Antibiotic therapy in the emergency room: Optimal prescription is indeed the best.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency departments (ED) are pivotal for antibiotic prescription, of which the appropriateness and consequences have rarely been assessed. METHODS: A retrospective study included patients referred to the ED and hospitalized with an advocated diagnosis of infection. Day-0 (ED initial prescription) and day-2 (reevaluation) antibiotic therapies were graded as optimal (if fully following the guidelines in terms of molecule, dose, and route of administration), adapted (if the prescribed molecule was microbiologically active but not recommended as first-line treatment, or in case of a wrong dose), or inadequate (other situations). The primary endpoint was onset of an unfavorable event (death, transfer to intensive care unit, or re-hospitalization). Prognosis factors associated with survival without unfavorable event were assessed by multivariate analysis. RESULTS: We included 484 patients. Optimal, adapted, and inadequate initial prescriptions concerned 328 (67.8 %), 110 (22.7 %) and 46 (9.5 %) patients respectively. Compared with an optimal prescription, an initial adapted prescription was associated with a poorer prognosis (HR = 1.95, CI95% [1.18-3.22]; p = 0.01). Reevaluation was performed in 436 (90.1 %) patients. After reevaluation, optimal, adapted, and inadequate prescriptions concerned 326 (74.8 %), 64 (14.7 %), and 46 (10.5 %) patients respectively. After reevaluation, and as compared with optimal prescription, inadequate prescription was significantly associated with unfavorable events (HR = 3.52, CI95% [1.42-8.72]; p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Antibiotics are frequently prescribed in EDs. Antibiotic prescription has got to be optimal, and not simply adapted, so as to be associated with significant clinical benefit.

Is there a need to widely prescribe antibiotics in patients hospitalized with COVID-19?

BACKGROUND: Debate continues regarding the usefulness and benefits of wide prescription of antibiotics in patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: All patients hospitalized in the Infectious Diseases Department, Dijon University Hospital, Dijon, France between 27 February and 30 April 2020 with confirmed COVID-19 were included in this study. Clinical, biological and radiological data were collected, as well as treatment and outcome data. An unfavourable outcome was defined as death or transfer to the intensive care unit. Patient characteristics and outcomes were compared between patients who did and did not receive antibiotic therapy using propensity score matching. FINDINGS: Among the 222 patients included, 174 (78%) received antibiotic therapy. The univariate analysis showed that patients who received antibiotic therapy were significantly older, frailer and had more severe presentation at admission compared with patients who did not receive antibiotic therapy. Unfavourable outcomes were more common in patients who received antibiotic therapy [hazard ratio (HR) 2.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-8.11; P = 0.04]. Multi-variate analysis and propensity score matching indicated that antibiotic therapy was not significantly associated with outcome (HR 1.612, 95% CI 0.562-4.629; P = 0.37). CONCLUSION: Antibiotics were frequently prescribed in this study and this was associated with more severe presentation at admission. However, antibiotic therapy was not associated with outcome, even after adjustment. In line with recent publications, such data support the need to streamline antibiotic therapy in patients with COVID-19.

Comparative review of imipenem/cilastatin versus meropenem.

INTRODUCTION: Carbapenems are broad-spectrum antibacterial molecules. Imipenem-cilastatin and meropenem are the two main molecules used in French healthcare services. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of these two molecules by considering their pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, microbiological, and clinical properties. We demonstrated that imipenem-cilastatin and meropenem are not alike. METHOD: Review of the literature by querying the MEDLINE network. RESULTS: Imipenem-cilastatin is the first marketed molecule of the carbapenem class. It is more effective against Gram-positive cocci. Its stability does not allow for long infusions and its main adverse effect on the central nervous system limits its use. Meropenem is more effective against Gram-negative bacilli. Its stability and its milder adverse effects distinguish it from imipenem-cilastatin. CONCLUSION: Meropenem is preferred for daily use in healthcare services when carbapenems are to be used.

[Influenza infection: An update for clinicians]. / La grippe : mise au point pour les cliniciens.

Lower respiratory infections remain the deadliest communicable disease in the world. Influenza infections are particularly involved, whether intrinsically, or more frequently, by promoting bacterial infections and superinfections. The flu is also responsible for the decompensation of many comorbidities and could lead to some myocardial infarction and stroke. The effect of antiviral therapies is limited but preventives measures, such as vaccination, remain a major public health issue. The flu is a major challenge at all levels and all times, from vaccine prevention, to the recognition of atypical forms, and the early management of bacterial complications.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in people living with HIV in France.

