Evaluation of activity of fosfomycin, and synergy in combination, in Gram-negative bloodstream infection isolates in a UK teaching hospital.

Fosfomycin has retained activity against many multi-drug resistant (MDR) Gram-negatives, and may be useful against extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales to improve clinical outcomes. There are few data from the UK on the susceptibility of invasive Gram-negative isolates to fosfomycin, especially in the era of increasing use of oral fosfomycin for urinary tract infections (UTIs). We evaluated fosfomycin susceptibility against 100 consecutive Gram-negative bloodstream isolates, both individually, and in combination with other mechanistically similar and differing antibiotics.

Characterisation of baseline microbiological and host factors in an inception cohort of people with surgical wounds healing by secondary intention reveals circulating IL-6 levels as a potential predictive biomarker of healing.

More than 2 million people per year are treated for surgical wounds in the UK.  Over a quarter of these wounds are estimated to heal by secondary intention (from the "bottom up") resulting in further complications and requiring increased healthcare resources. Identification of microbiological or host biomarkers that can predict healing outcomes may help to optimize the management of surgical wounds healing by secondary intention.

Crystals seen on CSF microscopy in a case of suspected subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Although crystals are rarely identified on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) microscopy, their presence can be of significant diagnostic value. We report a case of oxalate crystals seen on CSF microscopy of a 43-year-old woman. The patient presented with headaches, nausea and vomiting.