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Background: Urinary tract infection is one of the most common nosocomial infections in hospitalized patients. It is predominantly associated with indwelling urinary catheters.Objective: To determine whether nitrofurazone-impregnated urinary catheters reduce the incidence of catheter-associated bacteriuria and funguria (CABF).Design: Randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.Setting: Copenhagen Trauma Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.Patients: 212 consecutive adult trauma patients admitted between July 2003 and August 2005. Eligible patients needed a urinary catheter on arrival and were excluded if they were HIV positive, were pregnant, had a primary burn injury, or were receiving steroid treatment or if informed consent was unattainable.Interventions: Nitrofurazone-impregnated or standard silicone catheter throughout the duration of catheterization.Measurements: Catheter-associated bacteriuria and funguria, defined as at least 10(3) colony-forming units/mL, was assessed daily until removal of the catheter, with a prespecified minimum of 24-hour follow-up for the primary analysis. The microbiologist was blinded to study group assignment.Results: 1190 urine cultures were obtained over 1001 catheter-days. Catheter-associated bacteriuria and funguria occurred less frequently in the nitrofurazone catheter group than in the silicone catheter group (7 of 77 [9.1%] vs. 19 of 77 [24.7%]; incidence per 1000 catheter-days, 13.8 vs. 38.6; adjusted risk, 0.31 [95% CI, 0.14 to 0.70]; P = 0.005). Onset of CABF was delayed in the nitrofurazone group (P = 0.01), and nitrofurazone catheters led to fewer instances of new or changed antimicrobial therapy (adjusted risk, 0.27 [CI, 0.10 to 0.69]; P = 0.006).Limitations: The clinical significance of asymptomatic bacteriuria and funguria is unclear. Data were missing in 27% of patients, and the magnitude of effect of the nitrofurazone catheters varied by assumptions about outcomes in patients who did not complete 24-hour follow-up.Conclusions: Nitrofurazone-impregnated urinary catheters reduced the incidence of CABF in adult trauma patients, reducing the need to change or prescribe new antimicrobial therapy. ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00192985. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To conduct a survey of the methods used in clinical microbiology laboratories in Europe to diagnose infection with Clostridium difficile. A questionnaire was devised and sent to a co-ordinating member of the Study Group in each of eight European countries. This co-ordinator was in charge of forwarding the questionnaire to hospital laboratories arbitrarily selected. The number of laboratories in each country was determined on the basis of one laboratory for 10 000 beds of hospitalization. This questionnaire covered different aspects pertaining to Clostridium difficile associated to diarrhea (CDAD) diagnosis such as circumstances of request, criteria used for undertaking C. difficile investigations, methods used for the diagnosis, etc. A total of 212 questionnaires were completed and submitted for analysis: 87.7% of laboratories reported routinely performing C. difficile diagnostic tests. Methods used included toxin detection (93%), culture (55%), and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) detection (5.9%). Among the laboratories detecting toxins, different enzyme immunoassays (EIA) and cytotoxicity assays were used in 79% and 17.3% of cases, respectively. Among the different strategies reported, 4.8% were considered suboptimal for the diagnosis of C. difficile infections, but marked discrepancies could be observed between countries. The overall incidence (median) of CDAD was estimated at 1.1 for 1000 patient admissions. The results of this study suggest marked discrepancies between laboratories and also between countries regarding the criteria by which C. difficile is investigated for, and the methods and the strategies that are used for the diagnosis of C. difficile. These discrepancies could be explained by the lack of clear guidelines for C. difficile diagnosis in each country, and by the importance that physicians attach to C. difficile. Precise guidelines for C. difficile diagnosis would be the first step to make possible accurate comparison of the incidence and the epidemiology of CDAD from one hospital to another or from one country to another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A defined bacterial mixture could be a safer alternative to faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)., Aims: To compare the efficacy of a 12-strain mixture termed rectal bacteriotherapy with either FMT or vancomycin for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in an open-label 3-arm randomised controlled trial., Methods: We screened all individuals positive for C difficile from May 2017 to March 2019. Persons with laboratory-confirmed recurrent CDI were included. Before FMT and rectal bacteriotherapy, we pre-treated with vancomycin for 7-14 days. Rectal bacteriotherapy was applied by enema on three consecutive days and FMT by enema once with possible repetition for two to three infusions within 14 days. The vancomycin group was treated for 14 days with additional five weeks of tapering for multiple recurrences. The primary outcome was clinical cure within 90 days. A secondary outcome was 180-day all-cause mortality., Results: Participants in the FMT group (n = 34) were cured more often than participants receiving vancomycin (n = 31), 76% vs 45% (OR 3.9 (1.4-11.4), P < 0.01) or rectal bacteriotherapy (n = 31), 76% vs 52% (OR 3.0 (1.1-8.8), P = 0.04). Rectal bacteriotherapy and vancomycin performed similarly (P = 0.61). The mortality rate was 6% in the FMT group, 13% in the bacteriotherapy group and 23% in the vancomycin group. FMT tended to reduce mortality compared with vancomycin, OR 0.2 (0.04-1.12), P = 0.07., Conclusions: Rectal bacteriotherapy appears as effective as vancomycin but less effective than 1-3 FMTs. FMT by enema with 1-3 infusions is superior to vancomycin for treating recurrent C difficile infections and might reduce mortality., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Polyacrylamide hydrogel has in the last decade gained popularity as an injectable filler for facial augmentation due to its features of non-toxicity, biocompatibility, safety profile, and immediate effect. However, as all types of injections carry the risk of infection and since the polyacrylamide hydrogel is a non-degradable implant, the possibility of bacterial biofilm formation exists. Theoretically, the risk of infection and subsequent biofilm formation can be avoided by using prophylactic antibiotic treatment prior to the time of injection., Method: This retrospective study of outcomes following polyacrylamide hydrogel injections includes 657 subjects from one centre, which had facial injections from 2001 and 2011. Until 2007 prophylactic antibiotics were not given prior to treatment, but in September 2007 a single oral dose of azithromycin (Zitromax) and moxifloxacin (Avelox) was introduced as prophylactic antibiotics. A total of 496 subjects were injected before 2007 without antibiotic prophylactic treatment, and 161 subjects received these two antibiotics prior to treatment from September 2007., Results: The prophylactic antibiotics (azithromycin and moxifloxacin) significantly reduced the incidence of clinical signs of inflammation/infections from 7 to 2% (P=0.03)., Conclusion: Even though the incidence of inflammation/infections following injection of polyacrylamide hydrogel is relatively low, it may be reduced further by using prophylactic antibiotic treatment. Based on our experience, we recommend prophylactic antibiotics to patients who have facial augmentation with polyacrylamide hydrogel in order to avoid infection and risk of biofilm formation due to contamination during injection with naturally occurring micro flora from skin and lips.

