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Purpose: S. aureus bacteremia (SAB) is a common and severe infection with high mortality and morbidity. The clinical relevance of the finding of concurrent S. aureus bacteriuria (SABU) is debated. The goal of this study was to analyze whether a concurrent SABU is associated with complicated SAB, infective endocarditis (IE) and mortality., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study, reviewing medical charts of all episodes of SAB in patients > 18 years in the region of Skåne, Sweden, between 1st of January and 31st of June 2020. Episodes where a concurrent urine culture was performed were included for analysis. An episode was considered as complicated SAB if there was either attributable mortality, recurrent infection, embolic stroke, or occurrence of a complicated focus of infection., Results: During the study period, there were 279 episodes of SAB. 154 episodes met the eligibility criteria, of whom 37 (24%) had concurrent SABU. In 78 episodes (51%), the patients had a complicated SAB. There was a significantly lower proportion of complicated SAB for episodes with concurrent SABU (32%), compared to episodes without concurrent SABU (56%), p-value 0.014. Moreover, in the cohort there were 11 episodes (7.1%) of IE and a 30 days mortality rate of 16%, with no difference between the groups with or without SABU., Conclusions: There is an association between concurrent SABU and a decreased risk for complicated SAB among patients with SAB. This study found no significant association between SABU and neither IE nor mortality for patients with SAB., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Corynebacterium is a genus that can contaminate blood cultures and also cause severe infections like infective endocarditis (IE). Our purpose was to investigate microbiological and clinical features associated with contamination and true infection. A retrospective population-based study of Corynebacterium bacteremia 2012-2017 in southern Sweden was performed. Corynebacterium isolates were species determined using a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Patient were, from the medical records, classified as having true infection or contamination caused by Corynebacterium through a scheme considering both bacteriological and clinical features and the groups were compared. Three hundred thirty-nine episodes of bacteremia with Corynebacterium were identified in 335 patients of which 30 (8.8%) episodes were classified as true infection. Thirteen patients with true bacteremia had only one positive blood culture. Infections were typically community acquired and affected mostly older males with comorbidities. The focus of infection was most often unknown, and in-hospital mortality was around 10% in both the groups with true infection and contamination. Corynebacterium jeikeium and Corynebacterium striatum were significantly overrepresented in the group with true infection, whereas Corynebacterium afermentans was significantly more common in the contamination group. Eight episodes of IE were identified, all of which in patients with heart valve prosthesis. Six of the IE cases affected the aortic valve and six of seven patients were male. The species of Corynebacterium in blood cultures can help to determine if a finding represent true infection or contamination. The finding of a single blood culture with Corynebacterium does not exclude true infection such as IE.

Background:  We investigated differences in clinical presentation, microbiology, and short- and long-term results according to the affected valve in patients who underwent surgery for left-sided native valve infective endocarditis (IE)., Methods:  This was a single-center retrospective study of 117 patients with isolated mitral valve IE (group M) and 140 patients with isolated aortic valve IE (group A) who underwent surgery between 1998 and 2015., Results:  The mean age of patients in group M was 62 ± 14 years, whereas in group A the patients were 56 ± 14 years old ( p  = 0.001). There were 61 females (52% of patients) in group M and 31 females (22% of patients) in group A ( p  < 0.001). Abscesses were more common in group A than in group B. Staphylococcus aureus was more frequent in group M (47%, n  = 55) than in group A (21%, n  = 30; p  < 0.001). The length of time from symptom onset to surgery was longer in group A than in group M, but the time from diagnosis to surgery was shorter in group A than in group M. Ninety-day mortality was similar in group M and group A in patients operated within 48 hours after diagnosis, but in patients who were operated more than 48 hours after diagnosis the 90-day mortality was 15% in group M and 3% in group A ( p  = 0.006)., Conclusion:  There were considerable differences in preoperative characteristics, microbiology, timing of surgery, and outcomes between patients who underwent surgery for isolated aortic valve IE and those who were operated for isolated mitral valve IE., Competing Interests: None declared., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of infective endocarditis. Little has been published on the outcome and epidemiology of S. aureus endocarditis (SAE) in the twenty-first century. Our aim was to evaluate the short-term and long-term outcome of SAE in Stockholm, Sweden, and assess its incidence over time. Patients treated for SAE from January 2004 through December 2013 were retrospectively identified at the Karolinska University Hospital. Clinical data were obtained from medical records and the diagnosis was verified according to the modified Duke criteria. Of 245 SAE cases, 152 (62%) were left-sided and 120 (49%) occurred in intravenous drug users. The calculated incidence in Stockholm County was 1.56/100 000 person-years, increasing from 1.28 in 2004-08 to 1.82/100 000 person-years in 2009-13 (p 0.002). In-hospital and 1-year mortality rates were 9.0% (22/245) and 19.5% (46/236), respectively. Age (OR 1.06 per year) and female sex (OR 3.0) were independently associated with in-hospital mortality in multivariate analysis. Involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) was observed in 30 (12%) patients, and valvular surgery was performed during hospitalization in 37 (15%). In left-sided endocarditis the strongest predictors for surgery were severe valvular insufficiency (OR 8.9), lower age (OR 1.07 per year) and no intravenous drug use (OR 10.7), and for CNS involvement lower age (OR 1.04 per year). In conclusion we noted low mortality, low CNS complication rate, and low valvular surgery frequency associated with SAE in our setting. The incidence was high and increased over time. The study provides an update on the outcome and epidemiology of SAE in the twenty-first century., (Copyright © 2015 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We estimated the prevalence of blood culture negative endocarditis (CNE) and described and analysed data with special attention to antibiotic treatment from patients with infective endocarditis (IE) reported to the Swedish endocarditis registry during the 10-y period 1995-2004. All 29 departments of infectious diseases in Sweden reported data to the registry. During the 10-y period, 2509 IE episodes (78% Duke definite) were identified in 2410 patients. 304 CNE episodes (25% Duke definite) were found. The proportion of CNE was measured to be 12% of all IE episodes. Fatal outcome occurred in 10.7% of all IE patients and in 5% of the CNE patients. The risk of dying was significantly increased in female (9%) compared to male (2%) CNE patients (OR 5.1). Mortality was significantly decreased in patients treated with an aminoglycoside (3%) versus patients without aminoglycoside therapy (13%), OR 0.2. In conclusion, the prevalence of CNE was 12% in Swedish IE patients in a 10-y survey. The mortality in IE was low (10.7%) and 4.6% for CNE. Women have higher mortality rates than men in CNE. CNE patients who received aminoglycoside therapy survived more frequently than CNE patients without this therapy.

