Microbiologic Agents Research Articles

Study of prevalence, microbiologic agents, and bladder management methods of urinary tract infections among spinal cord injury patients

Study of prevalence, microbiologic agents, and bladder management methods of urinary tract infections among spinal cord injury patients

The Role of Microbiologic Agents in the Progression of the Atherosclerosis: a Comprehensive Review.

Atherosclerosis is a leading cause of disability, morbidity and mortality in the world. Atherosclerosis is accepted as a chronic progressive inflammatory disease. The inflammatory cascade in the vascular wall is well-defined. However, the predictors and contributors of the inflammatory response in atherosclerosis are not completely understood. Systemic and local inflammation, which enhance the burden of inflammation in the vascular wall, have been proposed as risk factors for the progression of atherosclerosis. Infectious micro-organisms are one of the major triggering factors for local and systemic inflammation. In this review, we aimed to emphasize the linkage between micro-organisms and the progression of atherosclerosis. We briefly summarize the current medical literature and discuss the future perspectives of the linkage between microbial agents and atherosclerosis representing cause and effect.

Analysis of infectious spondylodiscitis: 7-years data.

Objective:Infectious spondylodiscitis (SD) is an infectious disease that is rare and difficult to diagnose due to its non-specific clinical features. In this study, we aimed to describe the clinical and diagnostic features of infectious spondylodiscitis.Methods:All patients who were diagnosed with SD at our hospital during a 7-year period from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2017 were included in the study. Spondylodiscitis is divided into the following three types: pyogenic, tuberculous, and brucellar. Clinical and laboratory data were collected retrospectively from the medical records of the patients.Results:Of the 118 patients, 66 (55.9%) were female, 81 (68.6%) had pyogenic SD (PSD), 21 (17.8%) had tuberculous SD (TSD), and 16 (13.6%) had brucellar SD (BSD). The mean age was 59.3 ± 14.6 years. Leucocytosis was significantly higher in patients with PSD (p=0.01) than in patients with other types of SD. Thoracic involvement (47.6%) was significantly higher in patients with TSD (p=0.005) than in other patients. Sacral involvement (12.5%) was significantly higher in patients with BSD (p=0.01) than in other patients. Paravertebral abscess formation (42.8%) occurred most frequently in patients with TSD. Microbiologic agents were defined in 50% (18/36) of the surgical specimens and in 12.5% of the fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) specimens. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common microbiological agent in patients with PSD. Spinal surgery was defined as a risk factor for PSD (p = 0.0001). Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender, thoracic involvement and night sweats were the predictive markers for TSD (OR 4.5 [95% CI 1.3-15.3] and OR 5 [95% CI 1.7-14.6]).Conclusion:PSD is the most frequent form of SD. Leucocytosis is most common in patients with PSD. Thoracic involvement and paraspinal abscess were prominent in patients with TSD. Sacral involvement was most common in patients with BSD. Thoracic involvement, female gender and night sweats were the predictive markers for TSD. The microbiological culture positivity rate was higher in surgical specimens compared to FNAB specimens. The need for surgical treatment was most common in patients with TSD.

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections in a Burn Unit: Epidemiological Study

