Prognostic Accuracy of Screening Tools for Clinical Deterioration in Adults With Suspected Sepsis in Northeastern Thailand: A Cohort Validation Study.

Background: We sought to assess the performance of commonly used clinical scoring systems to predict imminent clinical deterioration in patients hospitalized with suspected infection in rural Thailand. Methods: Patients with suspected infection were prospectively enrolled within 24 hours of admission to a referral hospital in northeastern Thailand between 2013 and 2017. In patients not requiring intensive medical interventions, multiple enrollment scores were calculated including the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), the Modified Early Warning Score, Between the Flags, and the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score. Scores were tested for predictive accuracy of clinical deterioration, defined as a new requirement of mechanical ventilation, vasoactive medications, intensive care unit admission, and/or death approximately 1 day after enrollment. The association of each score with clinical deterioration was evaluated by means of logistic regression, and discrimination was assessed by generating area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: Of 4989 enrolled patients, 2680 met criteria for secondary analysis, and 100 of 2680 (4%) experienced clinical deterioration within 1 day after enrollment. NEWS had the highest discrimination for predicting clinical deterioration (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.78 [95% confidence interval, .74-.83]) compared with the Modified Early Warning Score (0.67 [.63-.73]; P < .001), quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (0.65 [.60-.70]; P < .001), and Between the Flags (0.69 [.64-.75]; P < .001). NEWS ≥5 yielded optimal sensitivity and specificity for clinical deterioration prediction. Conclusions: In patients hospitalized with suspected infection in a resource-limited setting in Southeast Asia, NEWS can identify patients at risk of imminent clinical deterioration with greater accuracy than other clinical scoring systems.

Correction: Clinical epidemiology and outcomes of community acquired infection and sepsis among hospitalized patients in a resource limited setting in Northeast Thailand: A prospective observational study (Ubon-sepsis).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204509.].

Plasma Metabolomics Reveals Distinct Biological and Diagnostic Signatures for Melioidosis.

Rationale: The global burden of sepsis is greatest in low-resource settings. Melioidosis, infection with the gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a frequent cause of fatal sepsis in endemic tropical regions such as Southeast Asia. Objectives: To investigate whether plasma metabolomics would identify biological pathways specific to melioidosis and yield clinically meaningful biomarkers. Methods: Using a comprehensive approach, differential enrichment of plasma metabolites and pathways was systematically evaluated in individuals selected from a prospective cohort of patients hospitalized in rural Thailand with infection. Statistical and bioinformatics methods were used to distinguish metabolomic features and processes specific to patients with melioidosis and between fatal and nonfatal cases. Measurements and Main Results: Metabolomic profiling and pathway enrichment analysis of plasma samples from patients with melioidosis (n = 175) and nonmelioidosis infections (n = 75) revealed a distinct immuno-metabolic state among patients with melioidosis, as suggested by excessive tryptophan catabolism in the kynurenine pathway and significantly increased levels of sphingomyelins and ceramide species. We derived a 12-metabolite classifier to distinguish melioidosis from other infections, yielding an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.87 in a second validation set of patients. Melioidosis nonsurvivors (n = 94) had a significantly disturbed metabolome compared with survivors (n = 81), with increased leucine, isoleucine, and valine metabolism, and elevated circulating free fatty acids and acylcarnitines. A limited eight-metabolite panel showed promise as an early prognosticator of mortality in melioidosis. Conclusions: Melioidosis induces a distinct metabolomic state that can be examined to distinguish underlying pathophysiological mechanisms associated with death. A 12-metabolite signature accurately differentiates melioidosis from other infections and may have diagnostic applications.

Excess Mortality Attributable to Hospital-Acquired Antimicrobial-Resistant Infections: A 2-Year Prospective Surveillance Study in Northeast Thailand.

