A pseudo-outbreak of MRSA due to laboratory contamination related to MRSA carriage of a laboratory staff member.

Background: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major burden for hospitals globally. However, in the Netherlands, the MRSA prevalence is relatively low due to the 'search and destroy' policy. Routine multiple-locus variable-number of tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) of MRSA isolates supports outbreak detection.

Successful containment of two vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) outbreaks in a Dutch teaching hospital using environmental sampling and whole-genome sequencing.

Background: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) may cause nosocomial outbreaks. This article describes all VRE carriers that were identified in 2018 at Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands.

Aim: To investigate the genetic relatedness of VRE isolates and the possibility of a common environmental reservoir using environmental sampling and whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Development of a SARS-CoV-2 Total Antibody Assay and the Dynamics of Antibody Response over Time in Hospitalized and Nonhospitalized Patients with COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 infections often cause only mild disease that may evoke relatively low Ab titers compared with patients admitted to hospitals. Generally, total Ab bridging assays combine good sensitivity with high specificity. Therefore, we developed sensitive total Ab bridging assays for detection of SARS-CoV-2 Abs to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and nucleocapsid protein in addition to conventional isotype-specific assays.

The burden of bacteremic and non-bacteremic Gram-negative infections: A prospective multicenter cohort study in a low-resistance country.

Objectives There is a global increase in infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria. The majority of research is on bacteremic Gram-negative infections (GNI), leaving a knowledge gap on the burden of non-bacteremic GNI. Our aim is to describe characteristics and determine the burden of bacteremic and non-bacteremic GNI in hospitalized patients in the Netherlands.

COVID-19 in health-care workers in three hospitals in the south of the Netherlands: a cross-sectional study.

Background: 10 days after the first reported case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the Netherlands (on Feb 27, 2020), 55 (4%) of 1497 health-care workers in nine hospitals located in the south of the Netherlands had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. We aimed to gain insight in possible sources of infection in health-care workers.

Methods: We did a cross-sectional study at three of the nine hospitals located in the south of the Netherlands.

[COVID-19: patient zero in the Netherlands].

Background: Since December 2019, the world is captivated by SARS-CoV-2, a new coronavirus that shows a lot of similaritieswith previous coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS. Although it was initially seen mainly in China and the surrounding countries, now it also reached Europe, where a large region in northern Italy, in particular, encountered many infections.

Case Description: Here we describe the first Dutch patient with COVID-19, a 56-year-old man whose infection appeared to be related to a trip to Northern Italy one week before presentation.

Within-patient plasmid dynamics in Klebsiella pneumoniae during an outbreak of a carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Introduction: Knowledge of within-patient dynamics of resistance plasmids during outbreaks is important for understanding the persistence and transmission of plasmid-mediated antimicrobial resistance. During an outbreak of a Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing (KPC) K. pneumoniae, the plasmid and chromosomal dynamics of K.

[The first 100 COVID-19 patients admitted to the Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands].

Here we describe the characteristics of the first 100 laboratory confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to the Elisabeth-Tweesteden Hospital (Tilburg, The Netherlands). The median age was 72 years, 67% was male, approximately 80% had co-morbidity, approximately 50% of which consisted of hypertension, cardiac and or pulmonary conditions and 25% diabetes. At admission 61% of patients had fever and about 50% presented at day 6 or more after onset of symptoms.

Short-course aminoglycosides as adjunctive empirical therapy in patients with Gram-negative bloodstream infection, a cohort study.

Objective: Short-course aminoglycosides as adjunctive empirical therapy to β-lactams in patients with a clinical suspicion of sepsis are used to broaden antibiotic susceptibility coverage and to enhance bacterial killing. We quantified the impact of this approach on 30-day mortality in a subset of sepsis patients with a Gram-negative bloodstream infection.

Methods: From a prospective cohort study conducted in seven hospitals in the Netherlands between June 2013 and November 2015, we selected all patients with Gram-negative bloodstream infection (GN-BSI).

Rapid assessment of regional SARS-CoV-2 community transmission through a convenience sample of healthcare workers, the Netherlands, March 2020.

To rapidly assess possible community transmission in Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands, healthcare workers (HCW) with mild respiratory complaints and without epidemiological link (contact with confirmed case or visited areas with active circulation) were tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Within 2 days, 1,097 HCW in nine hospitals were tested; 45 (4.1%) were positive.

Contact precautions in single-bed or multiple-bed rooms for patients with extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in Dutch hospitals: a cluster-randomised, crossover, non-inferiority study.

Background: Use of single-bed rooms for control of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae is under debate; the added value when applying contact precautions has not been shown. We aimed to assess whether an isolation strategy of contact precautions in a multiple-bed room was non-inferior to a strategy of contact precautions in a single-bed room for preventing transmission of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Methods: We did a cluster-randomised, crossover, non-inferiority study on medical and surgical wards of 16 Dutch hospitals.

Added diagnostic value of broad-range 16S PCR on periprosthetic tissue and clinical specimens from other normally sterile body sites.