Injection of soft tissue fillers plays an important role in facial reconstruction and esthetic treatments such as cosmetic surgery for lip augmentation and wrinkle smoothening. Adverse events are an increasing problem, and recently, it has been suggested that bacteria are the cause of a vast fraction these. We developed a novel mouse model and evaluated hyaluronic acid gel, calcium hydroxyl apatite microspheres, and polyacrylamide hydrogel for their potential for sustaining bacterial infections and their possible treatments. We were able to culture Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Probionibacterium acnes in all three gels. When contaminated gels were left for 7 days in a mouse model, we found sustainment of bacterial infection with the permanent gel, less with the semi-permanent gel, and no growth within the temporary gel. Evaluation of treatment strategies showed that once the bacteria had settled (into biofilms) within the gels, even successive treatments with high concentrations of relevant antibiotics were not effective. Our data substantiate bacteria as a cause of adverse reactions reported when using tissue fillers, and the sustainability of these infections appears to depend on longevity of the gel. Most importantly, the infections are resistant to antibiotics once established but can be prevented using prophylactic antibiotics., (© 2014 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a significant problem due to its increased incidence and severity. Failure rates for standard antibiotic therapies are high. In our hospital, faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), or instillation of a culture mixture of known enteric bacteria in saline as rectal bacteriotherapy (RBT), has long been used as 'rescue therapy' in patients with recurrent disease, in whom repeated courses of standard antibiotic treatment have failed. We wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of FMT and RBT for recurrent CDI., Methods: The records of 31 patients treated with either FMT or RBT for recurrent CDI were reviewed retrospectively. FMT was based on faecal donation by a close relative and RBT on a defined saline mixture of 10 individually cultured enteric bacterial strains originally isolated from healthy persons. Both types of instillation were carried out through a rectal catheter. FMT (500 ml) was given as 1 installation. RBT (200 ml) was given as 2 or 3 installations with an interval of 2 days between courses. Treatment success was defined as a sustained loss of symptoms and discontinuation of diarrhoea within 3 days., Results: Of 31 patients, 23 (74%) responded successfully to the treatment: 16 of 23 (70%) receiving FMT and 7 of 8 (88%) receiving RBT., Conclusion: We found FMT to be effective in patients with recurrent CDI. RBT based on a predefined bacterial suspension was as effective as or better than FMT based on faecal donation; however, multiple installations may be needed.