Background: Quantifying the excess mortality attributable to antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacterial infections is important for assessing the potential benefit of preventive interventions and for prioritization of resources. However, there are few data from low- and middle-income countries. Methods: We conducted a 2-year prospective surveillance study to estimate the excess mortality attributable to AMR infections for all types of hospital-acquired infection (HAI), and included bacterial species that were both locally relevant and included in the World Health Organization priority list. Twenty-eight-day mortality was measured. Excess mortality and population attributable fraction (PAF) of mortality caused by AMR infections compared to antimicrobial-susceptible (AMS) infections, adjusted for predefined confounders, were calculated. Results: We enrolled 2043 patients with HAIs. The crude 28-day mortality of patients with AMR and AMS infections was 35.5% (491/1385) and 23.1% (152/658), respectively. After adjusting for prespecified confounders, the estimated excess mortality attributable to AMR infections was 7.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-13.2) percentage points. This suggests that 106 (95% CI, 30-182) deaths among 1385 patients with AMR infections might have been prevented if all of the AMR infections in this study were AMS infections. The overall PAF was 16.3% (95% CI, 1.2%-29.1%). Among the bacteria under evaluation, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii was responsible for the largest number of excess deaths. Among all types of infection, urinary tract infections were associated with the highest number of excess deaths, followed by lower respiratory tract infections and bloodstream infections. Conclusions: Estimating and monitoring excess mortality attributable to AMR infections should be included in national action plans to prioritize targets of preventive interventions. Clinical Trials Registration: NCT03411538.

Enhanced bedside mortality prediction combining point-of-care lactate and the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score in patients hospitalised with suspected infection in southeast Asia: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Simple, bedside prediction of infection-related mortality in low-resource settings is crucial for triage and resource-utilisation decisions. We aimed to evaluate mortality prediction by combining point-of-care venous lactate with the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) score in adult patients admitted to hospital with suspected infection in southeast Asia. METHODS: We performed a cohort study by prospectively enrolling patients aged 18 years or older who had been admitted to hospital within the previous 24 h for suspected infection (with at least three documented systemic manifestations of infection according to the 2012 Surviving Sepsis Campaign) at Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand (derivation cohort). Venous lactate concentration was determined by a point-of-care device and multiple scores were developed. We then evaluated candidate 28-day mortality prediction models combining qSOFA and the lactate scores. A final model was compared with the qSOFA score, a lactate score, and a modified Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score for mortality discrimination using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Mortality discrimination of the qSOFA-lactate score was then verified in an external, prospectively enrolled, multinational cohort in southeast Asia. FINDINGS: Between March 1, 2013, and Jan 26, 2017, 5001 patients were enrolled in the derivation cohort; 4980 had point-of-care lactate data available and were eligible for analysis, and 816 died within 28 days of enrolment. The discrimination for 28-day mortality prediction of a qSOFA-lactate score combining the qSOFA score and a lactate score was superior to that of the qSOFA score alone (AUROC 0·78 [95% CI 0·76-0·80] vs 0·68 [0·67-0·70]; p<0·0001) and similar to a modified SOFA score (0·77 [0·75-0·78]; p=0·088). A lactate score alone had superior discrimination compared with the qSOFA score (AUROC 0·76 [95% CI 0·74-0·78]; p<0·0001). 815 patients were enrolled in the external validation cohort and 792 had point-of-care lactate data and were included in the analysis; the qSOFA-lactate score (AUROC 0·77 [95% CI 0·73-0·82]) showed significantly improved 28-day mortality discrimination compared with the qSOFA score alone (0·69 [0·63-0·74]; p<0·0001). INTERPRETATION: In southeast Asia, rapid, bedside assessments based on point-of-care lactate concentration combined with the qSOFA score can identify patients at risk of sepsis-related mortality with greater accuracy than the qSOFA score alone, and with similar accuracy to a modified SOFA score. FUNDING: National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust.

Comparative clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with community acquired bacteremia caused by Escherichia coli, Burkholderia pseudomallei and Staphylococcus aureus: A prospective observational study (Ubon-sepsis).