Introduction: Besides burn wound infections, burned patients are also more susceptible to other types of nosocomial infections. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CA-UTI) are one of the most common infections in this context, responsible for high morbidity, increased hospital stay and associated costs. The aim of this study was to characterize catheter-associated urinary tract infections in hospitalized burn patients and evaluate the frequency of microbiologic agents responsible for these infections.
 Material and Methods: Retrospective study, performed in a Burn Center (Coimbra Burns Unit) of a University Hospital (Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Portugal – CHUC), based in the clinical data and urine cultures of burned patients who have performed at least once this exam between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2014. Different variables such as date of infection, general characteristics of the population and the responsible pathogen were analyzed. Infections were further categorized taking into account the existence of previous episodes of CA-UTI, thereby defining primary infection, re- infection, relapse and over-infection.
 Results: Between January 2010 and December 2014, 213 CA-UTI were diagnosed in 143 patients. The most common uropathogens were E. coli (27.2%), Enterococcus faecalis (20.2%), Pseudomonas spp. (13.1%), Candida spp. (12.1%), Klebsiella spp. (10.8%) and Acinetobacter baumannii (9.9%). The most common microorganisms varied significantly depending on the gender of the patient. The CA-UTI analyzed corresponded to 143 primary infections, 44 reinfections, 17 relapses and nine over-infections. Relapse corresponded to 11% of infections in males and 5.7% in females and was significantly more frequent in infections due to Acinetobacter baumannii.
 Discussion/Conclusion: Catheter-associated urinary infections are common in intensive care units, particularly at Burn Units. The most common pathogens identified were similar to those reported in the literature. Pathogens responsible for polymicrobial infections were similar to those in monomicrobial infections, probably due to the short-term nature of urinary catheterization. Infections by Acinetobacter baumannii showed high susceptibility to relapse, which is probably related to its multi-drug resistance, common in this pathogen. The high relapse rate detected in males is probably related to the greater frequency of Acinetobacter baumannii infections in this gender. Candiduria was more frequent in the context of reinfection and over-infection, probably due to disruption of bacterial flora secondary to previous systemic antibiotics.

Indoor fungal diversity in primary schools may differently influence allergic sensitization and asthma in children.

Childhood exposure to microbiologic agents may influence the development of allergic and respiratory diseases. Apart from home, children spend most of their time at school, which represents an environment of significant exposure to indoor air microbes. Therefore, we aimed to assess how the prevalence of allergic sensitization and asthma in schoolchildren is affected by microbiologic exposure within classrooms. Spirometry with bronchodilation, exhaled nitric oxide measurements and skin-prick tests data were retrieved from 858 children aged 8-10 years attending 71 classrooms in 20 primary schools. Air samples were collected in all classrooms using a single-stage microbiologic air impactor through agar plates. Gram-negative endotoxins were collected using flow control pumps and analysed by limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Diversity scores were established as the number of different fungal species found in each classroom. Classrooms with increased diversity scores showed a significantly lower prevalence of children with atopic sensitization, but not asthma. The risk of sensitization increased with increasing endotoxin exposure in classrooms. Similarly, significantly higher concentrations of Penicillium spp were found in classrooms with a higher number of children with atopic sensitization. Although no causal relationships could be established, exposure to higher fungal diversity was protective against allergic sensitization but this was not seen for asthma. In contrast, higher exposure to Gram-negative endotoxins and Penicillium spp in primary school's classrooms was associated with increasing odds of allergic sensitization in children.

42 Microbiologic bacterial agents in a young cystic fibrosis population

Introduction Respiratory infection etiology correlates with many factors and can influence long-term prognosis in cystic fibrosis patients. Our objective was to correlate bacteria isolated from sputum with clinical and epidemiological characteristics. Methods Bacterial, epidemiological and clinical data from 33 cystic fibrosis patients followed between July 2011 and June 2014 were analyzed. Results Of the 296 respiratory cultures analyzed, 165 were from patients with clinical respiratory exacerbation and in this group there were no difference from previous agents in 97 cultures (in 13 cases, microbiological investigation was negative). MSSA and H. influenzae were the main bacteria in children less than 5 years old, MSSA, H. influenzae and Enterobacteriaceae in age 5 to 10 and MSSA and P. aeruginosa in patients older than 10. In the 182 cultures related to patients with chronic infection, 61.5% had respiratory symptoms. MSSA was the main bacteria responsible for chronic infection in patients older than 5 years (67.3% in 5 to 10-year-old and 47.7% for older than 10), with P. aeruginosa being the second most common from patients older than 10 years (19.5%). MSSA was also the main chronic infection bacteria in female and deltaF508 homozygote patients, while male non-deltaF508 heterozygote patients had chronic infection mainly by P. aeruginosa . Conclusion Respiratory exacerbations can have multifactorial etiologies and bacteria are not always isolated. Acute and chronic infection etiology varies with age. Chronic infection prevalence, but also specific bacteria can be related to gender and genotype.

