Last data update: Dec 02, 2024. (Total: 48272 publications since 2009)
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Understanding community resilience during the drinking water contamination event on Oahu, Hawaii, 2021-2022: a mixed mode approach
Parasram V , Smith AR , Bolduc MLF , Rayman J , Poniatowski A , Mintz N , Jarvis M , Troeschel AN , Miko S , Surasi K , Edge C , Gerhardstein B , Felton D , Orr MF . BMC Public Health 2024 24 (1) 3176 BACKGROUND: A petroleum leak into the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam water system on Oahu, Hawaii in November 2021 contaminated the drinking water of approximately 93,000 users, causing many to relocate for months. Perceptions of health and wellbeing were captured using the Centers for Disease Control/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR) Assessment of Chemical Exposures (ACE) cross-sectional survey in collaboration with the Hawaii Department of Health (HDOH). METHODS: Responses from the ACE online survey of community members, businesses, schools, health care and veterinary care organizations during the contamination event, containing quantitative questions and qualitative information from an open text field, were analyzed. Separately, a qualitative key informant questionnaire was administered to community establishments. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze and identify prominent themes from the ACE open text field and the key informant responses that were triangulated by the quantitative data when the themes aligned. RESULTS: Six major themes of disruption, communication, trust, stress, support, and ongoing needs were identified. Burdensome logistics from obtaining alternate water, negative financial impacts from relocation or losing business, distrust of information, perceived lack of support from response entities and uncertainty of long-term health impact caused significant disruption, stress and mental health. Individuals reported needing water, shelter, and mental health care while establishments wanted financial reimbursement and a resolution. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that environmental disasters have significant disruptive and mental health impacts from stress. Identified themes can inform and improve emergency response and communication strategies and increase trust with community members during and after large chemical exposure events. |
Community health impacts after a jet fuel leak contaminated a drinking water system: Oahu, Hawaii, November 2021
Miko S , Poniatowski AR , Troeschel AN , Felton DJ , Banerji S , Bolduc MLF , Bronstein AC , Cavanaugh AM , Edge C , Gates AL , Jarvis M , Mintz NA , Parasram V , Rayman J , Smith AR , Wagner JC , Gerhardstein BG , Orr MF . J Water Health 2023 21 (7) 956-971 BACKGROUND: In 2021, a large petroleum leak contaminated a water source that supplied drinking water to military and civilians in Oahu, Hawaii. METHODS: We conducted an Assessment of Chemical Exposures (ACE) survey and supplemented that information with complementary data sources: (1) poison center caller records; (2) emergency department visit data; and (3) a key informant questionnaire. RESULTS: Among 2,289 survey participants, 86% reported ≥1 new or worsening symptom, 75% of which lasted ≥30 days, and 37% sought medical care. Most (n = 1,653, 72%) reported new mental health symptoms. Among equally observable symptoms across age groups, proportions of children ≤2 years experiencing vomiting, runny nose, skin rashes, and coughing (33, 46, 56, and 35%, respectively) were higher than other age groups. Poison center calls increased the first 2 weeks after the contamination, while emergency department visits increased in early December 2021. Key informant interviews revealed themes of lack of support, mental health symptoms, and long-term health impact concerns. DISCUSSION: This event led to widespread exposure to petroleum products and negatively affected thousands of people. Follow-up health surveys or interventions should give special consideration to longer-term physical and mental health, especially children due to their unique sensitivity to environmental exposures. |
COVID-19 pandemic-associated changes in overall emergency department visits by age group, race, and ethnicity - United States, January 2019-April 2022
Smith AR , DeVies J , Carey K , Sheppard M , Radhakrishnan L , Njai R , Ajani UA , Soetebier K , Hartnett K , Adjemian J . Am J Emerg Med 2023 69 121-126 BACKGROUND: ED data are an important source of surveillance data for monitoring many conditions of public health concern and are especially useful in describing trends related to new, or unusual public health events. The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in emergency care seeking behavior. We described the trends in all-cause emergency department (ED) visit volumes by race, ethnicity, and age using ED data from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP) during December 30, 2018-April 2, 2022. METHODS: We described total and race, ethnicity, and age group-specific ED visit volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic by comparing quarterly visit volumes during the pandemic period to the relevant quarters in 2019. We quantified the variability of ED visits volumes by calculating the coefficient of variation in mean weekly ED visit volume for each quarter during Q1 2019-Q1 2022. RESULTS: Overall ED visits dropped by 32% during Q2 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, then rebounded to 2019 baseline by Q2 2021. ED visits for all race, ethnicity, and age groups similarly dropped in Q2 2020 and adults of all race and ethnicity groups rebounded to at or above pre-pandemic levels while children remained at or below the pre-pandemic baseline except during Q3 2021. There was larger variation in mean weekly ED visits compared to the respective quarter in 2019 for 6 of 9 quarters during Q1 2020-Q1 2022. CONCLUSIONS: ED utilization fluctuated considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall ED visits returned to within 5% of 2019 baseline during Q2 2021, however, ED visits among children did not return to the 2019 baseline until Q3 2021, then again dropped below the 2019 baseline in Q4 2021. Trends in ED visit volumes were similar among race and ethnicity groups but differed by age group. Monitoring ED data stratified by race, ethnicity and age can help understand healthcare utilization trends and overall burden on the healthcare system as well as facilitate rapid identification and response to public health threats that may disproportionately affect certain populations. |
Trends in Acute Hepatitis of Unspecified Etiology and Adenovirus Stool Testing Results in Children - United States, 2017-2022.
