Systemic infection caused by the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus USA300-LV lineage in a Brazilian child previously colonized

ABSTRACT The methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) USA300-Latin American variant (USA300-LV) lineage is well documented in northern Latin American countries. It has replaced established clones in hospital environments. We herein report a systemic infection caused by a USA300-LV isolate in a 15-year-old boy, from a low-income area of Rio de Janeiro, previously colonized by the same strain. During hospital stay, seven pvl-positive MRSA USA300-LV isolates were recovered by nasal swab, blood and abscess secretion. The patient underwent intravenous vancomycin, daptomycin, and oral sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, and was discharged after 45 days after full recovery. This is the first documented case of a community-acquired MRSA infection caused by the USA300-LV variant in Brazil in a previously colonized adolescent with no history of recent travel outside of Rio de Janeiro. The need for improved surveillance programs to detect MRSA colonization in order to control the spread of hypervirulent lineages among community and hospital settings is highlighted.

Evaluation of a stewardship program of antifungal use at a Brazilian tertiary care hospital

Abstract Introduction Stewardship programs have been developed to optimize the use of antibiotics, but programs focusing on antifungal agents are less frequent. Objective To evaluate the quality of antifungal prescriptions in a tertiary care hospital, and to test if a simple educational activity could improve the quality of prescriptions. Methods The study comprised three phases: 1) Retrospective audit of all antifungal prescriptions in a 6-month period, applying a score based on six parameters: indication, drug, dosage, route of administration, microbiologic adequacy after results of cultures, switching to an oral agent, and duration of treatment; 2) Creation of text boxes in the electronic medical records with information about antifungal agents, shown during prescription; 3) Retrospective audit of all antifungal prescriptions in a 6-month period, applying the same 6-parameters score, and comparison between the two periods. Results Among 333 prescriptions, fluconazole was the most frequently (80.5%) prescribed agent. Hematology (26.7%), Infectious Diseases Department (22.8%), Internal Medicine (15.9%) and Intensive Care Unit (14.4%) were the units with most antifungal prescriptions. The median score for the 333 prescriptions was 8.0 (range 0 - 10), and 72.7% of prescriptions were considered inappropriate. The median and mean scores in the first and second audit were 8.0 and 6.9, and 8.0 and 7.9, respectively (p<0.001). All items that comprised the score improved from the first to the second audit. Likewise, there was a reduction of inappropriate prescriptions (80.2% in the first audit vs. 64.6% in the second audit, p=0.001). Conclusions A large proportion of inappropriate prescriptions was observed, which improved with the implementation of simple educational activities.

Daptomycin and vancomycin non-susceptible methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clonal lineages from bloodstream infection in a Brazilian teaching hospital

ABSTRACT Introduction: This study aimed to characterize Staphylococcus aureus isolates from bloodstream infections in patients attending a teaching hospital, between 2011 and 2015. Methods: The minimum inhibitory concentration for daptomycin, linezolid, oxacillin, teicoplanin, vancomycin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was accessed by broth microdilution. SCCmec type and clonal profile were determined by molecular tests. Vancomycin heteroresistance was evaluated using screening tests and by population analysis profile/area under the curve. Results: Among 200 S. aureus isolates, 55 (27.5%) were MRSA, carrying SCCmec II (45.5%) or IV (54.5%). The most frequent MRSA lineages were USA100 (ST5-II) (45.5%) and USA800 (ST5-IV) (30.9%). Six isolates were confirmed as vancomycin heteroresistant, showing area under the curve ratio 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 (four USA100, one USA800 and one USA1100 isolates). Conclusions: Daptomycin and vancomycin non-susceptible MRSA clonal lineages were found in bloodstream infections over five years, highlighting the importance of continuous surveillance of multiresistant bacteria in hospitals.

