Antimicrobial Stewardship and Environmental Decontamination for the Control of Clostridium difficile Transmission in Healthcare Settings.
We implement an agent-based model for Clostridium difficile transmission in hospitals that accounts for several processes and individual factors including environmental and antibiotic heterogeneity in order to evaluate the efficacy of various control measures aimed at reducing environmental contamination and mitigating the effects of antibiotic use on transmission. In particular, we account for local contamination levels that contribute to the probability of colonization and we account for both the number and type of antibiotic treatments given to patients. Simulations illustrate the relative efficacy of several strategies for the reduction of nosocomial colonizations and nosocomial diseases.
Department of Mathematics, Houghton College, Houghton, NY, 14744, USA.
Jason
J
Bintz
Department of Mathematics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA. lenhart@math.utk.edu.
Suzanne
0000-0002-6898-5796
S
Lenhart
Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA.
Cristina
C
Lanzas
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000472:pathogenicity; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D003666:Decontamination / Q000379:methods; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D008954:Models, Biological
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
Agent-based model; Clostridium difficile; Control