{"title":"The changing epidemiology of outbreaks due to <i>Ralstonia spp</i>.: contamination of commercially manufactured injectables and solutions.","authors":"Conrad Izydorczyk, Allison McGeer","doi":"10.1017/ice.2026.10517","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10517","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13663,"journal":{"name":"Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-5"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149069476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Negotiation skills and conflict resolution as core competencies for infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship practitioners: a call to action.","authors":"Anup Warrier, Nimitha Mohan","doi":"10.1017/ice.2026.10547","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10547","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13663,"journal":{"name":"Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-2"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149069434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lisa F Han, Ivis Perez, Kevin W McConeghy, David H Canaday, Elizabeth A Sillman, Clare Nugent, Tiffany Wallace, Laurel Holland, Evan Dickerson, Olajide Olagunju, Debbie Keresztesy, Yasin Abul, Stefan Gravenstein, H Edward Davidson
{"title":"Assessing feasibility of real‑world respiratory virus syndromic surveillance in nursing homes using point‑of‑care molecular testing.","authors":"Lisa F Han, Ivis Perez, Kevin W McConeghy, David H Canaday, Elizabeth A Sillman, Clare Nugent, Tiffany Wallace, Laurel Holland, Evan Dickerson, Olajide Olagunju, Debbie Keresztesy, Yasin Abul, Stefan Gravenstein, H Edward Davidson","doi":"10.1017/ice.2026.10506","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10506","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Respiratory virus surveillance varies widely between nursing homes (NHs) and is shaped by differences in staffing capacity, provider training, diagnostic resources, and facility-level protocols. CLIA-waived, point-of-care molecular testing devices were implemented as routine respiratory virus surveillance in 23 Medicare-certified U.S. NHs to evaluate feasibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":13663,"journal":{"name":"Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-4"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149038464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aline Wolfensberger, Mirjam Faes Hesse, Marc Hany, Claudine Reiber, Anna Müller, Marius Zeeb, Gioele Capoferri, Sabine Kuster, Kai Manuel Adam, Ulrike Schnee-Lach, Laila Elhilali-Keller, Sarah Tschudin-Sutter, Davide Bosetti, Etienne Chalot, Mohamed Abbas, Marie-Céline Zanella, Stephan Harbarth, Jasmin Männer, Fabian Grässli, André Riedel, Domenica Flury, Indrani Sen, Benedikt Wiggli, Danielle Vuichard-Gysin, Walter Zingg
{"title":"Implementation of an adaptable semi-automated nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (nvHAP) surveillance system in Swiss acute care hospitals: a feasibility study - CORRIGENDUM.","authors":"Aline Wolfensberger, Mirjam Faes Hesse, Marc Hany, Claudine Reiber, Anna Müller, Marius Zeeb, Gioele Capoferri, Sabine Kuster, Kai Manuel Adam, Ulrike Schnee-Lach, Laila Elhilali-Keller, Sarah Tschudin-Sutter, Davide Bosetti, Etienne Chalot, Mohamed Abbas, Marie-Céline Zanella, Stephan Harbarth, Jasmin Männer, Fabian Grässli, André Riedel, Domenica Flury, Indrani Sen, Benedikt Wiggli, Danielle Vuichard-Gysin, Walter Zingg","doi":"10.1017/ice.2026.10544","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10544","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13663,"journal":{"name":"Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149038499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Molly E Fleece, Russell L Griffin, Reid M Eagleson, Robert E Nichols, Mary M Duncan, Shiney Isaac, Catina L James, Allyson G Hall, Rachael A Lee
{"title":"Association between social vulnerability and surgical site infection across surgical procedures.","authors":"Molly E Fleece, Russell L Griffin, Reid M Eagleson, Robert E Nichols, Mary M Duncan, Shiney Isaac, Catina L James, Allyson G Hall, Rachael A Lee","doi":"10.1017/ice.2026.10539","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10539","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the association between neighborhood-level social vulnerability and risk of surgical site infection.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Retrospective cohort study from January 1, 2019-December 31, 2024.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Large academic hospital in the Deep South.