BACKGROUND: Community acquired bacteremia (CAB) is a common cause of sepsis in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, knowledge about factors associated with outcomes of CAB in LMICs is limited. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A prospective observational study (Ubon-sepsis) of adults admitted to a referral hospital with community-acquired infection in Northeastern Thailand was conducted between March 1, 2013 and February 1, 2017. In the present analysis, patients with a blood culture collected within 24 hours of admission that was positive for one of the three most common pathogens were studied. Clinical features, management, and outcomes of patients with each cause of CAB were compared. Of 3,806 patients presenting with community-acquired sepsis, 155, 131 and 37 patients had a blood culture positive for Escherichia coli, Burkholderia pseudomallei and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Of these 323 CAB patients, 284 (89%) were transferred from other hospitals. 28-day mortality was highest in patients with B. pseudomallei bactaeremia (66%), followed by those with S. aureus bacteraemia (43%) and E. coli (19%) bacteraemia. In the multivariable Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, transfer from another hospital, empirical antibiotics prior to or during the transfer, and presence of organ dysfunction on admission, B. pseudomallei (aHR 3.78; 95%CI 2.31-6.21) and S. aureus (aHR 2.72; 95%CI 1.40-5.28) bacteraemias were associated with higher mortality compared to E. coli bacteraemia. Receiving empirical antibiotics recommended for CAB caused by the etiologic organism prior to or during transfer was associated with survival (aHR 0.58; 95%CI 0.38-0.88). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Mortality of patients with CAB caused by B. pseudomallei was higher than those caused by S. aureus and E. coli, even after adjusting for presence of organ dysfunction on admission and effectiveness of empirical antibiotics received. Improving algorithms or rapid diagnostic tests to guide early empirical antibiotic may be key to improving CAB outcomes in LMICs.

Effectiveness of a multifaceted prevention programme for melioidosis in diabetics (PREMEL): A stepped-wedge cluster-randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Melioidosis, an often-fatal infectious disease caused by the environmental Gram-negative bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei, is endemic in tropical countries. Diabetes mellitus and environmental exposure are important risk factors for melioidosis acquisition. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted prevention programme for melioidosis in diabetics in northeast Thailand. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: From April 2014 to December 2018, we conducted a stepped-wedge cluster-randomized controlled behaviour change trial in 116 primary care units (PCUs) in Ubon Ratchathani province, northeast Thailand. The intervention was a behavioural support group session to help diabetic patients adopt recommended behaviours, including wearing rubber boots and drinking boiled water. We randomly allocated the PCUs to receive the intervention starting in March 2016, 2017 and 2018. All diabetic patients were contacted by phone yearly, and the final follow-up was December 2018. Two primary outcomes were hospital admissions involving infectious diseases and culture-confirmed melioidosis. Of 9,056 diabetics enrolled, 6,544 (72%) received a behavioural support group session. During 38,457 person-years of follow-up, we observed 2,195 (24%) patients having 3,335 hospital admissions involved infectious diseases, 80 (0.8%) melioidosis, and 485 (5%) deaths. In the intention-to-treat analysis, implementation of the intervention was not associated with primary outcomes. In the per-protocol analysis, patients who received a behavioural support group session had lower incidence rates of hospital admissions involving infectious diseases (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.89; 95%CI 0.80-0.99, p = 0.03) and of all-cause mortality (IRR 0.54; 95%CI 0.43-0.68, p<0.001). However, the incidence rate of culture-confirmed melioidosis was not significantly lower (IRR 0.96, 95%CI 0.46-1.99, p = 0.66). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Clear benefits of this multifaceted prevention programme for melioidosis were not observed. More compelling invitations for the intervention, modification of or addition to the behaviour change techniques used, and more frequent intervention may be needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02089152.

Effect of Delays in Concordant Antibiotic Treatment on Mortality in Patients With Hospital-Acquired Acinetobacter Species Bacteremia: Emulating a Target Randomized Trial With a 13-Year Retrospective Cohort.

