Search

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous bacteria found in soil, water, and other environments (2,2). More than 200 NTM species have been described to date. NTM are classified according to their [...]

Abstract Background Empirical antimicrobial therapy (EAT) is a challenge for community-acquired, hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia, particularly in the context of the increasing occurrence of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (3GCR-E), including extended-spectrum beta-lactamase Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) and high-level expressed AmpC cephalosporinase-producing Enterobacterales (HLAC-E). To prevent the overuse of broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapies, such as carbapenems, we assessed the performance of screening for intestinal carriage of HLAC-E in addition to ESBL-E to predict 3GCR-E (ESBL-E and/or HLAC-E) presence or absence in respiratory samples in ICU, and to evaluate its potential impact on carbapenem prescription. Materials and methods This monocentric retrospective observational study was performed in a surgical ICU during a 4-year period (January 2013–December 2016). Patients were included if they had a positive culture on a respiratory sample and a previous intestinal carriage screening performed by rectal swabbing within 21 days. Sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values and likelihood ratios were calculated for the screening for intestinal carriage of ESBL-E, HLAC-E and 3GCR-E (ESBL-E and/or HLAC-E) as predictor of their absence/presence in respiratory samples. Impact of HLAC-E and ESBL-E reporting on EAT was also studied. Results 765 respiratory samples, retrieved from 468 patients, were analyzed. ESBL-E prevalence was 23.8% in rectal swab and 4.4% in respiratory samples. HLAC-E prevalence was 9.0% in rectal swabs and 3.7% in respiratory samples. Overall, the 3GCR-E prevalence was 31.8% in rectal swabs and 7.7% in respiratory samples. NPVs were 98.8%, 98.0% and 96.6% for ESBL-E, HLAC-E and 3GCR-E, respectively. Over the study period, empirical antimicrobial therapy was initiated for 315 episodes of respiratory infections: 228/315 (72.4%) were associated with negative intestinal carriage screening for both HLAC-E and ESBL-E, of whom 28/228 (12.3%) were treated with carbapenems. Of 23/315 (7.3%) cases with screening for positive intestinal carriage with HLAC-E alone, 10/23 (43.5%) were treated with carbapenems. Conclusion Systematic screening and reporting of HLAC-E in addition to ESBL-E in intestinal carriage screening could help to predict the absence of 3GCR-E in respiratory samples of severe surgical ICU patients. This could improve the appropriateness of EAT in ICU patients with HAP and may prevent the overuse of carbapenems.

Background: Description and comparison of bacterial characteristics of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) between critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients with COVID-19-positive, COVID + ; and non-COVID-19, COVID-. Methods: Retrospective, observational, multicenter study that focused on French patients during the first wave of the pandemic (March–April 2020). Results: 935 patients with identification of at least one bacteriologically proven VAP were included (including 802 COVID +). Among Gram-positive bacteria, S. aureus accounted for more than two-thirds of the bacteria involved, followed by Streptococcaceae and enterococci without difference between clinical groups regarding antibiotic resistance. Among Gram-negative bacteria, Klebsiella spp. was the most frequently observed bacterial genus in both groups, with K. oxytoca overrepresented in the COVID- group (14.3% vs. 5.3%; p < 0.05). Cotrimoxazole-resistant bacteria were over-observed in the COVID + group (18.5% vs. 6.1%; p <0.05), and after stratification for K. pneumoniae (39.6% vs. 0%; p <0.05). In contrast, overrepresentation of aminoglycoside-resistant strains was observed in the COVID- group (20% vs. 13.9%; p < 0.01). Pseudomonas sp. was more frequently isolated from COVID + VAPs (23.9% vs. 16.7%; p <0.01) but in COVID- showed more carbapenem resistance (11.1% vs. 0.8%; p <0.05) and greater resistance to at least two aminoglycosides (11.8% vs. 1.4%; p < 0.05) and to quinolones (53.6% vs. 7.0%; p <0.05). These patients were more frequently infected with multidrug-resistant bacteria than COVID + (40.1% vs. 13.8%; p < 0.01). Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that the bacterial epidemiology and antibiotic resistance of VAP in COVID + is different from that of COVID- patients. These features call for further study to tailor antibiotic therapies in VAP patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Postsurgical infections due to Mycobacterium chimaera appeared as a novel nosocomial threat in 2015, with a worldwide outbreak due to contaminated heater-cooler units used in open chest surgery. We report the results of investigations conducted in France including whole-genome sequencing comparison of patient and heater-cooler unit isolates. Methods We sought M. chimaera infection cases from 2010 onwards through national epidemiological investigations in health care facilities performing cardiopulmonary bypass, together with a survey on good practices and systematic heater-cooler unit microbial analyses. Clinical and heater-cooler unit isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing analyzed with regard to the reference outbreak strain Zuerich-1. Results Only 2 clinical cases were shown to be related to the outbreak, although 23% (41/175) of heater-cooler units were declared positive for M. avium complex. Specific measures to prevent infection were applied in 89% (50/56) of health care facilities, although only 14% (8/56) of them followed the manufacturer maintenance recommendations. Whole-genome sequencing comparison showed that the clinical isolates and 72% (26/36) of heater-cooler unit isolates belonged to the epidemic cluster. Within clinical isolates, 5–9 nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms were observed, among which an in vivo mutation in a putative efflux pump gene was observed in a clinical isolate obtained for 1 patient on antimicrobial treatment. Conclusions Cases of postsurgical M. chimaera infections have been declared to be rare in France, although heater-cooler units were contaminated, as in other countries. Genomic analyses confirmed the connection to the outbreak and identified specific single nucleotide polymorphisms, including 1 suggesting fitness evolution in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]