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Solid organ transplant recipients are considered at high risk for COVID-19 infection due to chronic immune suppression; little data currently exists on the manifestations and outcomes of COVID-19 infection in lung transplant recipients. Here we report 8 cases of COVID-19 identified in patients with a history of lung transplant. We describe the clinical course of disease as well as preexisting characteristics of these patients., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Influenza is a public health burden, responsible for more than half a million deaths worldwide each year and explosive outbreaks in-hospital care units. At present, little is known about clinical characteristics and outcomes with nosocomial influenza infection. To assess clinical characteristics and outcome between nosocomial and community-acquired (CA) influenza in a tertiary care hospital. A retrospective study of hospitalized patients in a French tertiary care hospital from 1st December 2016 to 28th February 2017 for flu-illness confirmed by reverse transcription PCR. Overall, 208 patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza were included; whose 49 nosocomial cases (23.6%). Patients with nosocomial influenza were significantly older (79.1 ± 15.5 vs 64.8 ± 31.1 years old; P = .003), with the more rapidly fatal disease (10.2% vs 1.3%; P = .0032). They had a less respiratory failure (8.2% vs 21.4%; P = .036) but had a longer length of hospitalization (47.3 vs 12.9 days; P < .001) than patients with CA influenza. During this influenza outbreak, 19 patients died (9.1%), none of them were vaccinated. Effective control of outbreaks in hospital facilities is challenging. Hospitalized patients are vulnerable to nosocomial Influenza infections that can increase the length of stay and be responsible for the death. Surveillance and early warning systems should be encouraged. Vaccination policies in conjunction with isolation measures and better hand hygiene could reduce virus spreading in hospitals., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is increasingly used in the management of patients with severe cardiopulmonary disease. Infections are frequently the etiologies underlying the respiratory, and occasionally cardiac, failure that necessitates ECLS. Just as importantly, infections are among the most commonly reported adverse events during ECLS. Infections in this setting may be the sequelae of prolonged critical illness or of underlying immune dysregulation; they may be hospital-acquired infections, and they may or may not be attributable to the presence of ECLS itself, the latter being an aspect that can be difficult to determine. Current registry data and evidence from the literature offer some insights, but also leave open many questions regarding the nature and significance of infections reported both before and during ECLS, including the question of any causal link between ECLS and the development of infections. An ongoing lack of consistency in the identification, diagnosis, management, and prevention of infections during ECLS is limiting our ability to interpret literature data and thus highlighting the need for more rigorous investigation and standardization of definitions. This review aims to characterize the current understanding of infections associated with the use of ECLS, taking into account data from the updated Extracorporeal Life Support Organization Registry, which provides important context for understanding the epidemiology and outcomes of these patients.

Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa cross-infections are related to increased morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF)., Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of cross-infections with P. aeruginosa in children with CF., Methodology: CF patients from whom at least one P. aeruginosa strain had been isolated were included in the study. The strain genotyping was performed using pulse-field gel electrophoresis. The history of contacts between patients was established based on questionnaires., Results: The study group consisted of 75 patients (aged 1.0-19.2 years) and the material included 170 P. aeruginosa strains. Cross-infections occurred in a group of 26 patients. In this group, the risk of the predicted occurrence of forced expiratory volume in 1 second ≤ 70% was five times greater and the risk of longer cumulative hospitalization time for intravenous antibiotic therapy (>14 days/year) was almost five times greater. In the clonal groups of strains, the multidrug-resistance rate was significantly higher than in other groups. In 2011, all tested strains were susceptible to colistin, whereas in 2012, three strains from the largest clonal group showed high levels of resistance to colistin., Conclusion: Cross-infections with P. aeruginosa occurred in our group of patients and were associated with poor clinical outcomes. Antimicrobial resistance rate in the strains isolated from such infections was significantly higher, and this included three strains resistant to colistin., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in older people, with high mortality rates (> 80%). One of the bacterial pathogens causing pneumonia is Staphylococcus aureus. The unique adaptive ability of S. aureus to a broad range of antibiotics has led to the emergence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strain. MRSA pneumonia remains a relatively uncommon infection in older people, but it is associated with a very high mortality rate. We report two cases of MRSA pneumonia that highlight the severe clinical presentation and virulence of MRSA infections in geriatric population. MRSA pneumonia can present with mostly an uncontrollable clinical evolution and an infaust prognosis. Therefore, clinicians should be aware of MRSA pneumonia in patients with comorbidities, recent hospitalization with antibiotic treatment, previous MRSA infections and also in patients residing in nursing homes/revalidation centers. Low prevalence of MRSA combined with a lack of highly distinctive clinical features makes accurate targeting of empirical treatment with antibiotics very difficult. Currently, monotherapy with linezolid or vancomycin remain the first choice, in adult patients with proven MRSA infection. Despite the higher age related mortality rates, there are no specific treatment guidelines for older patients.

Background and Purpose: Autonomic nervous system (ANS) seems to play an important role in the post-stroke immunosuppression syndrome with increased susceptibility to infections. The aim of this study was to investigate if ANS activity measured at admission is associated with post-stroke infections., Methods: We prospectively analyzed patients with acute ischemic stroke. ANS was measured using the cross-correlational baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) at admission. The occurrence and cause of in-hospital infections was assessed based on the clinical and laboratory examination. Demographic and clinical variables including initial stroke severity, dysphagia, procedures as nasogastric tubes, central venous and urinary catheters and mechanical ventilation were included in the analysis., Results: We included 161 patients with ischemic stroke, of those 49 (30.4%) developed a nosocomial infection during the first 7 days of hospital stay. Patients with infections had significantly lower BRS (median 3 vs 5 ms/mmHg, p < .001) higher initial NIHSS (median 15 vs 5, p < .001), had more often non-lacunar etiology and underwent more invasive procedures. In the multivariable regression model decreased BRS (adjusted OR 1.21, 95% CI 1.03-1.41, p = .02), admission NIHSS (adjusted OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02-1.19, p = .02) and invasive procedures (adjusted OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.03-2.06, p = .03) were independently associated with infection after ischemic stroke., Conclusions: Decreased BRS was independently associated with infections after ischemic stroke. Autonomic shift may play an important role in increased susceptibility to infections after stroke. The possible diagnostic and therapeutic relevance of this finding deserves further research., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study aimed to examine the association between colonizing respiratory tract organism and frequency, duration, and time between subsequent hospitalizations among hospitalized patients with cystic fibrosis (CF)., Methods: This retrospective cohort study of 312 CF patients from 2 New York City hospitals (2006-2016) examined the effects of colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) or methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA), co-colonization on incidence of hospitalization, time to next hospitalization, and total length of stay (LOS)., Results: Annual rate of subsequent hospitalizations was highest in patients with P aeruginosa: adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs) were 2.75 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.72-4.41) for P aeruginosa versus MSSA, 2.57 (95% CI, 1.52-4.31) for co-colonization versus MSSA, and 1.77 (95% CI, 1.04-3.01) for P aeruginosa versus MRSA. Time to readmission was shortest for P aeruginosa: aIRRs were 1.75 (95% CI, 1.05-2.94) for MRSA versus P aeruginosa, 1.64 (95% CI, 1.03-2.59) for MSSA versus P aeruginosa, and 1.61 (95% CI, 1.04-2.47) for co-colonization versus P aeruginosa. LOS was longest for P aeruginosa: aIRRs were 3.41 (95% CI, 2.19-5.32) for P aeruginosa versus MSSA, 1.66 (95% CI, 1.01-2.75) for co-colonization versus MSSA, 2.50 (95% CI, 1.58-3.93) for P aeruginosa versus MRSA, and 2.05 (95% CI, 1.32-3.18) for P aeruginosa versus co-colonization., Conclusions: CF patients with P aeruginosa alone experienced more hospitalizations, longer LOS, and shorter time to readmission versus patients with S aureus or both organisms., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