Time of catheter removal in candidemia and mortality

ABSTRACT Background: The impact of central venous catheter (CVC) removal on the outcome of patients with candidemia is controversial, with studies reporting discrepant results depending on the time of CVC removal (early or any time during the course of candidemia). Objective: Evaluate the effect of time to CVC removal, early (within 48 h from the diagnosis of candidemia) vs. removal at any time during the course of candidemia, on the 30-day mortality. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of 285 patients with candidemia analyzing CVC removal within 48 h (first analysis) or at any time (second analysis). Results: A CVC was in place in 212 patients and was removed in 148 (69.8%), either early (88 patients, 41.5%) or late (60 patients, 28.3%). Overall, the median time to CVC removal was one day (range 1-28) but was six days (range 3-28) for those removed later. In the first analysis, APACHE II score (odds ratio [OR] 1.111, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.066-1.158), removal at any time (OR 0.079, 95% CI 0.021-0.298) and Candida parapsilosis infection (OR 0.291, 95% CI 0.133-0.638) were predictors of 30-day mortality. Early removal was not significant. In the second analysis APACHE II score (OR 1.122, 95% CI 1.071-1.175) and C. parapsilosis infection (OR 0.247, 95% CI 0.103-0.590) retained significance. Conclusions: The impact of CVC removal is dependent on whether the optimal analysis strategy is deployed and should be taken into consideration in future analyses.

Secular trends of candidemia at a Brazilian tertiary care teaching hospital

ABSTRACT Background Candidemia is the most frequent invasive fungal disease in hospitalized patients, and is associated with high mortality rates. The main objective of this study was to evaluate changes in the epidemiology of candidemia at a tertiary care hospital in a 21-year period. Methods We evaluated all episodes of candidemia diagnosed between 1996 and 2016 at a University-affiliated tertiary care hospital in Brazil. We arbitrarily divided the study period in 3: 1996-2002 (period 1), 2003-2009 (period 2) and 2010-2016 (period 3). Incidence rates were calculated using hospital admissions as denominator. Results We observed 331 episodes of candidemia. The incidence was 1.30 episodes per 1000 admissions, with no significant change over time. Candida albicans (37.5%), C. tropicalis (28.1%), C. parapsilosis (18.4%) and C. glabrata (6.9%) were the most frequent species. The proportion of patients receiving treatment increased (65.5%, 79.4% and 74.7% in periods 1, 2 and 3, respectively, p= 0.04), and the median time from candidemia to treatment initiation decreased from 4 days in period 1 (range 0-32 days) to 2 days in period 2 (range 0-33 days) and 2 days in period 3 (range 0-14 days, p< 0.001). We observed a significant decrease in the use of deoxycholate amphotericin B (47.4%, 14.8% and 11.9%), and an increase in the use of echinocandins (0%, 2.8% and 49.1%; p< 0.001). The APACHE II score increased over time (median 16, 17.5, and 22, p< 0.001). The overall 30-day mortality was 58.9%, and did not change significantly over the study period. Conclusions There was an improvement in patient care, with an increase in the proportion of patients receiving treatment and a decrease in the time to treatment initiation, but no improvement in the outcome, possibly because the proportion of sicker patients increased over time.

Complete substitution of the Brazilian endemic clone by other methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus lineages in two public hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Abstract Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of bloodstream infections. Therefore, the main purpose of this work was to characterize a collection of 139 S. aureus isolates from bloodstream infections in two public hospitals in relation to their antimicrobial susceptibility profile, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec types, and clonal relationship. Methicillin resistance and resistance to other 12 agents were accessed by the disk diffusion test. Minimum inhibitory concentration to mupirocin was also determined. The SCCmec types were accessed by multiplex PCR, and the clonal relationship was determined by pulsed field gel electrophoresis method and restriction modification system characterization. Besides, multilocus sequence typing was performed for representative methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates. The military hospital showed a dissemination of the New York/Japan (USA100/ST5/CC5/SCCmecII) lineage associated to multidrug resistance, including mupirocin resistance, and the teaching hospital presented polyclonal and non-multidrug resistant MRSA isolates. Complete substitution of the Brazilian endemic clone by other lineages was found in both hospitals. These findings can highlight differences in policy control and prevention of infections used in the hospitals and a change in the epidemiological profile of MRSA in Brazilian hospitals, with the replacement of BEC, a previously well-established clone, by other lineages.