Delays in treating bacteremias with antibiotics to which the causative organism is susceptible are expected to adversely affect patient outcomes. Quantifying the impact of such delays to concordant treatment is important for decision-making about interventions to reduce the delays and for quantifying the burden of disease due to antimicrobial resistance. There are, however, potentially important biases to be addressed, including immortal time bias. We aimed to estimate the impact of delays in appropriate antibiotic treatment of patients with Acinetobacter species hospital-acquired bacteremia in Thailand on 30-day mortality by emulating a target trial using retrospective cohort data from Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital in 2003-2015. For each day, we defined treatment as concordant if the isolated organism was susceptible to at least 1 antibiotic given. Among 1,203 patients with Acinetobacter species hospital-acquired bacteremia, 682 had 1 or more days of delays to concordant treatment. Surprisingly, crude 30-day mortality was lower in patients with delays of ≥3 days compared with those who had 1-2 days of delays. Accounting for confounders and immortal time bias resolved this paradox. Emulating a target trial, we found that these delays were associated with an absolute increase in expected 30-day mortality of 6.6% (95% confidence interval: 0.2, 13.0), from 33.8% to 40.4%.

Effectiveness of a sepsis programme in a resource-limited setting: a retrospective analysis of data of a prospective observational study (Ubon-sepsis).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a Sepsis Fast Track (SFT) programme initiated at a regional referral hospital in Thailand in January 2015. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis using the data of a prospective observational study (Ubon-sepsis) from March 2013 to January 2017. SETTING: General medical wards and medical intensive care units (ICUs) of a study hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with community-acquired sepsis observed under the Ubon-sepsis cohort. Sepsis was defined as modified Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score ≥2. MAIN EXPOSURE: The SFT programme was a protocol to identify and initiate sepsis care on hospital admission, implemented at the study hospital in 2015. Patients in the SFT programme were admitted directly to the ICUs when available. The non-exposed group comprised of patients who received standard of care. MAIN OUTCOME: The primary outcome was 28-day mortality. The secondary outcomes were measured sepsis management interventions. RESULTS: Of 3806 sepsis patients, 903 (24%) were detected and enrolled in the SFT programme of the study hospital (SFT group) and 2903 received standard of care (non-exposed group). Patients in the SFT group had more organ dysfunction, were more likely to receive measured sepsis management and to be admitted directly to the ICU (19% vs 4%). Patients in the SFT group were more likely to survive (adjusted HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.88, p=0.001) adjusted for admission year, gender, age, comorbidities, modified SOFA Score and direct admission to the ICUs. CONCLUSIONS: The SFT programme is associated with improved sepsis care and lower risk of death in sepsis patients in rural Thailand, where some critical care resources are limited. The survival benefit is observed even when all patients enrolled in the programme could not be admitted directly into the ICUs. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02217592.

Role of Burkholderia pseudomallei-Specific IgG2 in Adults with Acute Melioidosis, Thailand.

Melioidosis is a life-threatening infectious disease caused by the gram-negative bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei. An effective vaccine is needed, but data on protective immune responses in human melioidosis are lacking. We used ELISA and an antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis assay to identify the major features of protective antibodies in patients with acute melioidosis in Thailand. We found that high levels of B. pseudomallei-specific IgG2 are associated with protection against death in a multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, diabetes, renal disease, and neutrophil count. Serum from melioidosis survivors enhanced bacteria uptake into human monocytes expressing FcγRIIa-H/R131, an intermediate-affinity IgG2-receptor, compared with serum from nonsurvivors. We did not find this enhancement when using monocytes carrying the low IgG2-affinity FcγRIIa-R131 allele. The findings indicate the importance of IgG2 in protection against death in human melioidosis, a crucial finding for antibody-based therapeutics and vaccine development.

A 2-Biomarker Model Augments Clinical Prediction of Mortality in Melioidosis.