A complicated case of deep vein thrombosis

We report a case of a patient with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) associated to portal vein thrombosis (PVT), complicated by hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). The pathogenesis of DVT is multifactorial; among risk factors we can list: transitory situations (surgical interventions, infectious diseases with fever, traumas), acquired conditions (neoplasms, antiphospholipid syndrome) or genetically determined situations (thrombophilia). PVT of the sovrahepatic veins is responsible for 5-10% of portal hypertension cases in adults and can be associated to local or systemic infections. PVT is present in 10% of patients with cirrhosis and often associated to cancers. It can also complicate a surgery abdominal intervention. HAP is defined as pneumonia that appears for the first time within 48 h of hospital admission. In Internal Medicine Departments the incidence is 7-10 cases/1.000 of hospital admissions, with an important impact in terms of both mortality and morbility. An early diagnosis, together with a correct identification of microbiologic agents in cause, allows a suitable antibiotic therapy with consequent improvement of clinical prognosis and a meaningful reduction of mortality. Main risk factors are: age, hospital and department. An important variable to be considered is the onset of pneumonia. The later is the onset of HAP (5 or more days from the admission to hospital), the more often is associated to multidrug resistant (MRD) microorganisms, poorly responsive to antibiotic.

Pulmonary Complications in Renal Recipients After Transplantation

Background Renal transplantation is the most common type of solid organ transplantation. Recipients are susceptible to a variety of pulmonary complications, in particular during intense immunosuppression therapy. Objective To evaluate pulmonary complications during the first year after renal transplantation. Materials and Methods Medical records were reviewed retrospectively for all patients who underwent renal transplantation between 2007 and 2010. Data pertinent to pulmonary complications were obtained including patient demographics, findings at chest radiography and pulmonary function testing, concentrations of C-reactive protein and albumin, and white blood cell count. Results The study included 136 patients (71.3% men), with mean (SD) age of 36.3 (12.2) years. The most frequently prescribed immunosuppression therapy included prednisolone plus cyclosporine, tacrolimus, or rapamycin. Fifteen patients developed complications during the first year after surgery including respiratory infections in 12 (80%), namely, bacterial pneumonia in 10 (66.6%), and tuberculosis (caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis) in 2 (33.3%). Pneumonia developed within the first 5 months after transplantation in 6 patients, and tuberculosis after the third month. Microbiologic agents were detected in 3 of the 6 patients (20%), and empyema, postoperative atelectasis, and pulmonary embolism, respectively, in the other 3 patients. No association was observed between complications and baseline pulmonary function test results. C-reactive protein concentration was significantly increased in patients with pulmonary complications. No invasive procedures were performed to diagnose complications, all of which resolved with appropriate treatment. Conclusion Pulmonary infections are a primary complication in renal transplant recipients, and are observed most frequently in the first 6 months after surgery. Immunosuppression therapy is the most likely cause of these complications, and rigorous monitoring of drug concentrations is essential. An invasive diagnostic approach may not always be necessary to determine the early specific therapy.

Respiratory and Allergic Health Effects of Dampness, Mold, and Dampness-Related Agents: A Review of the Epidemiologic Evidence

ObjectivesMany studies have shown consistent associations between evident indoor dampness or mold and respiratory or allergic health effects, but causal links remain unclear. Findings on measured microbiologic factors have received little review. We conducted an updated, comprehensive review on these topics.Data sourcesWe reviewed eligible peer-reviewed epidemiologic studies or quantitative meta-analyses, up to late 2009, on dampness, mold, or other microbiologic agents and respiratory or allergic effects.Data extractionWe evaluated evidence for causation or association between qualitative/subjective assessments of dampness or mold (considered together) and specific health outcomes. We separately considered evidence for associations between specific quantitative measurements of microbiologic factors and each health outcome.Data synthesisEvidence from epidemiologic studies and meta-analyses showed indoor dampness or mold to be associated consistently with increased asthma development and exacerbation, current and ever diagnosis of asthma, dyspnea, wheeze, cough, respiratory infections, bronchitis, allergic rhinitis, eczema, and upper respiratory tract symptoms. Associations were found in allergic and nonallergic individuals. Evidence strongly suggested causation of asthma exacerbation in children. Suggestive evidence was available for only a few specific measured microbiologic factors and was in part equivocal, suggesting both adverse and protective associations with health.ConclusionsEvident dampness or mold had consistent positive associations with multiple allergic and respiratory effects. Measured microbiologic agents in dust had limited suggestive associations, including both positive and negative associations for some agents. Thus, prevention and remediation of indoor dampness and mold are likely to reduce health risks, but current evidence does not support measuring specific indoor microbiologic factors to guide health-protective actions.

