The utility of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in analysis SARS-COV-2 variants was evaluated. RT-PCR tests were used to analyse the majority of new SARS-CoV-2 cases (n = ...9315) in a tertiary hospital (Madrid, Spain) throughout 2021. Subsequently, whole genome sequencing (WGS) was conducted on 10.8% of these samples (n = 1002). Notably, the Delta and Omicron variants emerged rapidly. There were no discrepancies between RT-PCR and WGS results. Continuous surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants is essential, and RT-PCR is a highly useful method, specially during periods of high COVID-19 incidence. This feasible technique can be implemented in all SARS-CoV-2 laboratories. However, WGS remains the gold standard method for comprehensive detection of all existing SARS-CoV-2 variants.
Prosthetic joint infections are considered difficult to treat they needing aggressive surgery and long antimicrobial treatments. However, the exact duration of these therapies has been established ...empirically. In the last years, several studies have explored the possibility of reducing the length of treatment in this setting, with conflicting results. In this narrative review, we critically appraise the published evidence, considering the different surgical approaches (implant retention DAIR and one-step and two-step exchange procedures) separately. In patients managed with DAIR, usually treated for at least 12 weeks, a large, randomized trial failed to show that 6 weeks were non-inferior. However, another randomized clinical trial supports the use of 8 weeks, as long as the surgical conditions are favorable and antibiotics with good antibiofilm activity can be administered. In patients managed with a two-step exchange procedure, usually treated during 6 weeks, a randomized clinical trial showed the efficacy of a 4-week course of antimicrobials. Also, the use of local antibiotics may allow the use of even shorter treatments. Finally, in the case of one-step exchange procedures, there is a trend towards reducing the length of therapy, and the largest randomized clinical trial supports the use of 6 weeks of therapy.
Previous studies have suggested a more frequent and severe course of novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 infection in cancer patients undergoing active oncologic treatment. Our aim was to describe the ...characteristics of the disease in this population and to determine predictive factors for poor outcome in terms of severe respiratory distress (acute respiratory distress syndrome ARDS) or death.
Patients consecutively admitted for SARS-CoV-2 infection were prospectively collected, and retrospective statistical analysis was performed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess potential factors for poor outcomes defined as ARDS or death.
Sixty-three patients were analysed, and 34 of them developed respiratory failure (70% as ARDS). Lymphocytes/mm3 (412 versus 686; p = 0.001), serum albumin (2.84 versus 3.1); lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (670 versus 359; p < 0.001) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (25.8 versus 9.9; p < 0.001) discriminate those that developed respiratory failure. Mortality rate was 25%, significantly higher among ARDS, neutropenic patients (p = 0.01) and in those with bilateral infiltrates (44% versus 0%; p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic analyses model confirmed the predictive value of severe neutropenia (odds ratio OR 16.54; 95% confidence interval CI 1.43–190.9, p 0.025), bilateral infiltrates (OR 32.83, CI 95% 3.51–307, p 0.002) and tumour lung involvement (OR 4.34, CI 95% 1.2–14.95, p 0.02).
Cancer patients under active treatment admitted for SARS-CoV-2 infection have worse outcomes in terms of mortality and respiratory failure rates compared with COVID-19 global population. Lymphopenia, LDH, CRP and albumin discriminate illness severity, whereas neutropenia, bilateral infiltrates and tumour pulmonary involvement are predictive of higher mortality.
•Cancer patients are supposed to be especially vulnerable for SARS-CoV-2 infection.•Active cancer treatment could be deleterious in case of simultaneous SARS-CoV-2 infection.•Outcomes of patients under treatment and admitted for SARS-CoV-2 infection are described.•Hospitalised SARS-CoV-2 cancer patients show similar death rate to non-cancer patients.
A 44-Year-Old Female With Overwhelming Sepsis Meléndez-Carmona, María Ángeles; Recio, Raúl; Lora-Tamayo, Jaime ...
