Changes in oral microflora in prosthetic patients on hygiene protocol

Poster presented at the 1st International Congress of CiiEM - From Basic Sciences to Clinical Research, 27-28 November 2015, Egas Moniz, Caparica, Portugal.

Colonização nasal por Staphylococcus aureus em estudantes universitários: um problema?

Dissertação para obtenção do grau de Mestre no Instituto Superior de Ciências da Saúde Egas Moniz

Predictors of Nasal Obstruction: Quantification and Assessment Using Multiple Grading Scales

Objective. To evaluate the association between nasal obstruction and (1) demographic factors, (2) medical history, (3) physical tests, and (4) nasal exam findings. Study Design. CASE SERIES: Methods. Chart review at a tertiary medical center. Results. Two hundred-forty consecutive patients (52.1 ± 17.5 years old, with a Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation (NOSE) score of 32.0 ± 24.1) were included. Demographic factors and inferior turbinate sizes were not associated with NOSE score or Nasal Obstruction Visual Analog Scale (NO-VAS). A significant association was found between higher NOSE score on univariate analysis and positive history of nasal trauma (p = 0.0136), allergic rhinitis (p < 0.0001), use of nasal steroids (p = 0.0108), higher grade of external nasal deformity (p = 0.0149), higher internal nasal septal deviation grade (p = 0.0024), and narrow internal nasal valve angle (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis identified the following as independent predictors of high NOSE score: NO-VAS: ≥50 (Odds Ratio (OR) = 17.6 (95% CI 5.83-61.6), p < 0.0001), external nasal deformity: grades 2-4 (OR = 4.63 (95% CI 1.14-19.9), p = 0.0339), and allergic rhinitis: yes (OR = 5.5 (95% CI 1.77-18.7), p = 0.0041). Conclusion. Allergic rhinitis, NO-VAS score ≥ 50, and external nasal deformity (grades 2-4) were statistically significant independent predictors of high NOSE scores on multivariate analysis. Inferior turbinate size was not associated with NOSE scores or NO-VAS.

Severe Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Patient Coinfected with Leishmania braziliensis and Its Endosymbiotic Virus.

Leishmaniaparasites cause a broad range of disease, with cutaneous afflictions being, by far, the most prevalent. Variations in disease severity and symptomatic spectrum are mostly associated to parasite species. One risk factor for the severity and emergence of leishmaniasis is immunosuppression, usually arising by coinfection of the patient with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Interestingly, several species ofLeishmaniahave been shown to bear an endogenous cytoplasmic dsRNA virus (LRV) of theTotiviridaefamily, and recently we correlated the presence of LRV1 withinLeishmaniaparasites to an exacerbation murine leishmaniasis and with an elevated frequency of drug treatment failures in humans. This raises the possibility of further exacerbation of leishmaniasis in the presence of both viruses, and here we report a case of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused byLeishmania braziliensisbearing LRV1 with aggressive pathogenesis in an HIV patient. LRV1 was isolated and partially sequenced from skin and nasal lesions. Genetic identity of both sequences reinforced the assumption that nasal parasites originate from primary skin lesions. Surprisingly, combined antiretroviral therapy did not impact the devolution ofLeishmaniainfection. TheLeishmaniainfection was successfully treated through administration of liposomal amphotericin B.

The nasal microbiota in infants with cystic fibrosis in the first year of life: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND Respiratory tract infections and subsequent airway inflammation occur early in the life of infants with cystic fibrosis. However, detailed information about the microbial composition of the respiratory tract in infants with this disorder is scarce. We aimed to undertake longitudinal in-depth characterisation of the upper respiratory tract microbiota in infants with cystic fibrosis during the first year of life. METHODS We did this prospective cohort study at seven cystic fibrosis centres in Switzerland. Between Feb 1, 2011, and May 31, 2014, we enrolled 30 infants with a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. Microbiota characterisation was done with 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing and oligotyping of nasal swabs collected every 2 weeks from the infants with cystic fibrosis. We compared these data with data for an age-matched cohort of 47 healthy infants. We additionally investigated the effect of antibiotic treatment on the microbiota of infants with cystic fibrosis. Statistical methods included regression analyses with a multivariable multilevel linear model with random effects to correct for clustering on the individual level. FINDINGS We analysed 461 nasal swabs taken from the infants with cystic fibrosis; the cohort of healthy infants comprised 872 samples. The microbiota of infants with cystic fibrosis differed compositionally from that of healthy infants (p=0·001). This difference was also found in exclusively antibiotic-naive samples (p=0·001). The disordering was mainly, but not solely, due to an overall increase in the mean relative abundance of Staphylococcaceae in infants with cystic fibrosis compared with healthy infants (multivariable linear regression model stratified by age and adjusted for season; second month: coefficient 16·2 [95% CI 0·6-31·9]; p=0·04; third month: 17·9 [3·3-32·5]; p=0·02; fourth month: 21·1 [7·8-34·3]; p=0·002). Oligotyping analysis enabled differentiation between Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococci. Whereas the analysis showed a decrease in S aureus at and after antibiotic treatment, coagulase-negative Staphylococci increased. INTERPRETATION Our study describes compositional differences in the microbiota of infants with cystic fibrosis compared with healthy controls, and disordering of the microbiota on antibiotic administration. Besides S aureus, coagulase-negative Staphylococci also contributed to the disordering identified in these infants. These findings are clinically important in view of the crucial role that bacterial pathogens have in the disease progression of cystic fibrosis in early life. Our findings could be used to inform future studies of the effect of antibiotic treatment on the microbiota in infants with cystic fibrosis, and could assist in the prevention of early disease progression in infants with this disorder. FUNDING Swiss National Science Foundation, Fondation Botnar, the Swiss Society for Cystic Fibrosis, and the Swiss Lung Association Bern.