In this paper, we propose an SIS-type reaction-diffusion equations, which contains both direct transmission and indirect transmission via free-living and spatially diffusive bacteria/virus in the contaminated environment, motivated by the dynamics of hospital infections. We establish the basic reproduction number R ₀ which can act as threshold level to determine whether the disease persists or not. In particular, if R ₀<1 then ="" the ="" disease-free ="" equilibrium ="" is ="" globally ="" asymptotically ="" stable ="" whereas ="". For the spatially homogeneous system, we investigate the traveling wave solutions and obtain that there exists a critical wave speed, below which there has no traveling waves, above which the traveling wave solutions may exist for small diffusion coefficient by the geometric singular perturbation method. The finding implies that great spatial transmission leads to an increase in new infection, while large diffusion of bacteria/virus results in the new infection decline for spatially heterogeneous environment.

Introduction and Objectives: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most prevalent pathogen causing nosocomial infections in hospitals and health centers. This work is an effort to understand the epidemiology of MRSA and other multidrug-resistant pathogens in an intensive care unit (ICU) and to analyze characteristics that might determine the risk of MRSA colonization/infection in this unit., Method: An observational, 1-year prospective longitudinal study was conducted to obtain information about MRSA and other multidrug-resistant colonizations/infections. The study was conducted with ICU patients with an artificial airway. Data were obtained from the National Study of the Control of Nosocomial Infections in Intensive Care Units database., Results: MRSA colonization was highly prevalent (33%); however, other pathogens like gram(-) Bacillus showed a higher infectious potency. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE-II) score >15 and hospital stay of >4 days were the main variables that significantly predicted the risk of developing MRSA colonization ( p < .001 in both cases). Moreover, the presence of MRSA increased the risk of developing a second multidrug-resistant colonization/infection, especially with methicillin-resistant Pseudomona., Discussion: The high prevalence of MRSA emphasizes the need to continue studying risk factors for MRSA colonization/infection, which may allow early identification of this pathogen. Therefore, we propose the use of the APACHE-II score and length of hospital stay to predict increased risk of MRSA colonization. Awareness of the heightened risk in particular patients could lead to early detection and prevention.

A 61 year male, admitted in Combined Military Hospital Rawlpindi on 12th March 2017, operated for diverticulitis became colonized with Staphylococcus haemolyticus. Patient suffered repeated septic episodes caused by the same organism during his stay in hospital. The strain was identified as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus haemolyticus (MRSH) also resistant to Linezolid by analytical profile index for Staphylococcus (API Staph) and VITEK 2 Gram positive cocci panel. The isolate was cultured from blood cultures, Central Venous Catheter (CVC) tip and skin swabs. Patient was successfully treated with injectable vancomycin and skin decolonization was acheived with chlorhexidine bath after which no episode of MRSH infection occurred. Patient had an uneventful recovery and was discharged on 21st June. His follow up visit showed clinical improvement.

Objective: To compare the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with community-acquired and hospital-acquired sepsis., Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study that included all patients with a diagnosis of sepsis detected between January 2010 and December 2015 at a private hospital in southern Brazil. Outcomes (mortality, intensive care unit and hospital lengths of stay) were measured by analyzing electronic records., Results: There were 543 hospitalized patients with a diagnosis of sepsis, with a frequency of 90.5 (85 to 105) cases/year. Of these, 319 (58%) cases were classified as hospital-acquired sepsis. This group exhibited more severe disease and had a larger number of organ dysfunctions, with higher hospital [8 (8 - 10) versus 23 (20 - 27) days; p < 0.001] and intensive care unit [5 (4 - 7) versus 8.5 (7 - 10); p < 0.001] lengths of stay and higher in-hospital mortality (30.7% versus 15.6%; p < 0.001) than those with community-acquired sepsis. After adjusting for age, APACHE II scores, and hemodynamic and respiratory dysfunction, hospital-acquired sepsis remained associated with increased mortality (OR 1.96; 95%CI 1.15 - 3.32, p = 0.013)., Conclusion: The present results contribute to the definition of the epidemiological profile of sepsis in the sample studied, in which hospital-acquired sepsis was more severe and was associated with higher mortality.

Clostridium difficile causes antibiotic-associated diarrhoea and pseudomembranous colitis. The main virulence factors of C. difficile are the toxins A (TcdA) and B (TcdB). A third toxin, binary toxin (CDT), which pathogenetic role had been remained largely overlooked until few years ago, nowadays have been detected in 5%-23% of strains. C. difficile has spread around world. Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most common health-care associated infections and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among older adult hospitalized patients. Diagnosis of CDI is often difficult and has a substantial impact on the management of patients with disease. It is usually based on a clinical history of recent antimicrobial usage and diarrhoea in combination with laboratory tests. Although the conventional methods are crucial for the diagnosis and the subsequent treatment of CDI, a timely laboratory diagnosis is essential for the detection of toxigenic strains providing either to an effective and immediately treatment or to the prevention of further disease transmission. In this review we provide general recommendations for testing of samples collected from patients with suspected CDI.

