Comparison of serum and whole-blood specimens for the detection of Candida DNA in critically ill, non-neutropenic patients

In contrast to the multitude of studies on fungal PCR assay methods, little work has been reported evaluating Candida PCR performance when using whole blood compared with serum in candidaemic patients. Here, a comparison of the performance of whole-blood and serum specimens using a set of real-time PCR Candida species assays is described. Specimens were collected prospectively from non-neutropenic adults who were recruited to a diagnostic clinical trial, the primary purpose of which was to verify the performance of the assays using serum; in all, 104 participants also had whole-blood specimens submitted for analysis in addition to the serum specimen. Of these participants, 10 had laboratory-confirmed candidaemia and 94 were categorized as being 'unlikely' to have invasive Candida infection. PCR results from the whole-blood specimens are presented here and compared with the results from serum specimens in this subgroup among whom both specimen types were obtained contemporaneously. All participants with candidaemia were PCR-positive from serum samples; however, only seven were PCR-positive from whole blood. All specimens from patients in the 'unlikely' category were PCR-negative in both types of specimen. Moreover, DNA extraction from serum required 1 h; extraction from whole blood required approximately 3 h. These data tentatively suggest that, overall, serum is an appropriate specimen for Candida PCR for detection of candidaemia in non-neutropenic adults.

Survey of aspergillosis in non-neutropenic patients in Swiss teaching hospitals

Clin Microbiol Infect ABSTRACT: Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a live-threatening opportunistic infection that is best described in haematological patients with prolonged neutropenia or graft-versus-host disease. Data on IA in non-neutropenic patients are limited. The aim of this study was to establish the incidence, disease manifestations and outcome of IA in non-neutropenic patients diagnosed in five Swiss university hospitals during a 2-year period. Case identification was based on a comprehensive screening of hospital records. All cases of proven and probable IA were retrospectively analysed. Sixty-seven patients were analysed (median age 60 years; 76% male). Sixty-three per cent of cases were invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), and 17% of these were disseminated aspergillosis. The incidence of IPA was 1.2/10?000 admissions. Six of ten cases of extrapulmonary IA affected the brain. There were six cases of invasive rhinosinusitis, six cases of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, and cases three of subacute pulmonary aspergillosis. The most frequent underlying condition of IA was corticosteroid treatment (57%), followed by chronic lung disease (48%), and intensive-care unit stays (43%). In 38% of patients with IPA, the diagnosis was established at autopsy. Old age was the only risk factor for post-mortem diagnosis, whereas previous solid organ transplantation and chronic lung disease were associated with lower odds of post-mortem diagnosis. The mortality rate was 57%.

Risk factors for invasive aspergillosis in neutropenic patients with hematologic malignancies

Risk factors for invasive aspergillosis (IA) are incompletely identified and may undergo changes due to differences in medical practice. A cohort of 189 consecutive, adult patients with neutropenia hospitalized in the hemato-oncology ward of the University hospital Berne between 1995 and 1999 were included in a retrospective study to assess risk factors for IA. In total, 45 IA cases (nine proven, three probable, 33 possible), 11 patients with refractory fever and 133 controls were analyzed. IA cases had more often acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) (88 vs 38%, P < 0.001) and a longer duration of neutropenia (mean 20.6 vs 9.9 days, P < 0.001). They also had fewer neutropenic episodes during the preceding 6 months (mean 0.42 vs 1.03, P < 0.001), that is, confirmed (82%) and probable (73%) IA occurred most often during the induction cycle. A short time interval ( < or = 14 days) between neutropenic episodes increased the risk of IA four-fold (P = 0.06). Bacteremia, however, was not related to the number of preceding neutropenic episodes. Therefore, neutropenic patients with leukemia or MDS have the highest risk of IA. The risk is highest during the first induction cycle of treatment and increases with short-time intervals between treatment cycles.

Safety and toxicity of amphotericin B in glucose 5% or intralipid 20% in neutropenic patients with pneumonia or fever of unknown origin: randomised study

Objective: To compare the feasibility of treatment, safety, and toxicity of intravenous amphotericin B deoxycholate prepared in either glucose or intralipid for empirical antimycotic treatment of neutropenic cancer patients.

