Infection Control Matters

This is our traditional end of year Christmas special. In this episode we consider highlights from year and have a bit of fun - including a stakeout in London. We talk about our views on the most significant systematic review, our favourite presentation/poster, RCTs would like to see and predictions for 2026.

In this episode, Martin talks to Dr Jon Otter, Director of Infection Prevention and Control at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital in London, UK. We examine two complementary pieces of work that provide further insight into Candidozyma auris transmission in acute hospitals. The first demonstrates, for the first time in the UK, that ward-level wastewater reliably mirrors patient colonisation and can reveal genetically related outbreak strains using culture and PCR. The second, a case–control study, identifies clinical and environmental risk factors that shape colonisation, highlighting the significance of shared patient equipment. The paper can be found here: Davidson HC, Griffin AE, Symes L, Laing KG, Witney AA, Gould K, et al. Detection of Candidozyma (formerly Candida) auris from ward wastewater during an outbreak using culture and molecular methods. J Hosp Infect 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2025.10.024 A copy of the poster can be downloaded here

In this episode, Martin speaks with Helen Dunn, Consultant Nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital, a Children's Hospital in London, UK. Helen is the lead author of a recent study published in the Journal of Infection Prevention, exploring whether structured ward rounds can be used as an innovative method for delivering Infection Prevention and Control education directly in the clinical environment. This work implemented a bedside ward-round model with Band 6 nurses in a paediatric cardiac high-dependency unit, using a structured assessment tool to prompt real-time, patient-focused discussions. The findings highlight that this approach created frequent education opportunities, strengthened relationships between clinical teams and IPC practitioners, and reduced the number of IPC interventions required over time. Dunn H, Blackburn P, Cloutman-Green E. Can ward rounds be used by infection prevention control teams to deliver education and enhance knowledge to clinical staff. J Infect Prev 2025;26(6):17571774251366930. https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774251366930. Article on Schulman's Signature Pedagogies here

In this episode, Martin spoke to the authors of two compelling posters showcased at the 2025 Infection Prevention Society Conference in Brighton, each discussing practical, data-driven approaches to reducing avoidable harm. Download the posters and have a listen to two authors with a passion for their projects. First, Catherine Lemsalu, a Dental Nurse from the IPC Team at University Hospital Plymouth discusses her quality-improvement work on an acute stroke ward, demonstrating how structured mouth-care assessment, targeted staff education, and consistent daily oral care contributed to reductions in non-ventilated hospital-acquired pneumonia and Clostridioides difficile infections. Her poster highlights how simple, early interventions—done well—can strengthen antimicrobial stewardship, improve patient outcomes, and build ward-level capability through mouth-care champions. We then explored the development of a national surveillance framework and digital tool for vascular access device–related bloodstream infections (VAD-BSI) with Sue Rowlands from The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Their multidisciplinary initiative has created a standardised, user-friendly approach to classifying VAD-BSI, identifying risk factors, and generating automated visual outputs that support local reporting, audit, and education. Early pilot data show strong usability, enhanced insight into bloodstream infection epidemiology, and meaningful impact on line-care practice. Posters can be downloaded here: Reduction of hospital-acquired pneumonia and Clostridioides difficile infections through focused line care Developing a surveillance framework and digital tool for Vascular Access Device-Related Bloodstream Infections (VAD-BSI): improving patient safety through local data and national insight

In this episode, Brett and Martin discuss a few posters that interested them from recent major infection prevention conferences. Brett was at the ICPIC Conference in Geneva and found plenty of interest in the Innovation academy. Tracing hand pathogen transmission with and without hand hygiene with a newly developed DNA-encapsulating Lipid Nanoparticle system Innovative FFP2 procedural mask for safer high-risk proceduresA new medical mask made of filtering, transparent and ecofriendly materialAI for healthcare-associated infection Martin was on his travels as well and recorded a few discussions with poster presenters at the 2025 Infection Prevention Society conference at Brighton in the south of the UK (more in the next episode). On this occasion he spoke to Frances Butson from the IPC Team at Gloucester Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. We discussed a new approach to providing the hospital board with assurance of best practice by having 'bottom-up' local assessments rather than using a more traditional IPC team approach. Additionally, to foster better communications in the organisation the team there have a local podcast called IPC In Action, which can be found here: https://shows.acast.com/ipc-in-action-podcast and also on Youtube etc. The poster can be found here:

In this episode, Martin Kiernan hosts a panel discussion at the 2026 Infection Prevention Society Conference in Brighton, United Kingdom. The Panel comprised: Topics we discuss include:

In this podcast, Brett and Phil have a chat with Professor David Weber on the sidelines of the ICPIC conference in Geneva. We chat about the funding cuts for the WHO and the US CDC, including the disbandment of HICPAC - and what this means for IPC. We discuss what is being done and what needs to happen to fill the void and to ensure contemporary IPC evidence and guidelines are available. Prof Weber, a distinguished leader in infection prevention and healthcare epidemiology, is the current President of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). Prof Weber has also held many leadership and committee roles, including with HICPAC.

In this episode Martin talks to Squadron Leader Tez Cooling and Flight Lieutenant Emma Foley about their work in the Royal Air Force (RAF) retrieval service for patients with known and suspected High Consequence Infectious Disease who are transferred to specialist units in the UK. The team discuss how the Air Transportable Isolator (ATI) is used in order to safely carry out repatriations in a timely manner and the training that is required to operate suct a specialist service.

In this 2-segment episode, Brett, Phil and Martin firstly mull over a nurse-led, bottom up (pun intended) quality improvement project that aimed to reduce CAUTI in a neonatal ICU in Georgia, USA. Having discussed how great it is to see this type of work written up, Martin then spoke to Katie Cabral the lead author for more insights and to find out if the innovation has been sustained. Cabral K, Anderson V, Allen I, Hoskins D, Byers K, Gettis M. Entering a No Diaper Zone: Rethinking Prevention of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection. Critical care nurse 2025;45(4):21-8. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2025843

In this episode, Brett, Phil and Martin discuss a recent paper from Freya Bull and colleagues, who undertook a modelling exercise to determine what factors determine the colonisation process for long and short-term urinary catheters. It turns out that different factors are in play here and that strategies for CAUTI prevention miht be different for each. You can read the paper here: Bull F, Tavaddod S, Bommer N, Perry M, Brackley CA, Allen RJ. Different factors control long-term versus short-term outcomes for bacterial colonisation of a urinary catheter. Nat Commun 2025;16(1):3940. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59161-y. Brett's group's previous work on short-term catheters is here: Fasugba O, Cheng AC, Gregory V, Graves N, Koerner J, Collignon P, et al. Chlorhexidine for meatal cleaning in reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections: a multicentre stepped-wedge randomised controlled trial. Lancet Infect Dis 2019;19(6):611-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30736-9.

In this episode, Martin Kiernan talks to Drs Priya Nori and Gonzalo Bearman. Priya is an Associate Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Orthopedic Surgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA. Gonzalo is Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Professor of Internal Medicine and Associate Chief Quality and Safety Officer for Research at the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, USA. We chat about a recent book entitled "Courageous Leadership in Infectious Diseases and Public Health During Challenging Times" that they edited, in which they conducted in-depth interviews with luminaries whose careers span multiple aspects of infectious diseases and public health. We discuss the themes, lessons and nuggets gleaned from long and successful careers in Public Health, Infectious Diseases and Infection Prevention. A short section of the book as a preview is available here: https://www.cambridgescholars.com/resources/pdfs/978-1-0364-4766-3-sample.pdf The book is published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle, UK ISBN: 1-0364-4766-9 and ISBN13: 978-1-0364-4766-3