BACKGROUND: Melioidosis, infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is a common cause of sepsis with high associated mortality in Southeast Asia. Identification of patients at high likelihood of clinical deterioration is important for guiding decisions about resource allocation and management. We sought to develop a biomarker-based model for 28-day mortality prediction in melioidosis. METHODS: In a derivation set (N = 113) of prospectively enrolled, hospitalized Thai patients with melioidosis, we measured concentrations of interferon-γ, interleukin-1ß, interleukin-6, interleukin-8, interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor-ɑ, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, and interleukin-17A. We used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression to identify a subset of predictive biomarkers and performed logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to evaluate biomarker-based prediction of 28-day mortality compared with clinical variables. We repeated select analyses in an internal validation set (N = 78) and in a prospectively enrolled external validation set (N = 161) of hospitalized adults with melioidosis. RESULTS: All 8 cytokines were positively associated with 28-day mortality. Of these, interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 were selected by LASSO regression. A model consisting of interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and clinical variables significantly improved 28-day mortality prediction over a model of only clinical variables [AUC (95% confidence interval [CI]): 0.86 (.79-.92) vs 0.78 (.69-.87); P = .01]. In both the internal validation set (0.91 [0.84-0.97]) and the external validation set (0.81 [0.74-0.88]), the combined model including biomarkers significantly improved 28-day mortality prediction over a model limited to clinical variables. CONCLUSIONS: A 2-biomarker model augments clinical prediction of 28-day mortality in melioidosis.

A Comparison Between 12 Versus 20 Weeks of Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole as Oral Eradication Treatment for Melioidosis: An Open-label, Pragmatic, Multicenter, Non-inferiority, Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of melioidosis comprises intravenous drugs for at least 10 days, followed by oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for 12 to 20 weeks. Oral TMP-SMX is recommended for 12 weeks in Australia and 20 weeks in Thailand. METHODS: For this open-label, pragmatic, multicenter, noninferiority, randomized controlled trial, we enrolled patients with culture-confirmed melioidosis who had received oral eradication treatment for 12 weeks and had no clinical evidence of active melioidosis. We randomly assigned patients to stop treatment (12-week regimen) or continue treatment for another 8 weeks (20-week regimen). The primary end point was culture-confirmed recurrent melioidosis within 1 year after enrollment. The noninferiority margin was a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.0. The secondary composite end point, combining overall recurrent melioidosis and mortality, was assessed post hoc. RESULTS: We enrolled 658 patients: 322 to the 12-week regimen and 336 to the 20-week regimen. There were 5 patients (2%) in the 12-week regimen and 2 patients (1%) in the 20-week regimen who developed culture-confirmed recurrent melioidosis (HR, 2.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], .52-13.69). The criterion for noninferiority of the primary event was not met (1-sided P = .37). However, all-cause mortality was significantly lower in the 12-week regimen group than in the 20-week regimen group (1 [.3%] vs 11 [3%], respectively; HR, 0.10; 95% CI, .01-.74). The criterion for noninferiority of the secondary composite end point, combining overall recurrent melioidosis and mortality, was met (1-sided P = .022). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the lower total mortality and noninferiority of the secondary composite end point observed, we recommend the 12-week regimen of TMP-SMX for oral eradication treatment of melioidosis. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT01420341.

Impact of low blood culture usage on rates of antimicrobial resistance.

OBJECTIVES: The magnitude of impact caused by low blood culture utilization on estimates of the proportions and incidence rates of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacterial infections is largely unknown. METHODS: We used routine electronic databases of microbiology, hospital admission and drug prescription at Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, from 2011 to 2015, and bootstrap simulations. RESULTS: The proportions of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteraemias caused by 3rd generation cephalosporin resistant isolates (3GCREC and 3GCRKP) were estimated to increase by 13 and 24 percentage points (from 44% to 57% and from 51% to 75%), respectively, if blood culture utilization rate was reduced from 82 to 26 blood culture specimens per 1,000 patient-days. Among patients with hospital-origin bloodstream infections, the proportion of 3GCREC and 3GCRKP whose first positive blood culture was taken within ±1 calendar day of the start of a parenteral antibiotic at the study hospital was substantially lower than those whose first positive blood culture was taken later into parenteral antibiotic treatment (30% versus 79%, p<0.001; and 37% versus 86%, p<0.001). Similar effects were observed for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. CONCLUSION: Impacts of low blood culture utilization rate on the estimated proportions and incidence rates of AMR infections could be high. We recommend that AMR surveillance reports should additionally include blood culture utilization rate and stratification by exposure to a parenteral antibiotic at the hospital.

