Risk Of Occupational Infection Research Articles

SARS-CoV-2 infections in patients, health care workers and hospital outbreaks during the first 3 waves of the pandemic: a retrospective analysis in a secondary care hospital network in Germany

BackgroundHospital infections with SARS-CoV-2 continued during the initial waves of the pandemic worldwide. So far, Data on the dynamics of these infections and the economic burden of outbreaks are rare.MethodsWe retrospectively analysed SARS-CoV-2 infections in patients, hospital employees and nosocomial infections resulting in outbreaks in two hospitals of a secondary care hospital network in Germany during the initial 3 pandemic waves (03/2020–06/2021). In addition to hospital infections, we evaluated infection prevention strategies and the economic burden of hospital outbreaks.ResultsA total of 396 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection were hospitalized in both hospitals. The risk factors for severe disease and death increased with age, male sex and a CRB-65 score > 0. The most frequent symptom was dyspnoea (30.1%). Sixty-five patients died, most of whom were in the 2nd wave. A total of 182 (12.5%) hospital employees were infected, 63 (34.6%) of whom were involved in outbreaks. An occupational risk of infection during outbreaks was particularly common among nurses and HCWs working on regular wards. Eleven hospital outbreaks led to high economic impact on both hospitals through the loss of manpower as result of infected employees, temporary locked wards, blocked beds, a reduced number of total hospitalized patients and increased personnel costs.ConclusionContinuously adaptation of infection prevention strategies is a valuable tool to keep hospitals safe places for patients and employees. We do need more analyses of the different pandemic waves and applied infection prevention strategies to learn from weak points.Trial registrationThis research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and national standards. The study protocol was approved by the relevant ethics committee of the Chamber of Physicians Westphalia-Lippe and University of Münster (no. 2021–475-f-S). The study was registered on 25th August 2021 at the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00025865).

Using inductive machine learning to identify risk factors for healthcare workers to get infected with highly contagious viruses (based on COVID-19 model)

Epidemic and pandemic spread of highly contagious viruses (SARS-CoV, influenza A virus, Ebola virus, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2) has been a trend observed in the first two decades of the 21st century. The predominant impact made by the biological occupational factor on healthcare workers determines their high occupational risk of infection, a severe disease course and a fatal outcome. Epidemiological data mining based on machine learning algorithms is successfully used in epidemiological practice to identify factors (predictors) contributing to infection in various risk populations. In this study, the database generated from a survey of 1312 healthcare workers was analyzed intelligently. A total of 6912 machine learning models were implemented. SARS-CoV-2 infection was found to be facilitated by providing medical care to a COVID-19 patient, using a full set of PPE after direct contact with a COVID-19 patient, direct contact with items in the external (hospital) environment, vaccination against COVID-19 after direct contact with a COVID-19 patient, acting as nursing staff (cleaners) and being present during aerosol-generating procedures. The study identified four groups of predictors determining SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers: contact with a COVID-19 patient and environmental items, PPE quality and complexity, occupational affiliation of healthcare workers and their BMI values. One predictor was found in 56.2 % of healthcare workers; two, in 19.2 %; three, in 16.4 %; four, in 5.5 %; and five predictors, in 2.7 %. Thus, epidemiological data mining is a modern stage in epidemiological analysis. The use of machine learning methods allows for multifactorial assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection risks in healthcare workers and enables identifying and reliably estimating the most significant predictors. Intelligent data analysis has flexible architecture, which allows adjusting the model under study and supplementing new data to the existing database, detecting changes in an epidemiological situation and accomplishing relevant preventive and anti-epidemic activities.

Использование индуктивного типа машинного обучения для выявления факторов риска инфицирования медицинских работников высоко-контагиозными вирусами (на модели COVID-19)

