Important Results in COMBACTE-CDI
A total of nine abstracts were accepted for presentation at the European Congress on Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ECCMID 2020) from the COMBACTE-CDI project. Unfortunately, the conference was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the abstracts are available in the online ECCMID abstract book.
The abstracts summarized the findings from the case/control study (work package 1) and the questionnaire on current practices around CDI diagnosis, surveillance, treatment, management and healthcare costs (all work package 2). The case/control data has yielded some important results concerning the difference between community and hospital cases of C. difficile infection (CDI). In addition, the different diagnostic methodologies employed have enabled us to stratify the data to compare risks for and outcomes of CDI for patients who are toxin positive, compared with those who are positive for the organism only. The questionnaire data highlighted significant differences between countries and showed that awareness of European CDI treatment varied according with different geographical areas and settings. The findings were similar for surveillance and indicate the need to develop a strategy to improve awareness of CDI and CDI management across Europe.
The abstracts can be found in the recently released ECCMID 2020 Abstract Book.
Excellent progress is being made on the transmission modelling (work package 1); indeed it might possible to model the effect of COVID-19 on CDI rates.
Dr Kerrie Davies, Scientific Lead of COMBACTE-CDI from the University of Leeds:
“During these difficult times it is important that we pull together as a consortium and ensure that we reach our project goals. Some great achievements have been made over the last two and a half years; we need to now maximise the dissemination and impact from all the data we have collected. It was great that we had so many abstracts accepted at ECCMID this year, with two of the nine given oral presentations. This highlights the importance of the results from the project, and the need to take these forward into manuscripts as soon as possible. Inequalities between countries and healthcare settings in CDI diagnosis and management, impacts on the care of patients. We need to use the data we have to drive down the cases of CDI and improve patient’s lives.”
“We are now starting to look forward, as a consortium, to the future of our network and how we can support other research projects in CDI. This will involve working with ECRAID and other European networks, and linking with partners in other countries. COMBACTE-CDI is a relatively small project in the COMBACTE family, but the consortium has achieved so much in such a short space of time; a testament to the power of working within networks and making the most of each other’s strengths.”
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