Kambhampati AK , Burke RM , Dietz S , Sheppard M , Almendares O , Baker JM , Cates J , Stein Z , Johns D , Smith AR , Bull-Otterson L , Hofmeister MG , Cobb S , Dale SE , Soetebier KA , Potts CC , Adjemian J , Kite-Powell A , Hartnett KP , Kirking HL , Sugerman D , Parashar UD , Tate JE . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022 71 (24) 797-802 In November 2021, CDC was notified of a cluster of previously healthy children with hepatitis of unknown etiology evaluated at a single U.S. hospital (1). On April 21, 2022, following an investigation of this cluster and reports of similar cases in Europe (2,3), a health advisory* was issued requesting U.S. providers to report pediatric cases(†) of hepatitis of unknown etiology to public health authorities. In the United States and Europe, many of these patients have also received positive adenovirus test results (1,3). Typed specimens have indicated adenovirus type 41, which typically causes gastroenteritis (1,3). Although adenovirus hepatitis has been reported in immunocompromised persons, adenovirus is not a recognized cause of hepatitis in healthy children (4). Because neither acute hepatitis of unknown etiology nor adenovirus type 41 is reportable in the United States, it is unclear whether either has recently increased above historical levels. Data from four sources were analyzed to assess trends in hepatitis-associated emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations, liver transplants, and adenovirus stool testing results among children in the United States. Because of potential changes in health care-seeking behavior during 2020-2021, data from October 2021-March 2022 were compared with a pre-COVID-19 pandemic baseline. These data do not suggest an increase in pediatric hepatitis or adenovirus types 40/41 above baseline levels. Pediatric hepatitis is rare, and the relatively low weekly and monthly counts of associated outcomes limit the ability to interpret small changes in incidence. Ongoing assessment of trends, in addition to enhanced epidemiologic investigations, will help contextualize reported cases of acute hepatitis of unknown etiology in U.S. children. |
Changes and Inequities in Adult Mental Health-Related Emergency Department Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the US.