Epidemic and pandemic spread of highly contagious viruses (SARS-CoV, influenza A virus, Ebola virus, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2) has been a trend observed in the first two decades of the 21st century. The predominant impact made by the biological occupational factor on healthcare workers determines their high occupational risk of infection, a severe disease course and a fatal outcome. Epidemiological data mining based on machine learning algorithms is successfully used in epidemiological practice to identify factors (predictors) contributing to infection in various risk populations. In this study, the database generated from a survey of 1312 healthcare workers was analyzed intelligently. A total of 6912 machine learning models were implemented. SARS-CoV-2 infection was found to be facilitated by providing medical care to a COVID-19 patient, using a full set of PPE after direct contact with a COVID-19 patient, direct contact with items in the external (hospital) environment, vaccination against COVID-19 after direct contact with a COVID-19 patient, acting as nursing staff (cleaners) and being present during aerosol-generating procedures. The study identified four groups of predictors determining SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers: contact with a COVID-19 patient and environmental items, PPE quality and complexity, occupational affiliation of healthcare workers and their BMI values. One predictor was found in 56.2 % of healthcare workers; two, in 19.2 %; three, in 16.4 %; four, in 5.5 %; and five predictors, in 2.7 %. Thus, epidemiological data mining is a modern stage in epidemiological analysis. The use of machine learning methods allows for multifactorial assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection risks in healthcare workers and enables identifying and reliably estimating the most significant predictors. Intelligent data analysis has flexible architecture, which allows adjusting the model under study and supplementing new data to the existing database, detecting changes in an epidemiological situation and accomplishing relevant preventive and anti-epidemic activities.

Immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases among pregnant employees in Germany. A situation analysis before the introduction of the Measles Protection Act

BackgroundImmunization against vaccine-preventable diseases prior to pregnancy is an important measure of primary prevention both for the mother and the unborn child. We analyzed immunity rates against measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and pertussis in pregnant employees in Germany prior to significant changes in legal conditions in 2020, to provide a basis of comparison for future research. MethodsWe analyzed occupational-medical routine data in three collectives of pregnant women with an occupational risk of infection in the years 2018 and 2019: 1: hospital staff with regular access to an in-house company physician (n = 148); 2: employees in childcare with regular access to external occupational-health services (n = 139); 3: teachers with no regular access to occupational healthcare (n = 285). Immune status was assessed by a physician based on vaccination certificates, laboratory results, and medical documentation on prior infections. We compared immunity rates against measles, rubella, varicella, and pertussis as well as full immunity against all targeted vaccine-preventable diseases. ResultsAltogether, n = 572 pregnant women were included in our study. Of these women, 96.5 % were immune to rubella, 95.8 % to varicella, 88.3 % to measles, 82.7 % to mumps, and 67.8 % to pertussis. Only 56.2 % of the women had full immunity against all targeted vaccine-preventable diseases. Collective 1 showed the highest immunity rates against measles and pertussis as well as the highest rate of full immunity against all targeted vaccine-preventable diseases. The immunity rates against rubella and varicella did not differ significantly between the collectives. With the exception of rubella, the lowest immunity rates during pregnancy were found in Collective 3. ConclusionWe found pregnancy-relevant immunity gaps in all our study groups with significant differences between the collectives. Considering the potentially devastating consequences of infections during pregnancy, all medical professionals and health-policy makers should be involved in an increased effort to improve vaccination rates prior to pregnancy.

Economic Relevance of Preventable Prohibitions of Employment in Bavarian Schools

According to the Maternity Protection Act, an occupational risk of infection (e. g. in childcare) - combined with individual immunity gaps - can result in an irresponsible risk for pregnant women in the workplace. If this risk cannot be eliminated by any other means, the employer must impose a prohibition of employment (PE) for the pregnant woman concerned. We classified PE as preventable if the underlying immunity gaps could have been closed by immunisation prior to pregnancy. From 01.09.2016 to 25.03.2020, 1922 pregnant employees of Bavarian state schools obtained medical counselling on their occupational risk of infection as part of a research project. If the individual combination of occupational-risk profile and immunity status resulted in an irresponsible risk for the pregnancy, a PE was recommended by the attending physician. We determined the proportion of PE that would have theoretically been preventable by full immunisation prior to pregnancy and approximated the resulting - theoretically preventable - loss of working hours and personnel costs. In 425 cases (22%), a PE was deemed necessary by the attending physician, whereby 193 (45%) were retrospectively classified as theoretically preventable. Of these cases, 53 PE (27%) were temporary (valid until the 20th week of pregnancy) and 140 were long-term (valid for the complete duration of the pregnancy). Based on these results, we approximated a loss of 2,746 working weeks for our collective, which entails theoretically preventable personnel costs totalling 5,763,305 € for the observation period of our study (3.6 years). We then extrapolated estimates for all employees of Bavarian state schools and found a loss of 4,260 working weeks and theoretically preventable personnel costs amounting to almost 8,941,000 € per year during our observation period. Theoretically preventable PE caused by immunity gaps can entail a considerable loss of working hours and high personnel costs. Therefore, we should step up measures aimed at improving vaccination rates in women and increasing their willingness to be vaccinated. In view of the changes in legal and regulatory conditions in Germany since 2020, new investigations should be made as soon as there is sufficient data after the general employment prohibitions due to the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic have been lifted.

