Infectious disease professionals are calling for greater federal funding in the face of new Centers for Disease Contral and Prevention (CDC) data outlining an uptick in antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in hospitals.
In a fact sheet published last week, the agency broke down changes in hospital-onset rates for seven resistant infections from 2019 to 2022, updating prior reporting that capped at 2020.
Six of these infections were more prevalent in 2022 than they were in pre-pandemic 2019, with hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) the only condition considered to be “stable” against 2019 levels, per the agency.
Though their collective rates of hospital-onset infections peaked in 2021, rates remained 20% higher in 2022 than they were in 2019. In particular, reported clinical cases of Candida auris have risen almost five-fold from 2019 to 2022, the CDC warned.
“The increases in antimicrobial resistance (AR) burden seen in 2020 and 2021 are likely due in part to the impact of COVID-19, which pushed healthcare facilities, health departments, and communities near their breaking points,” the agency explained. “The pandemic resulted in longer hospital stays for hospitalized patients (including those diagnosed with COVID-19), challenged the implementation of infection prevention and control practices, and increased inappropriate antibiotic use.”
Five of the seven infection rates were deemed statistically similar from 2021 to 2022, with clinical cases of C. auris showing a significant increase and hospital-onset MRSA a significant decrease.
Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are more difficult to treat, often leading to worsened outcomes and forcing clinicians to adjust treatment. The infections can spread in hospitals due to higher exposure to antibiotics and patients’ weakened conditions and are often among the metrics tracked in quality programs.
The CDC noted that it provided funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act to over 9,000 healthcare facilities to support infection control and antibiotic stewardship during the pandemic spike.
It also plans to expand its antimicrobial resistance threat and pathogen-specific burden estimates for these and other conditions in the coming years “to guide efforts to combat [antimicrobial resistance],” the CDC wrote.
However, the data release sparked calls for additional federal support for healthcare facilities from one epidemiologist professional society.
“These data and the threat that antimicrobial-resistant infections pose underscore a continued need to sustain investments in CDC programs that advance prevention strategies,” Thomas R. Talbot, III, M.D., president of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) Board of Trustees, said in a release. “Sufficient funding for effective infection monitoring practices, accurate laboratory detection and rapid response are critical to limiting harmful resistant infections.”
Talbot’s statement highlighted an FY2025 appropriations bill that passed through the House last week. The bill “unfortunately slashes” the CDC’s funding by 20%, eliminates the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and “radically restructure[es]” the National Institutes of Health, he said.
“Enacting these drastic cuts would hinder efforts to combat the advancing threat of antimicrobial resistance. We strongly urge House members to reverse course and build on the investments made in FY2024 and fund the FY2025 bill at a level that meets the needs of our nation’s health. These investments are needed to ensure our work toward fighting antimicrobial resistance is not disrupted.”