Aims: Evaluation of 16S PCR in addition to the standard culture to improve the pathogen detection rate in clinical specimens.

Methods And Results: Microbiological culture and direct 16S PCR was performed on specimens from suspected prosthetic joint infection patients (cohort-1) and on tissues and fluids from other normally sterile body sites (cohort-2). Based on clinical and microbiological data, the detection rate for both methods was assessed, assuming no superiority of either 16S PCR or culture.

Culturing periprosthetic tissue in blood culture bottles results in isolation of additional microorganisms.

Despite low sensitivity, culture of periprosthetic tissue (PPT) specimens on agars and in broths has traditionally been used for the detection of causative microorganisms in patients suspected for prosthetic joint infection (PJI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the added diagnostic value of culturing PPT in blood culture bottles (BCB) over the conventional combination of standard agar and broth alone. This prospective cohort study was conducted over a 12-month period and included consecutive patients undergoing revision arthroplasty.

Spatial clustering and livestock exposure as risk factor for community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection.

Objectives: Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) account for 1.5% of diarrhoeic episodes in patients attending a general practitioner in the Netherlands, but its sources are unknown. We searched for community clusters to recognize localized point sources of CDI.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) polymerase chain reaction assay on rectal swabs and enrichment broth for detection of ESBL carriage.

Background: Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) screening and contact precautions on patients at high risk for ESBL carriage are considered important infection control measures. Since contact precautions are costly and may negatively impact patient care, rapid exclusion of ESBL carriage and therefore earlier discontinuation of contact precautions are desired.

Aim: In the present study, the performance of an ESBL polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting blaCTX-M genes was evaluated as a screening assay for ESBL carriage.

Shortening the incubation time for the combination disk diffusion extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) confirmation test: how far can we go?

The combination disk diffusion extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) confirmation test (CDT) is used for the confirmation of ESBL production in Enterobacteriaceae and usually takes 16-20 h to results. In this study, we searched for the shortest possible incubation time without a reduction in reliability. A total of 125 ESBL screening-positive isolates were subjected to CDT and were molecularly characterised by microarray.

Shortening the incubation time for antimicrobial susceptibility testing by disk diffusion for Enterobacteriaceae: how short can it be and are the results accurate?

The standard incubation time for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) by disk diffusion is primarily based on laboratory working hours rather than growth and kill characteristics of bacteria. Faster AST results could result in better patient outcomes and reduced costs by initiating earlier appropriate therapy. The earliest possible reading moment for disk diffusion using established disk zone diameter breakpoints for Enterobacteriaceae was determined with a special focus on the accuracy of the results.

The role of systemic antibiotics in acquiring respiratory tract colonization with gram-negative bacteria in intensive care patients: a nested cohort study.

Objective: Colonization of the respiratory tract with Gram-negative bacteria in intensive care patients increases the risk of subsequent infections. Application of systemic antibiotics may prevent colonization with Gram-negative bacteria, but this effect has never been quantified. The objective of this study was to determine associations between systemic antibiotic use and acquisition of respiratory tract colonization with Gram-negative bacteria in ICUs.

Diarrhoea in general practice: when should a Clostridium difficile infection be considered? Results of a nested case-control study.

Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) are frequent in hospitals, but also seem to increase in the community. Here, we aim to determine the incidence of CDI in general practice and to evaluate current testing algorithms for CDI. Three Dutch laboratories tested all unformed faeces (12,714) for C.

[Meningitis after a mouse bite].

Background: Infection with the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus is a human zoonosis caused by a rodent-borne arenavirus and is often seen in autumn and winter when mice retreat into houses. Infection in humans is acquired after inhalation of aerosols or direct contact with excreta of an infected rodent.

Case Description: A 37-year-old woman was referred to St.

Rapid clearance of Giardia lamblia DNA from the gut after successful treatment.

To assess the time it takes for a real-time PCR to become negative after treatment of a Giardia lamblia infection, we evaluated two consecutive follow-up samples from 75 infected patients. Approximately 1 week after treatment all samples tested negative, indicating rapid clearance of parasitic DNA after successful treatment.

Secular trends in nosocomial bloodstream infections: antibiotic-resistant bacteria increase the total burden of infection.

Background: It is unknown whether rising incidence rates of nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs) caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) replace antibiotic-susceptible bacteria (ASB), leaving the total BSI rate unaffected.

Methods: We investigated temporal trends in annual incidence densities (events per 100 000 patient-days) of nosocomial BSIs caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), ARB other than MRSA, and ASB in 7 ARB-endemic and 7 ARB-nonendemic hospitals between 1998 and 2007.

Results: 33 130 nosocomial BSIs (14% caused by ARB) yielded 36 679 microorganisms.

Report of two in situ reconstructions with a saphenous spiral vein graft of Coxiella burnetii-infected aneurysms of the abdominal aorta.

Coxiella burnetii is a rare cause of vascular infections. Yet, Q fever is endemic in the southern part of The Netherlands. This report describes two patients--from the southern part of The Netherlands--with infected aneurysms of the abdominal aorta caused by Coxiella burnetii.