic serogroups of V. cholerae that are capable of causing severe diarrhea.

Factors associated with seeking medical care and submitting a stool sample in estimating the burden of foodborne illness.

Laboratory-based surveillance is a foundation for public health and is essential for determining the incidence of most foodborne diseases caused by bacterial pathogens; however, reported cases represent a subset of infections in the community. To identify the factors associated with seeking medical care and submitting a stool specimen among persons with acute diarrheal illness, we used multivariate logistic regression to analyze data from two 12- month population-based telephone surveys conducted in the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) from 2000 to 2003. Of 31,082 persons interviewed, 5% reported an acute diarrheal illness in the four weeks prior to the interview; of these, 20% sought medical care. On multivariate analysis, among persons with an acute diarrheal illness, factors associated with seeking medical care included: male sex; age <5 or >or=65 years; household income <25,000 dollars; having health insurance; diarrhea duration >or=3 days; having bloody diarrhea, fever, vomiting, sore throat, or cough. Of those seeking medical care, 19% provided a stool sample. Bloody diarrhea (odds ratio [OR] 3.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-9.51) and diarrhea duration >or=3 days (OR 3.81; 95% CI: 1.50-9.69) were the most important factors associated with submission of a stool specimen. Cases of acute diarrheal illness ascertained through laboratory-based public health surveillance are likely to differ systematically from unreported cases and likely over-represent those with bloody diarrhea and longer diarrhea duration.