OBJECTIVES: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), mainly due to smoking, is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths. However, an increasing number of tumors - especially oropharyngeal cancer - are reported in non-smokers in association with the human papillomavirus (HPV). As HIV-infected individuals are particularly at risk of HPV-related disease, we aimed to describe the burden of HNSCC in this population. METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients from HIV clinics diagnosed with HNSCC between 2004 and 2014. Case patients were defined using the International Classification of Disease for Oncology (3rd edition). Age at HIV diagnosis and time from HIV diagnosis to HNSCC diagnosis were collected. Oropharyngeal cancers were considered as potentially HPV-related cancers, and their prevalence was compared with other HNSCCs over time. RESULTS: The 286 patients enrolled in the study had a median age at HNSCC diagnosis of 52 years; 84% were males and 68% had a history of smoking. The oropharynx was the most frequent site (41%), followed by cancer of the oral cavity (31%), larynx (22%), and hypopharynx (7%). The prevalence (and proportion) of potentially HPV-related cancers increased significantly over time with a mean of 0.78 additional case patient per year. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HNSCC is modest compared with other cancers in HIV-infected individuals. The prevalence of oropharynx carcinoma, a potentially HPV-related carcinoma, seems to increase over time. Even if tobacco may be an important contributor, the role of HPV in HIV-infected individuals presenting with HNSCC should be investigated.

Vitamin D supplementation, bone turnover, and inflammation in HIV-infected patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether vitamin D supplementation could be associated with a modification of inflammatory markers and bone turnover in HIV-1-infected patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who participated in an initial survey in 2010 and who were followed in the same department were included in a new study in 2012. Between 2010 and 2012, vitamin D supplementation was offered to patients presenting with hypovitaminosis D as per appropriate guidelines. Clinical examinations were performed, and fasting blood samples were taken for inflammation and bone marker evaluations. RESULTS: Of the 263 patients who participated in the 2010 study, 198 were included in the 2012 study. Hypovitaminosis D was observed in 47% (36/77) of participants supplemented as per appropriate guidelines, in 78% (75/97) of transiently or incompletely supplemented participants, and in 71% (17/24) of non-supplemented participants (mainly because vitamin D levels in 2010 were normal). No significant correlation between vitamin D supplementation and the 2-year inflammation outcome (IL-6 and hsCRP) or C-terminal telopeptide levels was observed. However, a decrease in IL6 levels over the 2 years significantly correlated with reaching a normal vitamin D level (OR=0.89 per+1pg/mL IL6 increase, 95% CI=0.81-0.97, P=0.015). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D supplementation decreases the risk of hypovitaminosis D but does not decrease the risk of inflammation nor bone turnover, unless normal 25-OH vitamin D levels are reached.

Efficacy, safety and patient-reported outcomes of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir in NS3/4A protease inhibitor-experienced individuals with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 and HIV coinfection with and without cirrhosis (ANRS HC31 SOFTRIH study).

OBJECTIVES: Studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of the fixed-dose combination ledipasvir (LDV)/sofosbuvir (SOF) in patients coinfected with HIV-1 and hepatitis C virus (HCV) have mainly included treatment-naïve patients without cirrhosis. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this combination in treatment-experienced patients with and without cirrhosis. METHODS: We conducted a multicentre, open-label, double-arm, nonrandomized study in patients coinfected with HIV-1 and HCV genotype 1 with and without cirrhosis, who had good viral suppression on their antiretroviral regimens. All patients were pretreated with a first-generation NS3/4A protease inhibitor (PI) plus pegylated interferon/ribavirin. Patients received a fixed-dose combination of LDV/SOF for 12 weeks, or for 24 weeks if cirrhosis was present. The primary endpoint was a sustained virological response (SVR) 12 weeks after the end of therapy. Secondary endpoints included safety, pharmacokinetics and patient-reported outcomes. RESULTS: Of the 68 patients enrolled, 39.7% had cirrhosis. Sixty-five patients [95.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 87.6-99.1%; P < 0.0001] achieved an SVR, with similar rates of SVR in those with and without cirrhosis. Tolerance was satisfactory, with mainly grade 1 or 2 adverse events. Among patient-reported outcomes, only fatigue significantly decreased at the end of treatment compared with baseline [odds ratio (OR): 0.36; 95% CI: 0.14-0.96; P = 0.04]. Mean tenofovir area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) at week 4 was high, with mean ± SD AUC variation between baseline and week 4 higher in cirrhotic than in noncirrhotic patients (3261.57 ± 1920.47 ng/mL vs. 1576.15 ± 911.97 ng/mL, respectively; P = 0.03). Mild proteinuria (54.4%), hypophosphataemia (50.0%), blood bicarbonate decrease (29.4%) and hypokalaemia (13.2%) were reported. The serum creatinine level was not modified. CONCLUSIONS: LDV/SOF provided a high SVR rate in PI-experienced subjects coinfected with HCV genotype 1 and HIV-1, including patients with cirrhosis.

