Journal of Hospital Infection

Hospital-acquired infections are a known and growing problem worldwide. Far-UVC is a novel disinfection method that inactivates bacteria with limited penetration into human skin or eyes. A clustered, unmatched, randomized control trial (RCT) will be implemented in two Bolivian hospitals. The intervention arm will receive functioning Far-UVC lamps, whereas the control arm will receive identical lamps that do not emit UV light (shams). Based on baseline data, 40 lamp fixtures will be installed abo...

BackgroundOutdoor workers are particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of heat, but many studies focus on heat exposure in residential settings only. This leads to a limited understanding of the full mortality burden due to occupational heat exposures. Here, we aimed to improve estimates of the total, short-term mortality burden attributable to outdoor occupational heat exposure in the United States (US). MethodsWe developed a panel data set for 3,108 US counties during 2010-2019 by linki...

IntroductionThe Dutch recommendation on infection prevention and control (IPC) staffing in acute care hospitals from 2007 is outdated due to evolving hospital care, including shorter admissions, more complex and day-care procedures, more vulnerable patients, increasing antimicrobial resistance, and enhanced regulatory demands. Therefore, an updated staffing norm for IPC is needed. MethodsMinimum weekly hours required for IPC activities was determined by Delphi method across three model hospital...

ObjectivesDiagnosis of community-acquired Legionnaires disease (CALD) relies on microbiological testing. Routine testing in hospitalised CAP patients has low positivity rates. We externally validated a Legionella prediction score, assessed its applicability in routine care, and explored potential updates. MethodsWe analysed data from 196 CALD patients from 20 Swiss hospitals and 196 Legionella-negative CAP controls matched by date of diagnosis ({+/-}14 days; August 2022-March 2024). We assessed...

We present findings from the first known pilot study of transatlantic airplane wastewater monitoring, conducted over six months at two connected international airports in the United States and the United Kingdom. This study demonstrates the feasibility of implementing bilateral wastewater-based pathogen surveillance at international travel hubs. We outline the operational and analytical methodologies employed, highlight key challenges encountered in transnational coordination, and provide recomm...

ObjectivesTo provide real-world evidence on piperacillin exposure and outcomes in critically ill patients following the implementation of pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD)-guided dosing in routine care. MethodsThis retrospective observational study included critically ill adults who received continuous piperacillin/tazobactam infusion between 2011 and 2019. Empiric doses were individualized using dosing software based on renal function and subsequently adjusted according to therapeutic ...

Microbial keratitis is a sight-threatening corneal infection with varying etiological agents, primarily bacteria and fungi. Assessing and contrasting the virulence factors of microorganisms isolated from a non-contact lens-associated keratitis (NCLAK) and contact lens-associated keratitis (CLAK) is the goal of the current investigation. Samples were collected from over 60 patients and analysed using standard microbiological techniques, including culture, Gram staining, KOH mount, biochemical tes...

BackgroundHeatwaves are becoming more frequent, intense, and prolonged. High temperat-ures raise mortality and morbidity, particularly in older adults and those with pre-existing conditions. However, it remains unclear whether increases in deaths during hot periods are accompanied by sim-ilar changes in hospital admissions. Understanding the full health burden of heat requires assessing both outcomes under a unified exposure framework. MethodsWe analyzed national hospital data from Austria (200...

IntroductionSequence-based typing (SBT) has been the standard molecular typing method for understanding Legionella pneumophila genetic relationships. However, genome-scale typing approaches, namely core-genome (cg) or whole-genome (wg) multilocus sequence typing (MLST), provide higher discriminatory power. To advance these capabilities, the Legionella International Typing (LIT) workgroup was established to develop, evaluate, and disseminate a novel cgMLST schema with enhanced wgMLST resolution f...

BackgroundWhile veterinary surgeons are known to have particularly high rates of injury compared to other sectors, little is known about rates of injury among veterinary students. This study aims to understand animal-related injury rates, injury context and mechanisms, attitudes to reporting injuries, and behaviour change among UK and Irish veterinary students. MethodsA survey was distributed to students across all veterinary schools operating in the UK and Ireland in 2021. Questions explored p...