The Economics of Enteric Infections: Human Foodborne Disease Costs

The World Health Organization estimates that in 2005, 1.5 million people died, worldwide, from diarrheal diseases. A separate study estimated that 70% of diarrheal diseases are foodborne. The widely cited US estimate is that there are 76 million foodborne illnesses annually, resulting in 325,000 hospitalizations and 5200 deaths. However, there are epidemiologic and methodologic challenges to accurately estimate the economic burden of foodborne disease on society, either in terms of monetary costs or non-monetary units of measurement. Studies on the economic burden of foodborne disease vary considerably: some analyze the effects of a single pathogen or a single outbreak, whereas others attempt to estimate all foodborne disease in a country. Differences in surveillance systems, methodology, and other factors preclude meaningful comparisons across existing studies. However, if it were possible to completely estimate the societal costs for all acute foodborne diseases and their chronic sequelae worldwide, on the basis of currently available data, worldwide costs from these illnesses would be substantial. Moreover, foodborne infections are largely manifested as intestinal illnesses and are largely preventable. Total costs of foodborne disease would be much smaller in the United States and the world if economic incentives for industry to produce safer food were improved. However, costs of implementing new food safety prevention and control rules must be weighed against the estimated benefits of reducing foodborne disease to determine net benefits so that governments have information to efficiently allocate funds among competing programs.

Burden of neuroinfectious diseases on the neurology service in a tertiary care center

Neurologic infections have the potential to cause death and suffering. These disorders often go unrecognized or are misdiagnosed. There has yet not been a census of neurologic infections conducted in a hospital setting. We aimed to determine the burden of neurologic infections on the neurology service in a tertiary care center and identify challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of these infections. We reviewed retrospectively all inpatients diagnosed with any neuroinfectious disease evaluated at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions between October 2004 and December 2005. We recorded information on hospital admission, clinical features, microbiologic analysis, neuroimaging, EEG, pathology, treatment, and outcome. A total of 116 of 4,225 patients admitted to or consulted on by the neurology service were identified. Eighty percent of patients were aged between 18 and 65 years. Fifty-two patients were immunocompromised, of which 28 patients had HIV infection. Overall, 86 microbiologic agents were identified in 80 patients. The commonest causes were viral, followed by bacterial and fungal infections. However, 31% of patients remained without an identifiable microbiologic etiology. Hospitalization periods were long, with 43% of patients staying beyond 2 weeks. There was significant morbidity: 28% of patients required rehabilitation or long-term care, and 12% died. Neurologic infections have a major socioeconomic impact because they result in prolonged hospitalizations, expensive diagnostic tests and treatments, and long-term debilitation or death in young patients. Though potentially curable conditions, the burden of undiagnosed infections remains high.

Postoperative Pneumonia After Major Pulmonary Resections: An Unsolved Problem in Thoracic Surgery

