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Background Dermatophytoses in children are common pathologies worldwide caused mainly by Trichophyton rubrum. However, due to the globalization and the atypical pets that people nowadays own, some zoonotic species are also involved in these lesions. Case report We present two cases of tinea faciei caused by the zoonotic mould Trichophyton erinacei in two children that owned a guinea pig and a hedgehog, respectively. Mycological diagnosis was performed inoculating skin scales on Sabouraud-glucose agar plates supplemented with chloramphenicol, with and without gentamicin, and on Sabouraud-glucose agar tubes, with and without cycloheximide. Microscopical examination in both cases and ITS region sequencing to confirm the identification (performed in one of them) were compatible with T. erinacei. Multiple treatments like corticosteroids and antibiotics were prescribed prior to the accurate diagnosis. Finally, both patients received topical and oral terbinafine, respectively, the lesions being resolved entirely. Conclusions Zoonotic fungi must be considered in the diagnosis of skin lesions. An accurate medical record, with a guided anamnesis about possible risk factors and an ongoing and open dialogue between health professionals, are essential to improve both the management of these exotic and zoophilic dermatophytoses.

Clostridioides difficile is the main cause of healthcare-associated diarrhoea in adults. The incidence of C.difficile infection (CDI) has increased in recent years. The risk of recurrence of CDI is 15%-25% in a first episode and this risk is increased in subsequent episodes. Toxigenic culture and cytotoxicity tests are the reference techniques for the microbiological diagnosis of CDI. These are laborious and slow techniques and therefore they have been replaced in clinical practice by the application of a multi-step algorithm that includes the detection of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), toxins and molecular techniques. The treatment of choice for CDI is Vancomycin. In recent years, new drugs and new treatment strategies have appeared that are especially useful in the treatment of relapses of CDI.

Zika virus belongs to the Flaviridae, an extended phylogenetic family containing dengue or yellow fever, viruses whose shared main vector are Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The virus originally came from Central African simian reservoirs and, from there, expanded rapidly across the Pacific to South America. The disease is an example of exantematic fever usually mild. Mortality is very low and mainly limited to secondary Guillain–Barré or foetal microcephaly cases. Diagnostic confirmation requires a RT-PCR in blood up to the 5th day from the onset or in urine up to the 10–14th day. Specific IgM are identifiable from the 5th symptomatic day. Clinically, a suspected case should comply with: (a) a journey to epidemic areas; (b) a clinically compatible appearance with fever and skin rash, and (c) a generally normal blood count/basic biochemistry. There is some evidence that causally relates Zika virus infection with foetal microcephaly. While waiting for definitive data, all pregnant women coming from Central or South America should be tested for Zika virus.

Early diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs) is essential to avoid inadequate or unnecessary empirical antibiotic therapy. Microbiological confirmation takes 24 to 48 h. The use of screening methods, such as cytometry and automated microscopic analysis of urine sediment, allows the rapid prediction of negative samples. In addition, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a widely established technique in clinical microbiology laboratories used to identify microorganisms. We evaluated the ability of MALDI-TOF MS to identify microorganisms from direct urine samples and the predictive value of automated analyzers for the identification of microorganisms in urine by MALDI-TOF MS. A total of 451 urine samples from patients with suspected UTIs were first analyzed using the Sysmex UF-1000 i flow cytometer, an automatic sediment analyzer with microscopy (SediMax), culture, and then processed by MALDI-TOF MS with a simple triple-centrifuged procedure to obtain a pellet that was washed and centrifuged and finally applied directly to the MALDI-TOF MS plate. The organisms in 336 samples were correctly identified, mainly those with Gram-negative bacteria (86.10%). No microorganisms were misidentified, and no Candida spp. were correctly identified. Regarding the data from autoanalyzers, the best bacteriuria cutoffs were 1,000 and 200 U/μl for UF-1000 i and SediMax, respectively. It was concluded that the combination of a urine screening method and MALDI-TOF MS provided a reliable identification from urine samples, especially in those containing Gram-negative bacteria.