</p><p><strong>Participants: </strong>Patients undergoing NHSN-defined procedures by CPT coding (coronary artery bypass graft, colon surgery, craniotomy, spinal fusion, hip prosthesis, knee prosthesis, or abdominal hysterectomy) were included. Social vulnerability index (SVI) percentile and themes were defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria and assigned based on residential ZIP code.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The primary outcome was development of SSI. Cox proportional hazards models stratified by SSI surveillance duration (30 or 90 days) were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals, adjusting for demographic, clinical, and procedural characteristics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 40,954 surgeries, 26,067 patients (63.7%) resided in high SVI ZIP codes. The risk of SSI increased across SVI tertiles (low 1.5%, medium 2.2%, high 2.4%). Compared with those in low SVI tertile, SSI risk was higher for patients in the medium-SVI (aHR 1.40, 95% CI 1.03-1.92) and high-SVI tertile (aHR 1.49, 95% CI 1.10-2.01). Higher SVI socioeconomic status was associated with increased SSI risk (aHR 1.33, 95% CI 1.07-1.64) and higher housing and transportation vulnerability was associated with increased deep incisional and organ space SSI.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Higher neighborhood-level SVI was independently associated with increased risk of SSI across a broad surgical population in the South. Incorporating SVI into preoperative risk assessment may allow targeted infection prevention strategies for hospitals to address barriers to care.</p>","PeriodicalId":13663,"journal":{"name":"Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149012318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vered Schechner, Adi Cohen, Ricki Atanov, Elizabeth Temkin, Samira Masarwa, Reut Efrati Epchtien, Alona Keren-Paz, Yehuda Carmeli
{"title":"Risk of carbapenem-resistant <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> infection in patients with a positive screening test for CRAB in post-acute care hospitals.","authors":"Vered Schechner, Adi Cohen, Ricki Atanov, Elizabeth Temkin, Samira Masarwa, Reut Efrati Epchtien, Alona Keren-Paz, Yehuda Carmeli","doi":"10.1017/ice.2026.10535","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10535","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We quantified one-year infection risk with carbapenem-resistant <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i> (CRAB) among CRAB-colonized patients in post-acute care hospitals (PACHs). Among 523 carriers, 9% developed a clinical infection and 1% developed bacteremia. CRAB carriage in PACHs is not only a reservoir for transmission but also a risk to the individual carrier.</p>","PeriodicalId":13663,"journal":{"name":"Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-3"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148919526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael J Durkin, Katheryn Ney, Noah Chodos, Alice Bewley, Priscilla Kabutey, George Turabelidze, M Cristina Vazquez Guillamet, John Sahrmann, Corey Lance, Roger Cole, Sena Sayood, Tracey Habrock-Bach, Kevin Hseuh
{"title":"A Missouri state-wide assessment of antibiotic appropriateness in outpatient treatment of common bacterial and viral infections.","authors":"Michael J Durkin, Katheryn Ney, Noah Chodos, Alice Bewley, Priscilla Kabutey, George Turabelidze, M Cristina Vazquez Guillamet, John Sahrmann, Corey Lance, Roger Cole, Sena Sayood, Tracey Habrock-Bach, Kevin Hseuh","doi":"10.1017/ice.2026.10528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10528","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Approximately 30% of U.S. outpatient antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary. Using 2016-2022 MarketScan data, this study assessed Missouri outpatient prescribing. Among several bacterial infections, 62.4% were inappropriate; antibiotics were prescribed for 18.3% of viral infections. Inappropriate prescribing was higher in rural areas. This method can assess regional condition-specific antibiotic stewardship targets.</p>","PeriodicalId":13663,"journal":{"name":"Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-4"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148906152","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tyler Luu, Ann Fisher, Louise-Marie Dembry, Andrew Chou, Anthony Pellegrino, Duc Nguyen
