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In 2022, the United Kingdom reported an increase in drug resistance in Shigella sonnei isolates. We report 33 cases in Spain genetically related to the UK cases and 4 cases with similar antimicrobial resistance profiles infected with genetically distant strains. Our results suggest circulation of multiple genetic clusters of multidrug-resistant S. sonnei in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 has been shown to cause an overactivation of monocytes. The Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW) parameter correlates with the cytomorphological changes that monocytes undergo after their massive activation. MDW is obtained from the blood count, and it could be established as a potential diagnostic biomarker for COVID-19. Therefore, the aim of this study is to deeply analyze the value of MDW in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Materials and Methods: A total of 4,153 patients treated in the Emergency Department with suspicion of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to suggestive symptoms were recruited. A blood count and a nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection were requested. Results: Significant differences (p<0.001) were observed between the MDW values in patients with COVID-19 (n =1285), with a mean and standard deviation of 23.69 ± 4.27 compared to patients without COVID-19 disease (n = 2870) whose mean and standard deviation is 19.17 ± 3.52. The Area Under the Curve (AUC) obtained was 0.822 and the cut-off point was MDW≥20.8, (77.7% sensitivity, 78.1% specificity). The combination of MDW with White Blood Count (WBC) through a regression model got the best AUC (AUC=0.855), with a sensitivity of 79.2% and a specificity of 83.7%. Conclusion: Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection have been shown to have higher MDW values. The combination of MDW with WBC allowed to obtain the highest specificity from all the studies performed, so this combination could be helpful when classifying patients with possible COVID-19. Both markers are obtained very quickly and easily from a blood count sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We evaluated the IgG antibody titer against SARS-CoV-2 in 196 residents of a Spanish nursing home after the second dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine and the evolution of this titer over time. The role of the third dose of the vaccine on immune-response is also analysed in 115 of participants. Methods: Vaccine response was evaluated 1, 3 and 6 months after second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and 30 days after booster vaccination. Total anti-RBD (receptor binding domain) IgG immunoglobulins were measured to assess response. Six month after the second dose of vaccine and previously to the booster, T-cell response was also measured in 24 resident with different antibody levels. T-spot Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit was used to identify cellular immunogenicity. Results: As high as 99% of residents demonstrated a positive serological response after second dose. Only two patients showed no serologic response, two men without records of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. A higher immune response was associated with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection regardless of the gender or age. The anti-S IgG titers decreased significantly in almost all the participants (98.5%) after six months of vaccination whatever previous COVID-infection. The third dose of vaccine increased antibody titers in all patients, although initial vaccination values were not restored in the majority of cases. Conclusion: The main conclusion of the study is that vaccine resulted in good immunogenicity in this vulnerable population. Nevertheless more data are needed on the long-term maintenance of antibody response after booster vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Española de Quimioterapia is the property of Sociedad Espanola de Quimioterapia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Española de Quimioterapia is the property of Sociedad Espanola de Quimioterapia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

SARS‐CoV‐2 rapid detection is of great interest to prevent viral dissemination. In that sense, antigen tests appeared as a very valuable tool to reach this goal. However, it is possible to obtain a negative result in those patients with low viral loads, and consequently, reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) should be performed on samples from patients with a negative antigen test in which there is a strong suspicion of COVID infection. The common diagnostic algorithm involves taking a second sample for RT‐PCR testing. This study evaluates the usefulness of the antigen test sample for carrying out RT‐PCR analysis when necessary. Results obtained indicate that can be used a unique sample for both antigen test and RT‐PCR. This data showed that it is possible to reduce excessive suspected individuals managing and so on increase staff security and patient comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nosocomial pathogens can be associated with a variety of infections, particularly in intensive care units (ICUs) and in immunocompromised patients. Usually these pathogens are resistant to multiple drugs and pose therapeutic challenges. Among these organisms, Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most frequent being encountered in the clinical setting. Carbapenems are very useful to treat infections caused by these drug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli, but carbapenem resistance is increasing globally. Combination therapy is frequently given empirically for hospital-acquired infections in critically ill patients and is usually composed of an adequate beta-lactam and an aminoglycoside. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of plazomicin against carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii. Amikacin was used as a comparator. The activity of plazomicin in combination with several different antibiotics was tested by disk diffusion, the checkerboard method, and time-kill studies. Synergy was consistently observed with carbapenems (meropenem and/or imipenem) along with plazomicin or amikacin. When the aminoglycosides were combined with other classes of antibiotics, synergy was observed in some cases, depending on the strain and the antibiotic combination; importantly, there was no antagonism observed in any case. These findings indicate the potential utility of plazomicin in combination with other antibiotics (mainly carbapenems) for the treatment of A. baumannii infections, including those caused by carbapenem-resistant isolates., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)