By Beth Gilbert HealthDay Reporter
The annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America was held this year from Oct. 16 to 19 in Los Angeles, drawing participants from around the world, including scientists, physicians, and other health care professionals. The conference featured education courses and comprehensive educational programs that focused on the latest advances in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases. The meeting also provided insight into emerging infections, new diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutic interventions.
In one study, Timothy Afable, Pharm.D., of Loma Linda University in California, and colleagues found that patients residing in areas of high social vulnerability face disproportionate socioeconomic obstacles that may affect initial Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) outcomes.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) tool was used to assess how social determinants of health impact initial CDI outcomes, including disease severity and mortality. The researchers observed greater frequencies of severe and fulminant initial CDI and higher all-cause mortality among patients with high SVI scores (≥0.5).
“Worse CDI severity and mortality rates are observed among patients with high vulnerability scores across the four themes included in the CDC SVI tool,” Afable said. “However, racial and ethnic minority status is the strongest predictor of poor CDI outcomes.”
As part of the BALANCE trial, Nick Daneman, M.D., of the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto, and colleagues found that seven days of antibiotic treatment is noninferior to 14 days of antibiotic treatment for patients with bloodstream infections.
The authors compared the safety and efficacy of antibiotic approaches among more than 3,600 patients with bloodstream infections across 74 hospitals in seven countries. The investigators found that patients with bloodstream infections randomly assigned to receive seven days of antibiotic treatment had outcomes comparable to those seen in patients assigned to 14 days of treatment.
“The BALANCE trial results should immediately set the treatment duration paradigm for patients with bloodstream infection around the world,” Daneman said. “The results can be rapidly implemented into clinical practice, and should lead to massive reductions in antimicrobial use globally, which can hopefully translate into reductions in antimicrobial harms and antimicrobial resistance for current and future patients.”
In another study, Joana Dimo, D.O., of Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, and colleagues found that the implementation of electronic health record (EHR) preset treatment orders is a low-cost, highly effective quality improvement intervention that can decrease antibiotic use.
The authors implemented an EHR discharge treatment order that preselected a five-day duration of antibiotics for children 2 years of age and older and created a guideline for the management of ear infections. The investigators found a dramatic 80 percent improvement (from 3 to 83 percent) in prescribing five-day durations of antibiotics for ear infections in children 2 years of age and older with the intervention, without an increase in treatment failures or complications.
“Short durations of antibiotics (five days) are safe and effective, especially in children 2 years of age and older,” Dimo said. “With our intervention of a preselected duration, we were able to effectively cut antibiotic use in half by shortening the duration of antibiotics. This prevented children from being exposed to unnecessary antibiotics and the very common adverse side effects of antibiotics such as diarrhea, vomiting, or rash.”
Elie Saade, M.D., of the University Hospitals of Cleveland, and colleagues found that racial and social disparities are strong determinants of vaccination uptake, with lower vaccination rates observed in areas of higher social vulnerability, particularly among Black populations.
The authors evaluated patients with medically attended acute respiratory infections in the greater Cleveland area from October 2023 to April 2024, utilizing EHR and SVI data. The investigators found that higher neighborhood vulnerability corresponded to lower vaccination rates across the three main vaccines for respiratory virus prevention, with pronounced racial disparities evident. The lowest rates were observed among Black individuals living in areas with greater social vulnerability. Neighborhood factors like socioeconomic status, transportation barriers, and crowded housing, which are reflected in the CDC SVI, significantly influenced vaccination uptake. In addition, there were notable racial disparities seen in vaccination rates, with Black populations consistently having lower coverage compared with White populations.
“African Americans are less likely to receive vaccinations compared to White individuals, even when they live in the same neighborhoods,” Saade said. “There is a higher concentration of African Americans in underprivileged neighborhoods, which exacerbates the existing disparities in vaccination uptake.”
IDSA: Antibiotics for Seven Days Feasible for Patients Hospitalized With Bloodstream Infections
MONDAY, Oct. 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Treating hospitalized patients with bloodstream infections with antibiotics for seven days is noninferior to treating for 14 days, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDWeek), held from Oct. 16 to 19 in Los Angeles.
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IDSA: Vaccination Less Likely With Increasing Social Vulnerability, Black Race
FRIDAY, Oct. 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Vaccination for influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, and respiratory syncytial virus is less likely with an increasing social vulnerability index and Black race, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDWeek), held from Oct. 16 to 19 in Los Angeles.
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IDSA: MVA-BN Vaccine Against Mpox Tolerated, Effective for Teens
THURSDAY, Oct. 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — The Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic vaccine, licensed in the United States to prevent smallpox and mpox, is well tolerated and seems effective in adolescents, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDWeek), held from Oct. 16 to 19 in Los Angeles.
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IDSA: EHR Order Set Reduces Antibiotic Duration in Children With AOM
THURSDAY, Oct. 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Implementation of an electronic health record order set increases compliance with the recommended duration of prescribed antibiotics for children with acute otitis media, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDWeek), held from Oct. 16 to 19 in Los Angeles.
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