New gene sequencing-based techniques and the large worldwide sequencing capacity have introduced a new era within the field of gut microbiota. Animal and human studies have shown that obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with changes in the composition of the gut microbiota and that prebiotics, antibiotics or faecal transplantation can alter glucose and lipid metabolism. This paper summarizes the latest research regarding the association between gut microbiota, diabetes and obesity and some of the mechanisms by which gut bacteria may influence host metabolism.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a promising and fast method for identifying fungi and bacteria directly from positive blood cultures. Various pre-treatment methods for MALDI-TOF MS identification have been reported for this purpose. In-house results for identification of bacterial colonies by MALDI-TOF MS using a cut-off score of 1.5 did not reduce the diagnostic accuracy compared with the recommended cut-off score of 1.8. A 3-month consecutive study of positive blood cultures was carried out in our laboratory to evaluate whether the Sepsityper™ Kit (Bruker Daltonics) with Biotyper 2.0 software could be used as a fast diagnostic tool for bacteria and fungi and whether a 1.5 cut-off score could improve species identification compared with the recommended score of 1.8. Two hundred and fifty-six positive blood vials from 210 patients and 19 blood vials spiked with fungi were examined. Using the cut-off score of 1.8, 81% Gram-negative bacteria were identified to the species level compared to 84% using a cut-off score of 1.5. For Gram-positive bacteria 44% were identified to the species level with a cut-off of 1.8 compared to 55% with the value of 1.5. The overall identification rate was 63% (cut-off 1.5) and 54% (cut-off 1.8). Seventy-seven per cent of fungal species were identified with both log scores. MALDI-TOF MS was in this study found to be a powerful tool in fast diagnosis of Gram-negative bacteria and fungi and to a lesser degree of Gram positives. Using 1.5 as cut-off score increased the diagnosis for both Gram-positives and -negatives bacteria., (© 2013 APMIS. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: This was a retrospective study analyzing the mortality and incidence of Aspergillus infection and invasive disease, comparing patients given voriconazole for 3 months following transplantation to patients not given prophylaxis., Methods: All consecutive patients (n = 147) transplanted at Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet from 2002 to 2006 were included in the study; the study period included the 2 years before the initiation of fungal prophylaxis (88 patients) and the 2 years after (59 patients). Eight patients transplanted in this period were excluded leaving 139 patients in the study., Results: No effect of voriconazole on the incidence of Aspergillus infection (colonization, or superficial or invasive infection) or on the time from transplantation to the first sign of infection was seen when the 2 groups of patients were compared. The cumulated incidence of infection was 45% without and 49% with prophylaxis, and in both groups approximately half of the infections occurred in the first 3 months, the time during which prophylaxis was given. There were significantly more cystic fibrosis (CF) patients among the Aspergillus-infected patients compared to other diagnoses, and the effect of prophylaxis was the same as in non-CF patients. There was a significantly lower mortality in the voriconazole-treated group compared to the non-prophylaxis group, but in an isolated analysis of Aspergillus-infected patients this difference no longer existed; hence, the difference in mortality must be attributable to a time effect and not to voriconazole prophylaxis., Conclusions: Routine use of voriconazole treatment for prophylaxis against Aspergillus infection in lung transplant recipients does not appear to be warranted.

