Eradication of an outbreak of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE): the cost of a failure in the systematic screening

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are still a concern in hospital units tending to seriously ill patients. However, the cost-effectiveness of active surveillance program to identify asymptomatically VRE colonized patient remains debatable. This work aims at evaluating the cost of a failure in the active surveillance of VRE that had resulted in an outbreak in a French University Hospital. FINDINGS: A VRE outbreak was triggered by a failure in the systematic VRE screening in a medico-surgical ward specialised in liver transplantation as a patient was not tested for VRE. This failure was likely caused by the reduction of healthcare resource. The outbreak involved 13 patients. Colonized patients were grouped in a dedicated part of the infectious diseases unit and tended by a dedicated staff. Transmission was halted within two months after discovery of the index case. The direct cost of the outbreak was assessed as the cost of staffing, disposable materials, hygiene procedures, and surveillance cultures. The loss of income from spare isolation beds was computed by difference with the same period in the preceding year. Payments were drawn from the hospital database. The direct cost of the outbreak (2008 Euros) was €60 524 and the loss of income reached €110 915. CONCLUSIONS: Despite this failure, the rapid eradication of the VRE outbreak was a consequence of the rapid isolation of colonized patient. Yet, eradicating even a limited outbreak requires substantial efforts and resources. This underlines that special attention has to be paid to strictly adhere to active surveillance program

MALADIE CORONARIENNE ET INFECTION VIH (REFLEXIONS A PROPOS DE 14 CAS)

LE KREMLIN-B.- PARIS 11-BU Méd (940432101) / SudocPARIS-BIUM (751062103) / SudocSudocFranceF

les Infections invasives à méningocoque dans un CHU parisien en 2001 (réflexions sur l'application des circulaires de la Direction Générale de la santé)

PARIS5-BU Méd.Cochin (751142101) / SudocPARIS-BIUM (751062103) / SudocCentre Technique Livre Ens. Sup. (774682301) / SudocSudocFranceF

Les tests immunologiques sanguins peuvent-ils aider au diagnostic de tuberculose et ont-ils une olace en soins primaires ?

PARIS6-Bibl. St Antoine CHU (751122104) / SudocSudocFranceF

Invasive bacillary angiomatosis in a kidney transplant recipient: A challenging case on belatacept immunosuppression

ABSTRACT: Bacillary angiomatosis is a disseminated vascular proliferative disease caused by aerobic gram-negative bacilli Bartonella henselae or Bartonella quintana. Bacillary angiomatosis is mostly described in immunosuppressed patients with HIV infection and organ transplant recipients. We describe the case of a female aged 75 years who is a kidney transplant recipient who was admitted for a 3-month history of intermittent fever, chills, vomiting, and a 12-kg weight loss. The maintenance immunosuppression was based on prednisone, mycophenolate, and monthly infusions of belatacept. Physical examination was unremarkable. Laboratory investigations revealed elevated blood acute phase proteins but all blood cultures were negative. Serological tests for Bartonella were negative. Thoracoabdominal computed tomography scan and transesophageal echocardiography were normal. A Positron Emission Tomography scan showed a hypermetabolic mass in the duodenopancreatic region, with multiple hepatic and splenic lesions. Histological findings of spleen and pancreatic biopsies were not conclusive. The histopathological examination of a celiac lymph node biopsy finally demonstrated bacillary angiomatosis. The diagnosis of bacillary angiomatosis in immunocompromised patients is most often delayed in the absence of skin involvement. A high index of clinical suspicion is needed when interpreting negative results

Clinical Added Value of SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Detection in Blood Samples

