Bulletin of Mathematical Biology

, Volume 79, Issue 1, pp 36–62 | Cite as

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

Original Article
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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.

Keywords

Clostridium difficile Control Agent-based model 

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Copyright information

© Society for Mathematical Biology 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of MathematicsHoughton CollegeHoughtonUSA
  2. 2.Department of MathematicsUniversity of TennesseeKnoxvilleUSA
  3. 3.Department of Population Health and PathobiologyNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighUSA

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