We conducted a retrospective epidemiologic study of catheter related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) in patients receiving long-term home parenteral nutrition (HPN) from January 2002 to December 2005. Our results showed that coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) were the most prevalent pathogens (44.7% of all CRBSI episodes), followed by Enterobacteriaceae (33.2%). Prevalence for candidemia and Enterococcus bacteremia was relatively high (14.4% and 10.8%, respectively). Cefuroxime resistance was observed in 65.4% CoNS and 31.5% Enterobacteriaceae. Based on the results from the study, a new empiric antimicrobial treatment regiment was suggested.

A total of 65 toxigenic Clostridium difficile strains isolated from patients with antibiotic-associated diarrhea were tested for susceptibility to avilamycin, flavomycin, monensin, and salinomycin. Except for flavomycin the substances showed in vitro efficacy comparable to reports of the currently most commonly used drugs for treatment of C. difficile. This indicates that these old compounds may be useful for the treatment of C. difficile infections in man and perhaps for other bacterial causes of diarrhea., (© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

A case of infective endocarditis caused by Abiotrophia defectiva is presented. The use of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry as a rapid and accurate diagnostic tool in infective endocarditis is discussed.

Objective: In this prospective study we investigated the role of plasma levels of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) in children with urinary tract infection., Material and Methods: We measured the levels of plasma suPAR during admission in 42 children with suspected acute pyelonephritis and compared the results to acute DMSA scintigraphy., Results: The mean level of plasma suPAR at admission was significantly elevated in children with renal involvement (7.3 ng/ml) assessed by the DMSA scintigraphy compared to children without renal involvement (4.4 ng/ml, P = 0.010). The positive predictive value of suPAR seems high, since all patients without renal involvement had low suPAR values. During treatment the mean level of plasma suPAR decreased., Conclusion: We conclude that plasma suPAR could be of clinical use for the diagnosis of acute pyelonephritis and that high levels of plasma suPAR might reflect the level of renal involvement and could therefore be a new indicator for renal scarring.

It has become evident that aggregation or biofilm formation is an important survival mechanism for bacteria in almost any environment. In this review, we summarize recent visualizations of bacterial aggregates in several chronic infections (chronic otitis media, cystic fibrosis, infection due to permanent tissue fillers and chronic wounds) both as to distribution (such as where in the wound bed) and organization (monospecies or multispecies microcolonies). We correlate these biofilm observations to observations of commensal biofilms (dental and intestine) and biofilms in natural ecosystems (soil). The observations of the chronic biofilm infections point toward a trend of low bacterial diversity and sovereign monospecies biofilm aggregates even though the infection in which they reside are multispecies. In contrast to this, commensal and natural biofilm aggregates contain multiple species that are believed to coexist, interact and form biofilms with high bacterial and niche diversity. We discuss these differences from both the diagnostic and the scientific point of view.

Background: This study investigated whether intraoperative use of a cell saver reduces the systemic inflammatory response after coronary operations using cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)., Methods: The study randomized 29 patients, 15 to cell saving of pericardial suction blood and residual blood in the CPB circuit after perfusion (cell saver group) vs 14 who received direct retransfusion of the suction blood and the CPB circuit blood (control group). Outcome measures were plasma concentrations of the inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors I and II, and procalcitonin at 6, 24, and 72 hours postoperatively., Results: At 6 hours postoperatively, the cell saver group displayed significantly reduced plasma levels of IL-6 and IL-8 (p < 0.05). A reduction in IL-10 was also found (p = 0.05), along with nonsignificant reductions in the remaining markers. At 24 and 72 hours, significant differences between groups no longer existed. In the cell saver group, the suction blood and CPB circuit blood were cleared for tumor necrosis factor receptors (p < 0.005), and IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and procalcitonin were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). Median intraoperative blood loss was 250 mL in the cell saver group vs 475 mL (p < 0.02). Immediately postoperatively the hemoglobin level was higher in the cell saver group (p < 0.03). Transfusion requirements were similar., Conclusions: The cell saver reduced the systemic levels of the proinflammatory markers IL-6 and IL-8 at 6 hours after CPB. The role of the anti-inflammatory molecules IL-10 and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptors is undefined in this setting., (Copyright (c) 2010 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)