The Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP):
- Last updated: 2025-06-02
Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistant Organisms
This section presents the latest surveillance data submitted to CNISP & NML on various HAIs and AROs including Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (MRSA BSI), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus bloodstream infections (VRE BSI), carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) infections, and C. auris infections and colonizations. These data, collected from CNISP participating hospitals, offer insights into annual rates, antimicrobial resistance, and molecular trends.
Additional information on CNISP participating hospitals can be found in our overview section: CNISP Overview
Detailed case information
The tables and figures below reflect detailed case information provided to CNISP by participating hospitals. These data are subject to change as we receive new information over time.
For more detailed information on HAIs and AROs, please refer to the most recent annual Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR) publication: Healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance in Canadian acute care hospitals, 2018-2022
Overall Incidence of HAIs and AROs
Figure 1 illustrates the overall incidence rate for all case types (Healthcare-associated (HA), Community-associated (CA) and unknown source of acquisition combined) for CDI, MRSA BSI, VRE BSI, and CPE Infections. The rates are displayed in 10,000 patient-days and the dropdown can be used to change the denominator to reflect rates per 1,000 patient admissions. Rates of C. auris infections are not calculated in Figure 1 given low case counts by year to date. This is subject to change as more cases with complete epidemiological information are reported.
Case types:
Healthcare-Associated (HA):
These are infections that a person acquires while receiving medical care or treatment in a healthcare facility, such as hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, or rehabilitation centers.Community-Associated (CA):
These are infections that individuals acquire outside of healthcare facilities, typically in the general community. These infections are not directly linked to healthcare interventions.All case types:
Combined data for both HA and CA infections. This category also includes cases with unknown sources of acquisition, and provides a comprehensive overview of infection trends, encompassing infections acquired both within healthcare settings and in the general community.Figure 1. Incidence Rates of CDI, MRSA BSI, VRE BSI, and CPE Infections (All Case Types)
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Figure 2. All-cause Mortality (All Case Types)
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Figure 3. Incidence Rates by Case Type
Use the interactive legend or bars (click/unclick) to toggle between HA and CA. This filter is applied to all relevant figures in this section, as indicated by the case type drop downs.
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Figure 4. Incidence Rates by Region, Facility Type or Hospital Size
Hover over areas of the graph to display rates and highlight the corresponding group name in the legend. Use the interactive legend (click/unclick) to add/remove groups from the graph.
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Figure 5. All-cause Mortality (number of deaths per 100 cases)
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Laboratory Data
Figures 6 and 7 illustrate resistance patterns and molecular data over time. Figure 6 provides insights into how these organisms respond to antimicrobial treatments over time, while Figure 7 reveals their genetic diversity and evolution over time.
Figure 6. Antimicrobial Resistance
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Figure 7.
Hover over areas of the legend to highlight the corresponding group in the graph. Use the interactive legend (click/unclick) to zoom in on the selected group.
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NEW Simplified Dataset (SDS) - CDI
In 2022, CNISP launched the Simplified Dataset (SDS), which allows hospitals outside of the CNISP network to contribute aggregate data to CNISP’s rates. This project is currently being piloted with CDI with plans to expand to other HAIs and AROs. By combining patient-level data from participating CNISP hospitals and aggregate data from the SDS, CNISP will have a more representative sample of Canadian hospitals, enabling the program to report national and regional rates of AMR with greater accuracy.
Figure 8 illustrates incidence rates for Healthcare-associated infections. The rates are displayed in 10,000 patient-days. These rates do not account for variations in provincial case definitions.