Rethinking Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) surveillance definitions based on changing healthcare utilisation and a more realistic incubation period: reviewing data from a tertiary-referral hospital, Ireland, 2012 to 2021

Abstract

Background Community-associated Clostridioides difficile infections (CA-CDI) have increased worldwide. Patients with CDI-related symptoms occurring < 48 hours after hospitalisation and no inpatient stay 12 weeks prior are classified as CA-CDI, regardless of hospital day attendances 3 months before CDI onset. Healthcare-associated (HA) CDIs include those with symptom onset ≥ 48 hours post hospitalisation. Aim To consider an incubation period more reflective of CDI, and changing healthcare utilisation, we measured how varying surveillance specifications to categorise patients according to their CDI origin resulted in changes in patients’ distribution among CDI origin categories. Methods New CDI cases between 2012–2021 from our hospital were reviewed. For patients with CA-CDI, hospital day attendances in the 3 months prior were recorded. CA-CDI patients with hospital day attendances and recently discharged CDI patients (RD-CDI; CDI onset 4–12 weeks after discharge) were combined into a new ‘healthcare-exposure’ category (HE-CDI). Time from hospitalisation to disease onset was varied and the midpoint between optimal and balanced cut-offs was used instead of 48 hours to categorise HA-CDI. Results Of 1,047 patients, 801 (76%) were HA-CDI, 205 (20%) CA-CDI and 41 (4%) were RD-CDI. Of the CA-CDI cohort, 45 (22%) met recent HE-CDI criteria and, when reassigned, reduced CA-CDI to 15%. Sensitivity analysis indicated a day 4 cut-off for assigning HA-CDI. Applying this led to 46 HA-CDI reassigned as CA-CDI. Applying both HE and day 4 criteria led to 72% HA-CDI, 20% CA-CDI, and 8% HE-CDI (previously RD-CDI). Conclusion CDI surveillance specifications reflecting healthcare exposure and an incubation period more characteristic of C. difficile may improve targeted CDI prevention interventions.