Rationale & Objective: Low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) increases infection risk, but its contribution to hospital-acquired infection following major surgery is unknown., Study Design: Retrospective cohort study., Setting & Participants: Residents of Stockholm, Sweden, 18 years or older with at least 1 recorded serum creatinine measurement, no recent diagnoses of infection, and hospitalized for orthopedic, abdominal, cardiothoracic and vascular, or neurologic surgery between January 2007 and December 2011. EXPOSURES: eGFR<60mL/min/1.73m 2 (termed low eGFR) and other clinical comorbid conditions at admission: cancer, cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), coronary heart disease, diabetes, heart failure (HF), and liver disease., Outcomes: Incidence and population-attributable fractions of 4 major types of hospital-acquired infections: pneumonia, urinary tract infection, surgical-site infection, and bloodstream infection., Analytical Approach: Logistic regression analysis., Results: 66,126 patients with a history of orthopedic (n=31,630), abdominal (n=26,317), cardiothoracic and vascular (n=6,266), or neurologic (n=1,913) surgery were studied. Cancer (21%) and low eGFR (18%) were the most prevalent comorbid conditions at admission, followed by diabetes, HF, and COPD (12%). Overall, 3,617 patients (5.5%) had at least 1 type of hospital-acquired infection (1,650 cases of urinary tract infection, 1,196 cases of pneumonia, 635 cases of surgical site infection, and 411 cases of bloodstream infection). The OR of hospital-acquired infection was highest for low eGFR (1.64; 95% CI, 1.51-1.77), followed by HF (1.60; 95% CI, 1.46-1.76), cerebrovascular disease (1.47; 95% CI, 1.34-1.61), cancer (1.43; 95% CI, 1.33-1.55), and COPD (1.37; 95% CI, 1.25-1.50). Low eGFR demonstrated the highest population-attributable fraction for hospital-acquired infections (0.13), followed by cancer (0.10), HF (0.09), and cerebrovascular disease (0.06). When assessed by type of infection, low eGFR particularly contributed to pneumonia (0.15) and urinary tract infection (0.10)., Limitations: Outcome ascertainment based on diagnostic codes., Conclusions: These findings highlight the association between low eGFR and hospital-acquired infection and may inform evidence-based hospital-acquired infection prevention policies following major surgery., (Copyright © 2018 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections in the United States. Its incidence has been increasing in the recent years despite preventative measures. CDI increases annual expenses by 1.5 billion dollars. Cancer patients are at higher risk to acquire CDI, as explained by their frequent exposure to risk factors. CDI in cancer patients is associated with higher mortality rates and prolonged hospitalization. Furthermore, CDI affects the course of the disease by delaying treatments such as chemotherapy. Chemotherapeutics drugs are considered independent risk factors for CDI. This review discusses Clostridium difficile infection in cancer patients, including those who are receiving chemotherapy. Herein, we summarize recent data regarding the epidemiology, risk factors, including chemotherapy regimens, pathogenesis, diagnostic techniques and treatment options, including newer agents. Method : A literature search was performed using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. The MeSH terms utilized in different combinations were ' clostridium difficile ', 'neoplasia/cancer/oncology', 'chemotherapy', 'diagnosis', and 'treatment', in addition to looking up each treatment option individually to generate a comprehensive search. The articles were initially screened by title alone, followed by screening through abstracts. Full texts of pertinent articles (including letters to editors, case reports, case series, cohort studies, and clinical trials) were included in this review.

This study aimed to analyze the clinical manifestations of patients with pyogenic liver abscess and characteristics of pathogenic that caused their infections, in order to provide guidance for the identification of the pathogens that cause liver abscess and selection of antibiotics for treatment of this disease.In the present study, the clinical characteristics, laboratory results, as well as the species and drug resistance of pathogens in patients with bacterial liver abscesses admitted to our hospital from January 2013 to December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were treated by ultrasound or CT-guided percutaneous portal vein catheterization and drainage combined with intravenous infusion of antibiotics (the third-generation cephalosporins, the coformulation of carbapenem and dehydropeptidase-I inhibitors, or the coformulation of tazobactam and piperacillin).A total of 178 patients were diagnosed with liver abscess by B ultrasound or CT. The abscesses mostly occurred in elderly male patients and patients with diabetes mellitus. The major clinical and hematological features were fever (163/178, 91.2%), single focal abscess (146/178, 82.0%), elevated white blood cell count, and percentage of neutrophils (136/178, 76.4%). A total of 102 nonrepetitive strains of bacteria were isolated, including Klebsiella pneumoniae (82 strains, 80.3%), Escherichia coli (8 strains), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (2 strains), Acinetobacter baumannii (1 strain), and Gram-positive cocci (9 strains). Susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs was determined by analyzing the minimum inhibitory concentration, and among the 8 cultured E coli strains, 5 strains that could produce extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBLs) were among the most commonly seen nosocomial infections. In the present study, bacterial liver abscesses were mostly community-acquired, and K pneumoniae was highly susceptive to the commonly used antibiotics. Five patients had poor outcomes due to infectious shock or the accompanying liver cancer. In other patients, after treatment, the body temperature and the inflammatory indices, such as the total white blood cell count and C-reactive protein, returned to normal levels, and the area of abscess decreased.Most of the bacterial liver abscesses were caused by K pneumoniae, in which only a few strains exhibited resistance to the commonly used antibiotics. The use of ultrasound- or CT-guided percutaneous drainage combined with antibiotics was an appropriate way to treat the liver abscesses of these patients.

Background: Plague is a life-threatening disease caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. Madagascar is the leading country for human plague cases worldwide. Human plague is a serious disease, particularly in its septicaemic and pneumonic forms. We report a case of pneumonic plague co-infected by a MDR-Stenotrophomonas maltophilia., Case Presentation: A 24 year-old man originated from Soavinandriana, a plague focus, felt uneasy and developed high fever with chills. He started treatment by himself, by private medical care and by a traditional healer for nine days moving several times from place to place. His condition had deteriorated when he presented to a district hospital with a syndrome of dyspnea, bronchial rale and altered state of consciousness. Two days later, plague diagnosis, performed as a last resort, revealed a positive F1 antigen on rapid diagnostic test. Additional tests (pla PCR and plague serology) evidenced a Y. pestis infection. However, streptomycin treatment did not achieve a complete recovery as the course of disease was complicated by the presence of MDR-S. maltophilia in his lung. This opportunistic infection could have been favored by an immunosuppression due to Y. pestis pulmonary infection and probably been acquired during his stay at a District Hospital. He was treated with a combination of ciprofloxacin and gentamycin and recovered fully., Conclusions: Pneumonic plague infection may promote another virulent or avirulent bacterial infection particularly when it is not initially suspected. However, coinfection is rarely described and its occurrence frequency is unknown. In middle or low resources areas, which is the case of most plague endemic countries, control and prevention of infections in health facilities is not optimal. Co-infection with an opportunistic pathogen agent, such as S. maltophilia, is a risk which must not be disregarded as demonstrated by this case report. When deciding of a national control strategy, it should be taken into account in the choice of the first line treatment.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a complex gram-negative facultative anaerobe replete with a variety of arsenals to activate, modify, and destroy host defense mechanisms. The microbe is a common cause of nosocomial infections and an antibiotic-resistant priority pathogen. In the lung, P. aeruginosa disrupts upper and lower airway homeostasis by damaging the epithelium and evading innate and adaptive immune responses. The biology of these interactions is essential to understand P. aeruginosa pathogenesis. P. aeruginosa interacts directly with host cells via flagella, pili, lipoproteins, lipopolysaccharides, and the type III secretion system localized in the outer membrane. P. aeruginosa quorum-sensing molecules regulate the release of soluble factors that enhance the spread of infection. These characteristics of P. aeruginosa differentially affect lung epithelial, innate, and adaptive immune cells involved in the production of mediators and the recruitment of additional immune cell subsets. Pathogen interactions with individual host cells and in the context of host acute lung infection are discussed to reveal pathways that may be targeted therapeutically.