Anderson KN , Radhakrishnan L , Lane RI , Sheppard M , DeVies J , Azondekon R , Smith AR , Bitsko RH , Hartnett KP , Lopes-Cardozo B , Leeb RT , vanSanten KL , Carey K , Crossen S , Dias TP , Wotiz S , Adjemian J , Rodgers L , Njai R , Thomas C . JAMA Psychiatry 2022 79 (5) 475-485 IMPORTANCE: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected adult mental health (MH), with racial and ethnic minoritized groups disproportionately affected. OBJECTIVE: To examine changes in adult MH-related emergency department (ED) visits into the Delta variant pandemic period and identify changes and inequities in these visits before and during COVID-19 case surges. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This epidemiologic cross-sectional study used National Syndromic Surveillance Program data from US adults aged 18 to 64 years from 1970 to 2352 ED facilities from January 1, 2019, to August 14, 2021. All MH-related ED visits and visits related to 10 disorders (ie, anxiety, depressive, bipolar, schizophrenia spectrum, trauma- and stressor-related, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, disruptive behavioral and impulse, obsessive-compulsive, eating, and tic disorders) were identified. EXPOSURES: The following periods of MH-related ED visits were compared: (1) high Delta variant circulation (July 18-August 14, 2021) with a pre-Delta period (April 18-May 15, 2021), (2) after a COVID-19 case peak (February 14-March 13, 2021) with during a peak (December 27, 2020-January 23, 2021), and (3) the Delta period and the period after a COVID-19 case peak with the respective corresponding weeks during the prepandemic period. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: ED visits for 10 mental disorders and all MH-related visits. RESULTS: This cross-sectional study included 107761319 ED visits among adults aged 18 to 64 years (59870475 [56%] women) from January 1, 2019, to August 14, 2021. There was stability in most MH-related ED visit counts between the Delta and pre-Delta periods (percentage change, -1.4% to -7.5%), except for eating disorders (-11.9%) and tic disorders (-19.8%) and after a COVID-19 case peak compared with during a peak (0.6%-7.4%). Most MH-related ED visit counts declined in the Delta period relative to the prepandemic period (-6.4% to -30.7%); there were fluctuations by disorder when comparing after a COVID-19 case peak with the corresponding prepandemic period (-15.4% to 11.3%). Accounting for ED visit volume, MH-related ED visits were a smaller proportion of visits in the Delta period compared with the pre-Delta period (visit ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.85-0.86) and prepandemic period (visit ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.79-0.80). After a COVID-19 case peak, MH-related ED visits were a larger proportion of ED visits compared with during a peak (visit ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03-1.04) and the corresponding prepandemic period (visit ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.11-1.12). Of the 2510744 ED visits included in the race and ethnicity analysis, 24592 (1%) were American Indian or Alaska Native persons, 33697 (1%) were Asian persons, 494198 (20%) were Black persons, 389740 (16%) were Hispanic persons, 5000 (0.2%) were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander persons, and 1172683 (47%) were White persons. There was between- and within-group variation in ED visits by race and ethnicity and increases in selected disorders after COVID-19 peaks for adults aged 18 to 24 years. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Results of this cross-sectional study suggest that EDs may have increases in MH-related visits after COVID-19 surges, specifically for young adults and individual racial and ethnic minoritized subpopulations. Public health practitioners should consider subpopulation-specific messaging and programmatic strategies that address differences in MH needs, particularly for those historically marginalized. |
Pediatric Emergency Department Visits Associated with Mental Health Conditions Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, January 2019-January 2022.
Radhakrishnan L , Leeb RT , Bitsko RH , Carey K , Gates A , Holland KM , Hartnett KP , Kite-Powell A , DeVies J , Smith AR , van Santen KL , Crossen S , Sheppard M , Wotiz S , Lane RI , Njai R , Johnson AG , Winn A , Kirking HL , Rodgers L , Thomas CW , Soetebier K , Adjemian J , Anderson KN . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022 71 (8) 319-324 In 2021, a national emergency* for children's mental health was declared by several pediatric health organizations, and the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory(†) on mental health among youths. These actions resulted from ongoing concerns about children's mental health in the United States, which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic (1,2). During March-October 2020, among all emergency department (ED) visits, the proportion of mental health-related visits increased by 24% among U.S. children aged 5-11 years and 31% among adolescents aged 12-17 years, compared with 2019 (2). CDC examined changes in U.S. pediatric ED visits for overall mental health conditions (MHCs) and ED visits associated with specific MHCs (depression; anxiety; disruptive behavioral and impulse-control disorders; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; trauma and stressor-related disorders; bipolar disorders; eating disorders; tic disorders; and obsessive-compulsive disorders [OCD]) during 2019 through January 2022 among children and adolescents aged 0-17 years, overall and by sex and age. After declines in weekly visits associated with MHCs among those aged 0-17 years during 2020, weekly numbers of ED visits for MHCs overall and for specific MHCs varied by age and sex during 2021 and January 2022, when compared with corresponding weeks in 2019. Among adolescent females aged 12-17 years, weekly visits increased for two of nine MHCs during 2020 (eating disorders and tic disorders), for four of nine MHCs during 2021 (depression, eating disorders, tic disorders, and OCD), and for five of nine MHCs during January 2022 (anxiety, trauma and stressor-related disorders, eating disorders, tic disorders, and OCD), and overall MHC visits during January 2022, compared with 2019. Early identification and expanded evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies are critical to improving children's and adolescents' mental health (1-3), especially among adolescent females, who might have increased need. |
Pediatric Emergency Department Visits Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic - United States, January 2019-January 2022.