Clinical infectious diseases,
06/2018, Letnik:
66, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The organism was identified as Streptococcus pneumoniae by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. The isolate showed the serotype 23A and it was ...susceptible for optochin. It was also susceptible to penicillin, ceftriaxone, vancomycin, meropenem, clindamycin, and levofloxacin. She initiated therapy with ceftriaxone and immunoglobulins. However, her condition further deteriorated, and the patient died 48 hours after admission due to septic shock and multi-organ failure.
The timing of the development of specific adaptive immunity after natural SARS-CoV-2 infection, and its relevance in clinical outcome, has not been characterized in depth. Description of the ...long-term maintenance of both cellular and humoral responses elicited by real-world anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is still scarce. Here we aimed to understand the development of optimal protective responses after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. We performed an early, longitudinal study of S1-, M- and N-specific IFN-γ and IL-2 T cell immunity and anti-S total and neutralizing antibodies in 88 mild, moderate or severe acute COVID-19 patients. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2-specific adaptive immunity was also analysed in 234 COVID-19 recovered subjects, 28 uninfected BNT162b2-vaccinees and 30 uninfected healthy controls. Upon natural infection, cellular and humoral responses were early and coordinated in mild patients, while weak and inconsistent in severe patients. The S1-specific cellular response measured at hospital arrival was an independent predictive factor against severity. In COVID-19 recovered patients, four to seven months post-infection, cellular immunity was maintained but antibodies and neutralization capacity declined. Finally, a robust Th1-driven immune response was developed in uninfected BNT162b2-vaccinees. Three months post-vaccination, the cellular response was comparable, while the humoral response was consistently stronger, to that measured in COVID-19 recovered patients. Thus, measurement of both humoral and cellular responses provides information on prognosis and protection from infection, which may add value for individual and public health recommendations.
Multidrug-resistant (MDR)
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
represents a major clinical concern. The interplay between antimicrobial resistance and virulence of
P. aeruginosa
was investigated in in vitro and in ...vivo studies. Thirty-eight well-characterized (21 MDR and 17 non-MDR)
P. aeruginosa
strains from patients with bacteraemia were analysed. Resistance phenotype, carbapenemase production, clonal relatedness, type III secretion system genotype, O-antigen serotype, cytotoxicity (ability to lyse cells) on A549 cells, and virulence (lethality in nematodes) in a
Caenorhabditis elegans
model were investigated. MDR strains showed lower cytotoxicity (35.4 ± 21.30% vs. 45.0 ± 18.78 %;
P
= 0.044) and virulence (66.7% vs. 100%;
P
= 0.011) than non-MDR strains. However, the pathogenicity of MDR high-risk clones varied broadly, with ST235 and ST175 clones being the most and least cytotoxic (51.8 ± 10.59% vs. 11.0 ± 1.25%;
P
< 0.0001) and virulent (100% vs. 73.1;
P
= 0.075 and 0% vs. 93.9%;
P
< 0.0001, respectively). The pathogenicity of the ST235 clone was similar to that of non-MDR strains, and its ability to lyse cells and high virulence were related with the
exo
U-positive genotype. Furthermore, the O11 serotype was more frequent among the ST235 clone and
exo
U-positive genotype strains and was also essential for the pathogenicity of
P. aeruginosa
. Our data suggest that the pathogenicity of MDR high-risk clones is the result not only of the resistance phenotype but also of the virulence genotype. These findings have implications for the clinical management of patients and infection control programmes.
Abstract
Introduction
Levofloxacin and rifampicin are the preferred treatment for prosthetic joint infection (PJI) caused by Staphylococcus aureus, especially when managed with implant retention ...(DAIR). However, a significant variability of success has been reported, which could be related to intrinsic characteristics of the microorganism. Our aim was to evaluate the variability in the anti-biofilm response to levofloxacin and rifampicin in a clinical collection of S. aureus.
Material and methods
Eleven levofloxacin- and rifampicin-susceptible S. aureus isolates causing PJI managed with DAIR were included. Levofloxacin, rifampicin and levofloxacin + rifampicin were tested in an in vitro static biofilm model in microtitre plates, where 48 h biofilms were challenged with antimicrobials during 24 h. Additionally, two genetically similar strains were tested in the CDC Biofilm Reactor, where 48 h biofilms were treated during 56 h. Antimicrobial activity was assessed by viable biofilm-embedded cells recount, and by crystal violet staining.
