Mixed Bacterial Growth in Prenatal Urine Cultures; An Investigation into Prevalence, Contributory Factors and the Impact of education-based Interventions.

Purpose: Undiagnosed urinary tract infections (UTIs) in pregnancy are associated with adverse perinatal outcome. Urine microbiology cultures reported as 'mixed bacterial growth' (MBG) frequently present a diagnostic dilemma for healthcare providers. We investigated external factors contributing to elevated rates of (MBG) within a large tertiary maternity centre in London, UK, and assessed the efficacy of health service interventions to mitigate these.

Urogenital tuberculosis - epidemiology, pathogenesis and clinical features.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common cause of death from infectious disease worldwide. A substantial proportion of patients presenting with extrapulmonary TB have urogenital TB (UG-TB), which can easily be overlooked owing to non-specific symptoms, chronic and cryptic protean clinical manifestations, and lack of clinician awareness of the possibility of TB. Delay in diagnosis results in disease progression, irreversible tissue and organ damage and chronic renal failure.

The critically ill patient with tuberculosis in intensive care: Clinical presentations, management and infection control.

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide. In 2016, there were 490,000 cases of multi-drug resistant TB globally. Over 2 billion people have asymptomatic latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

Attitudes and Behaviours to Antimicrobial Prescribing following Introduction of a Smartphone App.

Objectives: Our hospital replaced the format for delivering portable antimicrobial prescribing guidance from a paper-based pocket guide to a smartphone application (app). We used this opportunity to assess the relationship between its use and the attitudes and behaviours of antimicrobial prescribers.

Methods: We used 2 structured cross-sectional questionnaires issued just prior to and 3 months following the launch of the smartphone app.

Atypical pneumonia.

Purpose Of Review: We present the key advances in the infections that clinicians conventionally associate with atypical pneumonia: legionellosis, Mycoplasma pneumonia, Chlamydophila species pneumonia and Q fever.

Recent Findings: There have been significant developments in molecular diagnosis to include Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae in multiplex PCR of respiratory specimens. There are diagnostic challenges in distinguishing carriage from infection, which is recognized in C.

Thoracic empyema: a 12-year study from a UK tertiary cardiothoracic referral centre.

Background: Empyema is an increasingly frequent clinical problem worldwide, and has substantial morbidity and mortality. Our objectives were to identify the clinical, surgical and microbiological features, and management outcomes, of empyema.

Methods: A retrospective observational study over 12 years (1999-2010) was carried out at The Heart Hospital, London, United Kingdom.

Isolation prioritization tool: revision, adaptation and application.

The provision of single rooms for the care of patients who require isolation may not match the number required. Placing patients in isolation facilities may have an effect on their psychological wellbeing and the quality of care delivered. To ensure a rational and consistent approach to the prioritization of single room usage, an existing prioritization system was revised.

Thoracic empyema: current opinions in medical and surgical management.

Purpose Of Review: Empyema is defined as pus in the thoracic cavity due to pleural space infection and has a multifactorial underlying cause, although a majority of them are post-bacterial pneumonia caused by tuberculosis or by infection following penetrating chest injuries or surgical procedures. It is still associated with significant morbidity and mortality in adults and children despite optimal management according to current guidelines. Historically, empyema management has been empirical, but more recent data are leading to more focused management guidelines.