Blood culture contamination rate in an intensive care setting: Effectiveness of an education-based intervention.

Background: Blood culture (BC) contamination rate is an indicator of quality of care scarcely explored in intensive care units (ICUs). We analyzed the BC contamination rate in our ICU to assess the effectiveness of an education-based intervention.

Methods: We conducted an interventional study with concurrent controls.

[Native valve Aspergillus fumigatus endocarditis with blood culture positive and negative for galactomannan antigen. Case report and literature review].

Native valve endocarditis caused by Aspergillus spp. is an uncommon disease with a high mortality rate. Generally, Aspergillus is isolated from affected valve in post-mortem or biopsy specimens.

Group A streptococcal bacteremia: outcome and prognostic factors.

In the last two decades, an increase in the incidence of invasive group A streptococcus (GAS) infections has been reported. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics and the natural history of GAS bacteremias at our hospital by performing a retrospective study of all cases of GAS bacteremia diagnosed at our University hospital from 1994 to 2003. We reported 42 cases of GAS bacteremia (27 men, mean age 42.

[Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome: ten years' experience at a tertiary hospital].

Introduction: In the last two decades there has been a reported increase in the incidence of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). The objective of this study was to determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of this infection.

Methods: Retrospective study of all cases of STSS diagnosed at a single tertiary hospital over the last ten years.