Diagnostic value and analysis of two cases with Mucor infection after renal transplantation / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: To report the diagnosis and treatment of Mucor infection in two cases of renal transplantation, and to provide reference for diagnosis and treatment of Mucor infection. Case 1, a male patient, who underwent allogeneic kidney transplantation due to increased creatinine for more than 8 years. The renal function had partially recovered 25 days after the operation, but then the patient suddenly got worse epigastric pain. Pathogen culture, smear microscopy, mass spectrometry identification and next-generation metagenomic sequencing (mNGS) were performed on the peritoneal drainage, with the result pointing to Rhizopus microsporus. The patient's condition improved after antifungal treatment using amphotericin B lipid complex (ABLC) and was discharged. Case 2, a male patient with hypertension and increased creatinine for more than 7 years was admitted to the hospital. After allograft kidney transplantation, tissue culture smear and histopathological examination suggested Mucor infection. The patient then underwent a "hand muscle debridement surgery + closed negative pressure drainage (VSD)" procedure, and amphotericin B was given postoperative treatment against Mucor infection and debridement. Subsequent retesting with mNGS showed no signs of Mucor infection. In the course of treatment, two patients developed abdominal pain after treatment with tegacycline, which was immediately diagnosed as pancreatitis and recovered after withdrawal. Both patients being male, with one case associated with hypertension. After initially guiding the diagnosis with traditional smear tests, final confirmation was done using histopathological examination, mNGS and mass spectrometry. One case was infected by Rhizopus microspora, and the other was infected by Rhizopus oryzae and Cunninghamia microbicans. The causes leading to Mucor infection in patients post renal transplantation varied greatly. Early diagnosis is the key to treatment of patients with Mucor infection after renal transplantation. Treatment with amphoteric B and its liposome is an effective means to improve mucormycosis patients after renal transplantation. The use of amphotericin B lipid complex treatment proved to be an effective treatment method for patients with Mucor infection after renal transplantation.

Analysis of drug resistance and its influencing factors in different infection sites of patients / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract： Objective　To analyze the characteristics and corresponding drug resistance of pathogenic bacterial spectrum in eight major infection sites of hospitalized patients, and to provide epidemiological data for the rational selection of antibiotics in clinical practice. Methods　A total of 396 bacterial strains isolated from clinical specimens of hospitalized patients in member institutions of the Hainan Provincial Bacterial Resistance Monitoring Network from September 1, 2020, to September 30, 2022, were included in this study. Data were screened and filtered from the database of MH120 Microbial Identification and Drug Sensitivity Analysis System based on the technical scheme of the National Bacterial Drug Resistance Surveillance Network and Science and Technology Basic Resources Investigation Project research plan in 2020. The testing data were integrated, summarized, and analyzed using EXCEL and WHONET 5.6 software, and statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 software. Results　Among of 396 strains of bacteria, 78 (19.7%) were isolated from respiratory tract specimens, 74 (18.7%) from urinary tract specimens, 72 (18.2%) from blood specimens, 54 (13.6%) from abdominal cavity specimens, 48 (12.1%) from skin and soft tissue specimens 48 strains (12.1%), 30 (7.6%) from reproductive tract specimens, 22 (5.6%) from central nervous system specimens, 18 (4.5%) from digestive tract specimens. Gram-negative bacteria accounted for 69.4% of the isolates, while gram-positive bacteria accounted for 30.6%. The top five gram-negative bacteria isolated were Klebsiella pneumoniae (14.9%), Escherichia coli (14.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.4%), Acinetobacter baumannii (5.3%), and Salmonella species (4.5%). The top five gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (11.1%), Streptococcus agalactis (7.8%), Enterococcus faecalis (3.0%), Enterococcus faecium (2.8%), and Streptococcus suis (1.8%). Respiratory failure and bloodstream infection were independent influencing factors of treatment response (P<0.01). The resistance rate of Escherichia coli to ampicillin was 81.4%, and the resistance rate of Staphylococcus aureus to gentamicin and levofloxacin were both below 7%. Conclusions　The pathogen spectra vary with different infection sites of patients, and rational selection of antibiotics based on drug susceptibility testing is crucial to shorten the treatment time of patients and avoid the unnecessary emergence of drug-resistant strains caused by drug abuse.

