Becker's Clinical Quality & Infection Control

12 INFECTION CONTROL COVID-19 antibodies last at least 5 months, study suggests By Mackenzie Bean C OVID-19 patients may produce antibodies for at least five months after initial infection, according to a study published Oct. 13 in the journal Immunity. Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences in Tucson analyzed antibody production from 5,882 blood samples collected in Arizona's Pima County as part of a larg- er effort to create and validate a COVID-19 antibody test. Researchers found high-quality, neutralizing antibodies were still being produced five to seven months after a COVID-19 infection. "Whether antibodies provide lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2 has been one of the most difficult questions to answer," study co-author Michael Dake, MD, senior vice pres- ident of UArizona Health Sciences, said in a news release emailed to Becker's. "This research not only has given us the ability to accurately test for antibodies against COVID-19, but also has armed us with the knowledge that lasting immu- nity is a reality." UArizona Health Sciences partnered with Arizona to launch a statewide testing initiative using the antibody test, which gained emergency use authorization in September. The blood samples collected in Pima County marked the first phase of the testing initiative. Researchers have since tested more than 30,000 people in Arizona. n Device used in cardiothoracic surgery poses infection risk, FDA warns By Mackenzie Bean T he FDA is warning healthcare providers of a potential infection risk linked to heater-cooler devices used during cardiothoracic surgery. The agency received three reports of patients from one healthcare facility who were infected with My- cobacterium abscessus bacteria after heart surgery involving CardioQuip's Modular Cooler-Heater. The bacteria typically do not pose a threat to humans, but in rare cases can cause infections or death. The cause of the infections and device contamination is unknown, the FDA said. While the FDA first highlighted the risk of infection involving heater-cooler devices in 2015, these cases mark the first reported infections linked to Cardio- Quip's device. The agency has received reports of patient infections or device contamination from every U.S. manufacturer of the devices. "While the FDA believes that NTM infections in patients who have undergone cardiothoracic surgery with use of a heater-cooler device are rare, health- care providers and users should be aware that these NTM infections can and do occur," the agency said. n Hospital floors 'underappreciated' source of bacteria spread, study finds By Erica Carbajal H ospital floors may be a larger source of bacteria infection spread than previously thought, according to a study published Nov. 2 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. e observational study took place in an acute care hospital and ana- lyzed how quickly and where pathogens transferred aer admitting 17 new patients. Before testing for pathogens, all rooms were thoroughly sanitized and enrolled patients screened negative for MRSA. Culture samples were collected from the floor, frequently touched areas, and patient socks and beds one to three times per day. Within 24 hours, nearly half of the rooms were contaminated with MRSA. In 58 percent of patient rooms, Clostridioides difficile and vancomycin-resistant enterococci were detected within four days of patient admission. "If bacteria stayed on floors this wouldn't matter, but we're seeing clear evidence that these organisms are transferred to patients, despite our current control efforts," Curtis Donskey, MD, study author and hospital epidemiologist at the Cleveland VA Medical Center, said in a Nov. 2 news release. "Hand hygiene is crucial, but we need to develop practical approaches to reduce underappreciated sources of pathogens to protect patients." Researchers found similar results in a separate COVID-19-related study. On a COVID-19 ward, SARS-CoV-2 was oen identified on the floors and shoes of healthcare workers. Increased floor cleaning and "simple modifications" reduced contamination, according to the study. n

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