CURB-65 and Other Markers of Illness Severity in Community-Acquired Pneumonia Among HIV-Positive Patients

As the relative burden of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia among HIV-positive patients increases, adequate prediction of case severity on presentation is crucial. We sought to determine what characteristics measurable on presentation are predictive of worse outcomes. We studied all admissions for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia over one year at a tertiary centre. Patient demographics, comorbidities, HIV-specific markers and CURB-65 scores on Emergency Department presentation were reviewed. Outcomes of interest included mortality, bacteraemia, intensive care unit admission and orotracheal intubation. A total of 396 patients were included: 49 HIV-positive and 347 HIV-negative. Mean CURB-65 score was 1.3 for HIV-positive and 2.2 for HIV-negative patients (p < 0.0001), its predictive value for mortality being maintained in both groups (p = 0.03 and p < 0.001, respectively). Adjusting for CURB-65 scores, HIV infection by itself was only associated with bacteraemia (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 7.1, 95% CI [2.6-19.5]). Patients with < 200 CD4 cells/µL presented similar CURB-65 adjusted mortality (aOR 1.7, 95% CI [0.2-15.2]), but higher risk of intensive care unit admission (aOR 5.7, 95% CI [1.5-22.0]) and orotracheal intubation (aOR 9.1, 95% CI [2.2-37.1]), compared to HIV-negative patients. These two associations were not observed in the > 200 CD4 cells/µL subgroup (aOR 2.2, 95% CI [0.7-7.6] and aOR 0.8, 95% CI [0.1-6.5], respectively). Antiretroviral therapy and viral load suppression were not associated with different outcomes (p > 0.05). High CURB-65 scores and CD4 counts < 200 cells/µL were both associated with worse outcomes. Severity assessment scales and CD4 counts may both be helpful in predicting severity in HIV-positive patients presenting with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia.

Lights and Shadows about the Effectiveness of IVF in HIV Infected Women: A Systematic Review

Background. HIV infected women have higher rates of infertility. Objective. The purpose of this literature review is to evaluate the effectiveness of fresh IVF/ICSI cycles in HIV infected women. Materials and Methods. A search of the PubMed database was performed to identify studies assessing fresh nondonor oocyte IVF/ICSI cycle outcomes of serodiscordant couples with an HIV infected female partner. Results and Discussion. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Whenever a comparison with a control group was available, with the exception of one case, ovarian stimulation cancelation rate was higher and pregnancy rate (PR) was lower in HIV infected women. However, statistically significant differences in both rates were only seen in one and two studies, respectively. A number of noncontrolled sources of bias for IVF outcome were identified. This fact, added to the small size of samples studied and heterogeneity in study design and methodology, still hampers the performance of a meta-analysis on the issue. Conclusion. Prospective matched case-control studies are necessary for the understanding of the specific effects of HIV infection on ovarian response and ART outcome.

Candidemia in Acute Leukemia Patients

Fungal infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with acute leukemia (AL). Candidemia, once rare, is now a common nosocomial infection because of the intensity of chemotherapy, prolonged neutropenia, administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics and use of central venous catheters (CVC). We retrospectively identified patients treated for AL from 6/86 to 6/95 who also had candidemia. We describe 28 patients (incidence 6.3%) with a median age of 39 years, 24 of whom were on remission induction and 4 on postremission chemotherapy. All patients had CVC and empiric antimicrobial therapy, 4 had been given prophylactic antifungal drugs, and 2 had parenteral nutrition. Neutropenia was profound (median leukocyte nadir 200/microliters, median duration 19 days). Candida was isolated in blood cultures 10 days (median) after the start of neutropenia. The clinical presentation included fever (100%), respiratory symptoms (71.4%), skin lesions (39.2%) and septic shock (17.8%). Amphotericin B was given to 17 patients and liposomal amphotericin to 5 patients. Infection resolved in 18 patients (64.2%). 10 of whom were in complete remission. Mortality from candidemia was 17.8% (5/28). In conclusion, fungal infections are responsible for death in a significant number of patients. In our series treatment success was related to its rapid onset and to the recovery of neutropenia.

Polymerase Chain Reaction Screening for Fungemia and/or Invasive Fungal Infections in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies

INTRODUCTION: Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a life-threatening complication in patients with hematologic malignancies, mainly in acute leukemia patients, following chemotherapy. IFI incidence is increasing, and associated mortality remains high due to unreliable diagnosis. Antifungal drugs are often limited by inadequate antimicrobial spectrum and side effects. Thus, the detection of circulating fungal DNA has been advocated as a rapid, more sensitive diagnostic tool. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between June 01 and January 03, weekly blood samples (1,311) were screened from 193 patients undergoing intensive myelosuppressive or immunosuppressive therapy. IFI cases were classified according to European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycoses Study Group criteria. Fungal DNA was extracted from whole blood and amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) published primers that bind to the conserved regions of the fungal 18S rRNA gene sequence. In our study, two or more consecutive positive samples were always associated with fungal disease. RESULTS: PCR screening predicted the development of IFI to be 17 days (median). This test had a specificity of 91.1% and a sensitivity of 75%. IFI incidence was 7.8%. DISCUSSION: Therefore, our results confirm the potential usefulness of PCR serial screening and the clinical applicability in everyday routine. PCR screening offers a noninvasive repeatable aid to the diagnosis of IFI.