Clinical and laboratory features of the most common Clostridium difficile ribotypes isolated in Belgium.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies comparing Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) due to different ribotypes have been conflicting, and many have only compared small numbers of cases or few ribotypes. AIM: To compare patient and episode characteristics for CDI due to different ribotypes. METHODS: The ribotyping results from 3333 toxin-producing isolates collected from 110 Belgian hospitals between October 2010 and December 2015 were matched to clinical data from the national CDI surveillance database. Data for ribotypes with at least 100 occurrences were compared. In addition, the national reference laboratory quantitatively measured the level of toxin production in five randomly chosen cultured isolates for each of the most common ribotypes. FINDINGS: Ribotypes with more than 100 occurrences were R014, R020, R002, R078, R027, R005 and R106 (Brazier classification). The median age for all patients was 79 years [patients with R027, 83 years (P<0.001); patients with R106, 73 years (P<0.001)]. In total, 10% of episodes were recurrences; values were higher for R027 (22%) and R106 (18%). CDI due to R078 was not significantly more likely to be community associated than healthcare associated (28% vs 24%; P=0.1). Complications occurred in 7% of all episodes, and 12% for those with R027 and R078. However, after adjusting for age, onset outside the hospital and recurrence, R027 was no longer associated with complications [odds ratio (OR) 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7-2.4], unlike R078 (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.0-2.6; P=0.04). A positive stool toxin test and greater levels of toxin production in the cultured isolates were more likely for R078 and R027. CONCLUSION: Out of the seven most common ribotypes in hospital patients, R078 and R027 were associated with higher rates of complications. Infections with R027 and R106 were more likely to be recurrent. The presence of toxin in stools was most likely with R078, R027 and R106, with highest levels of toxin production in vitro for R078 and R027. R060 produced the lowest levels of toxin in vitro.

Implementing strategic bundles for infection prevention and management.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are considered to be the most frequent adverse event in healthcare delivery. Active efforts to curb HAI have increased across Europe thanks to the growing emphasis on patient safety and quality of care. Recently, there has been dramatic success in improving the quality of patient care by focusing on the implementation of a group or "bundle" of evidenced-based preventive practices to achieve a better outcome than when implemented individually. The project entitled IMPLEMENT is designed to spread and test knowledge on how to implement strategic bundles for infection prevention and management in a diverse sample of European hospitals. The general goal of this project is to provide evidence on how to decrease the incidence of HAI and to improve antibiotic use under routine conditions.

Nosocomial and non-nosocomial Clostridium difficile infections in hospitalised patients in Belgium: compulsory surveillance data from 2008 to 2010.

Surveillance of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is compulsory in Belgian hospitals. Our objectives were to compare incidence and case characteristics of nosocomial infections (Nc-CDI) with onset of diarrhoea more than two days after hospital admission, with non-nosocomial cases (Nnc-CDI). The database included inpatients from 2008 to 2010. Of 8,351 cases reported by 150 hospitals, 3,102 (37%) were classified as Nnc-CDI and 5,249 (63%) as Nc-CDI. In 2010, the mean incidence per 1,000 admissions was 0.95 for Nc-CDI and 0.56 for Nnc-CDI. Both incidences were relatively stable over the three years, with a slight decrease in 2010 (p<0.01). Onset of symptoms in Nnc- CDI cases took place in the community (57.1%), nursing homes (14.2%) or hospitals (17.5%); data for 11.2%were missing. Nnc-CDI cases were younger than Nc-CDI (median age 75 vs. 79 years, p<0.001), and more likely to be women (62% vs. 57%, p<0.001) and to have pseudomembranous colitis (5.3% vs. 1.6%, p<0.001). In 2009, C. difficile ribotype 027 was found in 32 of 70 reporting hospitals compared with 19 of 69 in 2010 (p<0.03). Although our study population only included hospitalised patients, the results do not support the hypothesis of an increase in the incidence of severe community-associated CDI.

Delays to treatment and out-of-pocket medical expenditure for tuberculosis patients, in an urban area of South America.

Short delays to treatment are important for the control of tuberculosis (TB). National Tuberculosis Programmes provide free diagnosis and treatment for smear-positive patients, so that the patients' out-of-pocket medical expenditure could be almost nil. The factors associated with delays in starting treatment, and the pre-treatment out-of-pocket medical expenditure for TB patients, have now been investigated in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba. Bolivia is the Latin American country with the highest incidence of TB. It is covered by a national TB programme that provides free diagnosis and free treatment for smear-positive patients. Structured interviews with 144 smear-positive patients enrolled in this programme revealed median patient, provider and total delays of 3.6, 6.2 and 12.9 weeks, respectively. The total delays were longer for the female patients than for the male, and for patients who consulted private doctors than for the other patients. When the first healthcare provider was a doctor, the median provider delay was 4.9 weeks in the public sector but 7.2 weeks in the private. The median out-of-pocket medical expenditure per patient, which was U.S.$13.2 overall, was much higher for those who consulted a private doctor than for those who did not (U.S.$21.9 v. U.S.$5.4, respectively; P<0.001). It appears that interventions targeting doctors (in both the private and public sectors) are likely to have a larger impact on the shortening of delays in TB treatment than interventions targeting patients. They could also reduce unnecessary out-of-pocket expenditure.

[Periodontal disease in Belgian adults]. / Prévalence de la maladie parodontale chez les adultes belges.

BACKGROUND: To date, no epidemiological study has been published on the periodontal health of the Belgian population. The aim of this study was to rectify this situation and determine the extent of the problem in Belgium. METHODS: A prevalence survey was carried out in a representative sample of employees of the Catholic University of Louvain. A total of 402 people aged between 35 and 65 were examined. Periodontal suffering was estimated using the CPITN index (WHO), which determines the most affected sextant of a mouth in order to assign a code to the mouth as a whole. At the same time, treatment needs were evaluated. RESULTS: Only one subject was considered healthy, i.e. there was no bleeding of the gums in any part of the mouth. At the same time, 41.4% of the subjects examined exhibited a deep periodontal pocket in at least one sextant of the mouth likely to progress to the loss of the teeth. Many mouths (28.5%), which were free from moderate or deep pockets, had to be scaled and polished or to be treated in order to eliminate other factors which could lead to a build-up of tartar. CONCLUSION: In this study population representative of a socio-economically favored stratum of the Belgian population, we observed a high prevalence of periodontal diseases, grading from mild chronic gingivitis to the deep cavities which are observed when the bone supporting the tooth has been lost. At the same time, we uncovered many needs for periodontal care, ranging from instruction on how to control the dental plaque to specialized periodontal care via careful scaling and polishing.