Antibiotics currently recommended for prophylaxis in thoracic surgery are first-generation and second-generation cephalosporins. Despite this prophylaxis, postoperative pneumonia after major pulmonary resections remains frequent and severe. However, in the medical literature, the origin of these infections is poorly documented. To evaluate the efficiency of current prophylactic regimens, we retrospectively analyzed 312 consecutive cases of major pulmonary resection, performed between January 2000 and December 2004. For patients who experienced postoperative pulmonary infection, the microbiologic agents and their antibiotic susceptibility were studied. A postoperative pneumonia was diagnosed in 76 patients (24.4% +/- 0.43%). Sixty patients (78.9%) experienced the infection in the first 5 postoperative days. A microbiologic documentation was obtained in 44 cases (57.9%) with 56 microorganisms involved. Pathogens responsible for the infections were Staphylococcus aureus (n = 10), Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 8), group B Streptococcus organisms (n = 1), nongroupable Streptococcus organisms (n = 2), Enterococcus faecalis (n = 1), Haemophilus spp. (n = 9), Branhamella catarrhalis (n = 2), Enterobacteriaceae (n = 15), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 3), Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 1), and Candida spp. (n = 4). According to the antibiotic susceptibility testings, the prophylactic regimen by cefazolin proved ineffective for 84% of the microbiologically documented cases. This study confirmed the inefficiency of current prophylaxis against pathogens involved in postoperative pneumonia after major lung resections. Evaluation of new and more-adapted approaches of antibiotic prophylaxis should be the subject of prospective multicenter trials.

Epidemiology of meningitis in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates, 2000–2005

To describe the epidemiologic features of meningitis in Al-Ain Medical District, United Arab Emirates from January 2000 through June 2005. A retrospective review of clinical records and notification forms for cases of meningitis reported to the Department of Preventive Medicine, Al-Ain. Data collected and compiled included demographic features, causative microbiologic agents, and annual incidence rates of meningitis, by etiology. Ninety-two cases of meningitis were reported during the study period; 53% were bacterial and 37% were viral in origin. Neisseria meningitidis was the leading bacterial pathogen (35%) followed by Streptococcus pneumoniae (16%). Ten percent of clinically diagnosed cases of meningitis had no causative microorganism recovered, and in 33% of patients with presumed pyogenic meningitis no specific bacterial pathogen could be identified. The peak occurrence of meningitis was in young children less than one year old. Most cases of meningococcal meningitis were seen among prison inmates and laborers, while viral meningitis occurred mainly in children and young adults attending school. The incidence rate of meningitis in Al-Ain ranged between 2.2/100,000 population in 2000 and 1/100,000 in 2005, with an overall downward trend by year. The incidence of Haemophilus influenzae type b decreased significantly after implementation of the national immunization program in 1999. Improved methods of bacterial detection including isolate serotyping must be made available in order to further reduce mortality and morbidity from meningitis.

Severe adenovirus pneumonia (AVP) following infliximab infusion for the treatment of Crohn's disease

We report a case of severe AVP three weeks following the administration of infliximab for the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD). Since the introduction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) antagonists, various microbiologic agents have been reported to cause pneumonia following their administration. To our knowledge, AVP following therapy with TNF-alpha antagonists has not been reported in English literature. We present a brief review of the mechanism of action of TNF-alpha antagonists and their ability to predispose to various infections including viral pneumonia by interfering with the immune response.

Warthin's tumor with multiple granulomas: A clinicopathologic study of six cases

Granulomatous inflammation occurring in Warthin's tumor is a rare phenomenon. It has been suggested that prior fine-needle aspiration (FNA) might be a triggering factor. We studied cases of Warthin's tumor with granulomatous inflammation to analyze the possible relationship with prior FNA. Granulomatous inflammation was noted in 6 cases (1.6%) of 382 cases of Warthin's tumor in a medical center. Clinical history, histology, and cytology slides were reviewed. Special stains for detection of infective agents were performed. All 6 cases showed typical features of Warthin's tumor accompanied by multiple granulomas. No specific microbiologic infective agents were revealed in these cases. There were 2 cases with history of preoperative FNA; both already had granulomas in Warthin's tumor in cytologic specimens taken by aspiration. The pathogenesis of granulomatous inflammation in Warthin's tumor remains speculative. Our observation of granulomas in the cytology specimens did not support the hypothesis of prior FNA being the cause.

