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Background U.S. laboratories are increasingly using a two-step algorithm to diagnose Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) that starts with a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), and if positive, reflexes to a toxin enzyme immunoassay. Here only a NAAT+/toxin+ result is reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) as a CDI laboratory-identified (LabID) event, but limited data suggest that NAAT+/toxin- results may also be considered CDI by clinicians. To explore this discrepancy, we compared the characteristics and treatment of NAAT+/toxin- and NAAT+/toxin+ patients. Methods CDC’s Emerging Infections Program (EIP) conducts population-based CDI surveillance. A case was defined as a positive C. difficile test in a person aged ≥1 year with no positive tests in the prior 8 weeks. We included cases detected by this two-step algorithm in 5 EIP sites during 2018–2020 that underwent a full chart review. Multivariable logistic regression models adjusting for age, sex, race, comorbidities, epidemiologic classification, and CDI therapy were used to compare CDI-related complications (i.e., toxic megacolon, ileus, colectomy, or intensive-care unit stay) and recurrence between the two groups. Results Of 1250 NAAT+ cases, 897 (72%) were toxin- and 353 (28%) were toxin+. Lower percentages of toxin- versus toxin+ cases were aged ≥65 years (42% vs 58%; P< 0.0001), had diarrhea (779/831 [94%] vs 329/338 [97%]; P=0.01), or had white blood cell counts ≥15,000 cells/μL (183/811 [23%] vs 132/321 [42%]; P< 0.0001). CDI therapy was given to 683/882 (77%) toxin- versus 338/349 (97%) toxin+ cases (P< 0.0001). In multivariable analysis, toxin- status was protective for recurrence (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.32–0.74) but not for CDI-related complications (aOR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.64–1.56). Conclusion NAAT+/toxin- cases were less likely to have recurrence but were as likely to have CDI-related complications as NAAT+/toxin+ cases. More than twice as many potentially unreported NAAT+/toxin- cases were treated than the number of reported NAAT+/toxin+ treated cases. Use of this two-step algorithm likely results in underreporting of treated CDI cases to NHSN. Disclosures Scott Fridkin, MD, Pfizer: Grant/Research Support Dale N. Gerding, MD, Destiny Pharma plc.: Advisor/Consultant.

Objectives:To assess Connecticut medical providers’ concordance (2018–2019) with the 2017 Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) treatment update by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). The effect of guideline concordance on CDI recurrence risk was also assessed.Design:Prospective, population-based study.Setting:New Haven County, Connecticut, from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2019.Patients:CDI incident case (no positive tests in the prior 8 weeks), not limited by care setting.Methods:Using data from the Emerging Infections Program’s CDI surveillance, severity and concordance were defined. Presence of megacolon and/or ileus defined fulminant disease; absence defined nonsevere/severe disease. Using 2017 treatment as baseline, 2018–2019 concordance was defined as receiving the recommended first-line antibiotic (ie, vancomycin or fidaxomicin for adult patients, vancomycin or metronidazole for pediatric patients) for exactly 10 days. For all analyses, significance was P < .05.Results:Among 990 cases, concordance increased from 24.8% in 2018 to 37.0% in 2019. First-line antibiotic concordance increased from 61.2% in 2018 to 79.9% in 2019. Recurrence risk was significantly associated with patients aged ≥65 years and was highest for those aged 75–84 years, but this factor was not significantly associated with concordance.Conclusions:From 2018 through 2019, CDI treatment in New Haven County increasingly was concordant with the 2017 treatment update but remained low in 2019. Although concordance with treatment guidelines did not affect recurrence risk, close attention should be paid by medical providers to patients aged ≥65 years, specifically those aged 75–84 years because they are at an increased risk for recurrence.

Background Efforts to prevent Clostridioides difficile infection continue to expand across the health care spectrum in the United States. Whether these efforts are reducing the national bu...

