Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology

NEW in ICHE: Decrease in healthcare-associated infection rates in preterm infants

15 year surveillance in Germany
Sepsis, pneumonia, enterocolitis all decreased

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

New in ICHE: Not everyone is "special" 🦠

Free text overrides in UA driven reflex urine culture protocols are frequently misused
▶️ 97% (816/839) of "other" indications inappropriate & 83% cultures were avoidable
▶️Removing the option: low-risk, high-yield

#IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10419

NEW in ICHE: Exploring AI-assisted cameras to assess use of contact precautions

AI-assisted camera technology able to detect HCP entry into a 'red-zone' around patient with sensitivity up to 0.98, specificity of 0.84

Next steps in use for gloves/gowns

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

NEW: MDRO control practices - a @sheaepi.bsky.social research network survey

60 facilities responded
➡️ 70% perform active surveillance
➡️ 16% preemptive contact precautions
➡️ Barriers identified: training > private rooms > lack of evidence based strategies

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

NEW in ICHE: modeling the impact of pathogen reduction on CRE BSIs and deaths in US

▶️ Used multiple healthcare facility types
▶️ Reduction of 69-75% of CRE BSIs if used in LTACH/vSNFs
▶️ 90% averted BSIs would have been in Pts w/o agent

#IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

NEW in ICHE: Local public health response to first Candida auris outbreak spanning 28 healthcare facilities

10 months in Arizona
▶️ 39 clinical cases
▶️ 17.6% (158/899) contacts colonized with C. auris
▶️ 9.5% (15/158) developed infection

#IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

New in ICHE: 4-year pseudo-outbreak of NTM

Increase of M. mucogenicum in BAL (6.1% ▶️ 18.6%)
--Non-sterile ice baths contaminated samples
--No true infections
--458 hours of FTEs
--$88,426 of laboratory costs

#IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

New episode of The ICHE Podcast! Dr. Barbara Jones and Dr. Sheryl Kluberg discuss their recent publications that evaluate the impact of oral care and in-hospital mobility on non–ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia.

Listen here: on.soundcloud.com/E8RR2No5ZT4u...

🆕 New in ICHE: Can we predict MDRO carriers on admission?

A model using prior healthcare exposures (SNF, LTACH) had varying performance:
▶️ AUC = 0.76-0.82 for HAI-associated pathogens
▶️ AUC = 0.59, 0.61 for community-based pathogens

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

🆕 New in ICHE: Can LLMs help identify cardiovascular implantable device infxs?

Researchers used LLM to review EMR notes & flag likely cases across 3 VA hospitals
▶️ High agreement w/ expert review
▶️ Manual adjudication still needed

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

Did you know you may be able to publish open access at no cost in SHEA’s journals?

Check whether your institution has an open access publishing agreement with Cambridge using the eligibility checker: www.cambridge.org/core/eligibi...

NEW in ICHE: An interdisciplinary infectious disease support team with longitudinal process interventions is associated with lower 28-day mortality in bacteremia #IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

New in ICHE: Clinical utility of serial plasma cell-free DNA metagenomic next-generation sequencing assays

▶️ Authors find that only 5/173 cases of serial plasma metagenomic next-generation sequencing had significant clinical impact

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

New in ICHE: Optimizing facility-specific urinary weighted-incidence syndromic antibiograms for nursing homes

🦠 5097 urine cultures from 59 nursing homes
➡️2 years weighted-incidence syndromic antibiogram (WISCA) = valid antibiogram

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

NEW in ICHE: Trends of bloodstream infection incidence rates among patients on outpatient hemodialysis, NHSN, 2012–2021

⏫ facilities reporting

BSI Rates:
2012-2020 ⏬ 8.9%
2020-2021 ❌ no change

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

New in ICHE: Risk factors for progression from Clostridioides difficile colonization (NAAT+/toxin–) to infection (toxin+) following symptomatic retesting

High-risk antibiotics aOR 2.70 for CDI

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

New in ICHE: Healthcare worker long-sleeved attire contamination: a prospective observational study

280 samples:
▶️ 81.1% (n = 227) any bacterial growth
▶️ 20.7% (n = 58) ≥1 potential pathogen

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

New from @jonathanrydermd.bsky.social et al:

Are SEP-1 and blood culture stewardship at odds? Retrospective review of SEP-1 failures pre- and during a blood culture bottle shortage

BCs avoided without patient harm!

#IDSky @kcawcutt.bsky.social

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

Excited to share our latest publication about SEP-1 metrics during the BCx shortage in the setting of enhanced BCx stewardship efforts

@kcawcutt.bsky.social @ichejournal.bsky.social #IDSky

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

New in ICHE: Racial disparities in antibiotic selection for community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized patients

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

NEW in ICHE:

Authors used a propensity-matched cohort to evaluate intermittent vs. continuous cefazolin for SSI prevention in cardiac/neuro procedures🧠❤️

▶️ While non-significant differences, 0% SSI rate among cardiac surgeries + continuous infusion

#IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

NEW in ICHE: Investigation & control of an outbreak of MSSA SSTIs in a NICU

▶️ 16 MMSA infxs in 3 weeks + 31 colonizations
▶️ Multiple ST clusters <10 SNPs
▶️ Educational interventions
▶️ Suspect respiratory devises or adhesives

#IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

Our new paper out: AI boosted our genomic surveillance investigations by finding 37 missed transmission routes and reaching >90% sensitivity in key scenarios.

AI + WGS can speed outbreak reviews and help IP teams act faster #IDSky

Genomic surveillance is a key must!

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

cc @jlsalinas.bsky.social

New in ICHE from @grod11.bsky.social et al: Using secure AI agents integrated within the EMR for the evaluation of blood culture appropriateness

LLM agents showed:
▶️ High sensitivity (77.4%)
▶️ Low specificity (36.1%)
▶️ framing, sycophancy, & semantic cues vital

#IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

🆕 New in ICHE: Can we make VRE screening more efficient?

Authors found:
▶️ VRE+ patients had recent high-risk antibiotic exposure
▶️ Using abx-guided screening = avoided 50% of tests
▶️ VRE+ rate = 5.6% w/ targeted vs 2.6% overall
▶️ Maintained 100% NPV

#IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

NEW in ICHE: Environmental and human health impact of contact precautions

In LA County, contact precautions for MRSA/VRE:

▶️ Use 7.3 million gowns annually
▶️ Generate 506 tons of plastic waste
▶️ 1.73 million kgs of CO2 equivalents
= -4.07 DALYs

#IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

NEW in ICHE by @pamipenem.bsky.social and others:

Interprofessional Education (IPE) in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC): a helpful way to increase learner's confidence in IPC skills and acknowledge that teamwork does make the dream work

#IDSky

📃: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

🆕 New in ICHE: Genomic epidemiology of HAI respiratory viruses in Pittsburgh, 2018–2020

🧬 WGS of 436 healthcare-associated respiratory virus infections:

• 14 clusters ▶️ 36 patients
• Clusters often in a single unit
• Avg cluster duration 16 days (range 0-55)

#IDSky

📄: doi.org/10.1017/ice....

New multisociety guidance from SHEA, APIC, IDSA, PALTmed & AGS offers an updated framework for infection prevention in nursing homes—balancing safety with a homelike environment.

Read in ICHE: bit.ly/47vOSCV