Renal and neurological side effects of colistin in critically ill patients

Colistin is a complex polypeptide antibiotic composed mainly of colistin A and B. It was abandoned from clinical use in the 1970s because of significant renal and, to a lesser extent, neurological toxicity. Actually, colistin is increasingly put forward as salvage or even first-line treatment for severe multidrug-resistant, Gram-negative bacterial infections, particularly in the intensive care setting. We reviewed the most recent literature on colistin treatment, focusing on efficacy and toxicity issues. The method used for literature search was based on a PubMed retrieval using very precise criteria

Antimicrobial consumption and resistance in adult hospital inpatients in 53 countries:results of an internet-based global point prevalence survey

Summary: Background: The Global Point Prevalence Survey (Global-PPS) established an international network of hospitals to measure antimicrobial prescribing and resistance worldwide. We aimed to assess antimicrobial prescribing and resistance in hospital inpatients. Methods: We used a standardised surveillance method to collect detailed data about antimicrobial prescribing and resistance from hospitals worldwide, which were grouped by UN region. The internet-based survey included all inpatients (adults, children, and neonates) receiving an antimicrobial who were on the ward at 0800 h on one specific day between January and September, 2015. Hospitals were classified as primary, secondary, tertiary (including infectious diseases hospitals), and paediatric hospitals. Five main ward types were defined: medical wards, surgical wards, intensive-care units, haematology oncology wards, and medical transplantation (bone marrow or solid transplants) wards. Data recorded included patient characteristics, antimicrobials received, diagnosis, therapeutic indication according to predefined lists, and markers of prescribing quality (eg, whether a stop or review date were recorded, and whether local prescribing guidelines existed and were adhered to). We report findings for adult inpatients. Findings: The Global-PPS for 2015 included adult data from 303 hospitals in 53 countries, including eight lower-middle-income and 17 upper-middle-income countries. 86 776 inpatients were admitted to 3315 adult wards, of whom 29 891 (34·4%) received at least one antimicrobial. 41 213 antimicrobial prescriptions were issued, of which 36 792 (89·3%) were antibacterial agents for systemic use. The top three antibiotics prescribed worldwide were penicillins with β-lactamase inhibitors, third-generation cephalosporins, and fluoroquinolones. Carbapenems were most frequently prescribed in Latin America and west and central Asia. Of patients who received at least one antimicrobial, 5926 (19·8%) received a targeted antibacterial treatment for systemic use, and 1769 (5·9%) received a treatment targeting at least one multidrug-resistant organism. The frequency of health-care-associated infections was highest in Latin America (1518 [11·9%]) and east and south Asia (5363 [10·1%]). Overall, the reason for treatment was recorded in 31 694 (76·9%) of antimicrobial prescriptions, and a stop or review date in 15 778 (38·3%). Local antibiotic guidelines were missing for 7050 (19·2%) of the 36 792 antibiotic prescriptions, and guideline compliance was 77·4%. Interpretation: The Global-PPS showed that worldwide surveillance can be accomplished with voluntary participation. It provided quantifiable measures to assess and compare the quantity and quality of antibiotic prescribing and resistance in hospital patients worldwide. These data will help to improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing through education and practice changes, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries that have no tools to monitor antibiotic prescribing in hospitals. Funding: bioMérieux

What is damaging the kidney in lupus nephritis?

Despite marked improvements in the survival of patients with severe lupus nephritis over the past 50 years, the rate of complete clinical remission after immune suppression therapy i

Use of the WHO Access, Watch, and Reserve classification to define patterns of hospital antibiotic use (AWaRe): an analysis of paediatric survey data from 56 countries

BACKGROUND: Improving the quality of hospital antibiotic use is a major goal of WHO's global action plan to combat antimicrobial resistance. The WHO Essential Medicines List Access, Watch, and Reserve (AWaRe) classification could facilitate simple stewardship interventions that are widely applicable globally. We aimed to present data on patterns of paediatric AWaRe antibiotic use that could be used for local and national stewardship interventions. METHODS: 1-day point prevalence survey antibiotic prescription data were combined from two independent global networks: the Global Antimicrobial Resistance, Prescribing, and Efficacy in Neonates and Children and the Global Point Prevalence Survey on Antimicrobial Consumption and Resistance networks. We included hospital inpatients aged younger than 19 years receiving at least one antibiotic on the day of the survey. The WHO AWaRe classification was used to describe overall antibiotic use as assessed by the variation between use of Access, Watch, and Reserve antibiotics, for neonates and children and for the commonest clinical indications. FINDINGS: Of the 23 572 patients included from 56 countries, 18 305 were children (77·7%) and 5267 were neonates (22·3%). Access antibiotic use in children ranged from 7·8% (China) to 61·2% (Slovenia) of all antibiotic prescriptions. The use of Watch antibiotics in children was highest in Iran (77·3%) and lowest in Finland (23·0%). In neonates, Access antibiotic use was highest in Singapore (100·0%) and lowest in China (24·2%). Reserve antibiotic use was low in all countries. Major differences in clinical syndrome-specific patterns of AWaRe antibiotic use in lower respiratory tract infection and neonatal sepsis were observed between WHO regions and countries. INTERPRETATION: There is substantial global variation in the proportion of AWaRe antibiotics used in hospitalised neonates and children. The AWaRe classification could potentially be used as a simple traffic light metric of appropriate antibiotic use. Future efforts should focus on developing and evaluating paediatric antibiotic stewardship programmes on the basis of the AWaRe index. FUNDING: GARPEC was funded by the PENTA Foundation. GARPEC-China data collection was funded by the Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen (SZSM2015120330). bioMérieux provided unrestricted funding support for the Global-PPS

