Empiric Antibiotic Regimens Research Articles

Association of empiric antibiotic selection and clinical outcomes in hospitalised children with severe orbital infections: a retrospective cohort study

ObjectiveTo determine the association of initial empiric antibiotic regimens with clinical outcomes in hospitalised children with severe orbital infections.DesignMulti-centre observational cohort study using data from 2009 to 2018 clinical records.SettingCanadian...

Microbiology and Epidemiology of Orbital Cellulitis in Pediatric and Young Adult Patients.

Using data from the large and geographically diverse Military Health System (MHS) beneficiary population, we aimed to characterize and update the epidemiology and microbiology of pediatric orbital cellulitis given previous data are limited to small, single-center studies. Following institutional review board approval, we performed a retrospective analysis using the Military Health System admissions, microbiology, and pharmacy data between June 2009 and September 2019. Patients less than 22 years of age with radiological confirmation of orbital cellulitis were included. Demographic data, presence of sinusitis, advanced imaging reports, blood and wound culture results with antibiotic susceptibilities, and antibiotic prescriptions were collected. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic characteristics. Imaging findings were grouped by Chandler's stage (CS), an imaging-based measure of the progressive severity of orbital involvement. A Cochran-Armitage trend test was used to evaluate the relationship between CS and likelihood of positive confirmatory culture. There was a male predominance (66.9%) and 55.5% of subjects had comorbid sinusitis. Of the 130 subjects included, 33.8% had one or more positive cultures, 30.8% had a positive wound culture, and 4.6% had a positive blood culture. The most identified organism was coagulase-negative staphylococci (23.3%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (18.9%), Streptococcus intermedius (17.8%), and strict anaerobes as a group (13.3%). Gram-negative organisms were rare. Twenty-five percent of S. aureus were methicillin-resistant. Clindamycin resistance was identified in 9% of all S. aureus, 50% of coagulase-negative staphylococci, and 25% of S. intermedius. Clindamycin plus ceftriaxone was the most prescribed empiric antibiotic regimen (36.2%). Likelihood of a positive culture significantly increased with advancing CS. Orbital cellulitis occurs most frequently in males with sinusitis. Likelihood of positive wound culture is increased with a more advanced CS. Staphylococcus and Streptococcus spp. and anaerobes are the most identified pathogens in orbital cellulitis, while gram-negative organisms are rare. Empiric antibiotic selection should include an anti-methicillin-resistant S. aureus agent combined with a broad-spectrum beta-lactam and anaerobic coverage.

Lentil aspiration pneumonitis

This patient has a complex medical history that includes intellectual disability, blindness, deafness, seizure disorder, tracheomalacia, and recurrent aspiration. He had a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy in place for tube feeding. He again presented with acute respiratory distress, hypoxemia, fever, and leukocytosis. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed bilateral infiltrates and nodular densities. A previous chest CT done 6 years prior to admission revealed multiple micronodules scattered throughout both lung fields. The patient had had a previous lung biopsy 20 years prior to admission which revealed lentil starch material in bronchioles and multifocal foreign body giant cell reactions. The patient was treated with an empiric antibiotic regimen and improved. This case demonstrates the radiographic and histologic changes associated with lentil pneumonia which is an unusual type of aspiration pneumonia. Keywords: Lentil pneumonia, granulomas, aspiration, nodules

