Pneumocystosis and quantitative PCR.

OBJECTIVE: Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is now predominantly observed in immunosuppressed non-HIV-infected patients. The sensitivity of the PCR is here higher than direct examination (DE) of respiratory secretions because the infection is caused by a lower inoculum of Pneumocystis jirovecii (P. jirovecii). The objective of our retrospective study was to assess the contribution of quantitative PCR (qPCR) in the diagnosis of PCP. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients hospitalized for PCP suspicion with a positive qPCR were included. Irrespective of the qPCR value, patients were initially classified into two groups (infection and colonization [PCP ruled out]) based on clinical, radiological, and microbiological data. Both groups were then compared based on the qPCR value. RESULTS: Between 2013 and 2016, 150 patients were included; 75% of them were not infected with HIV. The diagnosis of PCP was retained for 129 patients and rejected for 21 patients. The DE was negative in 60% of PCP cases. The median value of qPCR was 76,650copies/mL among infected patients and 3220copies/mL among colonized patients. The threshold corresponding to a specificity of 100% was 56,000copies/mL. The optimal value to distinguish an infection from a colonization was 10,100copies/mL. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the diagnostic value of the qPCR in immunosuppressed patients, especially when the DE is negative. When the qPCR is˂56,000copies/mL, the result should be interpreted based on the clinical context and paraclinical examinations.

Usefulness of pneumococcal antigen urinary testing in the intensive care unit?

OBJECTIVES: The use of pneumococcal antigen urinary tests is substantially increasing and is associated with a significant cost. The relevant use of this test in the intensive care unit (ICU) should be better defined. Our aim was to define the role of this test in relation to other microbiological tests. We described a series of patients admitted to the ICU for an invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective and descriptive study of the microbiological tests used to diagnose IPD in patients admitted to the ICU of the University Hospital in Bordeaux. Our aim was to measure the sensitivity of these bacteriological tests and of the BinaxNOWS. pneumoniae test. RESULTS: Between 2009 and 2013, 148 patients were admitted for an IPD. A lower respiratory tract infection was diagnosed in 96.6% of them (143 patients). The overall ICU case fatality rate was 17.6%. The sensitivity of the pneumococcal antigen urinary test, sputum bacteriological examination, and blood cultures was respectively 83%, 37.6%, and 29.7%. S. pneumoniae was isolated from at least one bacteriological sample in 48.6% of patients, but in 51.4%, the diagnosis was only based on the results of the pneumococcal antigen urinary test. CONCLUSION: We suggest performing a pneumococcal antigen urinary test when an IPD is suspected, only if the bacteriological tests are still negative after 48hours. This strategy would result in a substantial cost saving. Patients would not face any additional risks as the result of the pneumococcal antigen urinary test does not have any impact on the initially prescribed antibiotic therapy.

[Leptospirosis and thrombocytopenia]. / Leptospirose et thrombopénie.

INTRODUCTION: Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis caused by the spirochete Leptospira interrogans. The spectrum of symptoms reported in leptospirosis is extremely broad. Thrombocytopenia is common during the acute phase of leptospirosis but its pathophysiological mechanism remains not well defined. CASE REPORT: We report a 56-year-old man hospitalized for severe sepsis with acute kidney injury and liver failure. Because of the recent flood of his house, we suspected leptospirosis. The diagnosis was rapidly confirmed. Blood tests revealed thrombocytopenia at 9 G/L associated with hyperferritinemia and hypertriglyceridemia. Cytological examination of bone marrow showed abundance of megakaryocytes and hemophagocytosis which confirmed the diagnosis of hemophagocytic syndrome. Clinical symptoms resolved and blood tests returned to normal values in the same time. CONCLUSION: We suggest that hemophogocytosis is a possible mechanism of thrombocytopenia in leptospirosis and that examination of bone marrow should be performed to confirm the diagnosis.

