UK Renal Registry 18th Annual Report : Chapter 12 Epidemiology of Reported Infections amongst Patients Receiving Dialysis for Established Renal Failure in England 2013 to 2014: a Joint Report from Public Health England and the UK Renal Registry

From 1st May 2013 to 30th April 2014 there were 35 episodes of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia in established renal failure patients on dialysis. This is now fairly stable year-on-year equating to a rate of 0.15 episodes per 100 dialysis patient years, following an initial decline in rates from 4.0 episodes per 100 dialysis patient years in 2005 when reporting began. Methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteraemia rates were slightly higher this year at 2.23 per 100 dialysis patient years (compared with 1.59 episodes per 100 dialysis patient years last year) with 526 episodes of blood stream infection reported. In 2005, the first year this was reported, there were 1,114 MSSA bacteraemias in 54 centres. There were 247 Clostridium difficile infection episodes with a rate of 1.05 per 100 dialysis patient years, slightly higher than last year at 0.55 episodes per 100 dialysis patient years. Escherichia coli infections occurred at a rate of 1.49 per 100 dialysis patient years, very similar to the rate reported last year (1.32 episodes per 100 dialysis patient years). This report has utilised a new methodology to identify cases, linking all established renal failure cases known to the UK Renal Registry (UKRR) with all infections reported to Public Health England and avoids the need for the local microbiology team to flag the patient as a renal patient. This may have increased the reliability of diagnosis at the UKRR level. In each infection for which access data were collected, the presence of a central venous catheter appeared to correlate with increased risk.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

Understanding the drivers for spread of SARS-CoV-2 in higher education settings is important to limit transmission between students, and onward spread into at-risk populations. In this study, we prospectively sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates derived from asymptomatic student screening and symptomatic testing of students and staff at the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We performed a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. After a limited number of viral introductions into the university, the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely dispersed across the university following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identified considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and dramatically reduced following a national lockdown. We observed that transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or within the community. This study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

Understanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in higher education settings is important to limit spread between students, and into at-risk populations. In this study, we sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We perform a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. We observe limited viral introductions into the university; the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identify considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and following a national lockdown. Transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or the community. Our study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

AbstractUnderstanding SARS-CoV-2 transmission in higher education settings is important to limit spread between students, and into at-risk populations. In this study, we sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates from the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We perform a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. We observe limited viral introductions into the university; the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identify considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and following a national lockdown. Transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or the community. Our study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics.</jats:p

Genomic epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in a UK university identifies dynamics of transmission

Understanding the drivers for spread of SARS-CoV-2 in higher education settings is important to limit transmission between students, and onward spread into at-risk populations. In this study, we prospectively sequenced 482 SARS-CoV-2 isolates derived from asymptomatic student screening and symptomatic testing of students and staff at the University of Cambridge from 5 October to 6 December 2020. We performed a detailed phylogenetic comparison with 972 isolates from the surrounding community, complemented with epidemiological and contact tracing data, to determine transmission dynamics. After a limited number of viral introductions into the university, the majority of student cases were linked to a single genetic cluster, likely dispersed across the university following social gatherings at a venue outside the university. We identified considerable onward transmission associated with student accommodation and courses; this was effectively contained using local infection control measures and dramatically reduced following a national lockdown. We observed that transmission clusters were largely segregated within the university or within the community. This study highlights key determinants of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and effective interventions in a higher education setting that will inform public health policy during pandemics