Radhakrishnan L , Carey K , Hartnett KP , Kite-Powell A , Zwald M , Anderson KN , Leeb RT , Holland KM , Gates A , DeVies J , Smith AR , van Santen KL , Crossen S , Sheppard M , Wotiz S , Johnson AG , Winn A , Kirking HL , Lane RI , Njai R , Rodgers L , Thomas CW , Soetebier K , Adjemian J . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2022 71 (8) 313-318 Emergency departments (EDs) in the United States remain a frontline resource for pediatric health care emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, patterns of health-seeking behavior have changed during the pandemic (1,2). CDC examined changes in U.S. ED visit trends to assess the continued impact of the pandemic on visits among children and adolescents aged 0-17 years (pediatric ED visits). Compared with 2019, pediatric ED visits declined by 51% during 2020, 22% during 2021, and 23% during January 2022. Although visits for non-COVID-19 respiratory illnesses mostly declined, the proportion of visits for some respiratory conditions increased during January 2022 compared with 2019. Weekly number and proportion of ED visits increased for certain types of injuries (e.g., drug poisonings, self-harm, and firearm injuries) and some chronic diseases, with variation by pandemic year and age group. Visits related to behavioral concerns increased across pandemic years, particularly among older children and adolescents. Health care providers and families should remain vigilant for potential indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including health conditions resulting from delayed care, and increasing emotional distress and behavioral health concerns among children and adolescents. |
Extensively Drug-Resistant Carbapenemase-Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Medical Tourism from the United States to Mexico, 2018-2019.
Kracalik I , Ham DC , McAllister G , Smith AR , Vowles M , Kauber K , Zambrano M , Rodriguez G , Garner K , Chorbi K , Cassidy PM , McBee S , Stoney RJ , Moser K , Villarino ME , Zazueta OE , Bhatnagar A , Sula E , Stanton RA , Brown AC , Halpin AL , Epstein L , Walters MS . Emerg Infect Dis 2022 28 (1) 51-61 Carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) producing the Verona integron‒encoded metallo-β-lactamase (VIM) are highly antimicrobial drug-resistant pathogens that are uncommon in the United States. We investigated the source of VIM-CRPA among US medical tourists who underwent bariatric surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. Cases were defined as isolation of VIM-CRPA or CRPA from a patient who had an elective invasive medical procedure in Mexico during January 2018‒December 2019 and within 45 days before specimen collection. Whole-genome sequencing of isolates was performed. Thirty-eight case-patients were identified in 18 states; 31 were operated on by surgeon 1, most frequently at facility A (27/31 patients). Whole-genome sequencing identified isolates linked to surgeon 1 were closely related and distinct from isolates linked to other surgeons in Tijuana. Facility A closed in March 2019. US patients and providers should acknowledge the risk for colonization or infection after medical tourism with highly drug-resistant pathogens uncommon in the United States. |
Emergency Department Visits for COVID-19 by Race and Ethnicity - 13 States, October-December 2020.
Smith AR , DeVies J , Caruso E , Radhakrishnan L , Sheppard M , Stein Z , Calanan RM , Hartnett KP , Kite-Powell A , Rodgers L , Adjemian J . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021 70 (15) 566-569 Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic), non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black), and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN) persons have experienced disproportionately higher rates of hospitalization and death attributable to COVID-19 than have non-Hispanic White (White) persons (1-4). Emergency care data offer insight into COVID-19 incidence; however, differences in use of emergency department (ED) services for COVID-19 by racial and ethnic groups are not well understood. These data, most of which are recorded within 24 hours of the visit, might be an early indicator of changing patterns in disparities. Using ED visit data from 13 states obtained from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program (NSSP), CDC assessed the number of ED visits with a COVID-19 discharge diagnosis code per 100,000 population during October-December 2020 by age and race/ethnicity. Among 5,794,050 total ED visits during this period, 282,220 (4.9%) were for COVID-19. Racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 ED visit rates were observed across age groups. Compared with White persons, Hispanic, AI/AN, and Black persons had significantly more COVID-19-related ED visits overall (rate ratio [RR] range = 1.39-1.77) and in all age groups through age 74 years; compared with White persons aged ≥75 years, Hispanic and AI/AN persons also had more COVID-19-related ED visits (RR = 1.91 and 1.22, respectively). These differences in ED visit rates suggest ongoing racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 incidence and can be used to prioritize prevention resources, including COVID-19 vaccination, to reach disproportionately affected communities and reduce the need for emergency care for COVID-19. |
Low SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in Elementary Schools - Salt Lake County, Utah, December 3, 2020-January 31, 2021.