[Plasma Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) predicts acute kidney injury in septic shock at ICU admission]. / Le dosage plasmatique de Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (NGAL) prédit la défaillance rénale au cours du choc septique dès l'admission en réanimation.

PURPOSE: To validate plasma Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (pNGAL) as an early biomarker in intensive care unit (ICU) for acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill adult with septic shock. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Fifty consecutive patients with septic shock were included in this observational cohort study. AKI was defined if patients met any RIFLE or AKIN criteria. The main objective was to evaluate diagnosis value of pNGAL measured with a point-of-care device at admission (D0), at 24hours (D1) and at 48hours (D2). RESULTS: Among the 50 patients enrolled, 86% had AKI, 48% had persistent renal AKI and 30% required renal replacement therapy (RRT) during their ICU stay. At D0, pNGAL concentration was significantly higher in patients with AKI compared to patients without AKI (471ng/mL versus 134ng/mL, P<0.001). This level remained significantly higher in the AKI population at D1 and D2 and pNGAL concentration at D0 among AKI patients increased with kidney failure level. At D1, pNGAL was significantly higher for persistent renal AKI rather than transient prerenal (570ng/mL versus 337ng/mL, P=0.027). pNGAL concentration below 348ng/mL at D1 was never seen in patients with RRT. CONCLUSION: Plasma NGAL is a useful, sensitive and early biomarker to predict persistent AKI in septic shock at ICU admission and help to discuss RRT.

[Reservoirs and transmission of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in intensive care unit]. / Réservoirs et transmission de Pseudomonas aeruginosa en réanimation médicale.

OBJECTIVE: The authors had for aim to study reservoirs and transmission of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an intensive care unit. DESIGN: A 6-month prospective descriptive study was made on water samples, samples from hands of health care workers, and clinical samples. P. aeruginosa strains were compared by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: Among the 211 patients hospitalized during the study, 14 (6.6%) were infected by P. aeruginosa. Out of 494 water samples, 80 were contaminated by P. aeruginosa. The regularly disinfected water taps were more rarely contaminated than the others (P<10(-5)). Out of 140 hand samples, one showed contamination from an infected patient. CONCLUSIONS: aeruginosa cross transmission was observed during this study. We should follow strict hygienic precautions such as wearing gloves and performing thorough alcoholic rub disinfection. Water taps are often contaminated and require regular disinfection.

[Endocarditis due to Pasteurella sp. Two cases]. / Endocardites à Pasteurella sp. Deux cas.

Human pasteurellosis is, in general, a locoregional infection due to contact with an animal. Systemic infections are rare and endocarditis is exceptionally described. The authors report two new cases of endocarditis due to Pasteurella spp, they then review 29 other published cases. Pasteurella spp. endocarditis presents as an acute form in 64% of cases and affects the aortic as often as the mitral valves. Contact with an animal is documented in 65% of cases. Pasteurella multocida is the most frequent species in this infection. The total death rate is 40% and can reach 57% of cases in case of immunodepression. The bad prognosis of this infection, justifies an early diagnosis and a rapid and adapted but not yet consensual medicosurgical treatment.

Severe infection caused by Stomatococcus mucilaginosus in a neutropenic patient: case report and review of the literature.

A 24-year-old female, in neutropenic phase after chemotherapy for acute myelogenous leukemia (on day 15) was admitted in intensive care unit for infectious pneumonia. Two strains of Stomatococcus mucilaginosus were isolated from peripheral blood cultures. No microorganisms were yielded from bronchoalveolar lavage. Patient's condition improved with prompt instigation of effective antibiotic therapy. This was the first case of septicemia and pneumonia, due to Stomatococcus mucilaginosus, in our unit. Only 26 cases occurring in neutropenic patients with underlying hematologic malignancies were reported in the literature and among these, only five cases with pneumonia were described. The complications of this normal inhabitant of the human oral cavity can be serious and fatal: septic shock, meningitis, acute respiratory distress syndrome. This study illustrate the possible virulence of Stomatococcus mucilaginosus in neutropenic patients.