Bacteremia in Adults Admitted from the Emergency Department with Laboratory-Confirmed Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

BACKGROUND: Collecting blood cultures from patients admitted from the emergency department (ED) with acute respiratory infection (ARI) is common, but the rate of secondary bacteremia in adult patients admitted from the ED with ARI associated with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is unknown. Indiscriminate collection of blood cultures can be associated with contaminated blood cultures and increased inappropriate antimicrobial use and health care costs. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine the rate and etiology of secondary bacteremia, factors associated with secondary bacteremia, and factors associated with collecting blood cultures in the ED, in adults hospitalized with RSV. METHODS: We performed a retrospective substudy using data from a prospective study of adults admitted with RSV infections during two respiratory seasons (October 2017 to April 2018 and October 2018 to April 2019). Blood cultures were collected at the discretion of ED providers. We compared demographic and clinical characteristics among those with and without secondary bacteremia and among those with and without blood cultures collected using multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: Of the 365 hospitalized RSV-positive patients (mean age 68.8 years), 269 (73.7%) had blood cultures collected in the ED and 18 (6.7%) patients had secondary bacteremia, most commonly from a nonrespiratory source (n = 13). Patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were significantly less likely to have secondary bacteremia. Patients who were immunocompromised, met systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria, or had pneumonia described on chest x-ray reports were more likely to have blood cultures collected. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, 6.7% of adults hospitalized with RSV infections had secondary bacteremia, more commonly from nonrespiratory sources.

Clinical characteristics of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the United States: A literature review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a rapidly progressive and potentially fatal tickborne disease caused by Rickettsia rickettsii. Despite current recommendations and information on the severity of RMSF, studies show that delayed recognition and treatment continues to occur. METHODS: A literature search was performed on cases published in English between 1990-2017. The frequencies for demographic, clinical, and treatment variables was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 340 cases from 34 articles were included. Data on rash were available for 322 patients, and 261 (80%) noted rash. Mortality was 4% (2) in those who received doxycycline within the first five days of illness, and 35% (18) when treatment was delayed beyond Day five. Twenty-four (16%) reported chronic sequelae, including speech impairment (7, 5%) and ataxia (5, 3%). INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSION: These data highlight the importance of early treatment, and add to our understanding of long-term sequelae. Early recognition by providers will facilitate appropriate treatment and reduction in morbidity and mortality.