ObjectiveTo evaluate the views of physicians in Trinidad and Tobago towards low value care MethodsPhysicians were surveyed using a cross sectional study design. An online questionnaire was disseminated through social media platforms using convenience sampling. A descriptive analysis was performed. ResultsData from 218 physicians were analysed. Most participants worked in internal medicine (n=59, 27.1%) and the majority of participants were junior doctors (n=147, 67.4%). Most participants (n=97...

After the COVID-19 pandemic, wastewater monitoring is increasingly used for infectious disease surveillance. Using the data from a controlled experimental hospital setting, this paper examines the association wastewater SARS-CoV-2 with COVID-19 hospital admission and mortality, and whether this association varies by patients characteristics. Weekly wastewater samples were collected from the University of Miami (UM) hospitals where COVID-19 patients were admitted from February 2020 to October 202...

BackgroundLung cancer compensation systems for occupational exposure to asbestos commonly apply Helsinki criteria, which assume 4% excess lung cancer risk per fibre-year of asbestos exposure. The Probability of Causation (PoC) is [≥]50% at 25 fibre-years (risk doubling threshold). Large case-control studies have suggested steeper exposure-response relations at lower exposures. We aimed to estimate PoC of asbestos-related lung cancer to evaluate exposure thresholds for compensation of lung ca...

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance particularly from extended-spectrum {beta}-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) is a critical global public health threat, contributing significantly to infection-related mortality. The human intestinal tract is a key reservoir for ESBL-PE, and exposure to antibiotics can disrupt the gut microbiota, thereby making it easier for these pathogens to colonize the intestine. Colonized individuals are at risk of developing subsequent infections and can si...

BackgroundHealthcare-associated carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) outbreaks are a major healthcare challenge. Epidemiological studies have identified patient-level risk factors for CPE transmission, and genomic studies have highlighted high-risk lineages or mobile genetic elements (MGEs); however, a unified dissemination risk-prediction framework is lacking. ObjectivesTo synthesise available data on epidemiological, microbiological and genomic risk factors to quantify healthcare-as...

Carbapenem-resistant (CR) bacteria have emerged and been spreading beyond healthcare-associated facilities into the environment. It is recognized that toilet bowl water in patient rooms of healthcare-associated facilities can be one of internal reservoirs of CR bacteria. In accordance with this idea, toilet bowl water samples were collected from patient rooms in a tertiary healthcare-associated facility in North Macedonia, and meropenem (MEM)-resistant bacterial isolates were obtained from the t...

BackgroundPreoperative biliary stenting alters biliary colonization and may reduce the effectiveness of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in pancreatoduodenectomy. Although broader-spectrum regimens have been associated with improved infectious outcomes, their microbiological adequacy in routine clinical practice remains poorly defined. We therefore evaluated the real-world adequacy of a prolonged ampicillin-sulbactam protocol, its association with infectious outcomes and survival, and the po...

From 2021 to 2025, MRSA emerged as a major multidrug-resistant pathogen in the study area. Among 545 S. aureus isolates, 67.2% were MRSA, disproportionately affecting children under five (26.5%) and males (55.5%). Case incidence more than doubled by 2025, suggesting rising transmission or resistance. Most isolates were hospital-associated (85.2%), predominantly from outpatients (88.5%), with middle ear discharge as the main source (67%). Gentamicin showed the highest susceptibility (72.1%), whil...

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most serious threats to global public health, with a disproportionate burden borne by low- and middle-income countries. Rural healthcare settings in India remain under-represented in molecular AMR surveillance despite high antimicrobial use and limited diagnostic capacity. ObjectivesTo describe longitudinal phenotypic and molecular AMR patterns in clinical bacterial isolates from a rural district hospital in Gujarat, India, and to a...

BackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health threat driven significantly by antimicrobial misuse in agriculture, particularly in poultry farming. This study assessed the awareness, knowledge, practices, and associated factors related to antimicrobial resistance among poultry farmers in Osun State, Nigeria. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 289 poultry farmers selected through stratified random sampling across Osun State. The study included actively practic...