Adequacy of empirical antifungal therapy and effect on outcome among patients with invasive Candida species infections

Objectives: Although inadequate antimicrobial therapy has been demonstrated in multiple studies to increase the risk for death in bacterial infections, few data investigating the effect of antifungal therapy on outcome of serious fungal disease are available. We sought to assess the adequacy of empirical therapy and its effect on mortality in invasive Candida species infections. Methods: Population-based surveillance of all patients with Candida spp. cultured from blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid was conducted. Adequacy of empirical therapy was assessed according to published guidelines. Results: During a 5 year period, 207 patients had an invasive Candida spp. infection identified; in 199 cases (96%) adequate data were available for assessment of treatment and outcome at hospital discharge. One hundred and three (52%) cases were due to Candida albicans, 44 (22%) were due to Candida glabrata and the remainder were due to other species. Between the time of culture draw and reporting of a positive culture, only 64 (32%) patients were treated with empirical therapy; this was deemed adequate in 51 (26%). Patients who received adequate empirical therapy had a significant decrease in crude mortality [14/51 (27%) versus 68/148 (46%); risk ratio 0.60 (95% confidence interval 0.37-0.96); P = 0.02]. After adjusting for age and the need for intensive care unit admission in logistic regression analysis, the use of adequate empirical therapy was independently associated with a reduced risk for death [odds ratio 0.46 (95% confidence interval 0.22-1.00); P = 0.05]. Conclusions: Adequate empirical therapy is used in a minority of patients with invasive Candida spp. infections but is associated with improved survival.</p

Adequacy of empirical antifungal therapy and effect on outcome among patients with invasive Candida species infections

Objectives: Although inadequate antimicrobial therapy has been demonstrated in multiple studies to increase the risk for death in bacterial infections, few data investigating the effect of antifungal therapy on outcome of serious fungal disease are available. We sought to assess the adequacy of empirical therapy and its effect on mortality in invasive Candida species infections. Methods: Population-based surveillance of all patients with Candida spp. cultured from blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid was conducted. Adequacy of empirical therapy was assessed according to published guidelines. Results: During a 5 year period, 207 patients had an invasive Candida spp. infection identified; in 199 cases (96%) adequate data were available for assessment of treatment and outcome at hospital discharge. One hundred and three (52%) cases were due to Candida albicans, 44 (22%) were due to Candida glabrata and the remainder were due to other species. Between the time of culture draw and reporting of a positive culture, only 64 (32%) patients were treated with empirical therapy; this was deemed adequate in 51 (26%). Patients who received adequate empirical therapy had a significant decrease in crude mortality [14/51 (27%) versus 68/148 (46%); risk ratio 0.60 (95% confidence interval 0.37-0.96); P = 0.02]. After adjusting for age and the need for intensive care unit admission in logistic regression analysis, the use of adequate empirical therapy was independently associated with a reduced risk for death [odds ratio 0.46 (95% confidence interval 0.22-1.00); P = 0.05]. Conclusions: Adequate empirical therapy is used in a minority of patients with invasive Candida spp. infections but is associated with improved survival.</p

Adequacy of empirical antifungal therapy and effect on outcome among patients with invasive Candida species infections

Objectives: Although inadequate antimicrobial therapy has been demonstrated in multiple studies to increase the risk for death in bacterial infections, few data investigating the effect of antifungal therapy on outcome of serious fungal disease are available. We sought to assess the adequacy of empirical therapy and its effect on mortality in invasive Candida species infections. Methods: Population-based surveillance of all patients with Candida spp. cultured from blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid was conducted. Adequacy of empirical therapy was assessed according to published guidelines. Results: During a 5 year period, 207 patients had an invasive Candida spp. infection identified; in 199 cases (96%) adequate data were available for assessment of treatment and outcome at hospital discharge. One hundred and three (52%) cases were due to Candida albicans, 44 (22%) were due to Candida glabrata and the remainder were due to other species. Between the time of culture draw and reporting of a positive culture, only 64 (32%) patients were treated with empirical therapy; this was deemed adequate in 51 (26%). Patients who received adequate empirical therapy had a significant decrease in crude mortality [14/51 (27%) versus 68/148 (46%); risk ratio 0.60 (95% confidence interval 0.37-0.96); P = 0.02]. After adjusting for age and the need for intensive care unit admission in logistic regression analysis, the use of adequate empirical therapy was independently associated with a reduced risk for death [odds ratio 0.46 (95% confidence interval 0.22-1.00); P = 0.05]. Conclusions: Adequate empirical therapy is used in a minority of patients with invasive Candida spp. infections but is associated with improved survival.</p

Fever, Headache, Fatigue and Chancre in a Traveller Returning from Tanzania

Peer Reviewe