Clostridium difficile Infection: Risk and Poor Prognostic Factors at a Tertiary Hospital in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND:  Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a common cause of hospital-acquired diarrhea. It is associated with significantly higher mortality and morbidity in addition to the cost-effectiveness burden on the healthcare system. The primary risk factors for C. difficile infection (CDI) are past C. difficile exposure, proton pump inhibitors, and antibiotic usage. These risk factors are also associated with poor prognosis. OBJECTIVE: This study was performed in Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Tertiary Hospital in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. The aim was to evaluate the risk and prognostic factors of CDI and their association with the outcomes of hospital stay, such as complications, length of stay (LOS), and treatment duration. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study for all patients who tested for C. difficile in the medical department. The target population was all adult patients ≥16 years with positive stool toxins for C. difficile between April 2019 and July 2022. The main outcome measures are risk and poor prognostic factors for CDI. RESULTS: C. difficle infection patients were included in the study; 12 (52.2%) were female, and 11 (47.8%) were male. The mean age of the patients was 58.3 (SD: 21.5) years; 13 (56.5%) patients were below 65 years, and 10 were above 65 years. Only four patients were without comorbidities, and 19 (82.6%) patients had various comorbidities. Importantly, hypertension was the most common comorbidity in 47.8% of the patients. Furthermore, advanced age significantly impacted the hospital LOS as the mean age among patients who stayed at the hospital less than four days and those who stayed ≥4 days was 49.08 (19.7) and 68.36 (19.5), respectively (P = .028). CONCLUSION:  Advanced age was the most frequent poor prognostic factor among our inpatient participants with positive CDI. It was significantly associated with longer hospital LOS, more complications, and longer treatment duration.

Hepatitis viruses in heamodialysis patients: an added insult to injury?

Hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viruses are the most important causes of chronic liver disease in patients with end stage renal disease on hemodialysis. The prevalence of hepatitis infection among hemodialysis patients is high and varies between countries and between dialysis units within a single country. This case-control study was undertaken to estimate the occurrence of HBV and HCV infections in patients undergoing hemodialysis in our tertiary care center. All patients receving hemodialysis at our centre with HCV or HBV infection were included in the study. The total number of patients admitted for hemodialysis during the study period was 1710. Among these, 26 patients were positive for HBV, 19 were positive for HCV, and 2 were positive for both HCV and HBV. Mean age of the infected cases in our study was 48.63 years. Mean duration of dialysis for infected cases was 4.8 years while that of the noninfected controls was 3.18 years. The mean dialysis interval was twice a week. Interventions to reduce the occurrence of these infections are of utmost need to reduce the risk of long-term complications among hemodialysis patients.

Clinico-microbiological profile of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis from a tertiary care centre in southern India.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary aspergillosis is commonly seen in immunocompromised individuals. A significant rise has been seen in these cases in the past decade, owing to growing number of patients with impaired immune status. AIM: This study includes the detailed clinical and microbiological profiles of all the culture positive cases of pulmonary aspergillosis, detected in three years, from Jan 2008-Dec 2010, at our tertiary care centre. METHODS: A hospital based observational and retrospective study was conducted to study the clinico-microbiological characteristics of patients with pulmonary aspergillosis. Respiratory specimens which showed repeated isolation of Aspergillus were included in the study. Demographic details, clinical findings and predisposing factors were noted down for all the patients. Treatment of patients with antifungal agents and their responses to treatment were also documented. RESULTS: There were 22 patients with male to female ratio of 1.2:1 and mean age of 52.5 years. The most common underlying lung disease was presence of bronchial asthma in 27.3% (6/22) cases. Many patients (40.9%; 9/22) were on steroid treatment. Cough with expectoration was the most common symptom observed in 72.7% (16/22) cases. Microbiologically, microscopy showed positivity for the presence of gram positive, acutely branched, fungal hyphae, suggestive of Aspergillus, in all the cases. Aspergillus fumigatus was the predominant species that was isolated in 40.9% (9/22) cases. All the diagnosed patients were given either oral itraconazole or intravenous amphotericin B. A clinical improvement was observed in 72.5% (16/22) cases, but 27.3% (6/22) patients died. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary aspergillosis presents with non-specific clinical and radiological findings. An early suspicion and diagnosis is essential, especially in patients with underlying lung disease, to prevent dissemination and invasion.

Significance of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in children and young adults with febrile neutropenia during chemotherapy for cancer: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the usefulness of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) at the onset of febrile neutropenia and 72 hours later, in identifying risk groups and assessing response to antibiotic therapy. METHODS: All episodes of febrile neutropenia were divided in 3 study groups-microbiologically documented infection (MDI), clinically documented infection (CDI), and fever of unknown origin (FUO). Three outcome groups were defined as those responding to first-line antibiotics (R1), those responding to second-line antibiotics (R2), and those requiring antifungal therapy (RAF). Median values of IL-6 and CRP were compared between the groups. RESULTS: There were 57 episodes of febrile neutropenia among 26 patients younger than 25 years during 1 year of study period. On day 1, median IL-6 level was significantly lower in FUO group compared with CDI+MDI groups combined (P < 0.001). Rise in CRP on day 3 was highly significant to differentiate MDI group from other 2 groups (P < 0.001). The CRP also increased significantly on day 3 in RAF (P < 0.001) and R2 (P = 0.002) groups than in R1 group. CONCLUSIONS: Low level of IL-6 may help differentiate patients with FUO from those with documented infections. A rising CRP is indicative of serious infection.

Primary hydatid cyst of the kidney and ureter with hydatiduria in a laboratory worker: a case report.

Hydatid disease is frequent in endemic regions and sheep farming areas. Most common localization of hydatid cyst occurs in liver followed by lungs. Renal hydatid cyst constitutes about 2-4% of all locations. We report a case of left renal hydatid from a laboratory technician admitted in a tertiary care hospital. There were few cases of renal hydatid disease reported in India among general population but to the best of our knowledge never reported from laboratory worker. The possibility of laboratory-acquired infection cannot be ruled out in this case due to lack of precautionary measures and containment facilities in resource-constrained setting.

Multiple cutaneous swellings in an immunocompetent host--cryptococcosis overlooked.

Recently, there has been an increase in the incidence of cryptococcosis even among immunocompetent patients. We present a case of multiple subcutaneous swellings later developing into a non-healing ulcer caused by Cryptococcus in a 60 year-old immunocompetent male along with a brief review of clinical presentations of cutaneous cryptococcosis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. A high index of suspicion is desired in view of possible dissemination and variable non-specific clinical presentations.

Multiple cutaneous swellings in an immunocompetent host: cryptococcosis overlooked

Recently, there has been an increase in the incidence of cryptococcosis even among immunocompetent patients. We present a case of multiple subcutaneous swellings later developing into a non-healing ulcer caused by Cryptococcus in a 60 year-old immunocompetent male along with a brief review of clinical presentations of cutaneous cryptococcosis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. A high index of suspicion is desired in view of possible dissemination and variable non-specific clinical presentations.

Co-infection with hepatitis viruses among HIV-infected individuals at a tertiary care centre in South India.

We studied the occurrence of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) virus co-infections in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals in a tertiary care centre. The occurrence of co-infections in our study was less than in the literature reported from the West. However, routine screening of these co-infections in HIV patients is recommended to avoid possible liver-related morbidity and mortality as a part of improving their quality of life.