Trends in Causative Organisms and Antimicrobial Resistance in Late-onset Neonatal Sepsis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibiotic resistance of microorganisms isolated in cases of culture-positive nosocomial late-onset neonatal sepsis in the neonatal intensive care unit. Infants admitted to our neonatal intensive care unit between October 2015 and June 2022 were retrospectively screened. A total of 458 different cultures from 386 sepsis incidents in 250 infants were analyzed. Over an 8-year period, 407 cases of culture-positive nosocomial late-onset neonatal sepsis were reviewed in a total of 4244 infants. Twenty-one cases were excluded due to insufficient data. The incidence of culture-positive nosocomial sepsis was 6.3%. Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and Staphylococcus aureus were the most common gram-positive bacteria found in cultures. Resistance to ampicillin and cephalosporin treatments was high, while resistance to vancomycin, teicoplanin, and linezolid was low. Klebsiella spp. were the most frequent gram-negative bacteria isolated in cultures and showed high resistance to non-carbapenembased regimens. The only fungal microorganisms isolated in cultures were Candida spp., which had a high mortality rate despite their low resistance profile. The mortality rate due to nosocomial sepsis was 19.6%. Our study demonstrated that microorganisms and their antibiotic resistance profiles changed over time in the newborn intensive care unit. Gram-negative pathogens exhibited high antibiotic resistance, while fungi had high mortality rates. It is essential to adjust empirical antibiotic regimens for nosocomial sepsis based on thorough surveillance.

Case Report: A case of disseminated cutaneous listeriosis following appendicitis from Lao PDR

Background Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen that is a rare cause of bacteraemia and meningitis in immunosuppressed patients, and carries a high mortality rate. Cutaneous manifestations of listeriosis are rare, and are usually associated with direct inoculation of the skin. Case A 41-year-old woman who initially presented to a hospital in Laos with appendicitis was diagnosed with disseminated listeriosis with cutaneous involvement. Intra-abdominal pathology probably contributed to bacterial bloodstream invasion. Initial treatment with meropenem was switched to ampicillin based on best practice, however our patient died 5 days after diagnosis. Conclusions This case highlights listeriosis as an important cause of mortality in low- and middle-income countries, exacerbated by poor availability of laboratory diagnostics and ineffective empiric antibiotic regimens. Improvements in food hygiene, surveillance, and increased laboratory capacity are important strategies to reduce rates of infection and clinical outcomes.

Management of Pleural Infection: A Historical Review and Updates

Pleural infection, including empyema, continues to have a high morbidity. A deep understanding of the pathobiology and appropriate medical management is crucial to avoid complications and progression to the need for surgery. Over the last several decades, we have learned much about the pathophysiology, microbiology, and epidemiology of pleural infections. Management has changed considerably over the years with more recent clinical practices favoring minimally invasive interventions over surgery. Here we discuss in detail the pathophysiology of parapneumonic effusions as they progress from uncomplicated parapneumonic effusions to empyema and how this relates to their diagnosis and management. We review the microbiology and how it relates to recommended empiric antibiotic regimens. As intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy has become the cornerstone of management, we outline the literature on this topic dating back decades up to the most recent clinical trials and give our recommendations for management based on the literature.

Emergencies in infectious diseases

This article aims to provide an overview of common and high-impact medical emergencies that require prompt and effective infectious diseases management. In the described clinical scenarios of malaria, sepsis, necrotizing fasciitis, and meningitis the authors have emphasized the crucial importance of rapid and accurate diagnosis, as well as appropriate treatment from the perspective of infectious diseases. All of these emergencies demand ahigh degree of clinical suspicion for accurate diagnosis. Some of them also necessitate the involvement of other medical disciplines, such as neurology in the case of meningitis or surgery for necrotizing fasciitis. Additionally, implementing the right empiric antibiotic regimen or, in the case of malaria, antiparasitic treatment is crucial for improving patient outcomes. As patients with these diagnoses may present at any outpatient department, and efficient and quick management is essential, adeep understanding of diagnostic algorithms and potential pitfalls is of the utmost importance.

Is the fluoroquinolone combination necessary for empirical antibiotic regimen in severe community-acquired pneumonia?

