Emerging Infections Program
Emerging Infections Program
Infections can be classified either as healthcare-associated (when they occur while receiving healthcare or soon thereafter), or community-associated (when they occur without recent inpatient healthcare). CDC is committed to helping all Americans avoid healthcare- and community-associated infections caused by a variety of bacterial or fungal pathogens, many of which frequently develop antimicrobial resistance or are associated with antimicrobial use.
The CDC's Emerging Infections Program (EIP) engages a network of state health departments and their academic medical center partners to help answer critical questions about healthcare- and community-associated infection threats, advanced infection tracking methods, and antimicrobial resistance in the United States. The data collected play a key role in shaping policies and recommendations focused on healthcare- and community-associated infection prevention.
EIP Profiles
Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is one of the leading causes of healthcare-associated infections in the United States and is also increasingly detected in the community. Most cases of C. difficile infection occur in people taking antibiotics or not long after finishing a course of antibiotics. There are other risk factors: being 65 or older, having a recent stay at a hospital or nursing home, having a weakened immune system, or having a previous C. difficile infection or known exposure to C. difficile bacteria.
C. difficile bacteria form spores that can survive for long periods in the environment, including on surfaces in healthcare settings. People can become infected if they touch items or surfaces that are contaminated with feces and then touch their mouth or mucous membranes. Healthcare workers can spread the bacteria to patients or contaminate surfaces through hand contact.
CDC provides guidelines and tools to the healthcare community to help prevent C. difficile infections as well as provides resources to help the public safeguard their own health.
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections in the United States and an important cause of serious infections in the community. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is a type of staphylococcal bacteria that is resistant to multiple antibiotics.
MRSA can cause serious infections, including bloodstream infection, pneumonia, bone or joint infection, and surgical site infection. In some cases, MRSA infection becomes severe and results in sepsis (the body's extreme response to an infection) or death. In the community, MRSA is most commonly associated with skin infections.
MRSA is usually spread by direct contact with people who are infected or colonized with MRSA, or by contact with contaminated hands or objects (such as the hands of healthcare providers, or shared personal items like towels or razors). CDC provides guidelines and tools to the healthcare community to help prevent MRSA infections as well as provides resources to help the public safeguard their own health.
As part of CDC's Emerging Infections Program (EIP) Healthcare-Associated Infections - Community Interface Activity (HAIC), the Multi-site Gram-negative Surveillance Initiative (MuGSI) conducts surveillance for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB), extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E), and invasive Escherichia coli (iEC). The MuGSI program describes the incidence, risk factors, antimicrobial resistance mechanisms, and strain types of these bacteria in selected areas in the United States.