ABSTRACT
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), though identified nearly five decades ago, still remains a major challenge, being associated with significant mortality rates. The strains classified as hypervirulent, notably 027/NAP1/BI, have garnered substantial attention from researchers and clinicians due to their direct correlation with the severity of the disease. Our study aims to elucidate the significance of toxigenic Clostridioides difficile (CD) strains in the clinical and therapeutic aspects of managing patients diagnosed with CDI. We conducted a single-center prospective study, including patients with CDI from north-eastern Romania. We subsequently conducted molecular biology testing to ascertain the prevalence of the presumptive 027/NAP1/BI strain within aforementioned geographic region. The patients were systematically compared and assessed both clinically and biologically, employing standardized and comparative methodologies. The study enrolled fifty patients with CDI admitted between January 2020 and June 2020. Among the investigated patients, 43 (86%) exhibited infection with toxigenic CD strains positive for toxin B genes (tcdB), binary toxin genes (cdtA and cdtB), and deletion 117 in regulatory genes (tcdC), while the remaining 7 (14%) tested negative for binary toxin genes (cdtA and cdtB) and deletion 117 in tcdC. The presence of the presumptive 027/NAP1/BI strains was linked to a higher recurrence rate (35.56%, p = 0.025), cardiovascular comorbidities (65.1% vs. 14.2%, p = 0.016), and vancomycin treatment (55.8% vs. 14.3%, p = 0.049). The findings of our investigation revealed an elevated incidence of colitis attributed to presumptive 027/NAP1/BI. Despite the prevalence of the presumptive 027 strain and its associated heightened inflammation among the patients studied, no significant differences were observed regarding the clinical course or mortality outcomes.
ABSTRACT
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought new challenges across medical disciplines, particularly in infectious disease medicine. In Romania, the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection increased dramatically since March 2020 until March 2022. Antibiotic administration for pulmonary superinfections in COVID-19 intensified and, consequently, increased rates of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) were hypothesized. We conducted a single-center, retrospective, observational study on patients from North-Eastern Romania to assess clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 and Clostridioides difficile (CD) coinfection, and to identify risk factors for CDI in COVID-19 patients. The study enrolled eighty-six CDI and COVID-19 coinfected patients admitted during March 2020-February 2021 (mean age 59.14 years, 53.49% men, 67.44% urban residents) and a group of eighty-six COVID-19 patients. On admission, symptoms were more severe in mono-infected patients, while coinfected patients associated a more intense acute inflammatory syndrome. The main risk factors for severe COVID-19 were smoking, diabetes mellitus, and antibiotic administration. Third generation cephalosporins (55%) and carbapenems (24%) were the main antibiotics used, and carbapenems were significantly associated with severe COVID-19 in patients coinfected with CD during hospitalization. Coinfection resulted in longer hospitalization and poorer outcomes. The extensive use of antibiotics in COVID-19, particularly carbapenems, contributed substantially to CD coinfection.
ABSTRACT
The empirical administration of antibiotics for suspected bacterial meningitis denotes a poor bacterial stewardship. In this context, the use of biomarkers can distinguish between bacterial and viral infections before deciding treatment. Our study assesses how levels of heparin-binding protein (HBP), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in blood can promptly confirm bacterial etiology and the need for antibiotic treatment. The CSF and blood levels of HBP, NGAL, S100B, and NSE of 81 patients with meningitis were measured and analyzed comparatively. Statistical sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were evaluated. CSF levels of HBP and NGAL and the blood level of S100B in the bacterial meningitis group were significantly higher (p < 0.05). The area under curve (AUC) for predicting bacterial meningitis was excellent for the CSF level of HBP (0.808 with 93.54% sensitivity and 80.64% specificity), good for the CSF level of NGAL (0.685 with 75.00% sensitivity and 65.62% specificity), and good for the blood level of S100B (0.652 with 65.90% sensitivity and 57.14% specificity). CSF levels of HBP and NGAL, as well as the blood level of S100B, could help discriminate between bacterial and viral meningitis before considering antibiotic treatment.
ABSTRACT
Early research into the implications concerning the evolution of the infection caused by the new coronavirus in people with glucose metabolism dysfunction, in this case diabetics, shows that severe forms of the disease predominate in this risk category. Moreover, it seems that even in patients with normal glycaemic status, COVID-19 may predispose to the development of hyperglycaemia which modulates immune mechanisms and inflammatory responses, with direct effects on morbidity and mortality. Thus, taking into account these scientific data, as well as the increased frequency of diabetes in the general population, we aimed to assess the risk of an unfavourable outcome of diabetic patients, which is in a strong connection with the presence and severity of pulmonary disease such as interstitial pneumonia/bronchopneumonia, as well as the effectiveness of Tocilizumab administration. The results of our study indicate a three-fold higher risk of death in patients with diabetes and COVID-19 (RR = 3.03; IC95%: 2.37-3.86; p = 0.001),compared to nondiabetic patients, and the risk of developing severe forms of acute respiratory failure was 1.5 times higher in the first studied category. In conclusion, we can say that the diabetic diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection is more predisposed to immunological and organic dysfunctions that may ultimately result in death, and treatment with monoclonal anti-IL-6 antibodies was more effective in diabetic patients than non-diabetics (p < 0.05). The effectiveness of Tocilizumab was significant in both studied groups, but diabetic patients responded better to this therapy compared to non-diabetes-mellitus (DM) ones (76.7% vs. 35% p = 0.001).
ABSTRACT
Jaundice in sepsis is usually caused by cholestasis, and its onset can precede other manifestations of the infection. Inflammation-induced cholestasis is a common complication in patients with an extrahepatic infection or those with inflammatory processes. We describe the case of a 47 years old female who presented with low back pain and paravertebral muscular contracture. She subsequently developed a cholestatic syndrome with clinical manifestations such as jaundice, followed by fever and sepsis with multiple organ dysfunction. Initially labeled as biliary sepsis, the diagnosis was crucially reoriented as the blood cultures were positive for Streptococcus pyogenes and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings suggested spondylodiscitis as well as a paravertebral abscess.