ABSTRACT Objectives This study aimed to assess whether superior clinical outcomes can be attained through piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP)+fluoroquinolone (FQ) combination therapy for severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) compared to TZP monotherapy. Methods This retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Korea. Adult inpatients diagnosed with pneumonia within 48 hours of hospitalization were included. Severe CAP was defined as a CURB-65 score of ≥ 3 or based on the 2007 guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society (IDSA/ATS) definition. Only patients who received either TZP and FQ combination or TZP as initial empirical therapy were included. Results The final analysis included 145 patients; 57.9% received combination therapy and 42.1% received monotherapy. In the combination therapy group, body mass index (20.67 ± 3.28 vs. 22.26 ± 4.80, p = 0.030) and asthma prevalence (0 vs. 8.3%, p = 0.022) were significantly higher; initial symptoms, clinical severity, and causative pathogens were not significantly different between groups. White blood cell counts (12,641.64 ± 6,544.66 vs. 12,491.67 ± 10,528.24, p = 0.008), and C-reactive protein levels (18.78 ± 11.47 vs. 26.58 ± 14.97, p < 0.001) were significantly higher in the combination therapy group. Clinical outcomes, including all-cause in-hospital mortality rate (26.2 vs. 33.3%, p = 0.358), were not significantly different between the groups. Multivariate analysis identified no significant association between FQ combination and all-cause in-hospital mortality. Conclusion In patients with severe CAP, there were no differences in the clinical outcomes, including mortality, between the TZP and FQ combination therapy and TZP monotherapy. FQ combination was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality.

Implementation of a Standardized Management Protocol Improved the Survival of Patients with Necrotizing Fasciitis

Abstract Background Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a life-threatening soft tissue infection requiring urgent interventions. This study aimed to investigate the effect of implementation of a standardized management protocol on the outcome of NF patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Methods We initiated a management protocol for NF patients in 2012 at our institution. The protocol consisted of early surgical intervention, initial board-spectrum antibiotic regimen, daily wound inspection, repeated debridement, and inter-professional collaboration. Herein, we reviewed the NF cases admitted between 2005 and 2018 and compared their clinical features and outcome before and after the protocol implementation. All of the NF cases underwent were confirmed by intraoperative findings. Results We included 134 NF patients before (2005 to 2011, n = 62) and after (2013 to 2018, n = 72) the protocol implementation. The baseline patient profile from these two periods were largely similar, except that after protocol implementation, more patients presented with erythema (64.5% vs 84.7%) and a higher C-reactive protein level (65.5% vs 85.5%) on admission. Notably, the day 28-censored mortality was significantly lower after protocol implementation (40.3% vs 13.9%). By analyzing the 28-day mortality with univariate and multivariate model, initial presentation with neutropenia was identified as a risk factor [hazard ratio (HR) = 8.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.76-40.6], while protocol implementation (HR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.11-0.71) was a protective factor. Conclusions A multidisciplinary bundle care protocol for NF including board-spectrum empirical antibiotic regimen and inter-professional collaboration was feasible, which was associated with improved overall and 28-day survival.

Comparison of Empiric Antibiotic Treatment Regimens for Hospitalized, Non-severe Community-acquired Pneumonia: A Retrospective, Multicenter Cohort Study

PurposeConsensus guidelines for hospitalized, non-severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) recommend empiric macrolide + β-lactam or respiratory fluoroquinolone monotherapy in patients with no risk factors for resistant organisms. In patients with allergies or contraindications, doxycycline + β-lactam is a recommended alternative. The purpose of this study was to compare differences in outcomes among guideline-recommended regimens in this population. MethodsThis retrospective, multicenter cohort study included patients ≥18 years of age with CAP who received respiratory fluoroquinolone monotherapy, empiric macrolide + β-lactam, or doxycycline + β-lactam. Major exclusion criteria included patients with immunocompromising conditions, requiring vasopressors or invasive mechanical ventilation within 48 hours of admission, and receiving less than 2 days of total antibiotic therapy. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included clinical failure, 14- and 30-day hospital readmission, and hospital length of stay. Safety outcomes included incidence of new Clostridioides difficile infection and aortic aneurysm ruptures. FindingsOf 4685 included patients, 1722 patients received empiric respiratory fluoroquinolone monotherapy, 159 received empiric doxycycline + β-lactam, and 2804 received empiric macrolide + β-lactam. Incidence of in-hospital mortality was not observed to be significantly different among empiric regimens (doxycycline + β-lactam group: 1.9% vs macrolide + β-lactam: 1.9% vs respiratory fluoroquinolone monotherapy: 1.5%, P = 0.588). No secondary outcomes were observed to differ significantly among groups. ImplicationsWe observed no differences in clinical or safety outcomes among three guideline-recommended empiric CAP regimens. Empiric doxycycline + β-lactam may be a safe empiric regimen for hospitalized CAP patients with non-severe CAP, although additional research is needed to corroborate these observations with larger samples.