A 5-year nationwide prospective study in Sweden during 1995-1999 identified 881 definite episodes of infective endocarditis. Definite enterococcal endocarditis was diagnosed in 93 episodes (11%), the largest series of enterococcal endocarditis so far presented. Mortality during treatment was 16%, the relapse rate was 3%, and clinical cure was achieved in the remaining 81% of the episodes. Clinical cure was achieved with a median duration of cell wall-active antimicrobial therapy of 42 days combined with an aminoglycoside (median treatment time, 15 days). International guidelines generally recommend a 4-6-week combined synergistic treatment course with a cell wall-active antibiotic and an aminoglycoside. Treatment regimens in Sweden often include a shortened aminoglycoside treatment course in order to minimize adverse effects in older patients. Fatal outcome seemed not to be due to the shortened aminoglycoside therapy course. In many enterococcal endocarditis episodes, duration of aminoglycoside therapy could probably be shortened to 2-3 weeks.

Factors predictive of a fatal outcome were retrospectively studied in 248 patients admitted with Staphylococcus aureus septicemia during 1965-1982, 78 of whom had endocarditis. 77 patients were intravenous drug addicts and 47 of them had endocarditis. 48 patients (19.4%) died. The fatality rate in addicts and non-addicts from septicemia was 0% and 17.9% and from endocarditis 8.5% and 61.3%, respectively. After analyzing clinical and laboratory data available early in the course of the disease 4 risk factors were found both in septicemia and endocarditis: age greater than or equal to 60 yr, pre-existing cardiovascular disease, prior hospitalization within 30 days of onset of illness, and neurological symptoms and/or signs. In addition, in endocarditis a platelet count before therapy less than 100 X 10(9)/l and left-sided involvement were unfavourable prognostic factors.

66 cases of infective endocarditis (IE) during 1971-1980 were studied. The infection was in most cases located to the mitral or aortic valve. Major complications were found in 43 children. In 17 children there was a long history of infection for which medical consultation had previously been sought prior to correct diagnosis. Antibiotics were administered to 60 children, in 58 intravenously while 2 received oral therapy only. Acute surgical intervention was necessary in six children and three of these children died. In all, 15 (23%) children died as a consequence of the infection.

A follow-up study on 36 children having had infective endocarditis during the time period 1971-80 was performed. All answered a questionnaire and 33 underwent a complete non-invasive cardiac examination including exercise test. The study comprised 406 patient years. During this time there were four late deaths and three recurrent attacks of endocarditis. Seventeen (47%) took prophylactic antibiotics. Two patients had been operated on because of the initial infection and another five had developed intracardiac sequelae. An ability index given to each patient before the infection and at the follow-up showed that as a group these patients were doing well.