Malignant anthrax in Russian Federation in 2023: two case reports

Malignant anthrax is a serious health and agricultural problem in Russia. Since 1900, 70,000 outbreaks of infection among people and animals have been reported in Russia. Adequate veterinary measures have led to a decrease in the level of morbidity in livestock, which is the main causative agent. Moreover, the incidence of human illness has decreased, which is greatly facilitated by routine immunization of the population exposed to occupational risk of infection. However, despite the measures taken, epizootics and epidemic foci of anthrax are registered annually. As a result, anthrax occur often among residents of these areas.
 This study discusses the modern course of the cutaneous form of anthrax, which was analyzed during the treatment of patients from two foci of anthrax infection in the Voronezh region in August–October 2023. The novelty of this observation lies in the opportunity to present to readers the evolution of skin changes in the carbunculus variety of cutaneous anthrax from the early stages of ulcerative process development to almost complete recovery.

On assessing the risk of occupational COVID-19 infection of medical workers

The article presents data on occupational morbidity among medical workers caused by exposure to a biological factor. Modern methods of assessing the risk of occupational infection of medical workers with COVID-19 are considered, including screening based on a questionnaire developed by WHO in 2022 and then adapted for medical workers and the use of a matrix of the impact of a biological factor in the workplace, which will allow to justify a set of effective preventive measures on a large array of data obtained.

Assessment of occupational risks of bloodborne infectious diseases for dental personnel

BACKGROUND: Awareness of dental workers about the epidemiology of blood-borne infections (HIV, hepatitis B virus [HBV], and hepatitis C virus infections) and knowledge about actions to take if accidents occur in the workplace such as contact with blood and other biological fluids are a key link in the prevention of these infections.
 AIMS: To assess awareness and adherence of dental personnel to the algorithm of postexposure prophylaxis of occupational infections with blood-borne pathogens.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive crosssectional study enrolled the dental staff of public and private dental clinics in Kazan, Russia. A survey of 173 dental staff was conducted in FebruaryMarch 2023. The rates of incidents caused by contact with blood and their nature among dental staff were determined, and the frequency of correctly performed algorithm of actions during an incident was calculated. The frequency of the implementation of measures for the prevention of occupational infections with blood-borne pathogens was estimated. Categorical data were described as absolute values and proportions (%).
 RESULTS: In total, 65 specialists (37.6%) had encountered incidents such as contact with blood at the workplace. These incidents were significantly more common among women than among men: 44.7% (55/123) vs. 20.0% (10/50), respectively (p=0.002). The last incident in 50 respondents was associated with skin damage (needlestick injury or cut exposure); in 17 participants, their mucous membranes were exposed to blood (including two people with a mixed characteristic of incident: skin damage + exposure of their mucous membranes to blood). After contact with blood, local treatment was carried out correctly (according to Russian recommendations) in 18.0% of the participants with skin damage and 70.5% with blood exposure to mucous membranes. After the incident, 58.5% of the participants (38/65) reported to the head of the department or clinic, and a third of the respondents (23/65, 35.4%) recorded a case of contact with blood in the incident log. Nearly all respondents always use gloves (172/173, 99.4%) when they work in the dental office. Moreover, 64.2% of the respondents (111/173) always use safety glasses or screens. Nine respondents (9/173, 5.2%) do not use personal eye protection. Others (53/173, 30.6%) wear safety glasses/screens only when performing certain procedures. In addition, 85.0% (147/173) of the respondents have been vaccinated against HBV, 18 have not been vaccinated (10.4%), and 8 (4.6%) do not know their vaccination status.
 CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study present the necessity of raising awareness among dental staff regarding the epidemiology and prevention of blood-borne infections to reduce the risk of occupational infections.