Identifying the Best Initial Oral Antibiotics for Adults with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: A Network Meta-Analysis.

The objective of this network meta-analysis was to compare rates of clinical response and mortality for empiric oral antibiotic regimens in adults with mild-moderate community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). We searched PubMed, Cochrane, and the reference lists of systematic reviews and clinical guidelines. We included randomized trials of adults with radiologically confirmed mild to moderate CAP initially treated orally and reporting clinical cure or mortality. Abstracts and studies were reviewed in parallel for inclusion in the analysis and for data abstraction. We performed separate analyses by antibiotic medications and antibiotic classes and present the results through network diagrams and forest plots sorted by p-scores. We assessed the quality of each study using the Cochrane Risk of Bias framework, as well as global and local inconsistency. We identified 24 studies with 9361 patients: six at low risk of bias, six at unclear risk, and 12 at high risk. Nemonoxacin, levofloxacin, and telithromycin were most likely to achieve clinical response (p-score 0.79, 0.71, and 0.69 respectively), while penicillin and amoxicillin were least likely to achieve clinical response. Levofloxacin, nemonoxacin, azithromycin, and amoxicillin-clavulanate were most likely to be associated with lower mortality (p-score 0.85, 0.75, 0.74, and 0.68 respectively). By antibiotic class, quinolones and macrolides were most effective for clinical response (0.71 and 0.70 respectively), with amoxicillin-clavulanate plus macrolides and beta-lactams being less effective (p-score 0.11 and 0.22). Quinolones were most likely to be associated with lower mortality (0.63). All confidence intervals were broad and partially overlapping. We observed trends toward a better clinical response and lower mortality for quinolones as empiric antibiotics for CAP, but found no conclusive evidence of any antibiotic being clearly more effective than another. More trials are needed to inform guideline recommendations on the most effective antibiotic regimens for outpatients with mild to moderate CAP.

Application of the Weighted-Incidence Syndromic Combination Antibiogram (WISCA) to guide the empiric antibiotic treatment of febrile neutropenia in oncological paediatric patients: experience from two paediatric hospitals in Northern Italy

BackgroundGuidelines about febrile neutropenia in paediatric patients are not homogeneous; the best empiric treatment of this condition should be driven by local epidemiology. The Weighted-Incidence Syndromic Combination Antibiogram (WISCA) addresses the need for disease-specific local susceptibility evidence that could guide empiric antibiotic prescriptions based on outcome estimates of treatment regimens obtained as a weighted average of pathogen susceptibilities. This study developed a WISCA model to inform empirical antibiotic regimen selection for febrile neutropenia (FN) episodes in onco-haematological paediatric patients treated at two Italian paediatric tertiary centres.MethodsWe included blood cultures from patients with a bloodstream infection and neutropenia admitted to the Paediatric Haematology-Oncology wards in Padua and Genoa Hospitals from 2016 to 2021. WISCAs were developed by estimating the coverage of 20 antibiotics as monotherapy and of 21 combined regimens with a Bayesian probability distribution.ResultsWe collected 350 blood cultures, including 196 g-negative and 154 g-positive bacteria. Considering the most used antibiotic combinations, such as piperacillin–tazobactam plus amikacin, the median coverage for the pool of bacteria collected in the study was 78%. When adding a glycopeptide, the median coverage increased to 89%, while the replacement of piperacillin–tazobactam with meropenem did not provide benefits. The developed WISCAs showed that no monotherapy offered an adequate coverage rate for the identified pathogens.ConclusionsThe application of WISCA offers the possibility of maximizing the clinical utility of microbiological surveillance data derived from large hospitals to inform the choice of the best empiric treatment while contributing to spare broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Emergencies in infectious diseases

