Challenges in management of Candida auris meningitis secondary to infected ventriculoperitoneal shunt - A case report.

Meningitis in patients with ventriculo-peritoneal shunt (VP shunt) caused by various species of Candida have been widely described in literature. However, reports describing Candida auris as a cause of meningitis is limited. In this case report we describe a case of multidrug resistant Candida auris meningitis secondary to VP shunt infection successfully treated with intrathecal amphotericin B deoxycholate and intravenous liposomal amphotericin B. This is the second case report of successful treatment of Candida auris meningitis from India. More literature regarding the use of intrathecal/intraventricular echinocandins including optimal dosing and duration of therapy is needed.

Outbreak of B.cepacia bacteremia following use of contaminated drug vials in a tertiary care centre.

PURPOSE: We report an outbreak of Burkholderia cepacia bacteremia related to contaminated drug vials. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients having fever post coronary angiography were analysed from February 12, 2019 to March 18, 2019. A thorough inspection of the cath lab was done by the infection control team. Surveillance cultures were taken from various places including swabs from the all the drug vials used for the patients. RESULTS: During the above period, a total of 898 cases had been taken up for angiographic procedures in all the four cath labs, out of which 72 were for neurological issues. Among these patients only 60 patients reported fever. No fever was reported among those who underwent angiograms for neurological issues. Of the 60 patients who had fever, 38 patients satisfied the case definition. Blood cultures were sent for 7(18.4%) patients and 17(44.7%) had been started on antibiotics. After identification of 2 cases with the positive culture and following the news that a drug manufacturing company had recalled a particular batch of drug (diltiazem), the source of the outbreak was thought to be contaminated diltiazem vials. Retrospectively it was noted that the 38 patients had received the diltiazem from three different batches. Subsequently the same organism was isolated from the drug vials also. Both the isolates were phenotypically the same. There were no patients with fever post procedure reported the week after the batch of diltiazem was recalled. CONCLUSION: The outbreak was thus linked to the contaminated diltiazem vials. Physicians should thus be aware of such outbreaks that can cause bacteremias.

Melioidosis in Critical Care: A Review.

KEY POINTS: (1) Diabetes, hazardous alcohol use, and/or significant heart disease are more likely to develop a critical illness with melioidosis. (2) Pneumonia is the most common presentation. Those with pneumonia or bacteremia are most likely to require intensive care unit admissions. (3) Culture is the mainstay for the diagnosis. However, it is noted that Burkholderia pseudomallei is often wrongly identified as Pseudomonas or other Burkholderia species by commonly available commercial techniques. (4) Therapy consists of an intensive phase with intravenous antibiotics to prevent mortality followed by an eradication phase with oral antibiotics to prevent relapse. (5) Meropenem is the drug of choice for those with septic shock or neurological involvement. For patients with nonpulmonary organ focal sites of infection (neurologic, prostatic, bone, joint, cutaneous, and soft tissue melioidosis), the addition of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) to ceftazidime/carbapenem during intensive therapy is recommended. TMP-SMX is the drug of choice for oral antibiotic therapy during the eradication phase. (6) Adequate source control is essential for successful treatment and to prevent relapse. (7) The use of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) those with septic shock is controversial. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Sridharan S, B Princess I, Ramakrishnan N. Melioidosis in Critical Care: A Review. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021; 25(Suppl 2):S161-S165.

Clinical Profile of Non-neutropenic Patients with Invasive Candidiasis: A Retrospective Study in a Tertiary Care Center.

Introduction: Invasive candidiasis (IC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). In this study, we aim to analyze the clinical profile, species distribution, and susceptibility pattern of patients with IC. Methods: Case records of non-neutropenic patients ≥18 years of age with IC between January 2016 and June 2019 at a tertiary care referral hospital were analyzed. IC was defined as either candidemia or isolation of Candida species from a sterile site (such as CSF; ascitic, pleural, or pericardial fluid; or pus or tissue from an intraoperative sample) in a patient with clinical signs and symptoms of infection. Results: A total of 114 patients were analyzed, out of which 105 (92.1%) patients had bloodstream infection (BSI) due to Candida and 9 (7.9%) had IC identified from a sterile site. Central line-associated blood stream infection (27 patients, 23.6%) and a gastrointestinal source (30 patients, 26.3%) were the most common presumed sources for candidemia. The commonest species was Candida tropicalis 42 (36.8%), followed by Candida glabrata 20 (17.5%). Serum beta-D-glucan (BDG) was done only in 32 patients of the 114 (35.3%); among those who were tested, 5 (15.6%) had a BDG value of less than 80 pg/mL despite having Candida BSI. Fluconazole sensitivity was 69.5% overall. At 14 days after diagnosis of IC, 49.1% had recovered, with the remainder having an unfavorable outcome (32.4% had died and 18.4% had left against medical advice). Clinical significance: IC is a major concern in Indian ICUs, with a satisfactory outcome in only half of our patients. Serum BDG is a valuable test to diagnose blood culture-negative IC, but more studies are needed to determine its role in the exclusion of IC, as we had a small minority of patients with negative tests despite proven IC. Conclusion: We recommend sending two sets of blood cultures and serum BDG assay for all suspected patients. Initiating empiric antifungal therapy with an echinocandin is advisable, in view of increasing azole resistance and the emergence of Candida auris, with de-escalation to fluconazole for sensitive isolates after clinical stability and blood culture clearance. How to cite this article: Sridharan S, Gopalakrishnan R, Nambi PS, Kumar S, Sethuraman N, Ramasubramanian V. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(3):267-272.

A Rare Case of Sarcoidosis Presenting as Diffuse Contracturing Granulomatous Myositis on Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography.

Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is an established imaging modality in diagnosis and treatment response monitoring of sarcoidosis. Multisystemic involvement of sarcoidosis is characteristically seen on PET/CT; however, isolated organ involvement is rare. We describe here a case of a 52-year-old male with generalized muscle weakness, an extremely rare clinical manifestation of sarcoidosis.