{"title":"Enhancing urine culture ordering practices through implementation of a urine culture order note at an academic Veterans Affairs medical center.","authors":"Tyler Luu, Ann Fisher, Louise-Marie Dembry, Andrew Chou, Anthony Pellegrino, Duc Nguyen","doi":"10.1017/ice.2026.10533","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10533","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Urine cultures have been ordered inappropriately among many asymptomatic hospitalized patients. This study aimed to assess how a new urine culture order note incorporated into an electronic health record system impacted the number and appropriateness of urine cultures performed.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>A quasi-experimental before-and-after intervention.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>The study was conducted at the Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System (VACTHS) in West Haven, Connecticut.</p><p><strong>Patients: </strong>The study included hospitalized adult patients who had urine cultures performed from January 1<sup>st</sup>, 2023, to October 31<sup>st</sup>, 2024.</p><p><strong>Intervention: </strong>The intervention was the addition of a mandatory urine culture order note that linked to a urine culture order in the electronic health record. The note required providers to choose an indication for ordering a urine culture. The study outcomes were the percentage of appropriateness associated with urine cultures and the number of urine cultures per 100 admissions performed pre- and post-intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Following the initiation of the mandatory urine culture order note, the percentage of appropriateness increased from 20.6% before the intervention to 59.6% after the intervention (<i>P</i> < .01). The average monthly number of urine cultures per 100 admissions performed decreased from 18.6 before the intervention to 10 after the intervention, a significant 46.3% reduction.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The implementation of a mandatory urine culture order note linked to the urine culture order resulted in increased urine culture order appropriateness and a significant decrease in number of orders for urine cultures.</p>","PeriodicalId":13663,"journal":{"name":"Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-6"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148906192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Diane Lee, Jessica J Bartoszko, Cassandra Lybeck, Susy S Hota, Michelle Science, Jennifer Ellison, Dominik Mertz, Stephanie Smith, Daniel J G Thirion, Olivia Varsaneux, Robyn Mitchell
{"title":"Assessing inter-rater agreement within a point prevalence survey of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in Canadian acute care hospitals.","authors":"Diane Lee, Jessica J Bartoszko, Cassandra Lybeck, Susy S Hota, Michelle Science, Jennifer Ellison, Dominik Mertz, Stephanie Smith, Daniel J G Thirion, Olivia Varsaneux, Robyn Mitchell","doi":"10.1017/ice.2026.10531","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10531","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program piloted a study assessing inter-rater agreement among a point prevalence survey (PPS) of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use in acute care hospitals across Canada. Results of this study revealed areas for improvement to be considered in future PPS methodology.</p>","PeriodicalId":13663,"journal":{"name":"Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-4"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148906205","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elizabeth Misas, Dallas Smith, Muhammad Yasir Nawaz, Sophie Jones, Sara McNamara, Heather Blankenship, Lalitha Gade, Meghan Lyman, Arianna Miles-Jay, Nancy A Chow, Anastasia P Litvintseva, Lindsay Alexandra Parnell, Brenda Brennan
{"title":"Epidemiological and genomic investigation of a cluster of two <i>Candida pelliculosa</i> infections associated with steroid joint injections at an outpatient facility, Michigan, 2022.","authors":"Elizabeth Misas, Dallas Smith, Muhammad Yasir Nawaz, Sophie Jones, Sara McNamara, Heather Blankenship, Lalitha Gade, Meghan Lyman, Arianna Miles-Jay, Nancy A Chow, Anastasia P Litvintseva, Lindsay Alexandra Parnell, Brenda Brennan","doi":"10.1017/ice.2026.10438","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2026.10438","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In June 2022 a cluster of two cases of <i>Candida pelliculosa</i> osteoarticular infections was identified among patients who received joint injections at an outpatient facility. Isolate whole-genome sequencing analysis, combined with infection prevention and control observations at the facility suggested a common source of infection, potentially from extrinsically contaminated medication.</p>","PeriodicalId":13663,"journal":{"name":"Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-4"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2026-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148906139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}