Automating the Generation of Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Reports: Proof-of-Concept Study Involving Seven Hospitals in Seven Countries.

BACKGROUND: Reporting cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility testing data on a regular basis is crucial to inform antimicrobial resistance (AMR) action plans at local, national, and global levels. However, analyzing data and generating a report are time consuming and often require trained personnel. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop and test an application that can support a local hospital to analyze routinely collected electronic data independently and generate AMR surveillance reports rapidly. METHODS: An offline application to generate standardized AMR surveillance reports from routinely available microbiology and hospital data files was written in the R programming language (R Project for Statistical Computing). The application can be run by double clicking on the application file without any further user input. The data analysis procedure and report content were developed based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization Global Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (WHO GLASS). The application was tested on Microsoft Windows 10 and 7 using open access example data sets. We then independently tested the application in seven hospitals in Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. RESULTS: We developed the AutoMated tool for Antimicrobial resistance Surveillance System (AMASS), which can support clinical microbiology laboratories to analyze their microbiology and hospital data files (in CSV or Excel format) onsite and promptly generate AMR surveillance reports (in PDF and CSV formats). The data files could be those exported from WHONET or other laboratory information systems. The automatically generated reports contain only summary data without patient identifiers. The AMASS application is downloadable from https://www.amass.website/. The participating hospitals tested the application and deposited their AMR surveillance reports in an open access data repository. CONCLUSIONS: The AMASS is a useful tool to support the generation and sharing of AMR surveillance reports.

Serum From Melioidosis Survivors Diminished Intracellular Burkholderia pseudomallei Growth in Macrophages: A Brief Research Report.

Melioidosis is a neglected tropical disease with high mortality rate. It is caused by the Gram-negative, CDC category B select agent Burkholderia pseudomallei (B. ps) that is intrinsically resistant to first-line antibiotics. An antibody-based vaccine is likely to be the most effective control measure. Previous studies have demonstrated significant mechanistic roles of antibodies in protection against death in animal models, but data from human melioidosis is scarce. Herein, we used in-vitro antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis and growth inhibition assays to assess the mechanism of protective antibodies in patients with acute melioidosis. We found that serum from patients who survived the disease enable more live B. ps to be engulfed by THP-1 derived macrophages (median 1.7 × 103 CFU/ml, IQR 1.1 × 103-2.5 × 103 CFU/ml) than serum from patients who did not survive (median 1.2 × 103 CFU/ml, IQR 0.7 × 103-1.8 × 103, p = 0.02). In addition, the intracellular growth rate of B. ps pre-opsonized with serum from survivors (median 7.89, IQR 5.58-10.85) was diminished when compared with those with serum from non-survivors (median 10.88, IQR 5.42-14.88, p = 0.04). However, the difference of intracellular bacterial growth rate failed to reach statistical significance when using purified IgG antibodies (p = 0.09). These results provide new insights into a mechanistic role of serum in protection against death in human melioidosis for antibody-based vaccine development.

Lactoferrin is a dynamic protein in human melioidosis and is a TLR4-dependent driver of TNF-α release in Burkholderia thailandensis infection in vitro.

