Shortening the Time of the Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing on Positive Blood Cultures with MALDI-TOF MS.

The current processes used in clinical microbiology laboratories take ~24 h for incubation to identify the bacteria after the blood culture has been confirmed as positive and fa further ~24 h to report the results of antimicrobial susceptibility tests (ASTs). Patients with suspected bloodstream infection are treated with empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics but delayed targeted antimicrobial therapy. This study aimed to develop a method with a significantly shortened turnaround time for clinical application by identifying the optimal incubation period of a subculture.

Ceftazidime-Avibactam versus Meropenem for the Treatment of Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections.

This study reports an integrated analysis of three randomized controlled trials to compare the clinical efficacies and safety of the ceftazidime-avibactam (CAZ-AVI) combination and meropenem in the treatment of adult patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs). Overall, a total of 1677 patients (CAZ-AVI: 835 patients; meropenem: 842 patients) were included in this analysis. CAZ-AVI had a clinical cure rate at test of cure in the clinically evaluable (CE) population similar to that of meropenem (OR, 0.

Higher mortality of severe influenza patients with probable aspergillosis than those with and without other coinfections.

Background/purpose: Aspergillus-associated infection might comprise up to 23-29% of severe influenza patients from the community throughout stay in an intensive care unit (ICU). In Taiwan, cases of severe influenza with aspergillosis are increasingly reported. Therefore, we describe the relative risk of mortality among severe influenza patients with aspergillosis and other coinfections compared to severe influenza patients without Aspergillus coinfections.

High-level ambient particulate matter before influenza attack with increased incidence of Aspergillus antigenemia in Southern Taiwan, 2016.

We found significant correlation between the incidence of severe influenza and Aspergillus antigenemia among medical intensive care unit patients for 7-month observation (coefficient γ=0.976, p<0.001).

Developing a mobile electronic D2B checklist for treatment of ST elevation myocardial infarction patients who need a primary coronary intervention.

ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), one main type of acute myocardial infarction with high mortality, requires percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with balloon inflation. Current guidelines recommend a door-to-balloon (D2B) interval (i.e.

Correlation between antibiotic consumption and carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii causing health care-associated infections at a hospital from 2005 to 2010.

Background/purpose: This study investigated the correlation between antibiotic consumption and the incidence of health care-associated infections (HCAIs) caused by imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (IRAB) at a hospital in Taiwan from 2005 to 2010.

Methods: Data on annual consumption (defined daily dose per 1000 patient-days) of extended-spectrum cephalosporins, β-lactam-β-lactamase inhibitor combinations, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones from 2005 to 2010 were analyzed. Yearly aggregated data on the number of nonduplicate clinical IRAB isolates causing HCAI were collected.

Clinical manifestations of Clostridium difficile infection in a medical center in Taiwan.

Background/purpose: To investigate the clinical characteristics of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) at a medical center in Taiwan.

Methods: Patients with CDI were identified from medical records at the National Taiwan University Hospital (Taipei, Taiwan). The following information was gathered and analyzed to better understand the clinical manifestations of CDI: age; sex; underlying immunocompromised conditions; laboratory data; in-hospital mortality; and previous use of drugs such as antimicrobial agents, steroids, and antipeptic ulcer agents.

Decline in rates of acquired multidrug-resistant tuberculosis after implementation of the directly observed therapy, short course (DOTS) and DOTS-Plus programmes in Taiwan.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of the directly observed therapy, short course (DOTS) and DOTS-Plus strategies on changes in resistance profiles among Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of resistance profiles among isolates of MTB obtained from 2160 consecutive patients with culture-confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) between 2005 and 2011 at a referral centre in southern Taiwan.

Results: Of the 2160 patients, 70 (3.

Recurrent bacteremia caused by the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii complex.

This study investigated the clinical and microbiological characteristics of patients with recurrent bacteremia caused by the Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii (ACB) complex at a medical center. All ACB complex isolates associated with recurrent bacteremia were identified to the genomic species level using a 16S-23S rRNA gene intergenic spacer sequence-based method. Genotypes were determined by the random amplified polymorphic DNA patterns generated by arbitrarily primed PCR and by pulsotypes generated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Clinical characteristics of infections caused by Roseomonas species and antimicrobial susceptibilities of the isolates.

Human infections due to Roseomonas species are uncommon and the vast majority of reported infections are opportunistic and easy to treat. We retrospectively reviewed the computerized database of the Bacteriology Laboratory at the National Taiwan University Hospital to identify patients with infections caused by Roseomonas species during the period January 2000 to December 2010. Isolates of Roseomonas species were confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis.

Pneumonia due to pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus and Klebsiella pneumoniae capsular serotype K16 in a patient with nasopharyngeal cancer.

Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus and group A Streptoccocus, but no Klebsiella pneumoniae were responsible for bacterial coinfections during the 2009 and previous influenza pandemics. We hereby report a case with concurrent bacteremic pneumonia due to an unusual capsular serotype K16 K. pneumoniae and pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza in a patient with nasopharyngeal cancer.

Nontuberculous mycobacterial infections in cancer patients in a medical center in Taiwan, 2005-2008.

Data on the nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) species that cause infection and the characteristics of disease caused by these pathogens in cancer patients are limited, so we perform this study to investigate the species distribution of NTM isolates from various clinical specimens and to elucidate the epidemiologic trends in NTM isolates and diseases among cancer patients. From 2005 through 2008, cancer patients with NTM infections as defined by the American Thoracic Society/Infectious Diseases Society of America criteria were identified at the National Taiwan University Hospital. The medical records of all patients were reviewed.