Rapid Detection of Bloodstream Pathogens in Liver Transplantation Patients With FilmArray Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays: Comparison With Conventional Methods.

BACKGROUND: Bloodstream infection (BSI) is an important concern in transplant patients. Early intervention with appropriate antimicrobial therapy is critical to better clinical outcome; however, there is significant delay when conventional identification methods are used. METHODS: We aimed to determine the diagnostic performance of the FilmArray Blood Culture Identification Panel, a recently approved multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay detecting 24 BSI pathogens and 3 resistance genes, in comparison with the performances of conventional identification methods in liver transplant (LT) patients. A total of 52 defined sepsis episodes (signal-positive by blood culture systems) from 45 LT patients were prospectively studied. RESULTS: The FilmArray successfully identified 37 of 39 (94.8%) bacterial and 3 of 3 (100%) yeast pathogens in a total of 42 samples with microbial growth, failing to detect only 2 of 39 (5.1%) bacterial pathogens that were not covered by the test panel. The FilmArray could also detect additional pathogens in 3 samples that had been reported as having monomicrobial growth, and it could detect Acinetobacter baumannii in 2 samples suspected of skin flora contamination. The remaining 8 blood cultures showing a positive signal but yielding no growth were also negative by this assay. Results of MecA, KPC, and VanA/B gene detection were in high accordance. The FilmArray produced results with significantly shorter turnaround times (1.33 versus 36.2, 23.6, and 19.5 h; P < .05) than standard identification methods, Vitek II, and Vitek MS, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the FilmArray appeared as a reliable alternative diagnostic method with the potential to mitigate problems with protracted diagnosis of the BSI pathogens in LT patients.

The features of infectious diseases departments and anti-infective practices in France and Turkey: a cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study was to assess the infectious diseases (ID) wards of tertiary hospitals in France and Turkey for technical capacity, infection control, characteristics of patients, infections, infecting organisms, and therapeutic approaches. This cross-sectional study was carried out on a single day on one of the weekdays of June 17-21, 2013. Overall, 36 ID departments from Turkey (n = 21) and France (n = 15) were involved. On the study day, 273 patients were hospitalized in Turkish and 324 patients were followed in French ID departments. The numbers of patients and beds in the hospitals, and presence of an intensive care unit (ICU) room in the ID ward was not different in both France and Turkey. Bed occupancy in the ID ward, single rooms, and negative pressure rooms were significantly higher in France. The presence of a laboratory inside the ID ward was more common in Turkish ID wards. The configuration of infection control committees, and their qualifications and surveillance types were quite similar in both countries. Although differences existed based on epidemiology, the distribution of infections were uniform on both sides. In Turkey, anti-Gram-positive agents, carbapenems, and tigecycline, and in France, cephalosporins, penicillins, aminoglycosides, and metronidazole were more frequently preferred. Enteric Gram-negatives and hepatitis B and C were more frequent in Turkey, while human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and streptococci were more common in France (p < 0.05 for all significances). Various differences and similarities existed in France and Turkey in the ID wards. However, the current scene is that ID are managed with high standards in both countries.