Hershow RB , Wu K , Lewis NM , Milne AT , Currie D , Smith AR , Lloyd S , Orleans B , Young EL , Freeman B , Schwartz N , Bryant B , Espinosa C , Nakazawa Y , Garza E , Almendares O , Abara WE , Ehlman DC , Waters K , Hill M , Risk I , Oakeson K , Tate JE , Kirking HL , Dunn A , Vallabhaneni S , Hersh AL , Chu VT . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2021 70 (12) 442-448 School closures affected more than 55 million students across the United States when implemented as a strategy to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (1). Reopening schools requires balancing the risks for SARS-CoV-2 infection to students and staff members against the benefits of in-person learning (2). During December 3, 2020-January 31, 2021, CDC investigated SARS-CoV-2 transmission in 20 elementary schools (kindergarten through grade 6) that had reopened in Salt Lake County, Utah. The 7-day cumulative number of new COVID-19 cases in Salt Lake County during this time ranged from 290 to 670 cases per 100,000 persons.(†) Susceptible(§) school contacts(¶) (students and staff members exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in school) of 51 index patients** (40 students and 11 staff members) were offered SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing. Among 1,041 susceptible school contacts, 735 (70.6%) were tested, and five of 12 cases identified were classified as school-associated; the secondary attack rate among tested susceptible school contacts was 0.7%. Mask use among students was high (86%), and the median distance between students' seats in classrooms was 3 ft. Despite high community incidence and an inability to maintain ≥6 ft of distance between students at all times, SARS-CoV-2 transmission was low in these elementary schools. The results from this investigation add to the increasing evidence that in-person learning can be achieved with minimal SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk when multiple measures to prevent transmission are implemented (3,4). |
Infection control response to an outbreak of OXA-23 carbapenemase-producing carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a skilled nursing facility in Utah.
Smith AR , Vowles M , Horth RZ , Smith L , Rider L , Wagner JM , Sangster A , Young EL , Schuckel H , Stewart J , Gruninger RJ , Rossi A , Oakeson KF , Nakashima AK . Am J Infect Control 2020 49 (6) 792-799 BACKGROUND: Antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter spp. are a growing public health threat, yet are not nationally notifiable, and most states do not mandate reporting. Additionally, there are no standardized methods to detect Acinetobacter spp. colonization. METHODS: An outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) was identified at a Utah skilled nursing facility with a ventilator unit (vSNF). An investigation was conducted to identify transmission modes in order to control spread of CRAB. Culture-based methods were used to identify patient colonization and environmental contamination in the facility. RESULTS: Of the 47 patients screened, OXA-23-producing CRAB were detected in 10 patients (21%), with 7 patients (15%) having been transferred from out-of-state facilities. Of patients who screened positive, 60% did not exhibit any signs or symptoms of active infection by chart review. A total of 38 environmental samples were collected and CRAB was recovered from 37% of those samples. Whole genome sequencing analyses of patient and environmental isolates suggested repeated CRAB introduction into the facility and highlighted the role of shared equipment in transmission. CONCLUSION: The investigation demonstrated this vSNF was an important reservoir for CRAB in the community and highlights the need for improved surveillance, strengthened infection control and inter-facility communication within and across states. |
Recent Increase in COVID-19 Cases Reported Among Adults Aged 18-22 Years - United States, May 31-September 5, 2020.
