Colistin, Meropenem-Vaborbactam, Imipenem-Relebactam, and Eravacycline Testing in Carbapenem-Resistant Gram-Negative Rods: A Comparative Evaluation of Broth Microdilution, Gradient Test, and VITEK 2.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the performance of different assays for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination for reserve antibiotics in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CREs), (CRPAs), and (CRABs).

Methods: An analysis was conducted on 100 consecutive isolates: 50 CREs, 35 CRPAs, and 15 CRABs. Sensititre broth microdilution was used as a reference standard to evaluate the performance of VITEK 2 card AST-XN24 (bioMérieux), the respective gradient tests (bioMérieux), and UMIC colistin broth microdilution test strips (Bruker Daltonics).

A comparison of two MALDI-TOF MS based assays for the detection of carbapenemases in Enterobacterales.

Carbapenem resistant (CRE) and carbapenemase producing Enterobacterales (CPE) in particular, represent a major threat for healthcare systems worldwide. Rapid, reliable, and easy to perform assays are required to enable targeted and effective therapy. MALDI-TOF MS based carbapenemase diagnostics has potential advantages over molecular and phenotypic sensitivity tests, especially in terms of time to result.

Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in Surgical Intensive Care Units: Antibiotic Susceptibility and β-Lactamase Characterization.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria of the utmost importance are extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CRE), carbapenem-resistant (CRAB), carbapenem-resistant (CRPA), methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant spp. (VRE). In this study, an evaluation of MDR bacteria in surgical intensive care units in a tertiary referral hospital was conducted.

No Changes in the Occurrence of Methicillin-Resistant (MRSA) in South-East Austria during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a universal threat. Once being well established in the healthcare setting, MRSA has undergone various epidemiological changes. This includes the emergence of more aggressive community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) and the occurrence of MRSA which have their origin in animal breeding, called livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA).

Emergence and Spread of Enterobacterales with Multiple Carbapenemases after COVID-19 Pandemic.

Resistance to carbapenems in has become a matter of the highest concern in the last decade. Recently, harboring multiple carbapenemases were detected in three hospital centers in Croatia and in the outpatient setting, posing a serious therapeutic challenge for clinicians. In this study, we analyzed eight and two complex isolates with multiple carbapenemases, with regard to antibiotic susceptibility, β-lactamase production and plasmid content.

Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in a COVID-19 Hospital in Zagreb.

During November to December 2020, a high rate of COVID-19-associated pneumonia with bacterial superinfections due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens was recorded in a COVID-19 hospital in Zagreb. This study analyzed the causative agents of bacterial superinfections among patients with serious forms of COVID-19. In total, 118 patients were hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the COVID-19 hospital.

Incidental finding of Clostridium perfringens on human corpses used for the anatomy course.

Post-mortem specimens used for anatomy teaching are commonly embalmed using compositions of chemicals, with the objective to maintain tissue quality and to avoid putrefaction. Monitoring for bacterial or fungal contamination is becoming increasingly important especially when measures are taken to minimize exposure by chemicals such as formaldehyde. In this case, random swabs were taken from six corpses embalmed with ethanol-glycerin and Thiel embalming.

Osteoarticular Infections in Pediatric Hospitals in Europe: A Prospective Cohort Study From the EUCLIDS Consortium.

Background: Pediatric osteoarticular infections (POAIs) are serious diseases requiring early diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: In this prospective multicenter cohort study, children with POAIs were selected from the European Union Childhood Life-threatening Infectious Diseases Study (EUCLIDS) database to analyze their demographic, clinical, and microbiological data.

Results: A cohort of 380 patients with POAIs, 203 with osteomyelitis (OM), 158 with septic arthritis (SA), and 19 with both OM and SA, was analyzed.

Diffusion of OXA-48 carbapenemase among urinary isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae in non-hospitalized elderly patients.

Background: Recently, a dramatic increase of Klebsiella pneumoniae positive for OXA-48 β-lactamases was observed first in the hospital setting and later in the long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and community in the Zagreb County, particularly, in urinary isolates. The aim of the study was to analyse the epidemiology and the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance of OXA-48 carbapenemase producing K. pneumoniae strains isolated from urine of non-hospitalized elderly patients.

CD19+IgD+CD27- Naïve B Cells as Predictors of Humoral Response to COVID 19 mRNA Vaccination in Immunocompromised Patients.