Background & Objectives: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a major challenge to patient safety and have serious public health implications by changing the quality of life of patients and sometimes causing disability or even death. The true burden of HAI remains unknown, particularly in developing countries. The objective of this study was to estimate point prevalence of HAI and study the associated risk factors in a tertiary care hospital in Pune, India., Methods: A series of four cross-sectional point prevalence surveys were carried out between March and August 2014. Data of each patient admitted were collected using a structured data entry form. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines were used to identify and diagnose patients with HAI., Results: Overall prevalence of HAI was 3.76 per cent. Surgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (25%), medical ICU (20%), burns ward (20%) and paediatric ward (12.17%) were identified to have significant association with HAI. Prolonged hospital stay [odds ratio (OR=2.81), mechanical ventilation (OR=18.57), use of urinary catheter (OR=7.89) and exposure to central air-conditioning (OR=8.59) had higher odds of acquiring HAI (P<0.05)., Interpretation & Conclusions: HAI prevalence showed a progressive reduction over successive rounds of survey. Conscious effort needs to be taken by all concerned to reduce the duration of hospital stay. Use of medical devices should be minimized and used judiciously. Healthcare infection control should be a priority of every healthcare provider. Such surveys should be done in different healthcare settings to plan a response to reducing HAI.

Background & Aims: Systematic reviews have provided evidence for the efficacy of probiotics in preventing Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), but guidelines do not recommend probiotic use for prevention of CDI. We performed an updated systematic review to help guide clinical practice., Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, International Journal of Probiotics and Prebiotics, and The Cochrane Library databases for randomized controlled trials evaluating use of probiotics and CDI in hospitalized adults taking antibiotics. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed risk of bias and overall quality of the evidence. Primary and secondary outcomes were incidence of CDI and adverse events, respectively. Secondary analyses examined the effects of probiotic species, dose, timing, formulation, duration, and study quality., Results: We analyzed data from 19 published studies, comprising 6261 subjects. The incidence of CDI in the probiotic cohort, 1.6% (54 of 3277), was lower than of controls, 3.9% (115 of 2984) (P < .001). The pooled relative risk of CDI in probiotic users was 0.42 (95% confidence interval, 0.30-0.57; I 2  = 0.0%). Meta-regression analysis demonstrated that probiotics were significantly more effective if given closer to the first antibiotic dose, with a decrement in efficacy for every day of delay in starting probiotics (P = .04); probiotics given within 2 days of antibiotic initiation produced a greater reduction of risk for CDI (relative risk, 0.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.22-0.48; I 2  = 0%) than later administration (relative risk, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.40-1.23; I 2  = 0%) (P = .02). There was no increased risk for adverse events among patients given probiotics. The overall quality of the evidence was high., Conclusions: In a systematic review with meta-regression analysis, we found evidence that administration of probiotics closer to the first dose of antibiotic reduces the risk of CDI by >50% in hospitalized adults. Future research should focus on optimal probiotic dose, species, and formulation. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO CRD42015016395., (Copyright © 2017 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Few studies have evaluated the mortality or quantified the economic burden of community-onset Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). We estimated the attributable mortality and costs of community-onset CDI. We conducted a population-based matched cohort study. We identified incident subjects with community-onset CDI using health administrative data (emergency department visits and hospital admissions) in Ontario, Canada between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2010. We propensity-score matched each infected subject to one uninfected subject and followed subjects in the cohort until December 31, 2011. We evaluated all-cause mortality and costs (unadjusted and adjusted for survival) from the healthcare payer perspective (2014 Canadian dollars). During our study period, we identified 7,950 infected subjects. The mean age was 63.5 years (standard deviation = 22.0), 62.7% were female, and 45.0% were very high users of the healthcare system. The relative risk for 30-day, 180-day, and 1-year mortality were 7.32 (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.94-9.02), 3.55 (95%CI, 3.17-3.97), and 2.59 (95%CI, 2.37-2.83), respectively. Mean attributable cumulative 30-day, 180-day, and 1-year costs (unadjusted for survival) were $7,434 (95%CI, $7,122-$7,762), $12,517 (95%CI, $11,687-$13,366), and $13,217 (95%CI, $12,062-$14,388). Mean attributable cumulative 1-, 2-, and 3-year costs (adjusted for survival) were $10,700 (95%CI, $9,811-$11,645), $13,312 (95%CI, $12,024-$14,682), and $15,812 (95%CI, $14,159-$17,571). Infected subjects had considerably higher risk of all-cause mortality and costs compared with uninfected subjects. This study provides insight on an understudied patient group. Our study findings will facilitate assessment of interventions to prevent community-onset CDI.

Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are the primary cause of preventable death and disability among hospitalized patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), complications or infections secondary to either device implantation or surgery are referred to as HAIs. Specifically, the CDC monitors surgical site infections, central-line-associated bloodstream infection, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonias. This article explores HAIs specific to pathophysiology, epidemiology, and prevention, and how nurses can work together with other health care providers to decrease the incidence of these preventable complications., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Multimodal intracranial monitoring is becoming an increasingly common tool in the management of patients with traumatic brain injury. Although numerous reports detailing the benefits of such advanced monitoring exist in the literature, there is minimal discussion of the possible complications that may arise in this patient population., Case Description: We report the case of a 32-year-old patient who had been assaulted and presented initially at an outside facility with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8. After transfer to our hospital, his Glasgow Coma Scale score was noted at 7T and multimodal monitoring with the Integra Licox brain tissue oxygen monitor and the Hemedex Bowman perfusion monitor was implemented, along with an external ventricular drain when a standard intracranial pressure monitor indicated increasing intracranial pressure. The patient's intracranial pressure normalized but he did require a course of antibiotics during this time for a fever and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The patient subsequently developed multifocal subdural empyemas requiring surgical evacuation. Postoperatively, the patient's intraoperative cultures remained without bacterial growth, likely related to the 2-week broad-spectrum antibiotic use., Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first reported incidence of a subdural empyema developing in this setting. Although the safety profile of multimodal intracranial modeling is excellent, with increasing numbers of invasive bedside procedures, neurosurgeons must remain acutely vigilant for the development of infectious complications., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) is the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhea in the United States. This study aimed to examine the incidence of CDI and evaluate mortality and economic burden of CDI in an elderly population who reside in nursing homes (NHs)., Methods: This was a population-based retrospective cohort study focusing on US NHs by linking Medicare 5% sample, Medicaid, Minimum Data Set (MDS) (2008-10). NH residents aged ≥65 years with continuous enrollment in Medicare and/or Medicaid Fee-for-Service plan for ≥12 months and ≥2 quarterly MDS assessments were eligible for the study. The incidence rate was calculated as the number of CDI episodes by 100,000 person-years. A 1:4 propensity score matched sample of cohorts with and without CDI was generated to assess mortality and health care costs following the first CDI., Results: Among 32,807 NH residents, 941 residents had ≥1 episode of CDI in 2009, with an incidence of 3359.9 per 100,000 person-years. About 30% CDI episodes occurred in the hospital setting. NH residents with CDI (vs without CDI) were more likely to have congestive heart failure, renal disease, cerebrovascular disease, hospitalizations, and outpatient antibiotic use. During the follow-up period, the 30-day (14.7% vs 4.3%, P < 0.001), 60-day (22.7% vs 7.5%, P < 0.001), 6-month (36.3% vs 18.3%, P < 0.001), and 1-year mortality rates (48.2% vs 31.1%, P < 0.001) were significantly higher among the CDI residents vs non-CDI residents. Total health care costs within 2 months following the first CDI episode were also significantly higher for CDI residents ($28,621 vs $13,644, P < 0.001)., Conclusions: CDI presents a serious public health issue in NHs. Mortality, health care utilization, and associated costs were significant following incident CDI episodes.