Salvatore PP , Sula E , Coyle JP , Caruso E , Smith AR , Levine RS , Baack BN , Mir R , Lockhart ER , Tiwari TSP , Dee DL , Boehmer TK , Jackson BR , Bhattarai A . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020 69 (39) 1419-1424 Although children and young adults are reportedly at lower risk for severe disease and death from infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), than are persons in other age groups (1), younger persons can experience infection and subsequently transmit infection to those at higher risk for severe illness (2-4). Although at lower risk for severe disease, some young adults experience serious illness, and asymptomatic or mild cases can result in sequelae such as myocardial inflammation (5). In the United States, approximately 45% of persons aged 18-22 years were enrolled in colleges and universities in 2019 (6). As these institutions reopen, opportunities for infection increase; therefore, mitigation efforts and monitoring reports of COVID-19 cases among young adults are important. During August 2-September 5, weekly incidence of COVID-19 among persons aged 18-22 years rose by 55.1% nationally; across U.S. Census regions,* increases were greatest in the Northeast, where incidence increased 144.0%, and Midwest, where incidence increased 123.4%. During the same period, changes in testing volume for SARS-CoV-2 in this age group ranged from a 6.2% decline in the West to a 170.6% increase in the Northeast. In addition, the proportion of cases in this age group among non-Hispanic White (White) persons increased from 33.8% to 77.3% during May 31-September 5. Mitigation and preventive measures targeted to young adults can likely reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission among their contacts and communities. As colleges and universities resume operations, taking steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among young adults is critical (7). |
Sepsis Attributed to Bacterial Contamination of Platelets Associated with a Potential Common Source - Multiple States, 2018.
Jones SA , Jones JM , Leung V , Nakashima AK , Oakeson KF , Smith AR , Hunter R , Kim JJ , Cumming M , McHale E , Young PP , Fridey JL , Kelley WE , Stramer SL , Wagner SJ , West FB , Herron R , Snyder E , Hendrickson JE , Peaper DR , Gundlapalli AV , Langelier C , Miller S , Nambiar A , Moayeri M , Kamm J , Moulton-Meissner H , Annambhotla P , Gable P , McAllister GA , Breaker E , Sula E , Halpin AL , Basavaraju SV . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019 68 (23) 519-523 During May-October 2018, four patients from three states experienced sepsis after transfusion of apheresis platelets contaminated with Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex (ACBC) and Staphylococcus saprophyticus; one patient died. ACBC isolates from patients' blood, transfused platelet residuals, and two environmental samples were closely related by whole genome sequencing. S. saprophyticus isolates from two patients' blood, three transfused platelet residuals, and one hospital environmental sample formed two whole genome sequencing clusters. This whole genome sequencing analysis indicated a potential common source of bacterial contamination; investigation into the contamination source continues. All platelet donations were collected using apheresis cell separator machines and collection sets from the same manufacturer; two of three collection sets were from the same lot. One implicated platelet unit had been treated with pathogen-inactivation technology, and two had tested negative with a rapid bacterial detection device after negative primary culture. Because platelets are usually stored at room temperature, bacteria in contaminated platelet units can proliferate to clinically relevant levels by the time of transfusion. Clinicians should monitor for sepsis after platelet transfusions even after implementation of bacterial contamination mitigation strategies. Recognizing adverse transfusion reactions and reporting to the platelet supplier and hemovigilance systems is crucial for public health practitioners to detect and prevent sepsis associated with contaminated platelets. |
Notes from the Field: Verona integron-encoded metallo-beta-lactamase-producing carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in U.S. residents associated with invasive medical procedures in Mexico, 2015-2018
Kracalik I , Ham C , Smith AR , Vowles M , Kauber K , Zambrano M , Rodriguez G , Garner K , Chorbi K , Cassidy PM , McBee S , Stoney R , Brown AC , Moser K , Villarino ME , Walters MS . MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019 68 (20) 463-464 Verona integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase–producing carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VIM-CRPA) and other carbapenemase-producing organisms represent an emerging U.S. public health threat because of high levels of antibiotic resistance and the potential for rapid spread in health care facilities (1,2). During September 18–November 19, 2018, CDC received 31 reports of VIM-CRPA through the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network. Six cases (19%) occurred in U.S. patients who had recently undergone invasive medical procedures in Mexico. To identify additional cases (defined as isolation of VIM-CRPA from a patient who had an invasive procedure in Mexico in the month preceding specimen collection), CDC and state partners posted an Epi-X alert on November 19, 2018, and issued notifications through the Emerging Infections Network and to medical professional societies. As of January 18, 2019, a total of 12 cases had been identified in seven states, including four in Utah, three in Washington, and one each in Arizona, Arkansas, Oregon, Texas, and West Virginia; specimen collection months ranged from November 2015 through December 2018 (Figure). |
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