Background Interventions to reduce community-onset (CO) Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) are not usually hospital-based due to the perception that they are often acquired outside the hospital. We determined the proportion of admitted CO CDI that might be associated with previous hospitalization. Methods The CDC’s Emerging Infections Program conducts population-based CDI surveillance in 10 US sites. We defined an incident case as a C. difficile-positive stool collected in 2017 from a person aged ≥ 1 year admitted to a hospital with no positive tests in the prior 8 weeks. Cases were defined as CO if stool was collected within 3 days of hospitalization. CO cases were classified into four categories: long-term care facility (LTCF)-onset if patient was admitted from an LTCF; long-term acute care hospital (LTACH)-onset if patient was admitted from an LTACH; CO-healthcare-facility associated (CO-HCFA) if patient was admitted from a private residence but had a prior healthcare-facility admission in the past 12 weeks; or community-associated (CA) if there was no admission to a healthcare facility in the prior 12 weeks. We excluded hospitals with < 10 cases among admitted catchment-area residents. Results Of 4724 cases in 86 hospitals, 2984 (63.2%) were CO (median per hospital: 65.8%; interquartile range [IQR]: 58.3%-70.7%). Among the CO cases, 1424 (47.7%) were CA (median per hospital: 48.1%; IQR: 40.3%-57.7%), 1201 (40.3%) were CO-HCFA (median per hospital: 41.0%; IQR: 32.9%-47.8%), 350 (11.7%) were LTCF-onset (median per hospital: 10.0%; IQR: 0.6%-14.4%), and 9 (0.3%) were LTACH-onset. Of 1201 CO-HCFA cases, 1174 (97.8%) had a prior hospitalization; among these, 978 (83.3%) (median per hospital: 83.3%; IQR: 69.2%-90.6%), which consists of 32.8% of all hospitalized CO cases, had been discharged from the same hospital (Figure), and 84.4% of the 978 cases (median per hospital: 88.2%: IQR: 76.5%-100.0%) had received antibiotics sometime in the prior 12 weeks. Figure. Frequency of Cases Discharged in the 12 Weeks Prior to Readmission with Clostridioides difficile Infection (N=1138*) Conclusion A third of hospitalized CO CDI had been recently discharged from the same hospital, and most had received antibiotics during or soon after the last admission. Hospital-based and post-discharge antibiotic stewardship interventions could help reduce subsequent CDI hospitalizations. Disclosures Ghinwa Dumyati, MD, Roche Diagnostics (Consultant)