Melioidosis is an often-severe tropical infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) with high associated morbidity and mortality. Burkholderia thailandensis (Bt) is a closely related surrogate that does not require BSL-3 conditions for study. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein that can modulate the innate inflammatory response. Here we investigated the impact of lactoferrin on the host immune response in melioidosis. Lactoferrin concentrations were measured in plasma from patients with melioidosis and following ex vivo stimulation of blood from healthy individuals. Bt growth was quantified in liquid media in the presence of purified and recombinant human lactoferrin. Differentiated THP-1 cells and human blood monocytes were infected with Bt in the presence of purified and recombinant human lactoferrin, and bacterial intracellular replication and cytokine responses (tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß and interferon-γ) were measured. In a cohort of 49 melioidosis patients, non-survivors to 28 days had significantly higher plasma lactoferrin concentrations compared to survivors (median (interquartile range (IQR)): 326 ng/ml (230-748) vs 144 ng/ml (99-277), p<0.001). In blood stimulated with heat-killed Bp, plasma lactoferrin concentration significantly increased compared to unstimulated blood (median (IQR): 424 ng/ml (349-479) vs 130 ng/ml (91-214), respectively; p<0.001). Neither purified nor recombinant human lactoferrin impaired growth of Bt in media. Lactoferrin significantly increased TNF-α production by differentiated THP-1 cells and blood monocytes after Bt infection. This phenotype was largely abrogated when Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was blocked with a monoclonal antibody. In sum, lactoferrin is produced by blood cells after exposure to Bp and lactoferrin concentrations are higher in 28-day survivors in melioidosis. Lactoferrin induces proinflammatory cytokine production after Bt infection that may be TLR4 dependent.

sTREM-1 predicts mortality in hospitalized patients with infection in a tropical, middle-income country.

BACKGROUND: Few studies of biomarkers as predictors of outcome in infection have been performed in tropical, low- and middle-income countries where the burden of sepsis is highest. We evaluated whether selected biomarkers could predict 28-day mortality in infected patients in rural Thailand. METHODS: Four thousand nine hundred eighty-nine adult patients admitted with suspected infection to a referral hospital in northeast Thailand were prospectively enrolled within 24 h of admission. In a secondary analysis of 760 patients, interleukin-8 (IL-8), soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (sTNFR-1), angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), and soluble triggering receptor expressed by myeloid cells 1 (sTREM-1) were measured in the plasma. Association with 28-day mortality was evaluated using regression; a parsimonious biomarker model was selected using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method. Discrimination of mortality was assessed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and verified by multiple methods. RESULTS: IL-8, sTNFR-1, Ang-2, and sTREM-1 concentrations were strongly associated with death. LASSO identified a three-biomarker model of sTREM-1, Ang-2, and IL-8, but sTREM-1 alone provided comparable mortality discrimination (p = 0.07). sTREM-1 alone was comparable to a model of clinical variables (area under receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] 0.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77-0.85 vs AUC 0.79, 95% CI 0.74-0.84; p = 0.43). The combination of sTREM-1 and clinical variables yielded greater mortality discrimination than clinical variables alone (AUC 0.83, 95% CI 0.79-0.87; p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: sTREM-1 predicts mortality from infection in a tropical, middle-income country comparably to a model derived from clinical variables and, when combined with clinical variables, can further augment mortality prediction. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Ubon-sepsis study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT02217592 ), 2014.

Human Immune Responses to Melioidosis and Cross-Reactivity to Low-Virulence Burkholderia Species, Thailand1.

Melioidosis is a neglected tropical disease with an estimated annual mortality rate of 89,000 in 45 countries across tropical regions. The causative agent is Burkholderia pseudomallei, a gram-negative soil-dwelling bacterium. In Thailand, B. pseudomallei can be found across multiple regions, along with the low-virulence B. thailandensis and the recently discovered B. thailandensis variant (BTCV), which expresses B. pseudomallei-like capsular polysaccharide. Comprehensive studies of human immune responses to B. thailandensis variants and cross-reactivity to B. pseudomallei are not complete. We evaluated human immune responses to B. pseudomallei, B. thailandensis, and BTCV in melioidosis patients and healthy persons in B. pseudomallei-endemic areas using a range of humoral and cellular immune assays. We found immune cross-reactivity to be strong for both humoral and cellular immunity among B. pseudomallei, B. thailandensis, and BTCV. Our findings suggest that environmental exposure to low-virulence strains may build cellular immunity to B. pseudomallei.