Epidemiological characteristics and antimicrobial resistance of 151 cases of melioidosis in Hainan Province / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of 151 cases of melioidosis and the drug resistance of Burkholderia pseudomallei (BP), in order to provide the basis for diagnosis, treatment and reasonable prevention of melioidosis. Methods　A total of 151 inpatients and outpatients from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University from January 1, 2013 to August 31, 2022 were collected, and clinical specimens were submitted for examination to isolate and identify BP strains. The clinical data of 151cases of melioidosis and the drug resistance characteristics of pathogenic bacteria were retrospectively analyzed, and using SPSS26.0 software for statistical analysis. Results　Among 151 cases with BP infection, there were 138 males (91.4%) and 13 females (8.6%); the most patients were aged from 45-<60 years old, accounting for 74 cases (49.0%); melioidosis incidence was concentrated in October (19.2%), November (19.2%), August (9.9%) and July (8.6%), and; the number of confirmed cases showed an increasing trend and the time for confirmation was <10 d; Internal medicine system (31.1%), surgery system (26.5%) and intensive care department (20.5%) were the common departments for treating melioidosis; blood (49.0%), sputum (9.9%) and wound secretion (8.6%) were the main clinical specimens for detecting BP; pulmonary infection (68.2%), sepsis (35.1%) and local suppurative infection (23.8%) were the top clinical manifestations in patients with BP infection; the effective rate of treating melioidosis was 74.8%; abnormal liver function was a risk factor for the curative effect of melioidosis (χ2=5.010, P<0.05); the sensitivity rates of BP strains to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (SXT), doxycycline (DOX), imipenem(IPM), ceftazidime (CAZ), amoxicillin/clavulanate (AMC) and tetracycline (TCY) were generally more than 90%, with sensitivities of 98.7%, 97.2%, 96.7%, 94.0%, 93.2% and 90.7%, respectively. Conclusions　It can be concluded that misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis of melioidosis is easy to occur, and the understanding of the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors in this area should be strengthened. The sensitivity of BP to commonly used antibiotics has shown a certain downward trend, clinical use should be standardized, and drug resistance monitoring should be strengthened to improve the efficacy of melioidosis treatment.

Analysis of the etiological characteristics and drug resistance of adult patients with bloodstream infection in a hospital in Hainan, 2018-2020 / 中国热带医学

@#Abstract: Objective　To analyze the etiological characteristics and drug resistance of patients with bloodstream infection (BSI) in the bacterial resistance monitoring network in Hainan Province from 2018 to 2020, so as to provide laboratory data for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods　The clinical data of the subjects were collected, and the etiological characteristics of BSI patients and drug resistance of commonly used drugs in clinical treatment were analyzed retrospectively. SPSS 26.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results　A total of 877 strains were isolated, including Gram-negative bacteria (584 strains, 66.6%), Gram-positive bacteria (239 strains, 27.2%) and fungi (54 strains, 6.2%); male patients (591 cases, 67.4%), female patients (286 cases, 32.6%); inpatients (780 cases, 88.9%), outpatient and emergency patients (97 cases, 11.1%); the main primary diseases of BSI patients were hypertension, cerebral infarction and type 2 diabetes, and the main primary infections were pulmonary infection and urinary system infection. Intensive care unit (25.2%, 221 cases), emergency department (10.9%, 96 cases), oncology department (9.1%, 80 cases), nephrology department (6.8%, 60 cases) and hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery department (4.3%, 38 cases) had the highest proportion of pathogenic bacteria. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Viridans group streptococci and Candida albicans were the most frequently isolated pathogens. The detection rates of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii were 3.4%, 15.2% and 36.4% respectively. The carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli was not checked out. The detection rates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin resistant coagulase negative Staphylococcus were 18.5% and 79.1% respectively. Conclusions　Gram-negative bacteria are the most common pathogens of BSI, and inpatients are the main source of BSI. Age, underlying diseases and primary infection are the risk factors of BSI. Clinical laboratories should strengthen the etiological monitoring of high-risk patients with BSI, and the resistance analysis of common antibiotics can provide a basis for the rational use of antibiotics in clinical practice.

Preparing for and conducting the National Health and Morbidity Survey in Malaysia amid the COVID-19 pandemic: balancing risks and benefits to participants and society