Summary Background The invasive mosquito Aedes albopictus, with proven vectorial ability to transmit European autochthonous cycles of dengue and chikungunya virus, has currently colonized every coastal department of Eastern Spain. The main objective of the study was to define the epidemiological and clinical characteristics as well as the trends of these two arboviral diseases in a European area heavily colonized by Ae. albopictus. Method A voluntarily-based, prospective and multicenter surveillance study was performed in all medical units of the North Metropolitan area of Barcelona (406,000 inhabitants, Catalonia; Spain) with diagnostic capability from 2009 to 2013. Since any possible increase in arboviral cases could be justified by changes in traveling behaviors along the study period (especially longer trips) the trend showed by these two arboviral diseases was compared with that displayed by malaria cases during the same period. Results 38 out of 52 (73.1%) suspected cases could be serologically confirmed (IgM+): dengue 34/38 (89.5%) and chikungunya 4/38 (11.5%). No autochthonous cases were identified. The overall incidence of both arboviruses was 0.19 cases/10,000 inhabitants-year (95% CI: 0.07–0.3); dengue = 0.17 cases/10,000 inhabitants-year (95% CI: 0.05–0.3), and chikungunya = 0.02 cases/10,000 inhabitants-year (95% CI: 0.001–0.03). The Incidence Relative Risk of arboviral disease between 2009 and 2013 shown a significant trend (IRR = 1.27. IC 95%: 1.01–1.59; p = 0.043) when compared with that displayed by malaria (IRR = 1.04. IC 95%: 0.924–1.192). If no unexpected circumstances concur, the arboviral disease incidence tax would equal that of malaria about 2021–2022. Conclusions The incidence of dengue and chikungunya is steadily increasing in the North Metropolitan area of Barcelona, a region densely colonized by Ae. albopictus, at the entire expense of imported cases (especially Visiting Friends and Relatives travelers). To date, no secondary autochthonous cases have been identified and, thus, they have not taken part in this rise.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a human pathogen with worldwide distribution. This microorganism is a common cause (10-30%) of community-acquired pneumonia, also called primary atypical pneumonia because of the spectrum of clinical and radiological findings. The immune response is mainly based on rapid antibody production against peptide and glycolipid antigens derived from this microorganism. During the primary infection, IgM levels generally rise within the first week, and are then followed by an IgG response. Titers of IgG and IgA increase in reinfections. Microbiological diagnosis is based on specific antibody detection. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques performed on sputum or pharyngeal/nasopharyngeal exudates, as well as the development of multiplex PCR reactions allowing identification of M. pneumoniae and other respiratory pathogens, would by highly useful in routine diagnosis. The most common serological techniques are complement fixation, immunofluorescence, particle agglutination, and enzyme immunoassay. Diagnosis should be performed by selecting the most appropriate test according to functional criteria and population groups. Specific detection of IgM antibodies should not be included in the differential diagnosis in adults and young people. Diagnostic criteria including seroconversion or rising IgG titers may not be clinically useful, because of the time delay and the difficulty of obtaining a second serum specimen for testing, given the mildness of the clinical symptoms.

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of poverty that contributes significantly to ill-health in developing countries. Drug resistant TB is a major challenge to disease control. Early diagnosis and rapid determination of drug sensitivity is of paramount importance in eradication of TB. Although automated liquid culture based methods are available for rapid detection of drug resistance, the high cost of these tests prevent them from being used routinely in low resource settings. This study compares two phenotypic methods, the manual Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) and the Nitrate Reductase Assay (NRA) in liquid medium, with the agar proportion method (APM), the gold standard for susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Methodology Fourteen day old M. tuberculosis strains (n=373) grown on solid media were used for drug susceptibility testing by APM, NRA and the manual MGIT method. Rifampicin free and rifampicin incorporated (final concentration, 1 μg/ml) media were inoculated with the recommended concentrations of mycobacterial suspensions and incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2. In the APM, the proportion of colonies in the drug containing medium was determined. In the NRA, the colour change in the medium was compared with a standard colour series after day 6 and day 12 of incubation. Growth in the MGIT was detected using the manual MGIT reader from day 2 onwards. The 2 methods were compared with the gold standard, APM to determine sensitivity and specificity and agreement between the methods was calculated using kappa statistics. Results Thirty one (31) rifampicin resistant isolates were identified. When compared with the APM, the sensitivity of detection of rifampicin resistance was 85% for the NRA and 93% for the manual MGIT and the specificity was 99% and 100% respectively. Both assays, NRA (κ=0.86) and manual MGIT method (κ= 0.94) were in excellent agreement with the APM. The mean turnaround time for manual MGIT method and NRA were 08 days and 10 days respectively. Conclusion The NRA in liquid medium and manual MGIT are useful alternatives to APM for drug susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis in low resource settings.

© 2012 Elsevier 0196-4399/00 (see frontmatter) 31 The clinical presentation of cutaneous fungal infections caused by members of the genus Scytalidium is similar to the clinical manifestation of disease caused by the dermatophyte fungi, except that infections caused by Scytalidium spp. respond poorly to conventional antifungal therapy. Members of the genus Scytalidium are endemic in tropical regions of the world, and their occurrence in Spain is rare. However, in recent years, the number of cases described in Spain and other areas of nonendemicity has been increasing. This increase in reported cases is allegedly due to more frequent travel by individuals to areas of endemicity in the world. We describe a case of cutaneous infection caused by Scytalidium hyalinum in a 32-year-old patient who was born and raised in Sierra Leone but resided in Spain for the last 10 years. He sought medical attention in our dermatology department for the evaluation of skin lesions that were initially thought to be a contact dermatitis caused by exposure to a chemical irritant.