Antimicrobial Stewardship and Environmental Decontamination for the Control of Clostridium difficile Transmission in Healthcare Settings

Authored by Suzanne Lenhart, Cristina Lanzas, Jason Bintz

Date Published: 2017

DOI: 10.1007/s11538-016-0224-7

Sponsors: United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) United States National Science Foundation (NSF)

Platforms: No platforms listed

Model Documentation: ODD

Model Code URLs: Model code not found

Abstract

We implement an agent-based model for Clostridium difficile transmission in hospitals that accounts for several processes and individual factors including environmental and antibiotic heterogeneity in order to evaluate the efficacy of various control measures aimed at reducing environmental contamination and mitigating the effects of antibiotic use on transmission. In particular, we account for local contamination levels that contribute to the probability of colonization and we account for both the number and type of antibiotic treatments given to patients. Simulations illustrate the relative efficacy of several strategies for the reduction of nosocomial colonizations and nosocomial diseases.
Tags
Agent-based model Epidemiology Infection Control Model Clostridium difficile disease Impact Risk-factors Nosocomial transmission Antibiotic stewardship Asymptomatic carriers Update