Clinical factors associated with a Candida albicans Germ Tube Antibody positive test in Intensive Care Unit patients

Background: Poor outcomes of invasive candidiasis (IC) are associated with the difficulty in establishing the microbiological diagnosis at an early stage. New scores and laboratory tests have been developed in order to make an early therapeutic intervention in an attempt to reduce the high mortality associated with invasive fungal infections. Candida albicans IFA IgG has been recently commercialized for germ tube antibody detection (CAGTA). This test provides a rapid and simple diagnosis of IC (84.4% sensitivity and 94.7% specificity). The aim of this study is to identify the patients who could be benefited by the use of CAGTA test in critical care setting. Methods: A prospective, cohort, observational multicentre study was carried out in six medical/surgical Intensive care units (ICU) of tertiary-care Spanish hospitals. Candida albicans Germ Tube Antibody test was performed twice a week if predetermined risk factors were present, and serologically demonstrated candidiasis was considered if the testing serum dilution was >= 1: 160 in at least one sample and no other microbiological evidence of invasive candidiasis was found. Results: Fifty-three critically ill non-neutropenic patients (37.7% post surgery) were included. Twenty-two patients (41.5%) had CAGTA-positive results, none of them with positive blood culture for Candida. Neither corrected colonization index nor antifungal treatment had influence on CAGTA results. This finding could corroborate that the CAGTA may be an important biomarker to distinguish between colonization and infection in these patients. The presence of acute renal failure at the beginning of the study was more frequent in CAGTA-negative patients. Previous surgery was statistically more frequent in CAGTA-positive patients. Conclusions: This study identified previous surgery as the principal clinical factor associated with CAGTA-positive results and emphasises the utility of this promising technique, which was not influenced by high Candida colonization or antifungal treatment. Our results suggest that detection of CAGTA may be important for the diagnosis of invasive candidiasis in surgical patients admitted in ICU.

Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive Protein (CRP) as severe systemic infection markers in febrile neutropenic adults

Abstract Background Procalcitonin (PCT) is an inflammatory marker that has been used as indicator of severe bacterial infection. We evaluated the concentrations of PCT as a marker for systemic infection compared to C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients neutropenic febrile. Methods 52 adult patients were enrolled in the study. Blood sample was collected in order to determine the serum concentrations of PCT, CRP and other hematological parameters at the onset of fever. The patients were divided into 2 groups, one with severe infection (n = 26) and the other in which the patients did not present such an infection (n = 26). Then PCT and CRP concentrations at the fever onset were compared between groups using non parametric statistical tests, ROC curve, sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio, and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Results The mean of PCT was significantly higher in the group with severe infection (6.7 ng/mL versus 0.6 ng/mL – p = 0.0075) comparing with CRP. Serum concentrations of 0.245 ng/mL of PCT displayed 100% de sensitivity and 69.2% specificity. PCT concentrations of 2,145 ng/mL presented a likelihood ratio of 13, which was not observed for any concentration of CRP. Conclusion PCT seems to be an useful marker for the diagnosis of systemic infection in febrile neutropenic patients, probably better than CRP.

Urine D-arabinitol/L-arabinitol ratio in diagnosing Candida infection in patients with haematological malignancy

Adult patients with hematologic malignancies along with HIV infected patients were prospectively studied to determine the performance of urine D-arabinitol/L-arabinitol (DA/LA) ratio in diagnosing invasive candidiasis. Ten evaluable febrile neutropenic patients had proven invasive candidiasis and elevated DA/LA ratios were found in 5. Invasive candidiasis with normal DA/LA ratios was most frequently due to Candida krusei infection. This Candida species is a non-producer of arabinitol. Only 4 of 81 febrile neutropenic patients given either antifungal prophylaxis or empiric antifungal treatment had elevated DA/LA ratios. Only 1 of 15 HIV positive patients with either oropharyngeal or esophageal candidiasis had elevated DA/LA ratios. Widespread use of fluconazole prophylaxis in bone marrow transplantation patients at the study hospital has led to an increased prevalence of C. krusei infection. This is the likely reason for the low sensitivity of the test in proven and suspected invasive Candida infections reported here. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.

Factores asociados con infección por catéter central en UCI Clínica San Pedro Claver de junio a diciembre de 2004.

La infección asociada a inserción de catéter vascular, es un problema cotidiano en las UCI a nivel mundial, a pesar del manejo de protocolos que se han implementado de manera independiente en las distintas instituciones para frenar este fenómeno. El estudio, de tipo observacional, analítico y cohorte concurrente, con 151 pacientes, a los cuales se insertó catéter en la UCI de la Clínica San Pedro Claver.Para el análisis se realizó estadística descriptiva, análisis de sobrevida, pruebas de asociación y regresión de Cox.