Background Treatment guidelines for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) were updated by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) in 2017, notably for disease severity and antibiotic recommendations. Our objectives were to assess Connecticut medical providers’ concordance (2017-2019) with the 2017 update. The effect of guideline concordance on the risk of CDI recurrence was also assessed. Methods Using data from the Connecticut Emerging Infections Program’s CDI surveillance in New Haven County, severity and concordance were defined. For severity, white blood cell count and presence of megacolon and/or ileus were used. Concordant treatment was defined as receiving the recommended first-line antibiotic (vancomycin for adult patients, vancomycin or metronidazole for pediatric patients) for exactly 10 days. In univariate & multivariate analyses, significance was determined by a p-value of < 0.05. Results Of 1,216 cases, concordance increased from 10.0% in 2017 to 36.9% in 2019. Concordance with first-line antibiotic increased from 40.2% in 2017 to 80.8% in 2019. Concordance was highest for fulminant cases (62.2%). The recurrence rate was 11.2% and highest for non-severe cases and older cases but was not significantly associated with concordance. Concordance with selected treatment criteria by year, 2017-2019 Conclusion From 2017 through 2019, CDI treatment in New Haven County increasingly was concordant with the updated 2017 IDSA/SHEA guidelines, but still low overall in 2019. Although concordance with treatment did not affect recurrence risk, close attention should be paid by medical providers to non-severe cases and older cases as they are at an increased risk for recurrence. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Infectious Diseases Society of America/Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (IDSA/SHEA) guidelines describe recommended therapy for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). To describe CDI treatment and, among those with severe CDI, determine predictors of adherence to the 2010 IDSA/SHEA treatment guidelines. We analyzed 2013–2015 CDI treatment data collected through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infections Program. Generalized linear mixed models were used to identify predictors of guideline-adherent therapy. A CDI case was defined as a positive stool specimen in a person aged ≥ 18 years without a positive test in the prior 8 weeks; severe CDI cases were defined as having a white blood cell count ≥ 15,000 cells/μl. Prescribing and predictors of guideline-adherent CDI therapy for severe disease. Of 18,243 cases, 14,257 (78%) were treated with metronidazole, 7683 (42%) with vancomycin, and 313 (2%) with fidaxomicin. The median duration of therapy was 14 (interquartile range, 11–15) days. Severe CDI was identified in 3250 (18%) cases; of 3121 with treatment data available, 1480 (47%) were prescribed guideline-adherent therapy. Among severe CDI cases, hospital admission (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.90, 3.24), age ≥ 65 years (aOR 1.37; 95% CI 1.10, 1.71), Charlson comorbidity index ≥ 3 (aOR 1.27; 95% CI 1.04, 1.55), immunosuppressive therapy (aOR 1.21; 95% CI 1.02, 1.42), and inflammatory bowel disease (aOR 1.56; 95% CI 1.13, 2.17) were associated with being prescribed guideline-adherent therapy. Provider adherence to the 2010 treatment guidelines for severe CDI was low. Although the updated 2017 CDI guidelines, which expand the use of oral vancomycin for all CDI, might improve adherence by removing the need to apply severity criteria, other efforts to improve adherence are likely needed, including educating providers and addressing barriers to prescribing guideline-adherent therapy, particularly in outpatient settings.

Background Despite overall progress in preventing Clostridioides difficile Infection (CDI), community-associated (CA) infections have been steadily increasing. Although the incubation period of CDI is thought to be relatively short, gastrointestinal microbial disruption from remote healthcare exposures (e.g., inpatient antibiotic use) may be associated with CA-CDI. To assess this potential association, we linked CA-CDI infections identified through CDC’s Emerging Infections Program (EIP) to Medicare claims data to describe prior healthcare utilization. Methods We defined an EIP CA-CDI case as a positive C. difficile test collected in 2014–2015 from an outpatient or inpatient within 3 days of hospital admission, provided there was no positive test in the prior 8 weeks and no admission to a healthcare facility in the prior 12 weeks. We linked EIP CA-CDI cases aged ≥65 years to a Medicare beneficiary using unique combinations of birthdate, sex, and zip code. Cases were included if they maintained continuous fee-for-service coverage for 1 year prior to the event date. To calculate exposure odds ratios for previous hospitalizations, each case was matched to 5 control beneficiaries on age, sex, and county of residence. We used logistic regression to calculate adjusted matched odds ratios (amOR) that controlled for chronic conditions. Results We successfully linked 2,287/3,367 (68%) EIP CA-CDI cases. Of these, 1,236 cases met inclusion criteria; the median age was 77 years and 63% were female. We identified 69 (5.6%) cases with misclassification of prior healthcare exposures, most of whom (48, 70%) were hospitalized in the 12 weeks prior to their event. Among the 1,167 true CA-CDI cases, 33% were hospitalized in the prior 12 weeks to 1 year. The median number of weeks from prior hospitalization to CDI was 27 (IQR 18–38, Figure 1). Cases had a higher risk of hospitalization than matched controls in the prior 3–6 months (amOR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.87, 2.90) and 6–12 months (amOR: 1.43 95% CI: 1.18, 1.74). Conclusion Remote hospitalization in the previous year was a significant risk factor for CA-CDI, especially in the 3–6 months prior to CA-CDI. Long-lasting prevention strategies implemented at hospital discharge and enhanced inpatient antibiotic stewardship may prevent CA-CDI among older adults. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures.