Early management of sepsis in medical patients in rural Thailand: a single-center prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: The burden of sepsis is highest in low- and middle-income countries, though the management of sepsis in these settings is poorly characterized. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the early management of sepsis in Thailand. METHODS: Pre-planned analysis of the Ubon-sepsis study, a single-center prospective cohort study of Thai adults admitted to the general medical wards and medical intensive care units (ICUs) of a regional referral hospital with community-acquired sepsis. RESULTS: Between March 2013 and January 2017, 3,716 patients with sepsis were enrolled. The median age was 59 years (IQR 44-72, range 18-101), 58% were male, and 88% were transferred from other hospitals. Eighty-six percent of patients (N = 3,206) were evaluated in the Emergency Department (ED), where median length of stay was less than 1 hour. Within the first day of admission, most patients (83%, N = 3,089) were admitted to the general medical wards, while 17% were admitted to the ICUs. Patients admitted to the ICUs had similar age, gender, and comorbidities, but had more organ dysfunction and were more likely to receive measured sepsis management interventions. Overall, 84% (N = 3,136) had blood cultures ordered and 89% (N = 3,308) received antibiotics within the first day of hospital admission. Among the 3,089 patients admitted to the general medical wards, 38% (N = 1,165) received an adrenergic agent, and 21% (N = 650) received invasive mechanical ventilation. Overall mortality at 28 days was 21% (765/3,716), and 28-day mortality in patients admitted to the ICUs was higher than that in patients admitted to the general medical wards within the first day (42% [263/627] vs. 16% [502/3,089], p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Sepsis in a regional referral hospital in rural Thailand, where some critical care resources are limited, is commonly managed on general medical wards despite high rates of respiratory failure and shock. Enhancing sepsis care in the ED and general wards, as well as improving access to ICUs, may be beneficial in reducing mortality. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Ubon-sepsis study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02217592).

Utility of qSOFA and modified SOFA in severe malaria presenting as sepsis.

Sepsis can be caused by malaria infection, but little is known about the utility of the quick Sequential (Sepsis-Related) Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) and SOFA score in malaria. We conducted a prospective observational study from March 2013 to February 2017 to examine adults admitted with community-acquired infection in a tertiary-care hospital in Ubon Ratchathani, Northeast Thailand (Ubon-sepsis). Subjects were classified as having sepsis if they had a modified SOFA score ≥2 within 24 hours of admission. Serum was stored and later tested for malaria parasites using a nested PCR assay. Presence of severe malaria was defined using modified World Health Organization criteria. Of 4,989 patients enrolled, 153 patients (3%) were PCR positive for either Plasmodium falciparum (74 [48%]), P. vivax (69 [45%]), or both organisms (10 [7%]). Of 153 malaria patients, 80 were severe malaria patients presenting with sepsis, 70 were non-severe malaria patients presenting with sepsis, and three were non-severe malaria patients presenting without sepsis. The modified SOFA score (median 5; IQR 4-6; range 1-18) was strongly correlated with malaria severity determined by the number of World Health Organization severity criteria satisfied by the patient (Spearman's rho = 0.61, p<0.001). Of 80 severe malaria patients, 2 (2.5%), 11 (14%), 62 (77.5%) and 5 (6%), presented with qSOFA scores of 0, 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Twenty eight-day mortality was 1.3% (2/153). In conclusion, qSOFA and SOFA can serve as markers of disease severity in adults with malarial sepsis. Patients presenting with a qSOFA score of 1 may also require careful evaluation for sepsis; including diagnosis of cause of infection, initiation of medical intervention, and consideration for referral as appropriate.