This article aims to provide an overview of common and high-impact medical emergencies that require prompt and effective infectious diseases management. In the described clinical scenarios of malaria, sepsis, necrotizing fasciitis, and meningitis the authors have emphasized the crucial importance of rapid and accurate diagnosis, as well as appropriate treatment from the perspective of infectious diseases. All of these emergencies demand ahigh degree of clinical suspicion for accurate diagnosis. Some of them also necessitate the involvement of other medical disciplines, such as neurology in the case of meningitis or surgery for necrotizing fasciitis. Additionally, implementing the right empiric antibiotic regimen or, in the case of malaria, antiparasitic treatment is crucial for improving patient outcomes. As patients with these diagnoses may present at any outpatient department, and efficient and quick management is essential, adeep understanding of diagnostic algorithms and potential pitfalls is of the utmost importance.

Clinical characteristics and bacterial culture in complicated appendicitis at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical, laboratory features, bacterial culture outcomes, and antibiotic susceptibilities of these bacteria in intraoperative samples from patients with perforated appendicitis and to establish whether they influence postoperative outcomes. Materials and methods: A descriptive study was conducted on 68 laparoscopic surgery patients from June 2022 to March 2023 at the Digestive Surgery Department, Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital. Results: The male/female ratio is 1.2. The mean age was 37.5 ± 25.7. The mean time of the symptom onset was 37.2 ± 29.1 hours; CRP increased in 86.8% of cases. The average postoperative hospital stay was 6.3 ± 2.2 days; Postoperative complications were observed in 20.6%. Peritoneal fluid samples yielded a positive culture in 58 (85.3%); Gram-negative bacteria were isolated in 89.7%; gram-positive bacteria were isolated in 10.3%; polymicrobial growth was observed in 29.4% of the patients. E. coli in 67.6%, P.aeruginosa in 10.3%, Enterobacter spp. in 8.8%, Klebsiella spp. in 4.4%, Citrobacter spp. in 3%; positive ESBL was present in 17 (37%) of the 46 E. coli strains, ESBL was positivity detected in one of Morganerlla morganii strains. In E. coli, ampicillin resistance was 88.6%, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid resistance was 61.5%, and Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance was 65%. Conclusion: It is necessary to choose treatment regimens based on local bacteriology and resistance status to optimize empiric empirical postoperative antibiotic regimens. Key words: perforated appendicitis, ESBL, complications, bacteria culture.

Time to Positivity of Blood Culture as a Predictor of Causative Pathogens and Survival in Neonatal Sepsis: A Retrospective Cohort Study from Indonesia.

In the blood culture procedure for neonatal sepsis, time to positivity (TTP) reflects the pathogenic bacterial load and the time required for empirical antibiotic regimen administration prior to definitive treatment. This study aims to identify the differences in TTP among causative pathogens and its predictive value for the overall survival of neonates with sepsis at a tertiary healthcare center in Indonesia. A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 2020 to August 2022 at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia. Neonates with blood culture-proven neonatal sepsis were included in the analysis. TTP was defined as the time between the acceptance of a blood culture specimen from the neonatal intensive care unit and reports of positive culture growth by the laboratory. Across 125 cases, the median TTP was 58.1 hours (IQR = 24.48). Blood cultures were positive within 48 hours for 41.6% of cases, 72 hours for 86.4%, and 96 hours for 98.4%. A significantly shorter TTP was exhibited by the three major gram-negative organisms (Klebsiella pneumoniae,Acinetobacter baumannii,Enterobacter cloacae) compared to coagulase-negative Staphylococci. The neonatal sepsis mortality rate was 49.6% during the study period. In the Cox multivariate regression model, a shorter TTP was an independently predicted mortality in the entire cohort (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.985, 95% CI: 0.973-0.998) and the gram-negative sepsis cohort group (HR = 0.983, 95% CI: 0.968-0.999). TTP predicts different causative pathogens and the overall survival of neonatal sepsis cases at a tertiary healthcare facility in Indonesia.

Management of antimicrobial therapy in emergency department admissions and hospitalizations for firearm injuries: A single-center experience.

