Potential value of a rapid syndromic multiplex PCR for the diagnosis of native and prosthetic joint infections: a real-world evidence study

Introduction: The BIOFIRE Joint Infection (JI) Panel is a diagnostic tool that uses multiplex-PCR testing to detect microorganisms in synovial fluid specimens from patients suspected of having septic arthritis (SA) on native joints or prosthetic joint infections (PJIs). Methods: A study was conducted across 34 clinical sites in 19 European and Middle Eastern countries from March 2021 to June 2022 to assess the effectiveness of the BIOFIRE JI Panel. Results: A total of 1527 samples were collected from patients suspected of SA or PJI, with an overall agreement of 88.4 % and 85 % respectively between the JI Panel and synovial fluid cultures (SFCs). The JI Panel detected more positive samples and microorganisms than SFC, with a notable difference on Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus species, Enterococcus faecalis, Kingella kingae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and anaerobic bacteria. The study found that the BIOFIRE JI Panel has a high utility in the real-world clinical setting for suspected SA and PJI, providing diagnostic results in approximately 1 h. The user experience was positive, implying a potential benefit of rapidity of results' turnover in optimising patient management strategies. Conclusion: The study suggests that the BIOFIRE JI Panel could potentially optimise patient management and antimicrobial therapy, thus highlighting its importance in the clinical setting

First case of fatal bacteremia due to Nocardia neocaledoniensis

Nocardia neocaledoniensis is an uncommon cause of human-infections. Few cases are reported in the literature. We describe the first case of bacteremia caused by N. neocaledoniensis. This article underlines the importance of mass spectrometry for easy and rapid identification of such bacterium

Panton-Valentine Leukocidin–Secreting Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia Complicating COVID-19

International audienceNecrotizing pneumonia induced by Panton-Valentine leukocidin–secreting Staphylococcus aureus is a rare but life-threatening infection that has been described in patients after they had influenza. We report a fatal case of this superinfection in a young adult who had coronavirus disease

Spondylodiscitis caused by Bordetella holmesii, a misrecognized pathogen emerging in invasive infections

We report a case of spondylodiscitis caused by Bordetella holmesii, an emergent pathogen. This small Gram-negative rod was first known as a cause of invasive infections on asplenic patients. This case describes a spondylodiscitis due to this bacterium in an immunocompetent patient. This article underlines the interest of prolonged incubation for specimens in case of spondylodiscitis and shows us the contributions of mass spectrometry for easy and rapid identification of such bacterium. Keywords: Spondylodiscitis, Bordetella holmesii, MALDI-TO

Phenotypic and genotypic characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus causing musculoskeletal infections

One of the most common pathogens causing musculoskeletal infections remains Staphylococcus aureus. The aim of this multicentre study was to perform a phenotypic and genotypic characterisation of clinical S. aureus isolates recovered from musculoskeletal infections and to investigate differences between isolates cultured from Orthopaedic Implant Related Infections (OIRI) and those from Non-Implant Related Infections (NIRI). OIRI were further differentiated in two groups: Fracture Fixation-Device Infections (FFI) and Prosthetic Joint Infections (PJI). Three-hundred and five S. aureus strains were collected from 4 different Swiss and 2 French hospitals (FFI, n=112; PJI, n=105; NIRI, n=88). NIRI cases were composed of 27 Osteomyelitis (OM), 23 Diabetic Foot Infections (DFI), 27 Soft Tissue Infections (STI) and 11 postoperative Spinal Infections (SI). All isolates were tested for their ability to form biofilm, to produce staphyloxanthin and their haemolytic activity. They were typed by agr (accessory gene regulator) group, spa type and screened by PCR for the presence of genes of the most relevant virulence factors such as MSCRAMMs, Panton Valentine Leukotoxin (PVL), enterotoxins, exotoxins and toxic shock syndrome toxin. Overall, methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) was more prevalent than methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in this collection. The OIRI group trended towards a higher incidence of MRSA, gentamicin resistance and haemolysis activity than the NIRI group. Within the OIRI group, PJI isolates were more frequently strong biofilm formers than isolates from the FFI group. A statistically significant difference was observed between OIRI and NIRI isolates for the sdrE gene, the cna gene, the clfA gene and the bbp gene. Certain spa types (t230 and t041) with a specific genetic virulence pattern were only found in isolates cultured from OIRI. In conclusion, our study highlights significant trends regarding the virulence requirements displayed by S. aureus isolates associated with implant related infections in comparison to non-implant related infections. However, future studies including whole genome sequencing will be required to further examine genomic differences among the different infection cases