A scoping review of knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices of dental professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: COVID-19 is a respiratory disease identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and it has become one of the century›s most significant public health concerns. Dentists are among the most exposed medical professionals to the risk of COVID-19 infection, and they must modify their routine clinical attitudes and behaviors. This study sought to assess the current status of dental professionals› knowledge, attitudes, and practices, as well as their adherence to COVID-19 pandemic guidelines. Methods: A scoping review protocol was developed by searching scientific papers in EBSCO, MEDLINE, CENTRAL, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Scopus electronic databases using "COVID-19" and "Dentistry" as key search terms to find relevant papers published until March 13, 2021. Two authors reviewed the potentially relevant articles in full. All cross-sectional or cohort studies that evaluated the knowledge, attitudes, or practices of dentists through questionnaires were selected for the review. Results: The search strategy led to the identification of a total of 405 articles which were subsequently assessed for eligibility. By application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, the obtained results were further reduced to 25 citations. The results were organized into the following categories: knowledge (transmission, signs and symptoms, incubation period, etc), attitudes (protective measurements, occupational risk of infection), and practices (protective measurements, personal protective equipment, current status of dental treatments, etc). Conclusion: The research study came to the conclusion that the majority of dentists have sufficient knowledge of COVID-19 infection and comprehend the significance of performing only emergency procedures and delaying elective procedures. Moreover, most of them believed that more awareness programs on COVID-19 prevention are needed for both the dental fraternity and the public.

Cryptosporidium parvum: an emerging occupational zoonosis in Finland

BackgroundCryptosporidiosis has increased in recent years in Finland. We aimed to identify risk factors for human cryptosporidiosis and to determine the significance of Cryptosporidium parvum as a causative agent. Based on notifications to the Finnish Infectious Disease Register (FIDR), we conducted a case-control study and genotyped Cryptosporidium species from patient samples from July to December 2019. We also retrieved the occupational cryptosporidiosis cases from 2011 to 2019 from the Finnish Register of Occupational Diseases (FROD).ResultsOf 272 patient samples analyzed, 76% were C. parvum and 3% C. hominis. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis of 82 C. parvum cases and 218 controls, cryptosporidiosis was associated with cattle contact (OR 81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 26–251), having a family member with gastroenteritis (OR 34, 95% CI 6.2–186), and spending time at one’s own vacation home (OR 15, 95% CI 4.2–54). Of the cases, 65% had regular cattle contact. The most common gp60 subtypes identified were IIaA15G2R1 and IIaA13G2R1. In FROD, 68 recognized occupational cryptosporidiosis cases were registered in 2011–2019.ConclusionsC. parvum is the most common Cryptosporidium species found in humans in Finland and poses a moderate to high risk of occupational infection for people working with cattle. The number of occupational notifications of cryptosporidiosis increased between 2011 and 2019. Cryptosporidiosis should be recognized as an important occupational disease among persons working with livestock in Finland, criteria to identify occupational cryptosporidiosis need to be created, and occupational safety in cattle-related work should be improved.

Longitudinal SARS-CoV-2 Seroprevalence among Employees in Outpatient Care Services in Hamburg.

The risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection is particularly high for healthcare workers during the pandemic. Home care workers visit many different households per shift. Encounters with mostly elderly patients and their relatives increase the potential for the undetected spread of SARS-CoV-2. In order to gain insight into the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and possible transmission risks in outpatient care, this follow-up study was conducted with nursing services in Hamburg. The aim was to estimate the dynamics of seroprevalence in this occupational group over a 12-month period, to identify occupation-specific risk factors, and to collect information on the vaccination status of the surveyed nursing staff. Antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 IgG against the S1 domain (EUROIMUN Analyser I® Lübeck, Germany) was performed on participating healthcare workers with patient contact at a total of four time points within one year from July 2020 to October 2021 (baseline, follow-up after three, six and twelve months). The data were mostly analysed descriptively. Differences in IgG titres were analysed using variance analysis methods, particularly Tukey's range test. The seroprevalence was 1.2% (8/678) at baseline and 1.5% (9/581) at the three-month follow-up (T1). At the second follow-up (T2) after six months, vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 was available from January 2021 onwards. The prevalence rate of positive IgG antibodies relative to the S1 domain of the spike protein test among unvaccinated individuals was 6.5%. At (T3) after twelve months (July to October 2021), 482 participants were enrolled, and 85.7% of the workers were considered fully vaccinated at this time point, while 51 individuals were unvaccinated. The prevalence was 13.7% (7/51). In our study, a low seroprevalence was found among home care workers, which was lower than in our studies conducted in the clinical setting. Therefore, it can be assumed that the occupational risk of infection is rather low for both the nursing staff and the patients/clients cared for in the outpatient setting. The good provision of protective equipment and the high vaccination rate of the staff probably had a positive influence.