Firearm injuries (FI) remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Antibiotic use, supported by guideline recommendations for preventing post-injury infections in FI cases, encounters uncertainties regarding the selection of anti-microbial agents and associated outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between Injury Severity Scores (ISS) for FI cases presented to the emergency department. We empirically revised antimicrobial treatment protocols based on culture results and mortality rates. In the study, 164 firearm injury cases, admitted to the emergency department in 2022 and subsequently hospitalized in clinics and intensive care units (ICU), were evaluated. Cases included in the study were categorized into four groups based on ISS: mild, moderate, severe, and profound injury severity. The study compared the timing of hospital presentation following the injury, hospital length of stay, tissue or blood culture positivity, empirical treatment administered, antimicrobial revision based on culture results, need for ICU admission, mortality status, and ISS among the cases. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Variables in trauma patients were compared among various groups using Pearson Chi-Square tests. Binary logistic regression tests were performed to identify independent risk factors. A significance level of p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The study included 164 patients, all of whom were male. The mean age was calculated as 28.9±4.51 years. The average hospital length of stay was 25.54±21.81 days. Eighty-three patients (50.6%) required intensive care. Tissue cultures were obtained from 79 patients (48%). Bacterial growth was observed in 45 of these 79 patients (57%). The appropriate empirical antibiotic treatment rate, assessed among patients who received empirical treatment followed by culture-based antibiotic sensitivity testing, was 48.9%. It was observed that empirical antibiotic regimens were appropriate in 80% of cases in the mild group and 16.7% in the profound severe group (p=0.005). Our study compared the relationship between hospitalization duration and ISS groups. It was observed that hospitalization duration was significantly shorter in the mild group compared to the other groups (p=0.003, p=0.000, p=0.000). It was also observed that the need for ICU admission was higher in groups with higher ISS, indicating a correlation between higher ISS and increased ICU requirements (p=0.000). In conclusion, for cases of firearm injuries, we believe empirical antimicrobial therapy should be initiated with narrow-spectrum agents such as beta-lactam + beta-lactamase inhibitor or third-generation cephalosporin + nitroimidazole in the mild group, considering the lack of Pseudomonal activity.

Evaluating the impact of culture-guided antibiotic therapy on clinical outcomes in neonatal septicemia: A cross-sectional study

Background: Neonatal sepsis is a critical health issue worldwide, with high morbidity and mortality rates, especially in developing countries. Effective management of neonatal sepsis includes timely administration of appropriate antibiotics based on antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Aims and Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the choice of empiric and definitive antibiotics in neonatal septicemia, assess bacterial susceptibility patterns, and correlation with clinical outcomes, and highlight the importance of antimicrobial stewardship. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted at a tertiary care center and enrolled neonates diagnosed with septicemia over 2 months. Blood cultures were obtained, and antibiotics were initiated empirically based on local guidelines. Definitive antibiotics were started after culture sensitivity reports and compared with empiric treatment for clinical outcomes and bacteriological profiles were analyzed with appropriate statistical methods. Results: In this study, Piperacillin-Tazobactam and Amikacin were used as empiric treatment in all cases. Meropenem showed high sensitivity in definitive treatment post-culture. No significant difference between empiric and definitive treatment groups was observed in clinical outcomes. Conclusion: This study found no significant difference in clinical outcomes between empiric and definitive antibiotic regimens for neonatal sepsis. However, high meropenem susceptibility suggests the potential for more targeted therapy. Regularly updating local antibiogram, data remain crucial to optimize empiric treatment and combat resistance in this vulnerable population.