Nucleic acid test screening of blood donors for orthopoxviruses can potentially prevent dispersion of viral agents in case of bioterrorism

Microbiologic agents such as variola virus (VAR) are very attractive for terrorism. As a result of international collaboration under the WHO eradication campaign, smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980. Therefore, the immunization programs were discontinued worldwide. Because most people are now immunologically naive, VAR is considered to be a potential threat agent or bioterrorist weapon. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by melting analysis was developed for fast and safe analysis and allows differentiation of VAR from other orthopoxviruses (OPVs) like vaccinia or camelpox virus. A RealArt Orthopox LC PCR kit (Artus GmbH) was used to amplify OPV sequences from blood donor samples. A total of 31,500 blood donor samples were tested in minipools of up to 96 samples. To evaluate the sensitivity of the assay, routine donor minipools (90 +/- 6 samples per pool) were spiked with vaccinia virus used as positive control. Specificity was 100 percent because none of 31,500 blood donors was positive for the presence OPV. The detection limit of the assay was 10.6 copies per PCR procedure. Therefore, a sensitivity of 1590 copies per mL was calculated. Overall, 0.28 percent of test results had to be considered invalid owing to negative internal controls. The RealArt Orthopox LC PCR kit enables reliable detection of OPV DNA in viremic blood donor samples, even at the beginning of the disease when patients present minor clinical symptoms, and could be implemented in our routine screening procedure immediately. Thus, the assay could potentially help to prevent dispersion of viral agents by blood transfusion in case of bioterrorism.

Risk factors of mortality for nosocomial pneumonia: importance of initial anti-microbial therapy

Nosocomial pneumonia is a common nosocomial infection and has high mortality rate. Risk factors of mortality of nosocomial pneumonia were studied in 132 hospitalised patients who developed nosocomial pneumonia. The overall mortality rate was 64/132, 48.5%. Of the 11 risk factors univariately associated with mortality due to nosocomial pneumonia, only the inappropriate initial anti-microbial therapy, high simplified acute physiology score and multiple organ failures remained significant after stepwise logistic regression. Gram-negative bacilli were still the most pre-dominant causative microbiologic agents of nosocomial pneumonia with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.3%), Acinetobacter baumannii (18.6%) and Escherichia coli (5.9%) being the three most predominant pathogens. A. baumannii were significantly more predominant among non-survivors than survivors (13.56 vs. 5.08%, p=0.0418). The incidence rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was 19.5% higher than previous reports. We conclude that inappropriate initial anti-microbial therapy for nosocomial pneumonia is associated with the mortality rate of nosocomial pneumonia, and appropriate anti-microbial therapy improves outcome of nosocomial pneumonia.

P388 The epidemiology of microbiologic agents in a ICU and the correlation between anatomic sites

P388 The epidemiology of microbiologic agents in a ICU and the correlation between anatomic sites

Recent advances in temporal arteritis.

Temporal arteritis was first described in the late nineteenth century. Despite considerable progress in understanding the disease, its rarity in the young and in those who are not of Scandinavian ethnicity remains unexplained. Microbiologic agents and immunologic mechanisms have been implicated as causative factors. Although steroids remain the drug of choice, the use of other immunologic therapies has been proposed. This paper reviews the disease's history, probable etiologies, clinical manifestations, and its diagnostic and treatment challenges.

Endemic, notifiable bioterrorism-related diseases, United States, 1992-1999.

Little information is available in the United States regarding the incidence and distribution of diseases caused by critical microbiologic agents with the potential for use in acts of terrorism. We describe disease-specific, demographic, geographic, and seasonal distribution of selected bioterrorism-related conditions (anthrax, botulism, brucellosis, cholera, plague, tularemia, and viral encephalitides) reported to the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System in 1992–1999. Tularemia and brucellosis were the most frequently reported diseases. Anthrax, plague, western equine encephalitis, and eastern equine encephalitis were rare. Higher incidence rates for cholera and plague were noted in the western United States and for tularemia in the central United States. Overall, the incidence of conditions caused by these critical agents in the United States is low. Individual case reports should be considered sentinel events. For potential bioterrorism-related conditions that are endemic and have low incidence, the use of nontraditional surveillance methods and complementary data sources may enhance our ability to rapidly detect changes in disease incidence.