In this episode, Martin Kiernan talks to Dr Gabriel Birgand, Clinical Co-ordinator of EUCIC (European Committee on Infection Control) which is part of ESCMID Global (European Society for Clinical Microbilogy and Infectious Dieseases). Gabriel is the lead of the Regional Center for Infection Prevention and Control (Pays de la Loire region), Nantes University Hospital and also Head of the National Center for Surveillance and Prevention of AMR (antimicrobial resistance) and HAI (healthcare associated infections) in primary care and nursing homes. EUCIC has recently published a set of slides that have reviewed recent papers relevant to SSI prevention and we had the opportunity to discuss these papers. The link to the slides is below. You can find our more about the activities of EUCIC here: https://www.escmid.org/science-research/eucic/eucic-educational-activities/ To download the freely available slides, follow this link: https://www.escmid.org/fileadmin/escmid/media/pdf/eucic/Review_EUCIC_02_07_2025.pptx

In this episode, Brett reviews a few posters from the Hong Kong Infection Control Nurses Association conference. Topics include fit testing, bloodstream infection surveillance and environmental cleaning. The poster discussed in the podcast can be viewed and downloaded here.

In this episode recorded in an Irish Bar in Nelson (NZ), Brett and Martin dive headfirst into the swirling world of toilet aerosols, airborne pathogens, and potential mitigations. We begin with a older study by Scott, Bloomfield, and Barlow examining the effectiveness of disinfection in real-world settings and how this depends heavily on practical application and behavioural compliance. Then we move to move to a recent contribution by Higham and colleagues, who shift the focus from surface disinfection to airborne exposure. Their paper presents a quantitative microbial risk assessment framework that models aerosolised viral particles generated by toilet flushing that demonstrates the importance of ventilation. Finally we discuss the work of Boone and colleagues, who evaluate a practical intervention—an air sanitizer spray—and its impact on reducing airborne virus concentrations following flushing events. Papers that we discuss: Scott E, Bloomfield SF, Barlow CG. Evaluation of disinfectants in the domestic environment under 'in use' conditions. J Hyg (Lond) 1984;92(2):193-203. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022172400064214 Higham CA, López-García M, Noakes CJ, Tidswell E, Fletcher L. A Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) framework for exposure from toilet flushing using experimental aerosol concentration measurements. Indoor Environments 2025;2(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indenv.2024.100069 Boone SA, Betts-Childress ND, Ijaz MK, McKinney J, Gerba CP. The impact of an air sanitizer spray on the risk of virus transmission by aerosols generated by toilet flushing. Am J Infect Control 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2025.04.008

In this episode, Brett, Phil and Martin discuss a recent paper from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) that examined the timeliness of data points that could be used for a centrally implemented, automated HCAI surveillance system in England, as a potential alternative to the 24 current locally-implemented system. The aim was to examine the potential for a national, automated surveillance system that could reduce the burden of the existing labour-intensive process for mandatory surveillance in England although the results were felt to be generalisable. Link to the paper we discuss: Quan TP, Eyre DW, Shadwell S, West D, Hopkins S, Chudasama D, et al. Timeliness of a potential automated system for national surveillance of healthcare-associated infections in England. J Hosp Infect 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2025.04.008.

In this episode, we discuss the purpose of infection control matters and why we started the podcast. Recorded 1500 days after we started the podcast, Brett, Phil and Martin reflect on the podcast to date. For new listeners, is also a chance to learn more about our approach to the podcast and how to make the most of our website.

In this episode, we explore the crucial disconnect between national infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines and the local policies implemented in residential aged care (RAC) facilities. Brett and Martin talk to Dr Sanne Peters and Dr Kirsty Buising about their recent paper that reports on their recent analysis using the AACTT (Action, Actor, Context, Target, Time) behavioural framework, which reveals a lack of alignment and specificity in many local IPC documents. We discuss: Why well-intentioned policies often fail to drive behaviour The implications of vague IPC statements in high-risk environments How local RAC settings can better translate national guidelines into actionable, behaviourally specific practices The role of co-design, leadership, and implementation science in bridging the gap The paper we discuss: Peters S, Lim LL, Francis JJ, Bennett N, Fetherstonhaugh D, Buising K, et al. Analysis of infection prevention and control documentation in residential aged care based on a behaviour specification framework. Infect Dis Health 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idh.2025.03.002.

