Streptokinase reduces Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis biofilm formation.

Background: Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) is increasingly recognized as an emerging cause of invasive diseases including necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTIs). In contrast to the closely related Streptococcus pyogenes, SDSE infections mainly affect older and comorbid patients. Biofilm formation has been demonstrated in soft tissue biopsies of S.

Clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes for elderly patients in a dedicated Covid-19 ward at a primary health care facility in western Norway: a retrospective observational study.

Background: The coronavirus pandemic has hit the oldest and frailest individuals hard, particularly patients and residents in nursing homes. In March 2020, we established a Covid-19 ward at a nursing home in Bergen, western Norway for elderly patients with Sars-CoV-2 infection and in the need of treatment and care in a primary health care facility. The aims of this study were to describe the organization of the ward, the clinical outcomes of infection, treatment, mortality rates in the population, the level of advanced care planning, and end-of-life care for those who died.

Antimicrobial resistance patterns in in a One Health perspective.

Background: (SD) is an important pathogen in humans as well as in a broad range of animal species. Escalating rates of antibiotic resistance in SD has been reported in both human and veterinary clinical practice, but the dissemination of resistance determinants has so far never been examined in a One Health Perspective. We wanted to explore the occurrence of zoonotic transmission of SD and the potential for exchange of resistance traits between SD from different host populations.

Epidemiological and microbial trends of infective endocarditis in western Norway: a 7-year prospective observational study.

Background: In this prospective, observational study, we aimed to investigate epidemiologic and microbial trends of infective endocarditis in western Norway.

Methods: Clinical and microbiological characteristics of 497 cases of infective endocarditis from 2016 through 2022 were investigated. Categorical data were analysed using Chi-squared tests.

Areas of consensus on unwarranted and warranted transfers between nursing homes and emergency care facilities in Norway: a Delphi study.

Background: Transferring residents from nursing homes (NHs) to emergency care facilities (ECFs) is often questioned as many are terminally ill and have access to onsite care. While some NH to ECF transfers have merit, avoiding other transfers may benefit residents and reduce healthcare system costs and provider burden. Despite many years of research in this area, differentiating warranted (i.

SARS-CoV-2 specific immune responses in overweight and obese COVID-19 patients.

Obesity is a known risk factor for severe respiratory tract infections. In this prospective study, we assessed the impact of being obese or overweight on longitudinal SARS-CoV-2 humoral and cellular responses up to 18 months after infection. 274 patients provided blood samples at regular time intervals up to 18 months including obese (BMI ≥30, n=32), overweight (BMI 25-29.

A new pathway for penicillin delabeling in Norway.

Background: Penicillin allergy is self-reported by 3-10% of patients admitted to hospital. The label is wrong in 90% of the cases and has severe health implications. Penicillin-delabeling can reverse the negative effects of the label, and pathways adapted to local practice are needed.

Streptococcus dysgalactiae Bloodstream Infections, Norway, 1999-2021.

Streptococcus dysgalactiae increasingly is recognized as a pathogen of concern for human health. However, longitudinal surveillance data describing temporal trends of S. dysgalactiae are scarce.

SARS CoV-2 Infection among Health Care Workers from Different Health Care Facilities in Western Norway: A Prospective, Cross-Sectional Study.

Comparative data on COVID-19 among health care workers (HCWs) in different health care settings are scarce. This study investigated the rates of previous COVID-19 among HCWs in nursing homes, hospitals and a municipal emergency room (ER). We prospectively included 747 HCWs: 313 from nursing homes, 394 from hospitals and 40 from the ER.

Respiratory dysfunction three months after severe COVID-19 is associated with gut microbiota alterations.

Background: Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is primarily a respiratory infection, mounting evidence suggests that the gastrointestinal tract is involved in the disease, with gut barrier dysfunction and gut microbiota alterations being related to disease severity. Whether these alterations persist and are related to long-term respiratory dysfunction remains unknown.