Background and Objective: Neonatal respiratory disease, particularly bronchopulmonary dysplasia, remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in newborn infants. Recent evidence suggests nosocomially acquired viral respiratory tract infections (VRTIs) are not uncommon in the NICU. The goal of this study was to assess the association between nosocomial VRTIs, neonatal respiratory disease, and the health care related costs., Methods: A matched case-control study was conducted in 2 tertiary NICUs during a 6-year period in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Case subjects were symptomatic neonatal patients with a confirmed real-time polymerase chain reaction diagnosis of a VRTI. Matched controls had never tested positive for a VRTI. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test for associations with key respiratory outcomes., Results: There were 7995 admissions during the study period, with 92 case subjects matched to 183 control subjects. Baseline characteristics were similar, with a median gestation of 29 weeks. Rhinovirus was found in 74% of VRTIs. During VRTIs, 51% of infants needed escalation of respiratory support, and case subjects required significantly more respiratory pressure support overall (25 vs 7 days; P < .001). Case subjects spent longer in the hospital (76 vs 41 days; P < .001), twice as many required home oxygen (37%; odds ratio: 3.94 [95% confidence interval: 1.92-8.06]; P < .001), and in-hospital care costs were significantly higher (£49 664 [$71 861] vs £22 155 [$32 057]; P < .001)., Conclusions: Nosocomial VRTIs in neonatal patients are associated with significant greater respiratory morbidity and health care costs. Prevention efforts must be explored., (Copyright © 2016 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

To clarify the functional changes after hospitalization due to pneumonia in elderly Japanese patients, we investigated the changes in physical functioning, nutritional routes, and diet that occurred after hospitalization in patients with nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP). We analyzed 405 patients with NHCAP and compared findings with 448 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Among the NHCAP patients, 140 (34%) patients showed a decline in activities of daily living function between baseline and discharge. After hospital discharge, 149 (37%) NHCAP patients did not return to the same residence location compared with where they were living prior to hospital admission. The frequency of this outcome was significantly higher in NHCAP patients than in CAP patients (p < 0.0001). After 6 months' follow-up, of the patients who transferred to different hospitals, 41 (73%) patients with CAP had returned to their own home, but only 16 (20%) patients with NHCAP could return home (p < 0.0001). Rates of alteration of nutritional route and type of diet from oral nutrition were significantly higher in NHCAP patients compared with CAP patients (22% vs 4%, p < 0.0001). Our results demonstrated that approximately one-third of hospitalized patients with NHCAP showed a decline in physical function. In addition, approximately one-fifth of NHCAP patients had changed their route of nutrition and type of diet. Our results indicated that physicians should attach greater importance to preventative measures against NHCAP rather than relying on antibiotic therapy post-infection in the management of pneumonia in elderly patients in order to extend their healthy life expectancy., (Copyright © 2016 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The objectives of the study were to compare the effect of intensified oral care interventions given by dental or nursing personnel on mortality from healthcare-associated pneumonia (HAP) in elderly adults in hospitals or nursing homes with the effect of usual oral care. Systematic literature searches were conducted in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and the Health Technology Assessment database of the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (August 2015). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were considered for inclusion. Data were extracted and risk of bias was assessed independently and agreed on in consensus meetings. Five RCTs, with some or major study limitations, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Based on meta-analyses, oral care interventions given by dental personnel reduced mortality from HAP (risk ratio (RR) = 0.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.25-0.76, P = .003), whereas oral care interventions given by nursing personnel did not result in a statistically significant difference in mortality from HAP (RR = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.97-1.48, P = .09), in elderly adults in hospitals or nursing homes from usual oral care. Oral care interventions given by dental personnel may reduce mortality from HAP (low certainty of evidence, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) ⊕⊕○○), whereas oral care interventions given by nursing personnel probably result in little or no difference from usual care (moderate certainty of evidence, GRADE ⊕⊕⊕○) in elderly adults in hospitals or nursing homes., (© 2016, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2016, The American Geriatrics Society.)

Complications in hospitalized trauma patients are major causes of morbidity and mortality. The aims of this study were to identify the in-hospital trauma patients' complications and identify the risk factors for complications in this population. A retrospective analysis was conducted in a sample from a Brazilian hospital. The sample consisted of 407 patients, 194 (47.66%) of whom had records of complications. The most common complications were infections (41.80%). The risk factors related to the complications were age, length of hospital stay, external causes, and injury severity. The complications were frequent in this sample, and the risk for complications was characterized by multiple factors.

Background: There are no paediatric reports of invasive infection caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) from Africa., Objectives: To document a series of cases of CRE infections at a tertiary children's hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, describing the clinical and microbiological findings in these children., Methods: A retrospective, descriptive study was completed using data from a series of children with invasive CRE infection between 2010 and 2015, sourced from their clinical notes and microbiology results., Results: The first of 10 invasive CRE infections during the study period occurred in November 2012. Nine CRE infections were caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae, and one by both K. pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. The median age was 25 months (interquartile range (IQR) 5 - 60). All 10 CRE infections were hospital acquired. The median length of hospitalisation before CRE infection was 28.5 days (IQR 20 - 44). Eight of the children were exposed to carbapenems during the 12-month period prior to invasive CRE infection. Six were treated with colistin and carbapenem combination therapy, of whom 2 died, including 1 of a non-CRE event. The other 4 children received colistin monotherapy. All these children died, including 2 from non-CRE events., Conclusions: Children with invasive CRE infection and severe underlying disease must be treated with combination antibiotic therapy. Strict infection control practice and antibiotic stewardship are necessary to contain the spread of CRE and limit the number of new infections.

This paper describes a system using Kinect sensor to detect patient walk automatically in a hospital room setting. The system is especially essential for the case when the patient is alone and the nursing staff is absent. The patient activities are represented by the features extracted from Kinect V2 skeletons. The analysis to the recognized walk could help us to better understand the health situation of the patient and the possible hospital acquired infection (HAI), and provide valuable information to healthcare givers for making a corresponding treatment decision and alteration. The Kinect V2 depth sensor provides the ground truth.