@#Problem: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic adversely affected the preparation of Malaysia’s National Health and Morbidity Survey for 2020 because conducting it would expose data collectors and participants to an increased risk of infection. Context: The survey is nationally representative and community based and is conducted by the Institute for Public Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, to generate health-related evidence and to support the Malaysian Ministry of Health in policymaking. Its planned scope for 2020 was the seroprevalence of communicable diseases such as hepatitis B and C. Action: Additional components were added to the survey to increase its usefulness, including COVID-19 seroprevalence and facial anthropometric studies to ensure respirator fit. The survey’s scale was reduced, and data collection was changed from including only face-to-face interviews to mainly self-administered and telephone interviews. The transmission risk to participants was reduced by screening data collectors before the survey and fortnightly thereafter, using standard droplet and contact precautions, ensuring proper training and monitoring of data collectors, and implementing other administrative infection prevention measures. Outcome: Data were collected from 7 August to 11 October 2020, with 5957 participants recruited. Only 4 out of 12 components of the survey were conducted via face-to-face interview. No COVID-19 cases were reported among data collectors and participants. All participants were given their hepatitis and COVID-19 laboratory test results; 73 participants with hepatitis B and 14 with hepatitis C who had been previously undiagnosed were referred for further case management. Discussion: Preparing and conducting the National Health and Morbidity Survey during the COVID-19 pandemic required careful consideration of the risks and benefits, multiple infection prevention measures, strong leadership and strong stakeholder support to ensure there were no adverse events.

Prevalence of primary bacterial co-infections among patients with COVID-19 in Brunei Darussalam

@#Objective: Bacterial co-infections in cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can lead to less favourable outcomes. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of primary bacterial co-infections among patients with COVID-19 in Brunei Darussalam. Methods: Seventy-one of 180 patients admitted to the National Isolation Centre between 9 March 2020 and 4 February 2021 were screened for primary bacterial co-infection (infection occurring <48 h from admission). We compared patients with a primary bacterial co-infection to those without. Results: Of the 71 screened patients, 8 (11.2%) had a primary bacterial co-infection (sputum 37.5% [6/16], blood 2.8% [1/36], urine 1.7% [1/60]), for a period prevalence rate of 4.4% (respiratory tract infection 3.3% [6/180], bloodstream 0.6% [1/180], urine 0.6% [1/180]) among all COVID-19 patients. Older age, presence of comorbidity, symptoms at admission (fever, dyspnoea, nausea/vomiting), abnormal chest X-ray (CXR) and more severe COVID-19 (P < 0.05) were associated with primary bacterial co-infection. Primary bacterial co-infection was also associated with development of secondary infection and death (all P < 0.05). Only one patient with primary bacterial co-infection died (methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus septicaemia and multiorgan failure). Conclusions: Our study showed that primary bacterial co-infection affected 4.4% of patients with COVID-19 in Brunei Darussalam. Older age, presence of comorbidity, symptoms and abnormal CXR at admission and more severe disease were associated with a primary bacterial co-infection. Lower respiratory tract infection was the most common co-infection.

Screening of hospital admissions for COVID-19 in Brunei Darussalam

@#From late December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) occurred in Wuhan, China and has spread globally resulting in a pandemic. Brunei Darussalam reported its first case of COVID-19 on 9 March 2020. Several measures were implemented to prevent a national outbreak. We report our experience with surveillance of patients requiring admission in all government hospitals. We detected one positive case, and through contact tracing two further cases were detected. Therefore, without this screening programme, these cases would likely have been missed, leading to further nosocomial and community spread.

Effects of Hydroxychloroquine on cell apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of systemic lupus erythematosus by PI3K/Akt signaling pathways / 中国免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effects of Hydroxychloroquine on cell apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of systemic lupus erythematosus and its mechanisms.Methods:The peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 30 active SLE patients and 15 healthy persons were separated for cell culture.There were four groups:control group,SLE group and HCQ 5 mg/L and HCQ 25 mg/L group.MTT was used to measure the inhibitory effect.Annexin V/PI flow cytometry was performed to analyze cell apoptosis.Western blot was used to evaluate the expressions of PI3 K,pAKt,mTOR,BCL-2,BAX and caspase-3.Besides,the PBMCs of SLE patients were treated with HCQ 25 mg/L and the PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor LY294002 20 μmol/L and its cell growth inhibition and apoptosis were observed.Results:Compared with the control group,the cell growth inhibition and apoptosis rate of SLE patients group were significantly increased(P＜0.05);while the cell growth inhibition and apoptosis rate of HCQ 5 mg/L and 25 mg/L were increased significantly than the SLE patients group(P＜0.05).Compared with SLE patients group,the expression levels of PI3K,pAKt,mTOR and BCL-2 of HCQ group were significantly increased while the expression of BAX and caspase-3 decreased significantly (P＜ 0.05).The PI3K/Akt pathway inhibitor LY294002 could block the PBMCs apoptosis of SLE patients.Conclusion:Hydroxychloroquine can promote the PBMCs apoptosis of SLE patients by PI3K/Akt signaling pathways.