This study evaluated the performances of immunoassays (LFIA and ELISA) designed for SARS-CoV-2 Antigen (Ag)-detection in nasopharyngeal (NP) and serum samples in comparison to RT-PCR. NP samples from patients with respiratory symptoms (183 RT-PCR-positive and 74 RT-PCR-negative samples) were collected from March to April and November to December 2020. Seroconversion and antigen dynamics were assessed by symptom onset and day of RT-PCR diagnosis. Serum samples from 87 COVID-19 patients were used to investigate the added value of Ag quantification, at diagnosis and during follow-up. The sensitivity of COVID-VIRO-LFIA on samples with Ct ≤ 33, considered as the contagious threshold, was 86% on NPs (CI 95%: 79–90.5) and 76% on serum samples (CI 95%: 59.4–88), with a specificity of 100%. Serum N-Ag was detected during active infection as early as day two from symptom onset, with a diagnostic sensitivity of 81.5%. Within one week of symptom onset, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity reached 90.9% (95% CI, 85.1%–94.6%) and 98.3% (95% CI, 91.1%–99.9%), respectively. Serum N-Ag concentration closely correlated with disease severity. Longitudinal analysis revealed the simultaneous increase of antibodies and decrease of N-Ag. Sensitivities of COVID-VIRO-LFIA and COV-QUANTO-ELISA tests on NP and serum samples were close to 80%. They are suitable COVID-19-laboratory diagnostic tests, particularly when blood samples are available, thus reducing the requirement for NP sampling, and subsequent PCR analysis. ELISA titers may help to identify patients at risk of poor outcomes

Deciphering Unexpected Vascular Locations of Scedosporium spp. and Lomentospora prolificans Fungal Infections, France

Scedosporium spp. and Lomentospora prolificans are emerging non-Aspergillus filamentous fungi. The Scedosporiosis/lomentosporiosis Observational Study we previously conducted reported frequent fungal vascular involvement, including aortitis and peripheral arteritis. For this article, we reviewed 7 cases of Scedosporium spp. and L. prolificans arteritis from the Scedosporiosis/lomentosporiosis Observational Study and 13 cases from published literature. Underlying immunosuppression was reported in 70% (14/20) of case-patients, mainly those who had solid organ transplants (10/14). Osteoarticular localization of infection was observed in 50% (10/20) of cases; infections were frequently (7/10) contiguous with vascular infection sites. Scedosporium spp./Lomentospora prolificans infections were diagnosed in 9 of 20 patients ≈3 months after completing treatment for nonvascular scedosporiosis/lomentosporiosis. Aneurysms were found in 8/11 aortitis and 6/10 peripheral arteritis cases. Invasive fungal disease­–related deaths were high (12/18 [67%]). The vascular tropism of Scedosporium spp. and L. prolificans indicates vascular imaging, such as computed tomography angiography, is needed to manage infections, especially for osteoarticular locations

Antimicrobial for 7 or 14 Days for Febrile Urinary Tract Infection in Men: A Multicenter Noninferiority Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial

International audienceThe optimal duration of antimicrobial therapy for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in men remains controversial. Methods To compare 7 days to 14 days of total antibiotic treatment for febrile UTIs in men, this multicenter randomized, double-blind. placebo-controlled noninferiority trial enrolled 282 men from 27 centers in France. Men were eligible if they had a febrile UTI and urine culture showing a single uropathogen. Participants were treated with ofloxacin or a third-generation cephalosporin at day 1, then randomized at day 3–4 to either continue ofloxacin for 14 days total treatment, or for 7 days followed by placebo until day 14. The primary endpoint was treatment success, defined as a negative urine culture and the absence of fever and of subsequent antibiotic treatment between the end of treatment and 6 weeks after day 1. Secondary endpoints included recurrent UTI within weeks 6 and 12 after day 1, rectal carriage of antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacterales, and drug-related events. Results Two hundred forty participants were randomly assigned to receive antibiotic therapy for 7 days (115 participants) or 14 days (125 participants). In the intention-to-treat analysis, treatment success occurred in 64 participants (55.7%) in the 7-day group and in 97 participants (77.6%) in the 14-day group (risk difference, –21.9 [95% confidence interval, −33.3 to −10.1]), demonstrating inferiority. Adverse events during antibiotic therapy were reported in 4 participants in the 7-day arm and 7 in the 14-day arm. Rectal carriage of resistant Enterobacterales did not differ between both groups. Conclusions A treatment with ofloxacin for 7 days was inferior to 14 days for febrile UTI in men and should therefore not be recommended. Clinical Trials Registration NCT02424461; Eudra-CT: 2013-001647-32