Update on childhood and adult infectious tracheitis.

The trachea is a pivotal organ of the respiratory tract. Rather than a genuine anatomic border, it acts as a crossroad in all respiratory infectious processes. Even though not strictly limited to the trachea, infections such as laryngotracheitis and tracheobronchitis are frequently diagnosed in children, in particular during the winter season. Infectious tracheitis etiologies are diverse and the distinction between viral and bacterial origins, albeit difficult, remains relevant considering the substantial differences in terms of gravity and therapeutic management. This literature review summarizes the microbiological and clinical aspects of community-acquired and nosocomial tracheitis in adults and children, as well as the adequate diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. It also highlights the emergence of fungal tracheitis in immunocompromised patients, of ventilator-associated tracheitis in intensive care medicine, and beyond all that the potential short and long-term consequences of tracheitis.

Infectious encephalitis: Management without etiological diagnosis 48hours after onset.

INTRODUCTION: The etiological diagnosis of infectious encephalitis is often not established 48hours after onset. We aimed to review existing literature data before providing management guidelines. METHOD: We performed a literature search on PubMed using filters such as "since 01/01/2000", "human", "adults", "English or French", and "clinical trial/review/guidelines". We also used the Mesh search terms "encephalitis/therapy" and "encephalitis/diagnosis". RESULTS: With Mesh search terms "encephalitis/therapy" and "encephalitis/diagnosis", we retrieved 223 and 258 articles, respectively. With search terms "encephalitis and corticosteroid", we identified 38 articles, and with "encephalitis and doxycycline" without the above-mentioned filters we identified 85 articles. A total of 210 articles were included in the analysis. DISCUSSION: Etiological investigations must focus on recent travels, animal exposures, age, immunodeficiency, neurological damage characteristics, and potential extra-neurological signs. The interest of a diagnosis of encephalitis for which there is no specific treatment is also to discontinue any empirical treatments initially prescribed. Physicians must consider and search for autoimmune encephalitis.

Proposal for shorter antibiotic therapies.

OBJECTIVES: Reducing antibiotic consumption has now become a major public health priority. Reducing treatment duration is one of the means to achieve this objective. Guidelines on the therapeutic management of the most frequent infections recommend ranges of treatment duration in the ratio of one to two. The Recommendation Group of the French Infectious Diseases Society (SPILF) was asked to collect literature data to then recommend the shortest treatment durations possible for various infections. METHODS: Analysis of the literature focused on guidelines published in French and English, supported by a systematic search on PubMed. Articles dating from one year before the guidelines publication to August 31, 2015 were searched on the website. RESULTS: The shortest treatment durations based on the relevant clinical data were suggested for upper and lower respiratory tract infections, central venous catheter-related and uncomplicated primary bacteremia, infective endocarditis, bacterial meningitis, intra-abdominal, urinary tract, upper reproductive tract, bone and joint, skin and soft tissue infections, and febrile neutropenia. Details of analyzed articles were shown in tables. CONCLUSION: This work stresses the need for new well-conducted studies evaluating treatment durations for some common infections. Following the above-mentioned work focusing on existing literature data, the Recommendation Group of the SPILF suggests specific study proposals.