Background: Elderly patients are at an increased risk of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) which increases the risk of morbidity/mortality. We evaluated the association between hypoalbuminemia at the time of emergency department (ED) admission and in-hospital complications among geriatric trauma patients., Methods: This was an ambidirectional cohort study of geriatric (≥55 years) trauma patients treated at a Level I trauma center between May 2013 and March 2014. The exposure of interest was albumin level at ED admission (<3.6 g/dL [PEM] or ≥3.6 g/dL (No PEM)]. The outcome of interest was 30-day incidence of complications., Results: A total of 130 patients met study eligibility. Of these, 85 (65%) patients were in the PEM group. After adjusting for tube feeding and injury severity score, PEM at admission was associated with a 2-fold increase in the risk of 30-day overall hospital complications (hazard ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 3.8)., Conclusion: Serum albumin level at ED admission, but not prealbumin level, is a significant predictor of in-hospital complications in geriatric trauma patients., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pantoea agglomerans, a bacterium associated with plants, is not an obligate infectious agent in humans. However, it could be a cause of opportunistic human infections, mostly by wound infection with plant material, or as a hospital-acquired infection, mostly in immunocompromised individuals. Wound infection with P. agglomerans usually follow piercing or laceration of skin with a plant thorn, wooden splinter or other plant material and subsequent inoculation of the plant-residing bacteria, mostly during performing of agricultural occupations and gardening, or children playing. Septic arthritis or synovitis appears as a common clinical outcome of exogenous infection with P. agglomerans, others include endophthalmitis, periostitis, endocarditis and osteomyelitis. Another major reason for clinical infection with P. agglomerans is exposure of hospitalized, often immunodeficient individuals to medical equipment or fluids contaminated with this bacterium. Epidemics of nosocomial septicemia with fatal cases have been described in several countries, both in adult and paediatric patients. In most cases, however, the clinical course of the hospital-acquired disease was mild and application of the proper antibiotic treatment led to full recovery. Compared to humans, there are only few reports on infectious diseases caused by Pantoea agglomerans in vertebrate animals. This species has been identified as a possible cause of equine abortion and placentitis and a haemorrhagic disease in dolphin fish (Coryphaena hippurus). P. agglomerans strains occur commonly, usually as symbionts, in insects and other arthropods. Pantoea agglomerans usually occurs in plants as an epi- or endophytic symbiont, often as mutualist. Nevertheless, this species has also also been identified as a cause of diseases in a range of cultivable plants, such as cotton, sweet onion, rice, maize, sorghum, bamboo, walnut, an ornamental plant called Chinese taro (Alocasia cucullata), and a grass called onion couch (Arrhenatherum elatius). Some plant-pathogenic strains of P. agglomerans are tumourigenic, inducing gall formation on table beet, an ornamental plant gypsophila (Gypsophila paniculata), wisteria, Douglas-fir and cranberry. Recently, a Pantoea species closely related to P. agglomerans has been identified as a cause of bacterial blight disease in the edible mushroom Pleurotus eryngii cultivated in China. The genetically governed determinants of plant pathogenicity in Pantoea agglomerans include such mechanisms as the hypersensitive response and pathogenicity (hrp) system, phytohormones, the quorum-sensing (QS) feedback system and type III secretion system (T3SS) injecting the effector proteins into the cytosol of a plant cell.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is thought to be associated with immune dysfunction. We hypothesized that HCV status would be associated with increased infectious complications in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU)., Methods: All patients admitted to our SICU between 2008 and 2012 were included. We evaluated 90-day mortality and infectious complications in the SICU. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of infectious complications and 90-day mortality., Results: A total of 1,941 patients were included. The HCV-positive group had a higher overall incidence of infectious complications (25% vs 18%), particularly ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and bacteremia. The increased incidences of VAP and bacteremia persisted when cirrhotic patients were excluded. Prolonged intubation (Odds Ratio [OR] = 2.1), abdominal surgery (OR = 1.6), and model for end-stage liver disease ≥ 15 (OR = 1.4) were independent predictors of SICU infectious complications., Conclusions: The HCV-positive group had an increased incidence of infectious complications in the SICU, particularly VAP and bacteremia. This effect persisted when cirrhotic patients were excluded., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The U.S. spends an average of $6.5 billion each year to treat patients who suffer from pneumonia. Pneumonia currently has the highest morbidity and mortality rates of all nosocomial infections, is hypothesized to account for 15% of all hospital-acquired illnesses and is responsible for 13 to 48% of all nursing home-associated illnesses. For years, researchers have tried to develop methods to prevent pneumonia because of its detrimental effects on the body, but only in the last decade have they been able to uncover possible methods to do so. Inadequate oral hygiene care is one of the ways that elderly patients contract hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). Proper oral disease prevention could possibly be considered the standard of care in long-term stay facilities to reduce and prevent elderly patients from contracting HAP. The purpose of this literature review is to explore the relationship between oral health care practices and HAP., (Copyright © 2016 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.)

To critically appraise available studies investigating the impact of alcohol outcomes in hospitalized patients after major trauma. Outcomes included injury severity, mortality, complications, and hospital/intensive care length of stay. Data were sourced from MEDLINE, CINAHL, and SCOPUS databases. Abstracts were screened for inclusion/exclusion criteria with 15 articles appraised and analyzed based on in-hospital outcomes. Although alcohol intoxication is associated with a marginal increase in the incidence of in-hospital complications (sepsis and multiorgan failure), overall studies suggest it is not associated with longer intensive care or in-hospital length of stay. This literature review also demonstrated decreased mortality and injury severity in patients with traumatic brain injury. Further research is required to determine the reasons for these associations.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which target gastric H(+)/K(+)ATPase (ATP4), are among the most commonly prescribed drugs. PPIs are used to treat ulcers and as a preventative measure against gastroesophageal reflux disease in hospitalized patients. PPI treatment correlates with an increased risk for airway infections, i.e. community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia. The cause for this correlation, however, remains elusive. The Xenopus embryonic epidermis is increasingly being used as a model to study airway-like mucociliary epithelia. Here we use this model to address how ATP4 inhibition may affect epithelial function in human airways. We demonstrate that atp4a knockdown interfered with the generation of cilia-driven extracellular fluid flow. ATP4a and canonical Wnt signaling were required in the epidermis for expression of foxj1, a transcriptional regulator of motile ciliogenesis. The ATP4/Wnt module activated foxj1 downstream of ciliated cell fate specification. In multiciliated cells (MCCs) of the epidermis, ATP4a was also necessary for normal myb expression, apical actin formation, basal body docking and alignment of basal bodies. Furthermore, ATP4-dependent Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the epidermis was a prerequisite for foxa1-mediated specification of small secretory cells (SSCs). SSCs release serotonin and other substances into the medium, and thereby regulate ciliary beating in MCCs and protect the epithelium against infection. Pharmacological inhibition of ATP4 in the mature mucociliary epithelium also caused a loss of MCCs and led to impaired mucociliary clearance. These data strongly suggest that PPI-associated pneumonia in human patients might, at least in part, be linked to dysfunction of mucociliary epithelia of the airways., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of this study was to review central line-associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) data from a surgical trauma intensive care unit to better understand patient risk factors, pathogens, and treatment interventions. We performed a retrospective review of all surgical ICU patients who met the Centers for Disease Control definition for Gram-negative CLABSI from 2006 through 2013. Demographics, pathogens, interventions, and outcomes were evaluated. A total of 40 patients were included with an average age of 49.9 ± 19 years and 72.5 per cent male. The average length of central venous line (CVL) was 11 ± 5.9 days with average time from line placement to positive culture 9.4 ± 6.8 days. Most common organisms were Enterobacter species (37.5%) with 17.8 per cent of all cultured organisms considered multidrug resistant. Piperacillin-tazobactam (67.5%) was the most commonly used antibiotic. Overall mortality rate was 22.5 per cent. A total of 11 patients who developed a recurrence did so at 10.7 ± 8 days and were similar to those without recurrence. Predominant pathogens associated with surgical trauma intensive care unit CLABSI in this study are different from those Gram-negative bacteria associated with published studies in the general hospital population. Further investigation into risk factors for infection and relapse is important to minimize such consequences. Understanding appropriate line placement and use as well as clarifying optimal duration of therapy is integral in improving outcomes.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains an important pathogen in nosocomial pneumonia and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Clinical outcomes for nosocomial pneumonia are dependent on patient age, co-morbidities, severity of illness and appropriate antibiotic therapy. The objective of this secondary analysis was to identify baseline clinical variables that are associated with clinical success at the end of the study observation period. Data from a randomized blinded trial (NCT00084266) comparing linezolid (600-mg twice daily) to vancomycin (15-mg/kg twice daily, dose-adjusted) for the treatment of culture-proven MRSA pneumonia were analyzed to evaluate baseline clinical and demographic factors that may predict clinical success at end of study (EOS) (7-30 days after end of treatment). A multivariate logistic regression was conducted to identify baseline factors that are associated with clinical success. Patients treated with linezolid (OR 1.55 95% CI: 1.013, 2.355), no vasopressor receipt (OR 2.30, 95% CI: 1.303, 4.069), unilateral involvement (OR 1.70, 95% CI: 1.078, 2.681) and normal renal function (eGFR 30-80 vs >80 OR 0.48, 95% CI: 0.303, 0.750) were more likely to have clinical success. From a clinical standpoint, identifying reliable predictors of outcome and who might benefit more from one therapy versus another can help inform treatment decisions.