Results
All antimicrobial regimens showed significant anti-biofilm activity, but a notable scattering in the response was observed across all strains (inter-strain coefficient of variation for levofloxacin, rifampicin and levofloxacin + rifampicin of 22.8%, 35.8% and 34.5%, respectively). This variability was tempered with the combination regimen when tested in the biofilm reactor. No correlation was observed between the minimal biofilm eradicative concentration and the antimicrobial activity. Recurrent S. aureus isolates exhibited higher biofilm-forming ability compared with strains from resolved infections (7.6 log10 cfu/cm2±0.50 versus 9.0 log10 cfu±0.07).
Conclusions
Significant variability may be expected in response to levofloxacin and rifampicin among biofilm-embedded S. aureus. A response in the lower range, together with other factors of bad prognosis, could be responsible of treatment failure.
Staphylococcus aureus may invade and persist intracellularly in prosthetic joint infections (PJIs). Despite optimized treatments with levofloxacin plus rifampin, the intracellular reservoir may lead ...to infection relapse. This study assessed the intracellular activity of levofloxacin and rifampin in an in-vitro model of human osteoblastic infection.
Ten meticillin-susceptible S. aureus strains were used to infect osteoblastic MG63 cells. Osteoblasts were challenged with rifampin and levofloxacin at cortical and cancellous bone concentrations. Efficacy was measured as the intracellular counts of colony-forming units (log10CFU) compared with untreated controls. The emergence of small colony variants (SCVs) was determined, and the results were stratified according to the patient's prognosis (six cured and four with persistence/relapse).
All regimes led to a significant decrease in CFU count compared with controls (1–2 log10CFU). Levofloxacin was the most effective treatment at both cortical and cancellous bone concentrations (-2.4 to -1.9 log10CFU, respectively). The addition of rifampin to levofloxacin did not improve performance (-1.9 log10CFU for cortical concentration and -1.8 log10 CFU for cancellous concentration). An increase in SCVs was observed in the presence of rifampin. The efficacy of antimicrobials was higher and the formation of SCVs was lower against strains belonging to PJIs with a favourable outcome.
Levofloxacin plus rifampin had good intracellular activity against S. aureus. However, from the intracellular perspective, the addition of rifampin to levofloxacin showed no benefit but could account for an increased number of SCVs.
The positive-intraoperative-cultures-type prosthetic joint infection (PIOC-PJI) is considered when surgical cultures yield microorganisms in presumed aseptic arthroplasty revisions. Herein we assess ...the risk factors for failure in the largest cohort of PIOC-PJI patients reported to date.
A retrospective, observational, multicenter study was performed during 2007–2017. Surgeries leading to diagnose PIOC-PJI included only one-stage procedures with either complete or partial prosthesis revision. Failure was defined as recurrence caused by the same microorganism.
203 cases were included (age 72 years, 52% females). Coagulase-negative staphylococci (n = 125, 62%) was the main etiology, but some episodes were caused by virulent bacteria (n = 51, 25%). Prosthesis complete and partial revision was performed in 93 (46%) and 110 (54%) cases, respectively. After a median of 3.4 years, failure occurred in 17 episodes (8.4%, 95%CI 5.3–13.1). Partial revision was an independent predictor of failure (HR 3.63; 95%CI 1.03–12.8), adjusted for gram-negative bacilli (GNB) infection (HR 2.68; 95%CI 0.91–7.89) and chronic renal impairment (HR 2.40; 95%CI 0.90–6.44). Treatment with biofilm-active antibiotics (rifampin/fluoroquinolones) had a favorable impact on infections caused by staphylococci and GNB.
Overall prognosis of PIOC-PJI is good, but close follow-up is required in cases of partial revision and in infections caused by GNB.
•The overall prognosis of unsuspected positive intraoperative cultures (PIOC) is good.•Partial revision of the orthopedic device is the main risk factor for failure in PIOC.•Gram-negative bacilli infection worsens the prognosis in PIOC.•Biofilm-active antibiotics (rifampin and fluoroquinolones) may improve the prognosis.•This is the largest cohort of patients with PIOC reported to date.
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