Factors associated with 12 week case-fatality in Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: a prospective cohort study.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) is a frequent and deadly disease. Given the lack of a randomized trial, optimal first-line antibiotic treatment is still debated. Our aim was to identify prognostic factors in SAB patients and to analyse the impact of first-line antibiotics. The VIRSTA prospective cohort study was conducted in eight tertiary care centres in France. Consecutive incident adults in whom a blood culture drawn in participating centres grew S. aureus between April 2009 and October 2011 were prospectively followed for 12 weeks. Factors associated with 12-week case-fatality were identified by multivariate logistic regression. We enrolled 2091 patients and analysed survival in 1972 (median age 67.8 years, interquartile range 55.5-78.9; females 692/1972, 35.1%). SAB was nosocomial or healthcare-related in 1372/1972 (69.6%) of cases and the primary focus was unknown in 414/1972 (21.0%) of cases. Week 12 case-fatality rate was 671/1972 (34.0%). The main independent prognostic factors on multivariate analysis were age (adjusted OR by 10-year increment 1.56; 95% CI 1.44-1.69), septic shock (OR 5.11; 95% CI 3.84-6.80), metastatic cancer (OR 4.28; 95% CI 2.88-6.38), and unknown primary focus (OR 2.62; 95% CI 2.02-3.41). In the 1538 patients with methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) bacteraemia, first-line empiric antistaphylococcal penicillins (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.17-0.95) and vancomycin (OR 0.37; 95% CI 0.17-0.83), alone or combined with an aminoglycoside, were associated with better outcome compared with other antibiotics. There are few modifiable prognostic factors for SAB. Initiating empiric antibiotics with antistaphylococcal penicillins or vancomycin may be associated with better outcome in MSSA bacteraemia.

Intensification with pegylated interferon during treatment with tenofovir in HIV-hepatitis B virus co-infected patients.

In hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg) positive patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) mono-infection, intensification of nucleos(t)ide analogue treatment with pegylated interferon (PegIFN) could help induce higher HBeAg seroclearance rates. Our aim was to determine the long-term effect of adding PegIFN to tenofovir (TDF)-containing antiretroviral therapy on seroclearance in HBeAg-positive patients co-infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HBV. In this prospective matched cohort study, 46 patients with 1-year PegIFN intensification during TDF-containing antiretroviral therapy (TDF+PegIFN) were matched 1:1 to controls undergoing TDF without PegIFN (TDF) using a time-dependent propensity score based on age, CD4+ count and liver cirrhosis status. Kinetics of HBeAg quantification (qHBeAg) and hepatitis B surface antigen quantification (qHBsAg) were estimated using mixed-effect linear regression and time to HBeAg seroclearance or HBsAg seroclearance was modelled using proportional hazards regression. At baseline, previous TDF exposure was a median 39.8 months (IQR=21.4-59.4) and median qHBeAg and qHBsAg levels were 6.9 PEIU/mL and 3.72 log10 IU/mL, respectively (P>.5 between groups). Median follow-up was 33.4 months (IQR=19.0-36.3). During intensification, faster average declines of qHBeAg (-0.066 vs -0.027 PEIU/mL/month, P=.001) and qHBsAg (-0.049 vs -0.026 log10 IU/mL/month, P=.09) were observed in patients undergoing TDF+PegIFN vs TDF, respectively. After intensification, qHBeAg and qHBsAg decline was no different between groups (P=.7 and P=.9, respectively). Overall, no differences were observed in HBeAg seroclearance (TDF+PegIFN=13.2 vs TDF=12.6/100 person·years, P=.5) or HBsAg seroclearance rates (TDF+PegIFN=1.8 vs TDF=1.3/100 person·years, P=.7). In conclusion, PegIFN intensification in HBeAg-positive co-infected patients did not lead to increased rates of HBeAg or HBsAg clearance, despite faster declines of antigen levels while on PegIFN.

Abdominal tuberculosis in a low prevalence country.

OBJECTIVE: Abdominal tuberculosis is a rare disease. The clinical and radiological manifestations are non-specific and the diagnosis is difficult. Our objective was to describe the characteristics and treatment of patients presenting with abdominal tuberculosis in a low-incidence country. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the clinical, diagnostic, treatment, and outcome features of patients presenting with abdominal tuberculosis diagnosed by bacteriological and/or histological results and managed in five French university hospitals from January 2000 to December 2009. RESULTS: We included 21 patients. The mean diagnostic delay was 13 months. Twelve patients (57%) came from a low-incidence area and only two had a known immunosuppressed condition. Eighteen patients (86%) presented with abdominal symptoms. The main organs involved were the peritoneum (n=14, 66%), the mesenteric lymph nodes (n=13, 62%), and the bowel (n=7, 33%). Sixteen patients (76%) underwent surgery, including two in an emergency setting. Seventeen patients (81%) received six months or more of anti-tuberculosis treatment. Finally, 16 patients (76%) had a positive outcome. CONCLUSION: New diagnostic procedures, and especially molecular biology, may help diagnose unusual clinical presentations of tuberculosis. Invasive procedures are frequently necessary to obtain samples but also for the treatment of digestive involvement.