In this episode Martin talks to Dr Andy Borman, (Acting Head and Consultant Clinical Scientist, UKHSA National UK Mycology Reference Lab. also Hon Professor of Medical Mycology, MRC CMM, University of Exeter), Dr Colin Brown (Deputy Director of Emerging and Epidemic Infections at UK Health Security Agency; Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases & Medical Microbiology at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust) and Dr Mariyam Mirfenderesky (Consultant in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases North Middlesex and RF (AMS Lead) and UKHSA on HCAI). The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is the national organisation in the United Kingdom responsible for protecting public health by preventing, detecting, and responding to infectious diseases and other health threats. We chat about how Candidozyma auris (formerly known as Candida auris) is identified in the lab, why it matters clinically, and what it means for infection prevention and control teams. From early lab detection to real-world frontline challenges, we discuss the key issues around this emerging pathogen — and what we need to do next. UK C. auris guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/candida-auris-laboratory-investigation-management-and-infection-prevention-and-control

In this episode of Infection Control Matters, we explore the potential of AI tools to support education and professional dialogue in infection prevention and control. We used NotebookLM, an experimental tool from Google designed to help users interact with their documents in new ways—summarising, clarifying, and even generating structured discussions based on uploaded content. Using research and guidance documents, we demonstrate how NotebookLM can be used to create a voice-generated conversation on key themes in IPC. The paper that we uploaded was the recently published cost-effectiveness research that relates to the CLEEN study that we have previously highlihghted. A link to the open access paper can be found below. The main part of this podcast was a dialogue created by NotebookLM following the upload of the paper. None of the voices are human (apart from Martin at the beginning and Brett at the end). This episode offers a glimpse into how AI might be used to support reflection, training, and knowledge sharing across the healthcare community... but with caveats! The paper we discuss can be found here: Brain D, Sivapragasam N, Browne K, White NM, Russo PL, Cheng AC, et al. Economic Evaluation of Enhanced Cleaning and Disinfection of Shared Medical Equipment. JAMA Netw Open 2025;8(4):e258565. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.8565 NotebookLM: https://notebooklm.google/

In this episode of Infection Control Matters, Martin Kiernan speaks with Dr. Nicole Stoesser about a large-scale, multi-centre study exploring the role of hospital sink infrastructure in antimicrobial resistance and pathogen dissemination. Representing the collaborative NITCAR-led "Sinkbug Consortium" we discuss surprising findings from 29 UK hospitals—including widespread antibiotic residues in sink traps—and reflect on the implications for sink design, waste disposal practices, and infection prevention strategies The paper we discuss is here: Rodger G, Chau K, Aranega Bou P, Moore G, Roohi A, The SinkBug Consortium, et al. Survey of healthcare-associated sink infrastructure, and sink trap antibiotic residues and biochemistry, in 29 UK hospitals. J Hosp Infect 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2025.02.002. Information on Nitcar: https://nitcollaborative.org.uk/wp/ Other papers of interest: Aranega-Bou P, George RP, Verlander NQ, Paton S, Bennett A, Moore G, et al. Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae dispersal from sinks is linked to drain position and drainage rates in a laboratory model system. J Hosp Infect 2019;102(1):63-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2018.12.007 Grabowski M, Lobo JM, Gunnell B, Enfield K, Carpenter R, Barnes L, et al. Characterizations of handwashing sink activities in a single hospital medical intensive care unit. J Hosp Infect 2018;100(3):e115-e22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2018.04.025