Risk of occupational infection in forensic workers: a review.

The occupational risk of infection in forensic workers is a cause for concern, furthermore in the current context of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. In order to characterize this risk, we performed an extended review of the literature on occupational infections occurring in forensic workers. Seventeen articles were included. Direct contamination by aerosolization was the main mode of transmission reported, with 17 cases of tuberculosis. Indirect contamination was described as the mode of transmission in 10 cases (five cases of blastomycosis, two cases of tuberculosis, two Streptococcus pyogenes, and one case of human immunodeficiency virus). In all the other included cases, the mode of transmission was unknown. For two of them, the information provided was sufficient to link them to occupational exposure (one case of toxoplasmosis, one case of tuberculosis). For the remaining 10 cases, the link was uncertain (six cases of tuberculosis, three of hepatitis B, and one of COVID-19). Even if there is probably significant under-declaration, the number of infections linked to an occupational risk in forensic workers is not alarming, thanks to effective preventive measures.

Estimating the risk of incident SARS-CoV-2 infection among healthcare workers in quarantine hospitals: the Egyptian example

In response to the COVID-19 epidemic, Egypt established a unique care model based on quarantine hospitals where only externally-referred confirmed COVID-19 patients were admitted, and healthcare workers resided continuously over 1- to 2-week working shifts. Using a mathematical model accounting for the false-negative rates of RT-PCR tests, we computed the incidence rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs, while unveiling the proportion of infections remaining undiagnosed despite routine testing. We relied on longitudinal data, including results of routine RT-PCR tests, collected within three Egyptian quarantine hospitals. We estimated an incidence rate (per 100 person-day, PD) of 1.05 (95% CrI 0.58–1.65) at Hospital 1, 1.92 (95% CrI 0.93–3.28) at Hospital 2 and 7.62 (95% CrI 3.47–13.70) at Hospital 3. We found that the risk for an HCW to be infected during a working shift lay within the range of risk levels previously documented in standard healthcare settings for Hospitals 1–2, whereas it was > threefold higher for Hospital 3. This large variation suggests that HCWs from quarantine hospitals may face a high occupational risk of infection, but that, with sufficient infection control measures, this risk can be brought down to levels similar to those observed in standard healthcare settings.

Occupational stress and burnout syndrome in medical workers during the COVID-19 pandemic (literature review)

Introduction. In the face of the risk of occupational infection with COVID-19 through direct contact with the source of the disease, the mental stress of medical workers involved in providing care to patients during the pandemic of a new coronavirus infection has increased. Materials and methods. The paper presents an analysis of the literature on the problem of professional burnout syndrome among medical workers, presented in the Scientific Electronic Library eLibrary, as well as in the English-language text database of medical and biological publications PubMed. The analysis of foreign literature showed the relevance of this problem, primarily for medical workers in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results. The novel coronavirus infection pandemic is associated with many causes and factors that can adversely affect the formation and development of professional burnout among medical workers in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic: high workload, lack and shortage of PPE, threat and risk of contracting a new coronavirus infection, social isolation, insufficiency (at the first stage) of accumulated knowledge about a new little-studied disease.

Association between chronic physical conditions and depressive symptoms among hospital workers in a national medical institution designated for COVID-19 in Japan.