Immunocompromised patients are considered high-risk and prioritized for vaccination against COVID-19. We aimed to analyze B-cell subsets in these patients to identify potential predictors of humoral vaccination response. Patients (n=120) suffering from hematologic malignancies or other causes of immunodeficiency and healthy controls (n=79) received a full vaccination series with an mRNA vaccine.

Estimation of patent foramen ovale size using transcranial Doppler ultrasound in patients with ischemic stroke.

Background And Purpose: Patent foramen ovale (PFO)is associated with cryptogenic stroke, especially in young adults. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound is used as a screening tool before transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). However, the use of Valsalva maneuver (VM) to identify a right-to-left-shunt underlies interindividual variability.

Real-world treatment of adult patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome over the last two decades.

This study investigated treatment characteristics of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in a real-world setting between 2000 and 2019. We analyzed clinical improvement between nadir and last follow-up in patients with severe GBS (defined as having a GBS disability scale > 2 at nadir) and aimed to detect clinical factors associated with multiple treatments. We included 121 patients (74 male; median age 48 [IQR 35-60]) with sensorimotor (63%), pure motor (15%), pure sensory (10%) and localized GBS (6%) as well as Miller Fisher syndrome (6%).

Long-term Follow-up of Preterm Infants Having Been Colonized With Extended Spectrum Beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales Over the First 6 Years of Life.

We performed a retrospective case-control cohort study following 146 preterm infants (≤32 weeks of gestation) who had been colonized with extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacterales and compared them with 1:1 matched controls regarding rates of hospitalizations and outpatient visits because of infectious and gastrointestinal diseases and developmental impairment up to school age. Preterm infants with extended spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacterales colonization did have neither higher rates of gastrointestinal or infectious diseases nor higher rates of developmental impairments up to the age of 6 years.

Surveillance of Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Anaerobe Clinical Isolates in Southeast Austria: Group Is on the Fast Track to Resistance.

Anaerobic bacteria play an important role in human infections. spp. are some of the 15 most common pathogens causing nosocomial infections.

Diversity of Oxacillinases and Sequence Types in Carbapenem-Resistant from Austria.

Carbapenem-resistant is a significant health problem worldwide. A multicenter study on was performed to investigate the molecular epidemiology and genetic background of carbapenem resistance of isolates collected from 2014-2017 in Austria. In total, 117 non-repetitive spp.

Cerebrospinal fluid analysis in Guillain-Barré syndrome: value of albumin quotients.

Background: Albuminocytologic dissociation in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a diagnostic hallmark of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Compared to CSF total protein (TP), the CSF/serum albumin quotient (Qalb) has the advantage of method-independent reference ranges. Whether the diagnostic yield differs between Qalb and CSF-TP is currently unknown.

Nerve conduction studies in Guillain-Barré syndrome: Influence of timing and value of repeated measurements.

Objective: Nerve conduction studies (NCS) are essential to differentiate between demyelinating and axonal subtypes in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). However, it is debated to which extent the delay of NCS after symptom onset and repeated measurements during the disease course influence the diagnostic accuracy.

Methods: We evaluated NCS in 93 patients with a classical GBS applying two widely used criteria (Hadden's and Rajabally's).

Vaccination Status and Attitude among Measles Cluster Cases in Austria, 2019.

On 21 January 2019, public health authorities of two neighboring Austrian provinces reported an increase in measles cases. We investigated this occurrence to identify clusters of epidemiologically linked cases and the associated vaccination status in order to generate hypotheses on those factors explaining the size of the measles clusters. Probable cases were residents of the provinces of Styria or Salzburg with clinical presentation of measles after 1 January 2019 who were linked to a confirmed case using RNA virus detection.

Distributed changes of the functional connectome in patients with glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma might have widespread effects on the neural organization and cognitive function, and even focal lesions may be associated with distributed functional alterations. However, functional changes do not necessarily follow obvious anatomical patterns and the current understanding of this interrelation is limited. In this study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate changes in global functional connectivity patterns in 15 patients with glioblastoma.

Pathomechanisms and Clinical Implications of Myasthenic Syndromes Exacerbated and Induced by Medical Treatments.

Myasthenic syndromes are typically characterized by muscle weakness and increased fatigability due to an impaired transmission at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Most cases are caused by acquired autoimmune conditions such as myasthenia gravis (MG), typically with antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Different drugs are among the major factors that may complicate pre-existing autoimmune myasthenic conditions by further impairing transmission at the NMJ.