Saliva as a Non Invasive Specimen for Section Assessment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Impaired mucociliary clearance due to altered respiratory physiology in COPD presents an exceptional opportunity for bacterial proliferation. Sampling the respiratory tract using sputum or Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) can be labourious and inconvenient, particularly in chronically debilitated patients. Saliva offers an interesting and non invasive method for assessing COPD patients and preventing exacerbations. Aim: To use saliva to analyse the association between the frequency of positive Potentially Pathological Bacterial Isolates (PPBI) and COPD exacerbations in relation to the frequency of exacerbations and the severity of the disease. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of one year (July 2022 to June 2023) among COPD patients attending the outpatient department at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, GMERS Medical College, Gotri, Vadodara, Gujarat, India. A total of 60 patients with COPD, diagnosed according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2021 guidelines, were included. The patients were categorised based on the severity of airflow limitation, GOLD “ABCD” assessment tool, and number of exacerbations. Salivary samples were collected and subjected to microbiological analysis using laboratory conventional culture techniques. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and t-tests were applied. Results: The mean age was 64±5.1 years. S. pneumoniae and H. influenza were common bacterial findings in all stages of COPD, while E. coli and A. baumannii were isolated in GOLD Group D patients. Disease severity also showed a significant association with oral bacterial composition (p=0.010) and the frequency of exacerbations (p=0.03). Conclusion: The current study demonstrates an association between oral bacteria and COPD, especially in patients with severe symptoms (GOLD Group D). Additionally, patients with repeated exacerbations exhibited a different oral bacterial composition, thus supporting the use of saliva as a non invasive specimen for assessing heterogeneous diseases like COPD and designing an empiric antibiotic regimen for those PPBI.

A population-based study on the incidence and aetiology of infectious complications in peritoneal dialysis in South Sweden

Background Peritonitis is a major cause of morbidity in peritoneal dialysis (PD) and an independent risk factor for elevated all-cause mortality. The aims of this study were to report the incidence, trend, aetiology, and antimicrobial susceptibility of PD-associated peritonitis and catheter-related infections in South Sweden between 2011–2020. Methods This population-based observational cohort study included all patients with PD between the years 2011–2020 in the county of Skåne. Data was accessed through the Swedish Renal Registry and the Department of Clinical Microbiology in Lund. Definitions issued by the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis were implemented to assess PD-associated infections. Results Medical records of 675 paediatric and adult PD patients were eligible for inclusion. Of those, 208 (31%) were female and the median age was 67 years (range 0-91). The overall rate of PD-peritonitis was 0.38 episodes per year at risk. Out of 484 episodes of peritonitis, 61% (n = 295) were caused by Gram-positive bacteria. There were 289 occurrences of exit site infections, of which most (n = 152, 53%) were Gram-positive. Tunnel infections occurred in 16 episodes and were caused by S. aureus or P. aeruginosa. Among all isolates, 37 were of MRSE, four of ESBL-producing E. coli, and one of MRSA. Conclusion The crude rate of PD-peritonitis was stable during the study period. Gram-positive bacteria dominated the microbial aetiology, and antibiotic resistance was limited. It is important to monitor the aetiology, incidence, and resistance rates in PD-associated infections, to base empirical antibiotic regimens and facilitate prevention.

Optimized Treatment of Nosocomial Peritonitis.

This comprehensive review aims to provide a practical guide for intensivists, focusing on enhancing patient care associated with nosocomial peritonitis (NP). It explores the epidemiology, diagnosis, and management of NP, a significant contributor to the mortality of surgical patients worldwide. NP is, per definition, a hospital-acquired condition and a consequence of gastrointestinal surgery or a complication of other diseases. NP, one of the most prevalent causes of sepsis in surgical Intensive Care Units (ICUs), is often associated with multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria and high mortality rates. Early clinical suspicion and the utilization of various diagnostic tools like biomarkers and imaging are of great importance. Microbiology is often complex, with antimicrobial resistance escalating in many parts of the world. Fungal peritonitis and its risk factors, diagnostic hurdles, and effective management approaches are particularly relevant in patients with NP. Contemporary antimicrobial strategies for treating NP are discussed, including drug resistance challenges and empirical antibiotic regimens. The importance of source control in intra-abdominal infection management, including surgical and non-surgical interventions, is also emphasized. A deeper exploration into the role of open abdomen treatment as a potential option for selected patients is proposed, indicating an area for further investigation. This review underscores the need for more research to advance the best treatment strategies for NP.