Background An increasing proportion of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in the United States are community-associated (CA). We conducted a case-control study to identify CA-CDI risk factors. Methods We enrolled participants from 10 US sites during October 2014–March 2015. Case patients were defined as persons age ≥18 years with a positive C. difficile specimen collected as an outpatient or within 3 days of hospitalization who had no admission to a health care facility in the prior 12 weeks and no prior CDI diagnosis. Each case patient was matched to one control (persons without CDI). Participants were interviewed about relevant exposures; multivariate conditional logistic regression was performed. Results Of 226 pairs, 70.4% were female and 52.2% were ≥60 years old. More case patients than controls had prior outpatient health care (82.1% vs 57.9%; P < .0001) and antibiotic (62.2% vs 10.3%; P < .0001) exposures. In multivariate analysis, antibiotic exposure—that is, cephalosporin (adjusted matched odds ratio [AmOR], 19.02; 95% CI, 1.13–321.39), clindamycin (AmOR, 35.31; 95% CI, 4.01–311.14), fluoroquinolone (AmOR, 30.71; 95% CI, 2.77–340.05) and beta-lactam and/or beta-lactamase inhibitor combination (AmOR, 9.87; 95% CI, 2.76–340.05),—emergency department visit (AmOR, 17.37; 95% CI, 1.99–151.22), white race (AmOR 7.67; 95% CI, 2.34–25.20), cardiac disease (AmOR, 4.87; 95% CI, 1.20–19.80), chronic kidney disease (AmOR, 12.12; 95% CI, 1.24–118.89), and inflammatory bowel disease (AmOR, 5.13; 95% CI, 1.27–20.79) were associated with CA-CDI. Conclusions Antibiotics remain an important risk factor for CA-CDI, underscoring the importance of appropriate outpatient prescribing. Emergency departments might be an environmental source of CDI; further investigation of their contribution to CDI transmission is needed.

Background Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a common healthcare-associated infection, particularly among older adults. We used laboratory-confirmed CDI surveillance data from 8 states participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Emerging Infections Program linked to claims data for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) beneficiaries to measure variation in 1-year outcomes associated with CDI. Methods A CDI case was defined as a positive C. difficile stool test in 2014 in a person without a positive test in the prior 8 weeks. Cases aged ≥65 years were linked to their CMS beneficiary ID using unique combinations of date of birth, sex, and zip code. Each case was matched to five control beneficiaries who did not link to any case and were residents of the same catchment area. Inclusion criteria were continuous fee-for-service Medicare for the entire study period (1 year before and after event date), and no hospitalization or skilled nursing facility stay with an ICD-9-CM code for CDI in the year prior to their match date. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to compare mortality and hospitalization for 1 year following the event date between beneficiaries with and without CDI, adjusting for age, sex, race, catchment area, chronic conditions, number of hospitalizations in the prior year, and hospitalization status at the time of and 7 days preceding the event date. Results Of 5,097 cases aged ≥65, 3,082 (60%) were linked to a CMS ID, and 1,832 (59%) met inclusion criteria. In crude analysis, 34% of beneficiaries with CDI died within 1 year, compared with 5% of beneficiaries without CDI. Beneficiaries with CDI were also more likely to be hospitalized in the subsequent year (54% vs. 17%). Beneficiaries with CDI had a higher adjusted odds of death (adjusted OR 3.01, 95% CI: 2.46, 3.69) and hospitalization within 1 year (adjusted OR 1.93, 95% CI: 1.65, 2.25) than those without CDI. Conclusion Older adults with CDI were three times more likely to die in the year following infection and nearly two times more likely to be hospitalized compared with those without CDI, revealing independent long-term risk of poor outcomes. This excess morbidity and mortality supports the need to develop novel CDI prevention strategies for this population. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.