This study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional association between the presence of chronic physical conditions and depressive symptoms among hospital workers at a national medical institution designated for COVID-19 treatment in Tokyo, Japan. We also accounted for the combined association of chronic physical conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infection risk at work in relation to depressive symptoms, given that occupational infection risk might put additional psychological burden among those with chronic physical conditions with risk of severe COVID-19 outcome. The study sample consisted of 2,440 staff members who participated in a health survey conducted at the national medical institution during period between October 2020 and December 2020. Participants who reported at least one chronic physical condition that were deemed risk factors of severe COVID-19 outcome were regarded as having chronic physical conditions. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). We performed logistic regression analysis to assess the association between chronic physical conditions and depressive symptoms. Our results showed that the presence of chronic physical conditions was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (odds ratio (OR) = 1.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10-2.02). In addition, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was significantly higher among healthcare workers with chronic physical conditions who were at a higher occupational infection risk (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.04-3.16). Our findings suggest the importance of providing more assistance to those with chronic physical conditions regarding the prevention and control of mental health issues, particularly among frontline healthcare workers engaging in COVID-19-related work.

COVID-19 infections in staff of an emergency care hospital after the first wave of the pandemic in Germany.

Background: Hospital staff have an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is thus necessary to monitor the situation because infected staff may in turn infect patients and their family members. Following the first wave of infection in the summer of 2020, the Rhine-Maas Hospital (RMK) provided all staff the opportunity to be tested for SARS-COV-2 via antibody testing. Methods: The tests were carried out from 19.6.2020 to 17.7.2020. The IgG antibody test qualitatively tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). An IgG titre of 0.8 IU/mL or more was considered positive. All staff who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR testing after February 2020 were also included in the study. Occupational and non-occupational risk factors for infection were determined. Staff in the intensive care ward, the emergency depart-ment, or a SARS-CoV-2 ward (“corona ward”) were predefined as having increased exposure. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated using logistical regression for occupational and private infection risk.Results: 903 staff members (58.9%) with complete data took part in the cross-sectional study. 52 staff members (5.8%) had a positive PCR test result in their medical history or tested positive in the IgG test. Around half of the infections (55%) were only detected by serological testing during the study. Staff with tasks classified as at-risk had an OR of 1.9 (95% CI 1.04–3.5) for infection. Risk factors also included private contacts to people infected with SARS-CoV-2 and holidays in risk areas. At the time of data collection, 11.5% of those with the disease reported that they had not yet fully recovered from COVID-19.Discussion: Following the first COVID-19 wave, 5.3% of staff at the RMK were infected. An increase in occupational infection risk was found even after controlling for non-occupational infection risks. This should be taken into account with regard to the recognition of COVID-19 as an occupational disease. Methods to improve protection against nosocomial transmissions should be considered.

Monitoring the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy in the UK: A national study using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS), UK Teratology Information Service (UKTIS) and Vaccination in Pregnancy (VIP) safety monitoring systems.

COVID-19 vaccines are protective against disease. Pregnant women benefit from vaccination as they are at higher risk of poor maternal and neonatal outcomes following infection. Following regulatory approval of two COVID-19 vaccines in the United Kingdom, a rapid national study of vaccination in pregnancy was instituted using three existing safety surveillance platforms: UKOSS, UKTIS and VIP. This preliminary report describes the data collected up to the 15th June 2021. There were 971 reports of COVID-19 vaccination in the UKOSS/UKTIS (n = 493) and VIP (n = 478) monitoring systems describing 908 individual pregnancies. Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccination was most common (n = 501, 55.2%), most women were vaccinated in their second or third trimester (n = 566, 62.3%), and were mainly vaccinated due to occupational infection risk (n = 577, 63.5%). Obstetric outcome data will be obtained by December 2021. However, women should not delay vaccination whilst awaiting further safety data to emerge.

Outbreak Investigation and Control of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Entertainment Venues along Bangla Road, Phuket Province, Thailand, March–April 2020

On 22 Mar 2020, the investigation team was notified by the Phuket Provincial Health Office that there was an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 linked to entertainment venues on Bangla Road, Phuket Province. An outbreak investigation was conducted to verify, describe, and control the outbreak. A descriptive study was conducted by gathering epidemiological and clinical data from cases and an environmental study was conducted at the entertainment venues on Bangla Road. There were 63 confirmed cases linked to the entertainment venues. Most of the cases were Thai female employees. The median age was 32 years, and waitress and security staff were the most common occupations. The majority of cases were symptomatic with mild level of severity. The clinical manifestations were sore throat, cough and fever. Factors associated with being a case were occupational risk of infection, that is, having contact with a large number of tourists. The entertainment venues where cases were found were mostly air-conditioned closed indoor settings. This event might have originated from imported cases followed by local transmission. Therefore, employees and customers should be screened before working at or entering entertainment venues.

