2395. Analysis of Countywide Clostridium difficile Infection using Descriptive Statistics and Geographic Information Systems Mapping

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is now the most common pathogen causing nosocomial infectious diarrhea in the United States, and more than 500,000 people are estimated to have either healthcare-associated (HA) or community acquired (CA) CDI. The epidemiology of CDI is incompletely understood with more than 50% of all CDI cases occurring in the outpatient community and growing at a pace that is greater than HA-CDI. METHODS: Patients with CDI within Santa Barbara County, California were identified via three types of tests: Clostridium difficile PCR, gastrointestinal panel by PCR, and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) via local laboratory. Basic patient characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Changes with CA-CDI incidence were examined on a quarterly basis to identify and compare quarterly trends in CA-CDI incidence. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping was utilized to provide better spatial understanding of disease distribution across communities. RESULTS: Over 2,000 unique patients with CDI were identified between January 1, 2013 and January 31, 2019. Median age of these patients was 64 years (interquartile range: 45 – 78) and 60% were female. Hot spots of CDI within Santa Barbara County were localized to three major cities: Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Lompoc. Our results show that based on seasonal quarterly data CDI occurred most frequently in winter months. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, CDI hot spots occurred most frequently during winter months and could possibly be associated with increased antibiotic treatment during flu season. Using the results from this study, we believe that by utilizing spatial and seasonal trends associated with CDI, physicians may be able to identify, diagnose and treat patients with CDI more promptly in Santa Barbara County. DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.