Caracterización de los eventos de neutropenia febril en niños con cáncer

Introducción: La neutropenia febril es una condición frecuente en los pacien¬tes pediátricos con cáncer y una de las mayores causas de morbimortalidad. Es necesario conocer la frecuencia su comportamiento. Objetivo: Caracterizar los eventos de neutropenia febril en niños con cáncer en la clínica Infantil Colsubsidio, Bogotá desde Enero de 2014 hasta Diciembre de 2014. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio transversal en niños de 1 mes a 18 años con cáncer y neutropenia febril atendidos de Enero 2014 a Diciembre 2014. Resultados: Se presentaron 74 eventos de un total de 41 pacientes con un máximo de 3 eventos por paciente, 20 mujeres y 21 hombres con una edad promedio de 8 años. 61% de los pacientes tenían diagnostico de Leucemia Linfoide Aguda .Se clasificaron como Fiebre sin causa clara con 43 eventos (58.11%), colitis neutropenica con 10 eventos (13.51%) y neumonía que registro 7 eventos (9%). El 70% de los pacientes presentaron al ingreso menos de 100 neutrofilos y una PCR con un promedio de 97.4. En un 6,76% de los pacientes se diagnostico bacteriemia. Los Hemocultivos fueron positivos en 5 pacientes (7 %), siendo el S epidermidis y el S mitis los gérmenes más frecuentes La mortalidad fue nula. Conclusiones: Esta estudio permitió conocer el comportamiento de la neutropenia febril en nuestra institución conociendo los organismos principalmente aislados, el perfil de resistencia y la respuesta al manejo antibiótico. Es importante determinar estudios prospectivos y analíticos con el fin de establecer factores de riesgo asociados a complicaciones y mortalidad.

Balanoposthitis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa co-producing metallo-beta-lactamase and 16S rRNA methylase in children with hematological malignancies

Balanoposthitis is defined as the inflammation of the glans penis and its foreskin. In the presence of other underlying medical conditions, this localized infection may spread systemically, serving as a source of fever and bacteremia in neutropenic males. Two rare cases of balanoposthitis caused by a clonally related Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate co-producing the SPM-1 metallo-beta-lactamase and the novel 16S rRNA methylase RmtD are described. Four multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa isolates were successively recovered from glans/foreskin swabs and urine cultures from two uncircumcised pediatric patients, one with Burkitt`s non-Hodgkin`s lymphoma and one with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Clinically, preputial colonization by MDR P. aeruginosa evolved to severe balanoposthitis with glans/foreskin lesions as a source of fever. Combination therapy of ciprofloxacin and/or aztreonam (systemic) plus polymyxin B (topical) was effective once reversion of the neutropenic condition was achieved. Although P. aeruginosa remains an unusual cause of balanoposthitis, these cases should alert the physician to the potential pathogenicity of this bacterium. Furthermore, co-production of metallo-beta-lactamase and 16S rRNA methylase has a potential impact on the empirical management of complicated infections caused by P. aeruginosa. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases. All rights reserved.

Consensus guidelines for implementation of quality processes to prevent invasive fungal disease and enhanced surveillance measures during hospital building works, 2014

Healthcare-associated fungal outbreaks impose a substantial economic burden on the health system and typically result in high patient morbidity and mortality, particularly in the immunocompromised host. As the population at risk of invasive fungal infection continues to grow due to the increased burden of cancer and related factors, the need for hospitals to employ preventative measures has become increasingly important. These guidelines outline the standard quality processes hospitals need to accommodate into everyday practice and at times of healthcare-associated outbreak, including the role of antifungal stewardship programmes and best practice environmental sampling. Specific recommendations are also provided to help guide the planning and implementation of quality processes and enhanced surveillance before, during and after high-risk activities, such as hospital building works. Areas in which information is still lacking and further research is required are also highlighted.

