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Background Previous viral pandemics have shown that secondary bacterial infections result in higher morbidity and mortality, with Staphylococcus aureus as the primary causative pathogen. The impact of secondary S. aureus bacteremia on mortality in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 remains unknown. Methods This was a retrospective, observational case series of patients with COVID-19 disease who developed secondary S. aureus bacteremia across two New York City hospitals. The primary endpoint was to describe 14-day and 30-day hospital mortality rates of patients infected with COVID-19 and S. aureus bacteremia. Secondary endpoints included predictors of 14-day and 30-day hospital mortality in patients infected with COVID-19 and S. aureus bacteremia. Results A total of 42 hospitalized patients for COVID-19 with secondary S. aureus bacteremia were identified. Of these patients, 23 (54.8 %) and 28 (66.7%) died at 14 days and 30 days, respectively, from their first positive blood culture. Multivariate analysis identified hospital-onset bacteremia (≥4 days from date of admission) and age as significant predictors of 14-day hospital mortality, and Pitt bacteremia score as a significant predictor of 30-day hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 11.9 [95% confidence interval [CI] 2.03-114.7], p=0.01; (OR 1.10 [95% CI 1.03-1.20], p=0.02); and (OR 1.56 [95% CI 1.19-2.18], p=0.003), respectively. Conclusions Bacteremia with S. aureus is associated with high mortality rates in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 infection. Further investigation is warranted to understand the impact of COVID-19 and secondary S. aureus bacteremia.

We sought to determine the risk of acquired rifamycin resistant (ARR) tuberculosis associated with rifampin- versus rifabutin-based directly observed therapy and to assess the risk factors for relapse of tuberculosis. This observational cohort study included patients with culture-confirmed rifamycin-susceptible tuberculosis reported to the Baltimore City Health Department (Baltimore, MD) during the period of January 1993 through December 2001. Of the 407 patients, 108 (27%) were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive, 161 (40%) were HIV seronegative, and 138 (34%) had an unknown serostatus. Three (2.8%) of 108 HIV-seropositive persons had ARR tuberculosis, compared with 0 of 299 persons with negative or unknown HIV serostatus (P=.02). Among HIV-seropositive patients, 3 (3.7%) of 81 who were treated with rifampin and 0 of 27 who were treated with rifabutin had ARR tuberculosis (P=.57). Among HIV-seropositive patients, the only risk factor for recurrent tuberculosis was a low median initial CD4+ T lymphocyte count (51 vs. 138 cells/mm3; P=.02). The median CD4+ T lymphocyte count among patients with ARR tuberculosis was 51 cells/mm3. ARR tuberculosis can occur with rifampin-based regimens, but in this study, the risk was not significantly higher than that for a rifabutin-based regimen.

Most infections by genus Bartonella in immunocompromised patients are caused by B. henselae and B. quintana. Unlike immunocompetent hosts who usually develop milder diseases such as cat scratch disease and trench fever, immunocompromised patients, including those living with HIV/AIDS and posttransplant patients, are more likely to develop different and severe life-threatening disease. This paper will discuss Bartonella's manifestations in immunosuppressed patients and will examine Bartonella's interaction with the immune system including its mechanisms of establishing infection and immune escape. Gaps in current understanding of the immunology of Bartonella infection in immunocompromised hosts will be highlighted.

Background Candidemia is a rare but serious complication of SARS-CoV-2 hospitalization. Combining non-culture and culture-based diagnostics allows earlier identification of candidemia. Given higher reported incidence during COVID-19 surges, we investigated the use of (1-3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) assay at our institution in those who did and did not develop candidemia. Methods Retrospective study of adults admitted to The Mount Sinai Hospital between March 15-June 30 2020 for SARS-CoV-2 infection, with either ≥1 BDG assay or positive fungal blood culture. Data was collected with the electronic medical record and Vigilanz. A BDG value ≥ 80 was used as a positivity cutoff. Differences in mortality were assessed by univariate logistic regression using R (version 4.0.0). Statistical significance was measured by P value < .05. Results There were 75 patients with ≥1 BDG assay resulted and 28 patients with candidemia, with an overlap of 9 between the cohorts. Among the 75 who had BDG assay, 23 resulted positive and 52 negative. Nine of 75 patients developed candidemia. Of the 23 with a positive assay, 5 developed candidemia and 18 did not. Seventeen of the 18 had blood cultures drawn within 7 days +/- of BDG assay. Four patients with candidemia had persistently negative BDG; 2 had cultures collected within 7 days +/- of BDG assay. With a cut-off of >80, the negative predictive value (NPV) was 0.92. When the cut-off increased to >200, NPV was 0.97 and positive predictive value (PPV) was 0.42. Average antifungal days in patients with negative BDG was 2.6 vs. 4.2 in those with a positive. Mortality was 74% in those with ≥1 positive BDG vs. 50% in those with persistently negative BDGs. There was a trend towards higher odds of death in those with positive BDG (OR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.00-8.90, p < 0.06). Conclusion There was substantial use of BDG to diagnose candidemia at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blood cultures were often drawn at time of suspected candidemia but not routinely. When cultures and BDG were drawn together, BDG had a high NPV but low PPV. High NPV of BDG likely contributed to discontinuation of empiric antifungals. The candidemic COVID-19 patients had high mortality, so further investigation of algorithms for the timely diagnosis of candidemia are needed to optimize use of antifungals while improving mortality rates. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

BackgroundCarbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is a Gram-negative bacteria and is considered one of the major challenges in healthcare worldwide. CRE has a high mortality rate, and the majority produce carbapenemase enzymes, which can be easily spread to other bacteria and patients. An inner-city hospital had a substantial decrease in CRE associated infections/colonization after the implementation of a multi-disciplinary process championed by hospital leadership and Infection Prevention (IP).MethodsA quasi-experimental study of patients with hospital-onset CRE-positive cultures over Thirty-eight months was conducted. The pre-intervention period was from January 2015 to July 2016 and the post intervention period was from August 2016 to February 2018. The intervention comprised of a CRE prevention and control (CPC) bundle. The bundle comprised of hand hygiene, strict contact precautions, appropriate surveillance cultures and the cleaning of a patient’s environment and equipment with bleach. Hospital leadership implemented the CPC bundle during daily huddles with IP and department leaders with real-time identification and resolution of any barriers. The diligence of cleaning and disinfection was monitored using a transparent, easily cleanable and environmentally stable solution that fluoresces when exposed to UV light. The solution was used to mark standardized high touch surfaces and shared equipment in CRE patient rooms prior to terminal cleaning. These surfaces were evaluated with a UV light and used as an opportunity to educate staff on common cleaning oversight.ResultsPrior to implementation of the CPC bundle, there were 24 cases of CRE with a baseline rate of 2.40. After introducing the CPC bundle, there were 8 cases of CRE with a rate of 0.83 (P = 0.006). The CPC bundle was associated with a reduction in CRE cases by 67%.ConclusionA hospital-wide approach between multiple departments is critical for the success of CRE prevention and control. This study provides further evidence that a multi-faceted approach to monitoring compliance with the CPC bundle can help reduce the transmission of CRE. This approach can decrease the burden on the healthcare system and improve patient outcomes. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

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