The latest CDC numbers show a 5.37% increase of measles cases from week-to-week. In Pennsylvania, the fourth measles-related death was reported in 2026. Additionally, the CDC has made a change in the way it will report deaths.
|Articles|April 25, 2019
These 5 Factors Are Associated with Candida auris Colonization in Nursing Homes
Author(s)Alexandra Ward
Investigators in New York state, which has the largest burden of C auris colonization in the US, used 12 point prevalence surveys at 6 nursing homes to identify 60 cases and 218 controls.
Advertisement
Even before Candida auris made the
New York state has the highest rate of colonization, with more than 500 colonized and infected individuals, most of whom reside in nursing homes and many of whom are mechanically ventilated.
Investigators with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) analyzed the factors that lead to Candida colonization in order to identify opportunities to reduce transmission. Their findings were presented at the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Spring Conference (
From 2016 to 2018, the research team conducted point prevalence surveys for C auris colonization among nursing home residents in New York state. Swabs were collected from residents’ axilla, groin, and nares, and data on facility transfers, antimicrobials, and medical history were extracted from medical records.
The team deployed a matched case-control investigation, where a case was defined as C auris colonization in a resident and then matched with up to 4 residents with negative swabs during the same point prevalence survey.
In total, investigators used 12 point prevalence surveys at 6 nursing homes to identify 60 cases and 218 controls. The team controlled for age, underlying conditions, functional status, and infection with other multidrug-resistant organisms in the 90 days before screening. Investigators determined that the following factors are associated with C auris colonization: having a urinary catheter (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.5; 95% [Confidence Interval] CI: 1.1—5.4), having a tracheostomy (aOR: 8.2; 95% CI: 1.1–58.8), being on a ventilator (aOR: 3.4; CI: 1.2–9.2), receiving meropenem in the prior 90 days (aOR: 2.5; CI: 1.2–5.3), and having ≥1 hospitalization in the prior 6 months (aOR: 4.3; CI: 1.8–10.0).
“Targeted screening of patients with the above risk factors for C auris can help identify those who are colonized and facilitate implementation of infection control measures to prevent transmission,” investigators concluded. “Antibiotic stewardship and interfacility communication may be important factors in the prevention of C auris colonization.”
The study, “Factors associated with Candida auris colonization among residents of nursing homes with ventilator units — New York, 2016 — 2018,” was presented in an oral session on April 24, 2019, at SHEA in Boston, Massachusetts.
Advertisement
Related to this article
A "Clinician Outreach" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in April anticipated an increase in rabies exposures, and the striking surge in case reports this summer prompted a recent health advisory alert from the federal agency.
Reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been on the rise for the past decade, and identifying Legionella bacteria requires specialized testing in the microbiology lab. Here is a clinical overview of Legionella bacteria, including required testing, treatment, and reporting to public health officials.
A retrospective multihospital study found that severe adverse events occurred at similarly low rates with ceftriaxone and other IV cephalosporins suggesting there is no evidence to support avoiding ceftriaxone despite recent health department safety alerts.
The 18-year old resident of the state suffered from acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. Pennsylvania numbers are surging with some of the highest state totals of measles cases in the country.
In its second disease cluster this summer, city officials are cleaning building towers in the South Bronx amidst an ongoing investigation and are rolling out measures to prevent future Legionnaires' cases.
New gyrA testing guides ciprofloxacin use for gonorrhea, cutting ceftriaxone reliance while tackling resistance, access, and FDA hurdles.
16 years after the FDA determined that it does not, a new analysis of trials comparing cefepime with other ß-lactams, including the unpublished industry sponsored trials reviewed by the FDA, disagrees.