Análise químico-farmacêutica de preparações injetáveis contendo ceftazidima

Pós-graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas - FCFAR

Aspectos clínicos e epidemiológicos da infecção por pseudomonas aeruginosa em pacientes portadores de fibrose cística no Estado do Pará

Pseudomonas aeruginosa é um bacilo gram-negativo, importante patógeno para pacientes neutropênicos, queimados e em condições de ventilação artificial em Unidades de Tratamento Intensivo, onde causam infecção nosocomial. Nestas condições, a infecção pode ser séria e muitas vezes letal. Em pacientes com fibrose cística, o curso da patologia por P. aeruginosa evolui como uma infecção pulmonar crônica severa, pois a bactéria produz diversas toxinas e outros fatores de virulência responsáveis pelo estabelecimento da colonização persistente do trato respiratório destes pacientes. A apresentação característica da persistente infecção por P. aeruginosa é a produção de alginato mucóide e a formação de microcolônias, que é considerada a estratégia de sobrevivência da bactéria no meio ambiente, P. aeruginosa crescendo em biofilm é altamente resistente a antibióticos, estando usualmente associada com progressiva perda da função pulmonar. Esta pesquisa realizou uma avaliação epidemiológica e clínica de portadores de fibrose cística, colonizados por P. aeruginosa, atendidos no Hospital Universitário João de Barros Barreto, na cidade de Belém, Pará no ano de 2003. Foi feito coleta de escarro dos pacientes expectoradores e swab de orofaringe nos demais para estudo microbiológico realizado no laboratório microbiologia deste hospital. Foram avaliados 32 pacientes fibrocísticos, distribuídos em três grupos, conforme: ausência de infecção por P. aeruginosa (G1), infecção pela bactéria sem colonização (G2) e colonização crônica (G3). Pacientes pertencentes a G3 apresentaram complicações respiratórias mais frequëntes e mais graves que os demais. A ocorrência de cepas mucóidaes de P. aeruginosa foi significativamente mais prevalente neste grupo, onde a doença respiratória se apresentou de forma mais severa. Cepas não-mucóides foram identificadas de forma similar nos grupos G2 e G3. Os sintomas respiratórios foram os mais frequëntes ao diagnóstico. A idade média dos pacientes ao diagnóstico foi de 7 anos. Condições sócio-econômicas adversas, diagnóstico tardio, desnutrição e mutação genética parecem ter favorecido a colonização e contribuído para ocorrência de óbito no grupo G3.

Treatment options of invasive fungal infections in adults

A panel of infectious disease specialists, clinical microbiologists and hospital epidemiologists of the five Swiss university hospitals reviewed the current literature on the treatment of invasive fungal infections in adults and formulated guidelines for the management of patients in Switzerland. For empirical therapy of Candida bloodstream infection, fluconazole is the drug of choice in non-neutropenic patients with no severe sepsis or septic shock or recent exposure to azoles. Amphotericin B deoxycholate or caspofungin would be the treatment option for patients with previous azole exposure. In neutropenic patients, empirical therapy with amphotericin B deoxycholate is considered first choice. In patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, caspofungin is the drug of first choice. For therapy of microbiologically-documented Candida infection, fluconazole is the drug of choice for infections due to C. albicans, C. tropicalis or C. parapsilosis. When infections are caused by C. glabrata or by C. krusei, caspofungin or amphotericin B deoxycholate are first line therapies. Treatment guidelines for invasive aspergillosis (IA) were stratified into primary therapy, salvage therapy and combination therapy in critically ill patients. Voriconazole is recommended for primary (ie upfront) therapy. Caspofungin, voriconazole (if not used for primary therapy) or liposomal amphotericin B are recommended for salvage therapy for refractory disease. Combination therapy with caspofungin plus voriconazole or liposomal amphotericin B should be considered in critically ill patients. Amphotericin B deoxycholate is recommended as initial therapy for the empirical therapy in patients with neutropenia and persistent fever with close monitoring of adverse events.

Incidence of febrile neutropenia and neutropenic infections in elderly patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy for breast cancer without primary prophylaxis with colony-stimulating factors

There is concern about the potential increase of hematological toxicity in elderly patients treated with chemotherapy. Recently, primary prophylaxis with colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) was proposed for elderly patients receiving moderately toxic chemotherapy. However, evidence for the benefits of this primary prophylaxis for elderly breast cancer patients is currently lacking. We retrospectively analyzed the incidence of febrile neutropenia (FN) and neutropenic infections in elderly breast cancer patients receiving anthracycline-based chemotherapy without primary prophylaxis with colony-stimulating factors. In addition, we assessed the direct costs of hospitalization for these complications. Febrile neutropenia or neutropenic infection occurred in 13% of the 46 patients. Further studies are needed to adequately evaluate the risk of neutropenic complications (NC) in elderly patients receiving standard-dose chemotherapy for breast cancer and the potential benefits of primary prophylaxis with colony-stimulating factors. © 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.