Infective endocarditis (IE) has been increasingly diagnosed in patients without previously detected predisposing heart disease, but its clinical features have yet to be fully determined. A recent single-center study including echocardiographic images and surgical findings investigated the incidence of undiagnosed, clinically silent valvular or congenital heart diseases and healthcare-associated infective endocarditis (HAIE). The study confirmed that a large proportion of patients with IE have no previous history of heart disease. Analysis of underlying disease in these patients showed that undetected mitral valve prolapse was the most common disease, followed by an apparently structurally normal valve. The patients who developed IE of apparently structurally normal valves had different clinical characteristics and worse outcomes. IE involving a structurally normal valve was associated with both nosocomial and non-nosocomial HAIE, whereas community-acquired IE was more frequent than HAIE. The pathophysiologic mechanism involving the development of non-HAIE or community-acquired IE due to predominantly staphylococcal infection in an apparently structurally normal valve is not yet clearly understood. Structurally normal valves are not necessarily free of regurgitation or abnormal turbulence and, given the dynamic nature and fluctuating hemodynamic effects of conditions such as poorly controlled hypertension, end-stage renal disease, and sleep apnea, further investigation is necessary to evaluate the potential role of these diseases in the development of IE. An apparently normal-looking valve is associated with IE development in patients without previously recognized predisposing heart disease, warranting repartition of at-risk groups to achieve better clinical outcomes.

Objective: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a worldwide issue associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Multiple infection control (IC) approaches have been tested to control its spread; however, the success of the majority of trials has been short-lived and many efforts have failed. We report the long-term success of MRSA control from a prospective observational study over 20 years., Setting: University Hospital Basel is a large tertiary care center with a median bed capacity of 855 and 5 intensive care units (ICUs); currently, the facility has >32,000 admissions per year., Methods: The IC program at the University Hospital Basel was created in 1993, after 2 MRSA outbreaks. The program has included strict contact precautions with single rooms for MRSA-colonized or -infected patients, targeted admission screening of high-risk patients and healthcare workers at risk for carriage, molecular typing of all MRSA strains and routine decolonization of MRSA carriers including healthcare workers. We used the incidence of MRSA bloodstream infections (BSIs) to assess the effectiveness of this program. All MRSA cases were prospectively classified using a standardized case report form in nosocomial and nonnosocomial cases, based on CDC definitions., Results: Between 1993 and 2012, 540,669 blood samples were cultured. The number of blood cultures increased from 865 per 10,000 patient days in 1993 to 1,568 per 10,000 patient days in 2012 (P<.001). We identified 1,268 episodes of S. aureus BSI from 1,204 patients. MRSA accounted for 34 episodes (2.7%) and 24 of these (1.9%) were nosocomial. MRSA BSI incidence varied between 0 and 0.27 per 10,000 patient days and remained stable with no significant variation throughout the study period (P=.882)., Conclusions: Long-term control of MRSA is feasible when a bundle of IC precautions is strictly enforced over time.

Cell-mediated hemolysis and adhesion index of nosocomial P. aeruginosa strains were experimentally studied. The highest hemoglobin release was recorded after centrifugation of erythrocyte and bacterial cell suspension preincubated at 37 C. All cultures were referred to highly adherent variants. The relationship between P. aeruginosa adhesion activity and erythrocyte lysis was found only in "passive" cell-cell contact. No correlation between cell-associated hemolysis and hemolysis caused by secreted factors was detected. It seems that the cytotoxicity of the studied P. aeruginosa strains was determined by ExoU and ExoS third type secretion effectors.

Importance: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and a high risk of recurrence. Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use is associated with an initial episode of CDI, and PPIs are frequently overprescribed. For many, the use of PPIs could likely be discontinued before CDI recurrence., Objectives: To determine whether PPI use was associated with a risk of initial CDI recurrence, to assess what proportion of patients who developed CDI were taking a PPI for a non-evidence-based indication, and to evaluate whether physicians discontinued unnecessary PPIs in the context of CDI., Design, Setting, and Participants: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of incident health care-associated CDI cases to determine the association between continuous PPI use and CDI recurrence within 90 days. The setting was 2 university-affiliated hospitals, the 417-bed Montreal General Hospital (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) and the 517-bed Royal Victoria Hospital (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). The cohort consisted of 754 patients who developed health care-associated CDI between January 1, 2010, and January 30, 2013, and who survived for a minimum of 15 days after their initial episode of nosocomial CDI., Exposure: Continuous PPI use., Main Outcomes and Measures: Recurrence of CDI within 15 to 90 days of the initial episode., Results: Using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model, the cause-specific hazard ratios for recurrence were 1.5 (95% CI, 1.1-2.0) for age older than 75 years, 1.5 (95% CI, 1.1-2.0) for continuous PPI use, 1.003 (95% CI, 1.002-1.004) per day for length of stay, and 1.3 (95% CI, 0.9-1.7) for antibiotic reexposure. The use of PPIs was common (60.7%), with only 47.1% of patients having an evidence-based indication. Proton pump inhibitors were discontinued in only 3 patients with CDI., Conclusions and Relevance: After adjustment for other independent predictors of recurrence, patients with continuous PPI use remained at elevated risk of CDI recurrence. We suggest that the cessation of unnecessary PPI use should be considered at the time of CDI diagnosis.