Mechanisms of carbapenem resistance in endemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates after an SPM-1 metallo-β -lactamase producing strain subsided in an intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in Brazil

Carbapenem-resistance mechanisms are a challenge in the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. We investigated changes in P. aeruginosa carbapenem-resistance determinants over a time period of eight years after the emergence of São Paulo metallo-β-lactamase in a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) were screened for P. aeruginosa colonisation and followed for the occurrence of infections from April 2007 to April 2008. The ICU environment was also sampled. Isolates were typed using random amplified polymorphic DNA, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion and E-test, production of carbapenemases by a modified-CarbaNP test and presence of carbapenemase-encoding genes by polymerase chain reaction. Non-carbapenemase resistance mechanisms studied included efflux and AmpC overexpression by PAβN and cloxacillin susceptibility enhancement, respectively, as well as oprD mutations. From 472 P. aeruginosa clinical isolates (93 patients) and 17 isolates from the ICU environment, high genotypic diversity and several international clones were observed; one environment isolate belonged to the blaSPM-1 P. aeruginosa epidemic genotype. Among isolates from infections, 10 (29%) were carbapenem resistant: none produced carbapenemases, three exhibited all non-carbapenemase mechanisms studied, six presented a combination of two mechanisms, and one exclusively displayed oprD mutations. Carbapenem-resistant P. aeruginosa displayed a polyclonal profile after the SPM-1 epidemic genotype declined. This phenomenon is connected with blaSPM-1 P. aeruginosa replaced by other carbapenem-resistant pathogens.

Tetracycline and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole at clinical laboratory: Can they help to characterize Staphylococcus aureus carrying different SCCmec types?

INTRODUCTION: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be difficult to detect at the clinical practice. METHODS: We analyzed 140 MRSA isolates from inpatients to correlate the antimicrobial susceptibility with the SCCmec types. RESULTS: Type III (n = 63) isolates were more resistant to ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, cloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamicin, and rifampin than type IV (n = 65) ones (p < 0.05). Moreover, type IV isolates were susceptible to tetracycline (100%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (98%), while type III isolates presented resistance to them. CONCLUSIONS: In regions where these SCCmec types are prevalent, the detection of specific resistant phenotypes could help to predict them, mainly when there are no technical conditions to SCCmec typing.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus lugdunensis carrying SCCmec type V misidentified as MRSA

Staphylococcus lugdunensis is a rare cause of severe infections and clinical manifestations are similar to those related to S. aureus infection. We describe a hospital-acquired bacteremia due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus lugdunensis, misidentified as methicillin-resistant S. aureus. The oxacillin MIC was 16 µg/mL and the mecA gene and SCCmec type V were determined by PCR. Although treatment had been appropriated, the patient died after rapid progressive respiratory failure and another nosocomial sepsis. It is important not only to identify S. lugdunensis in view of its clinical course, but also to determine its susceptibility to oxacillin by detecting the mecA gene or its product.

Device-associated infection rates in intensive care units of Brazilian hospitals: datos de la Comunidad Científica Internacional de Control de Infecciones Nosocomiales / Tasa de infecciones asociadas a aparatos en unidades de cuidados intensivos de hospitales brasileños: datos de la Comunidad Científica Internacional de Control de Infecciones Nosocomiales

OBJECTIVES: To measure device-associated infection (DAI) rates, microbiological profiles, bacterial resistance, extra length of stay, and attributable mortality in intensive care units (ICUs) in three Brazilian hospitals that are members of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC). METHODS: Prospective cohort surveillance of DAIs was conducted in five ICUs in three city hospitals in Brazil by applying the definitions of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (CDC-NNIS). RESULTS: Between April 2003 and February 2006, 1 031 patients hospitalized in five ICUs for an aggregate 10 293 days acquired 307 DAIs, a rate of 29.8 percent or 29.8 DAIs per 1 000 ICU-days. The ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rate was 20.9 per 1 000 ventilator-days; the rate for central venous catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CVC-BSI) was 9.1 per 1 000 catheter-days; and the rate for catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) was 9.6 per 1 000 catheter-days. Ninety-five percent of all Staphylococcus aureus DAIs were caused by methicillin-resistant strains. Infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae were resistant to ceftriaxone in 96.7 percent of cases, resistant to ceftazidime in 79.3 percent of cases, and resistant to piperacillin-tazobactam in 85.7 percent of cases. Pseudomonas aeruginosa DAIs were resistant to ciprofloxacin in 71.3 percent of cases, resistant to ceftazidime in 75.5 percent of cases, and resistant to imipenem in 27.7 percent of cases. Patients with DAIs in the ICUs of the hospitals included in this study presented extra mortality rates of 15.3 percent (RR 1.79, P = 0.0149) for VAP, 27.8 percent (RR 2.44, P = 0.0004) for CVC-BSI, and 10.7 percent (RR 1.56, P = 0.2875) for CAUTI. CONCLUSION: The DAI rates were high in the ICUs of the Brazilian hospitals included in this study. Patient safety can be improved through the implementation of an ...

