Updates on Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile Infection With Emphasis on Long-Term Care.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a review of the classification, epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile (C. difficile) infection (CDI) with an emphasis on longterm care. DATA SOURCES: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for relevant literature using a combination of the following terms: C. difficile, classification, epidemilogy, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and long-term care. Sources were limited to human data. STUDY SELECTION/DATA EXTRACTION: The main article reviewed was the 2017 CDI guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of American and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Other articles were reviewed for relevance to CDI in long-term care settings. DATA SYNTHESIS: CDI is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in older adults. The primary risk factors are advanced age and receipt of antibiotics. Diagnosis is suspected based on signs and symptoms and confirmed by laboratory tests. Vancomycin and fidaxomicin have replaced metronidazole as the drugs of choice for CDI. Fidaxomicin is associated with a lower risk of recurrence than vancomycin. Fecal microbiota transplantation is reserved for patients with multiple recurrences. Bezlotoxumab can be used in addition to standard therapy to prevent CDIs in patients at high risk for recurrence. Infection control strategies and antibiotic stewardship programs are known to reduce the rates of CDIs in institutional settings. CONCLUSION: CDI is largely iatrogenic, and diagnosis is based on clinical presentation and laboratory tests. Treatment options include vancomycin, fidaxomicin, and fecal microbiota transplantation. Prevention centers around infection control and antibiotic stewardship. More research is needed in long-term care settings.

Naegleria fowleri: pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment options.

Naegleria fowleri has generated tremendous media attention over the last 5 years due to several high-profile cases. Several of these cases were followed very closely by the general public. N. fowleri is a eukaryotic, free-living amoeba belonging to the phylum Percolozoa. Naegleria amoebae are ubiquitous in the environment, being found in soil and bodies of freshwater, and feed on bacteria found in those locations. While N. fowleri infection appears to be quite rare compared to other diseases, the clinical manifestations of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis are devastating and nearly always fatal. Due to the rarity of N. fowleri infections in humans, there are no clinical trials to date that assess the efficacy of one treatment regimen over another. Most of the information regarding medication efficacy is based on either case reports or in vitro studies. This review will discuss the pathogenesis, diagnosis, pharmacotherapy, and prevention of N. fowleri infections in humans, including a brief review of all survivor cases in North America.

The Importance of an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program.

Developing a program to properly use antimicrobials is essential for inpatient facilities to decrease the incidence of resistance, reduce the development of multidrug-resistant organisms, and improve patient care.

Use of procalcitonin in patients with various degrees of chronic kidney disease including renal replacement therapy.

Procalcitonin (PCT) has been shown to be a useful surrogate marker in identifying patients with various bacterial infections. PCT has been studied as a diagnostic marker in differentiating bacterial pneumonia from other respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations or viral pneumonia. Differentiating bacterial from nonbacterial pneumonia using PCT has shown to reduce antibiotic usage, length of stay, and antibiotic-related adverse effects. PCT has also been studied in patients with sepsis in an effort to reduce unnecessary antibiotic usage and decrease the length of antibiotic therapy. This article focuses on the use of PCT in patients with various degrees of chronic kidney disease in addition to various forms of dialysis, as chronic kidney disease may alter baseline levels of PCT and thus result in inappropriate use of PCT in this population.