Background: The incidence of nosocomial infections in children in developed countries is still high, ranging from 8% to 30%, and standard preventive measures, such as increased hygiene, are not sufficiently efficacious. One of the potential strategies for their prevention is the use of probiotics., Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the role of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis in preventing nosocomial infections in the acute hospital setting., Design: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 727 hospitalized children (aged 1-18 y). The children were randomly allocated to receive placebo (placebo group, n = 365) or B. animalis subsp. lactis at a dose of 10(9) colony-forming units/d (intervention group, n = 362) once daily for the entire duration of the hospital stay. Nosocomial infections were defined as infections that occurred >48 h after hospital admission and that were not present or incubating at the time of admission., Results: Analysis was performed on an intention-to-treat basis. There was no difference in the study primary outcome or incidence of common nosocomial gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections between groups (22 vs. 29 infections, respectively; incidence rate ratio = 0.76; 95% CI: 0.41, 1.36; P = 0.32). No difference was found for the duration of common nosocomial infections [mean (range): 3.58 (1-7) vs. 3.79 (1-8) d, in placebo vs. intervention group; P = 0.74]. There was also no difference between the intervention and placebo groups for any of the other secondary outcomes (incidence of gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections separately, duration of gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, and duration of hospitalization) and exploratory outcomes (gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, severity of gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections, and the use of antibiotics)., Conclusions: The results of this study show that the use of B. animalis subsp. lactis failed to prevent nosocomial infections in an acute-setting pediatric hospital in children who were >1 y of age. However, it should be taken into account that the overall incidence of nosocomial infections was lower than expected. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01702766., (© 2015 American Society for Nutrition.)

Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the most important antibiotic-resistant nosocomial bacteria. We investigated changes in the clinical and molecular epidemiology of A. baumannii over a 10-year period. We compared the data from 2 prospective multicenter cohort studies in Spain, one performed in 2000 (183 patients) and one in 2010 (246 patients), which included consecutive patients infected or colonized by A. baumannii. Molecular typing was performed by repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction (REP-PCR), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The incidence density of A. baumannii colonization or infection increased significantly from 0.14 in 2000 to 0.52 in 2010 in medical services (p < 0.001). The number of non-nosocomial health care-associated cases increased from 1.2% to 14.2%, respectively (p < 0.001). Previous exposure to carbapenems increased in 2010 (16.9% in 2000 vs 27.3% in 2010, p = 0.03). The drugs most frequently used for definitive treatment of patients with infections were carbapenems in 2000 (45%) and colistin in 2010 (50.3%). There was molecular-typing evidence of an increase in the frequency of A. baumannii acquisition in non-intensive care unit wards in 2010 (7.6% in 2000 vs 19.2% in 2010, p = 0.01). By MSLT, the ST2 clonal group predominated and increased in 2010. This epidemic clonal group was more frequently resistant to imipenem and was associated with an increased risk of sepsis, although not with severe sepsis or mortality. Some significant changes were noted in the epidemiology of A. baumannii, which is increasingly affecting patients admitted to conventional wards and is also the cause of non-nosocomial health care-associated infections. Epidemic clones seem to combine antimicrobial resistance and the ability to spread, while maintaining their clinical virulence.

Medical progress led to an increase in the number of indications for indwelling devices. However, colonization of implanted devices by pathogenic microorganisms also increases risks of formation of microbial communities surrounded by an extracellular matrix called biofilms. Biofilms are able to survive in the presence of high concentrations of antimicrobials, therefore leading to treatment difficulties and exposing patients to the risk of infection recurrence. Because of these features, preventive measures reducing the risk of microbial contamination are cornerstone for the management of any patient carrying an indwelling device.

Background and Objective: The clinical characteristics of patients with nosocomial pneumonia (NP) associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection are not well characterized., Methods: Three hundred and thirty-seven consecutive patients with MRSA isolation from respiratory specimens who attended our hospital between April 2007 and March 2011 were enrolled. Patients characteristics diagnosed with 'true' MRSA-NP were described with regards to clinical, microbiological features, radiological features and genetic characteristics of the isolates. The diagnosis of 'true' MRSA-NP was confirmed by anti-MRSA treatment effects, Gram-staining or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid culture., Results: Thirty-six patients were diagnosed with 'true' MRSA-NP, whereas 34 were diagnosed with NP with MRSA colonization. Patients with a MRSA-NP had a Pneumonia Patient Outcomes Research Team score of 5 (58.3% vs 23.5%), single cultivation of MRSA (83.3% vs 38.2%), MRSA quantitative cultivation yielding more than 10(6) CFU/mL (80.6% vs 47.1%), radiological findings other than lobar pneumonia (66.7% vs 26.5%), and a history of head, neck, oesophageal or stomach surgery (30.6% vs 11.8%). These factors were shown to be independent predictors of the pathogenicity of 'true' MRSA-NP by multivariate analysis (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: 'True' MRSA-NP shows distinct clinical and radiological features from NP with MRSA colonization., (© 2014 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.)

Objective: In Japan, the number of elderly people who have difficulties performing the activities of daily living (ADLs) is increasing. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between ADL and the clinical characteristics of pneumonia., Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 219 adult patients hospitalized due to pneumonia [151 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and 68 patients with healthcare-associated pneumonia (HCAP)]. CAP, HCAP, and all the patients were stratified into two groups using a modified version of the Katz index of five ADLs as follows: independent in all ADLs or dependent in one to three ADLs (CAP-A, HCAP-A, and All-A groups) and dependent in four or five ADLs (CAP-B, HCAP-B, and All-B groups). Disease severity, microbiological findings, and mortality were compared between the groups., Results: As the ability to perform ADLs declined, A-DROP scores (the CAP severity measurement index) increased significantly in CAP (CAP-A: 1.1±1.1, CAP-B: 2.6±1.1), HCAP (HCAP-A: 2.0±1.0, HCAP-B: 2.8±1.0), and all patients (All-A: 1.3±1.1, All-B: 2.8±1.0). Thirty-day mortality was higher in the CAP-B (23.1%) and All-B (19.2%) groups than in the CAP-A (0.7%) and All-A (1.8%) groups, respectively. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis showed an ADL score ≥ four to be a significant predictor of 30-day mortality in CAP patients [hazard ratio (HR), 19.057; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.930-188.130] and in all patients (HR, 8.180; 95% CI, 1.998-33.494)., Conclusion: A functional assessment using a modified version of the Katz index is useful for the management of CAP and HCAP patients.

The clinical significance of humoral immune response to nosocomial pathogens and functional status in elderly patients with sepsis is not clear. We evaluated the humoral immune to nosocomial pathogens and the effect of functional dependencies on clinical outcomes among elderly patients with sepsis. This study prospectively enrolled patients aged ≥65 years with sepsis from September 2011 to May 2012 at a 2000-bed university hospital. The data including CD4 and CD8 T-cell count, functional status by measuring basic activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were collected for all patients. In addition, the collected blood samples were analyzed for serum antibody levels against nosocomial pathogens using an ELISA. During the study period, 72 patients (38 males) treated with sepsis were enrolled. The all-cause in-hospital mortality rate was 16.7% (12/72). The mean CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio was significantly lower in nonsurvivors than in survivors (1.08 ± 0.72 vs. 1.93 ± 1.42, P=0.003). Serum antibody titers to Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumonia, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Enterococcus faecalis were statistically higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors. On multivariate analysis, the IADL score was independently predictive of mortality in elderly patients with sepsis (odds ratio 1.410, 95% confidence interval 1.007-1.975, P=0.046). These results suggest that IADL scores could be used as predictors to identify elderly patients with a poor prognosis of nosocomial infections., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)