2005. Direct Hospitalization Costs Associated with Resistant and Susceptible Salmonella and Shigella Infections in the United States — 2012–2019

Abstract

Abstract Background Foodborne illnesses cost ∼$90 billion in the United States annually. Antibiotic-resistant infections may be more difficult to treat and can be associated with severe outcomes, leading to higher costs and longer length of stay (LOS). We described LOS and costs for hospital admissions for Salmonella and Shigella infections by resistance status. Methods We reviewed all inpatient admissions from ∼300 hospitals in the Premier Healthcare database during 2012–2019 and included records with culture-confirmed nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS), typhoidal Salmonella (serotypes Typhi and Paratyphi A, B, and C), or Shigella. We classified infections as resistant if laboratory testing found resistance to ≥1 drug in the clinically important antibiotic categories (fluoroquinolones, macrolides, penicillins, folate pathway antagonists, or third-generation cephalosporins) or susceptible otherwise. We used the Wilcoxon rank sum test to assess difference in median LOS and cost of patient hospitalization for resistant vs. susceptible infections by pathogen type. Results Of 4,168 persons hospitalized, about half (n=2,129, 51%) were female; median age was 52 [IQR: 26‒68] years; 29% (n=1,217) of infections were resistant. For NTS infections, median LOS was 4 [IQR: 3‒7] days for resistant and 4 [IQR: 3‒6] (p=0.04) for susceptible; for typhoidal Salmonella, 6 [IQR: 5‒8] for resistant and 5 [IQR: 3‒8] for susceptible (p=0.15); and for Shigella, 3 [IQR: 2‒4] for both (p=0.09). Median costs were highest for typhoidal Salmonella ($12,577 resistant vs. $9,238 susceptible; p=0.21), followed by NTS ($7,179 vs $6,421, p=0.01) and Shigella ($4,975 vs $5,335; p=0.26). Conclusion Hospitalization costs were higher for patients with some resistant infections. Longer LOS may contribute to higher costs; however, it is not clear whether other pathogen or patient factors (e.g., comorbidities) also contributed. Additional data and adjusted analyses may provide insight into reasons for the cost difference. If resistant infections are shown to be the cause, our findings support that public health interventions to limit the spread of resistant infections could reduce costs. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.