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in health care workers at a tertiary care academic medical center – An assessment of occupational infection risk

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to assess the occupational SARS-CoV-2 infection risk among health care workers (HCW) at University of Kentucky HealthCare (UKHC) by evaluating the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.MethodsThis is a prospective cohort study of HCW at UKHC. SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody seropositivity was measured in a CLIA-certified laboratory utilizing the Abbott Architect SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody assay. Demographics and work type were self-reported by study participants via an emailed survey.ResultsThe overall antibody positivity rate of HCW was 1.55% (5/322; 95% confidence interval: 0.65%-3.71%) at cohort entry. There were no differences in antibody positivity between those that worked directly with SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and those that did not. The antibody rate of positivity of patients during the same time period was similar, 1.8% (9/499; 95% confidence interval 0.94%-3.45%).ConclusionsAntibody positivity was low and similar between HCW and patients tested during a similar time period. HCW positivity rates did not appear to be impacted by caring for known SARS-CoV-2 infected patients suggesting that appropriate use of personal protective equipment is effective in protecting individuals from transmission.

The intestinal microbiota of rats under the influence of biotechnological strains of microorganisms from various taxonomic groups

Introduction. The microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) plays an essential role in maintaining human health. Many factors, including industrial pollutions with biotechnological strains of microbes, can affect the normal balance of intestinal microbiota. The biotechnological industry nowadays produces a wide range of products for medical and veterinary use, agriculture, food, chemical industries, etc. To develop hygienic standards that regulate the possible adverse effect of biotechnological strains of microorganisms on workers’ health, the intestinal microflora of rats in the experiment can be studied. The data obtained were used as the basic concept in elaborating state sanitary standards for limitations of the concentrations of biotechnological strains of microorganisms in the ambient air of the working area and settlements’ atmosphere. Materials and methods. We have tested 52 strains of microorganisms applied in biotechnology as producers of a variety of biological substances. They included members of different taxonomic groups: gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, actinomycetes, molds, and yeasts. The experiments were carried out on conventional male and female white rats (290-320 g, body weight). Each test and control group of animals included eight animals. The strains of microorganisms mentioned above were given to animals by inhalation of minimal effective doses of microbes in the concentrations of 103-108 CFU/m3 during one month. To demonstrate possible adverse effects to gut microflora, the routine bacteriological examination of animal feces was performed. To do this, after the priming, the 10-fold dilutions of animal feces in sterile saline were inoculated onto a set of general-purpose and selective culture media for Enterobacteriaceae members, staphylococci, enterococci, clostridia, bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, and fungi, with subsequent identification of the genus of the isolated microorganism. After that, the concentrations of microorganisms were calculated and measured in lg of CFU/g of feces. The Institutional Ethical Committee of Animal Care and Use of the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University approved all procedures involving animals. The results of experiments were analyzed with a simple t-test using Statistica (v.6.0, Stat Soft, USA) and Microsoft Office Excel 2007. Results were considered statistically significant when p < 0.05. Results. The most notable changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota were observed after inhaling of yeasts of genus Candida at the level of 103-104 CFU/m3 and in cases of exposure to molds (Aspergillus awamori, Penicillium funiculosum, and Tolypocladium cylindrosporum) in the concentration of 2•104 CFU/m3, and gram-negative bacteria of the genus Alcaligenes and genus Pseudomonas at 5•105 CFU/m3. We observed a dramatic decrease of Escherichia coli and the increase of gram-positive bacteria (staphylococci, enterococci). For some genera of biotechnological strains, a significant decline in the content of lactobacilli was also shown. On the other hand, Rhodococcus did not cause any disturbances even at high concentrations in the ambient air. Conclusion. The obtained data can be used to develop biosafety and hygienic standards for industrial microbes to help decrease or minimize the occupational risk of infection or undesirable allergic effect when working with biotechnological strains of microbes in the ambient air of residential areas.