Does the alpha-defensin lateral flow test conserve its diagnostic properties in a larger population of chronic complex periprosthetic infections? Enlargement to 112 tests, from 42 tests in a preliminary study, in a reference center.

International audienceBackgroundDiagnosis of periprosthetic infection (PPI) is crucial for management of bone and joint infection. The preoperative gold-standard is joint aspiration, providing results after 2-14 days’ culture, with non-negligible false negative rates due to the fragility of certain micro-organisms and/or prior antibiotic treatment. The Synovasure™ alpha-defensin lateral flow test (Zimmer, Warsaw, IN, USA) contributes within minutes to joint fluid diagnosis of almost all infectious agents, including in case of concomitant antibiotic therapy. Validity remains controversial, notably in complex microbiological situations: multi-operated patients, diagnostic doubt despite iterative sterile culture, long-course antibiotic therapy. We extended a prospective study reported in 2018, to determine whether the test maintained diagnostic value in a larger population, assessing 1) negative (NPV) and positive (PPV) predictive value, and 2) sensitivity and specificity.HypothesisSynovasure™ maintains NPV above 95% in a broader population of microbiologically complex suspected PPI.Material and methodsSynovasure™’s performance was assessed between October 2015 and October 2019 in 106 patients (112 tests) in complex diagnostic situations: 37 discordant cultures (discordant findings between 2 samples), 65 cases with clinically or biologically suspected infection but iterative sterile culture, 10 emergencies (requiring surgery, precluding antibiotic window, or mechanical failure in suspected infection), including 5 with ongoing antibiotic therapy for infection in another organ. Six tests were repeated in the same patient and same joint at >6 months’ interval for strong clinical suspicion of infection. The main endpoint was the MSIS score (MusculoSkeletal Infection Society, 2018).ResultsNPV was 98.8%, PPV 72.4%, sensitivity 95.5% and specificity 91%. Prevalence of infection was 19.6%. Only 1 of the 22 infected patients had negative Synovasure™ tests, compared to 81 of the 84 non-infected patients.ConclusionSynovasure™ is a reliable novel diagnostic test, contributing mainly to ruling out infection thanks to its strong NPV. The cost imposes sparing use, but medico-economic assessment would be worthwhile

Clinical relevance of Clostridium bacteremia: An 8-year retrospective study

International audienceClostridium spp. are recovered from 25% of the blood culture positive with anaerobes. However, the clinical relevance of Clostridium bacteremia has been controverted in the literature, particularly for C. perfringens. We aimed to evaluate the clinical relevance of Clostridium bacteremia, either due to C. perfringens or other Clostridium species, and to identify the risk factors of mortality in these patients. A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 2010 to April 2018. All the patients with at least one blood culture positive with any Clostridium species were included. Eighty-one patients with a least one blood culture positive with any Clostridium species were included. Seventy patients (86.4%) fulfilled the criteria for clinically relevant bacteremia. Bacteremia due to C. perfringens tended to be less clinically relevant than other Clostridium species but this was not statistically significant (76% vs 91.2%, P = 0.09). In case of clinically relevant bacteremia, the 30-day mortality rate was 31.4%. In multivariate analysis, adequate empiric antimicrobial therapy was significantly associated with survival (P = 0.03). In conclusion, bacteremia due to C. perfringens or other Clostridium species is usually clinically relevant. This finding was also supported by an improved survival at 30 days when adequate empiric antimicrobial therapy was administered