Methods: Plasma was collected during hospital admission and after 3 months from the NOR-Solidarity trial (n = 181) and analyzed for markers of gut barrier dysfunction and inflammation.

Persistent pulmonary pathology after COVID-19 is associated with high viral load, weak antibody response, and high levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9.

The association between pulmonary sequelae and markers of disease severity, as well as pro-fibrotic mediators, were studied in 108 patients 3 months after hospital admission for COVID-19. The COPD assessment test (CAT-score), spirometry, diffusion capacity of the lungs (DL), and chest-CT were performed at 23 Norwegian hospitals included in the NOR-SOLIDARITY trial, an open-labelled, randomised clinical trial, investigating the efficacy of remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Thirty-eight percent had a CAT-score ≥ 10.

Delirium screening with 4AT in patients aged 65 years and older admitted to the Emergency Department with suspected sepsis: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: We aimed to study the use of The 4 'A's test (4AT), a rapid delirium screening tool, performed upon Emergency Department (ED) admission, and to characterize older patients admitted to the ED with and without sepsis in terms of delirium features.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we included patients aged ≥ 65 years, admitted to the ED with suspected sepsis. ED nurses and doctors performed delirium screening with 4AT within two hours after ED admission, and registered the time spent on the screening in each case.

Lower antibiotic prescription rates in hospitalized COVID-19 patients than influenza patients, a prospective study.

Background: COVID-19 patients are extensively treated with antibiotics despite few bacterial complications. We aimed to study antibiotic use in hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared to influenza patients in two consecutive years. Furthermore, we investigated changes in antibiotic use from the first to second pandemic wave.

Evaluation of the Effects of Remdesivir and Hydroxychloroquine on Viral Clearance in COVID-19 : A Randomized Trial.

Background: New treatment modalities are urgently needed for patients with COVID-19. The World Health Organization (WHO) Solidarity trial showed no effect of remdesivir or hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) on mortality, but the antiviral effects of these drugs are not known.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of remdesivir and HCQ on all-cause, in-hospital mortality; the degree of respiratory failure and inflammation; and viral clearance in the oropharynx.

Long COVID in a prospective cohort of home-isolated patients.

Long-term complications after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are common in hospitalized patients, but the spectrum of symptoms in milder cases needs further investigation. We conducted a long-term follow-up in a prospective cohort study of 312 patients-247 home-isolated and 65 hospitalized-comprising 82% of total cases in Bergen during the first pandemic wave in Norway. At 6 months, 61% (189/312) of all patients had persistent symptoms, which were independently associated with severity of initial illness, increased convalescent antibody titers and pre-existing chronic lung disease.

Nursing home deaths after COVID-19 vaccination.

Background: In the period 27 December 2020 to 15 February 2021, about 29 400 of Norway's roughly 35 000 nursing home patients were vaccinated with the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2. During the same period, the Norwegian Medicines Agency received 100 reports of suspected fatal adverse reactions to the vaccine. An expert group has examined the reports and assessed the extent of a causal link between vaccination and death.

Outbreak of COVID-19 at three nursing homes in Bergen.

Background: Nursing home residents are generally old and frail, and at high risk that COVID-19 will take a serious course. Outbreaks of COVID-19 have not previously been described in Norway, and it is important to identify mechanisms for spread of the infection and course of disease for nursing home residents with this pandemic disease.

Material And Method: We included residents from three nursing homes with outbreaks of COVID-19 in a retrospective observational study, and we retrieved information on the number of staff for whom SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed or who were placed in quarantine.

Emerging Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance in β-Hemolytic Streptococci.

Highly variable resistance rates to erythromycin and clindamycin have been reported in the β-hemolytic streptococcal species , , and , depending on geographic and temporal context. In the present study we aimed to examine the longitudinal trends of antimicrobial resistance in these three species in a northern European setting. Furthermore, we used whole genome sequencing to identify resistance determinants and the mobile genetic elements involved in their dissemination, as well as elucidate phylogenetic relationships.