Clinical and Bacteriological Survey of Diabetic Foot Infections in Lisbon

AIMS: An epidemiological survey of diabetic foot infections (DFIs) in Lisbon, stratifying the bacterial profile based on patient demographical data, diabetic foot characteristics (PEDIS classification), ulcer duration and antibiotic therapy. METHODS: A transversal observational multicenter study, with clinical data collection using a structured questionnaire and microbiological products (aspirates, biopsies or swabs collected using the Levine method) of clinically infected foot ulcers of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). RESULTS: Forty-nine hospitalized and ambulatory patients were enrolled in this study, and 147 microbial isolates were cultured. Staphylococcus was the main genus identified, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was present in 24.5% of total cases. In the clinical samples collected from patients undergoing antibiotic therapy, 93% of the antibiotic regimens were considered inadequate based on the antibiotic susceptibility test results. The average duration of an ulcer with any isolated multi-drug resistant (MDR) organism was 29 days, and previous treatment with fluoroquinolones was statistically associated with multi-drug resistance. CONCLUSIONS: Staphylococcus aureus was the most common cause of DFIs in our area. Prevalence and precocity of MDR organisms, namely MRSA, were high and were probably related to previous indiscriminate antibiotic use. Clinicians should avoid fluoroquinolones and more frequently consider the use of empirical anti-MRSA therapy.

Amniocentesis in HIV Pregnant Women: 16 Years of Experience

The iatrogenic risk of HIV vertical transmission, calculated in initial epidemiologic studies, seemed to counterindicate invasive prenatal diagnosis (PND) procedures. The implementation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) represented a turning point in PND management, owing to a rapid and effective reduction of maternal viral load (VL). In the present study, we identified cases of vertical transmission in HIV-infected pregnant women who did amniocentesis in the second trimester of pregnancy (n = 27), from 1996 to 2011. We divided our sample into Group A--women under HAART when submitted to amniocentesis (n = 20) and Group B--women without antiretroviral therapy before amniocentesis (n = 7). We had 1 case of vertical transmission in Group B. Preconceptional or early first trimester HIV serology is essential to avoid performing an amniocentesis without antiretroviral therapy or viral suppression. When there is an indication for amniocentesis in an HIV-infected pregnant woman, it should be done if the patient is on HAART and, if possible, when VL is undetectable. Nowadays, with combined first trimester screening test to select pregnancies with high risk of aneuploidies, advanced maternal age is a less frequent indication to perform PND invasive procedures, representing an outstanding gain in prenatal diagnosis of this population.