Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales infections in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: The dissemination of difficult-to-treat carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) is of great concern. We clarified the risk factors underlying CRE infection mortality in Japan. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective, multicentre, observational cohort study of patients with CRE infections at 28 university hospitals from September 2014 to December 2016, using the Japanese National Surveillance criteria. Clinical information, including patient background, type of infection, antibiotic treatment, and treatment outcome, was collected. The carbapenemase genotype was determined using PCR sequencing. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for 28-day mortality. RESULTS: Among the 179 patients enrolled, 65 patients (36.3%) had bloodstream infections, with 37 (20.7%) infections occurring due to carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE); all carbapenemases were of IMP-type (IMP-1: 32, IMP-6: 5). Two-thirds of CPE were identified as Enterobacter cloacae complex. Combination therapy was administered only in 46 patients (25.7%), and the 28-day mortality rate was 14.3%. Univariate analysis showed that solid metastatic cancer, Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥3, bloodstream infection, pneumonia, or empyema, central venous catheters, mechanical ventilation, and prior use of quinolones were significant risk factors for mortality. Multivariate analysis revealed that mechanical ventilation (OR: 6.71 [1.42-31.6], P = 0.016), solid metastatic cancers (OR: 5.63 [1.38-23.0], P = 0.016), and bloodstream infections (OR: 3.49 [1.02-12.0], P = 0.046) were independent risk factors for 28-day mortality. CONCLUSION: The significant risk factors for 28-day mortality in patients with CRE infections in Japan are mechanical ventilation, solid metastatic cancers, and bloodstream infections.

First case of bacteremia caused by Helicobacter cinaedi in a patient with liver cirrhosis: a case report and literature review.

Patients with liver cirrhosis are known to be immunocompromised hosts due to the dysfunction of the cellular and humoral immune systems, allowing easier bacterial translocation from the intestine to the systemic circulation via the portal vein. Sepsis can often be seen in these patients; however, approximately 10 % of patients show negative results with the standard culture period (3-4 days) and their pathogens remain undiagnosed. Here we report the first case of a patient with liver cirrhosis diagnosed with bacteremia due to Helicobacter cinaedi after gastrointestinal symptoms and review 62 cases of H. cinaedi infection in patients with other diseases. The patient showed positive results for H. cinaedi after 10 days of culture. Administration of a carbapenem was effective and clinical symptoms recovered 20 days after admission. H. cinaedi is an enterohepatic bacterial species that causes bacteremia in immunocompromised patients. Due to the difficulty of detection, few cases have been reported to date and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first published case of bacteremia due to H. cinaedi infection in a patient with liver cirrhosis. Since bacteremia in patients with liver cirrhosis can result in fatality, we recommend vigilance for H. cinaedi infection, longer periods of blood culture, polymerase chain reaction analysis, and empirical antibiotic therapy to help improve prognosis.