OBJETIVOS: Determinar las tasas de infección asociadas a aparatos (IAA), los perfiles microbiológicos, la resistencia bacteriana, la estancia hospitalaria adicional y la mortalidad atribuible en las unidades de cuidados intensivos (UCI) de tres hospitales brasileños miembros de la Comunidad Científica Internacional de Control de Infecciones Nosocomiales (INICC). MÉTODOS: Se realizó una vigilancia prospectiva de cohorte de las IAA en cinco UCI de tres hospitales urbanos de Brasil, según las definiciones del Sistema Nacional de Vigilancia de Infecciones Nosocomiales de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC-NNIS) de los Estados Unidos de América. RESULTADOS: Entre abril de 2003 y febrero de 2006 se hospitalizaron 1 031 pacientes en las cinco UCI estudiadas, con un total de 10 293 días en los que se adquirieron 307 IAA, para una tasa de 29,8 por ciento (29,8 IAA por 1 000 días-UCI). Las tasas fueron: de 20,9 casos por 1 000 días-ventilador en neumonía asociada a respiradores (NAR); de 9,1 por 1 000 días-catéter en infecciones circulatorias asociadas con cateterismo venoso central (IC-CVC); y de 9,6 por 1 000 días-catéter en infecciones urinarias asociadas con el uso de catéteres (IUAC). De las IAA causadas por Staphylococcus aureus, 95 por ciento se debieron a cepas resistentes a la meticilina. De las infecciones causadas por Enterobacteriaceae, 96,7 por ciento fueron resistentes a la ceftriaxona, 79,3 por ciento a la ceftazidima y 85,7 por ciento a la combinación piperacilina-tazobactam. De las IAA causadas por Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 71,3 por ciento resultaron resistentes a la ciprofloxacina, 75,5 por ciento a la ceftazidima y 27,7 por ciento al imipenem. Los pacientes con IAA en las UCI estudiadas presentaron tasas de mortalidad adicional de 15,3 por ciento (riesgo relativo [RR] = 1,79; P = 0,0149) por NAR, 27,8 por ciento (RR = 2,44; P = 0,0004) por IC-CVC y 10,7 por ciento (RR = 1,56; P = 0,2875) por IUAC. ...

Tétano acidental: análise do perfil clínico e epidemiológico de casos internados em hospital universitário / Acquired tetanus: clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients in an university hospital

O número de casos nodificados de tétano acidental no Estado de Säo Paulo sofreu reduçäo. O declínio do número de casos de qualquer doença sempre traz transformaçöes no seu perfil epidemiológico, que devem sempre ser analisadas para aprimorar as medidas preventivas. Assim, foi analisado o perfil clínico e epidemiológico dos casos de tétano internados em hospital universitário de Campinas de 1989 a 1996. Estudo descritivo e retrospectivo (série de casos). Todos os pacientes com diagnóstico de tétano de janeiro de 1989 a março de 1996, internados no hospital universitário, foram analisados. Catorze (28 por cento) eram da zona rural e 36 (72 por cento) da zona urbana. A idade média foi de 47,6 anos e a mediana de 49,5. Dos pacientes da zona rural, 42,8 por cento tinham até 30 anos e 21,42 por cento tinham mais de 50 anos, sendo a média 36,21 e a mediana 34,5: dos pacientes da zona urbana, 13,9 por cento tinham até 30 anos e 58,3 por cento mais de 50 anos, sendo a média de 52,2 a a mediana de 54,5. A letalidade foi de 20 por cento, mais elevada nos pacientes curarizados (60 por cento). Na regiäo estudada existem dois padröes epidemiológicos: o rural, com maior número de jovens, refletindo uma vacinaçäo inadequada, e o urbano, semelhante ao dos países desenvolvidos, com predomínio das faixas etárias mais altas