Lack of Association between YEASTONE Antifungal Susceptibility Tests and Clinical Outcomes of Meningitis.

The relation between antifungal susceptibility and treatment outcomes is not well-characterized. There is paucity of surveillance data for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) isolates of investigated with YEASTONE colorimetric broth microdilution susceptibility testing. A retrospective study of laboratory-confirmed cryptococcus meningitis (CM) patients was conducted.

Azole Resistance and Mutation of in a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Taiwan.

Azole resistance in has increasingly been reported worldwide. Its major mechanism of resistance is mediated by mutations in . The objective of this study was to test the antifungal susceptibilities of isolates from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH), the largest tertiary referral hospital in Taiwan, and to investigate mutations in azole-resistant strains.

Enhanced Virulence of by : Evidence in Clinical Bloodstream Infections and Infected Zebrafish Embryos.

Coinfection with and results in higher mortality in animal studies. However, the pathogenesis and interplay between and in bloodstream infections (BSIs) is unclear. This study determines the clinical features and outcomes of mixed / (CA/SA) BSIs and biofilm formation on pathogenesis during coinfection.

Infection control operations of a large hospital in Taiwan to prevent nosocomial outbreaks during COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is highly contagious, with a potential to cause large nosocomial outbreaks in the hospital setting. We report the advance deployment of comprehensive, multi-level infection control measures in a 3,700-bed large hospital to prevent nosocomial outbreaks of COVID-19 during the pandemic.

Methods: We implemented a series of dynamic infection control policies during the pandemic.

Antifungal susceptibility testing with YeastONE™ is not predictive of clinical outcomes of Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii fungemia.

Mortality rates due to Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii fungemia remain significant despite treatment with antifungal drugs. The predictive function of antifungal susceptibility and its correlation with treatment outcome remains controversial.

A hospital cluster of COVID-19 associated with a SARS-CoV-2 superspreading event.

Background/purpose: Superspreading events (SSEs) are pivotal in the spread of SARS-CoV-2. This study aimed to investigate an SSE of COVID-19 in a hospital and explore the transmission dynamics and heterogeneity of SSE.

Methods: We performed contact tracing for all close contacts in a cluster.

Prevalence of drug resistance mutations in HIV-infected individuals with low-level viraemia under combination antiretroviral therapy: an observational study in a tertiary hospital in Northern Taiwan, 2017-19.

Background: Effective ART is crucial for combating the HIV pandemic. Clinically, plasma viral load monitoring to achieve virological suppression is the guide for an optimal ART. The presence of low-level viraemia (LLV) below the definition level of virological failure is a risk factor for ART failure.

Correlation between Negative Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Test and Severe Disease in Hospitalized Adults with Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Virus Infection.

False-negative rapid influenza diagnostic test (RIDT) results could mislead physicians to exclude an influenza diagnosis. We sought to evaluate the association between negative RIDT and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. We reviewed data from hospitalized adults with laboratory-confirmed influenza virus infections in a tertiary referral hospital in Taiwan from July 2009 to February 2011.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization among HIV-infected patients in Taiwan: prevalence, molecular characteristics and associated factors with nasal carriage.

Background: To evaluate nasal carriage, antibiotic susceptibility and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), as well as the risk factors of MRSA colonization, in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients in northern Taiwan.

Methods: From September 2014 to November 2015, HIV-infected patients seeking outpatient care at four hospitals were eligible for this study. A nasal specimen was obtained from each subject for the detection of S.

Deep Cutaneous Neoscytalidium dimidiatum Infection: Successful Outcome with Amphotericin B Therapy.

Phaeohyphomycosis is a term used to describe a heterogenous group of cutaneous and systemic mycotic infections caused by melanized fungi. Many fungi have been reported as pathogens of this disease. The disease spectrum ranges from superficial cutaneous infections, deep cutaneous infections, to systemic infections with internal organ involvement.

Clinical features, outcomes, and molecular characteristics of an outbreak of Staphylococcus haemolyticus infection, among a mass-burn casualty patient group, in a tertiary center in northern Taiwan.

Background/purpose: We reported an outbreak of Staphylococcus haemolyticus (SH) infection in a group of young patients (mean age 21.6) simultaneously hospitalized due to a mass-burn incident. This study analyzed the clinical features of these patients and the microbiological characteristics of the outbreak.

Diagnostic performance of the Sofia® influenza A+B fluorescent immunoassay in adult outpatients in Northern Taiwan.

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Sofia influenza A+B fluorescent immunoassay (Sofia FIA), we performed a prospective study at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan from January 2012 to December 2013. Patients who presented at out-patient clinics or the emergency department with influenza-like illness were included. Upper respiratory tract specimens were collected from oropharynx or nasopharynx.

Risk factors and outcomes of candidemia caused by Candida parapsilosis complex in a medical center in northern Taiwan.

To investigate the risk factors and outcomes associated with Candida parapsilosis candidemia, a retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary medical center in northern Taiwan. Patients with C. parapsilosis candidemia and corresponding controls with C.

Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium bacteremia.

Background: Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE-fm) bacteremia causes significant mortality in hospitalized patients. We sought to investigate clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes, and microbiological eradication associated with VRE-fm bacteremia.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted and included 210 adult patients admitted between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2015.

Acquisition and clearance of multidrug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii on healthy young adults concurrently burned in a dust explosion in Taiwan: the implication for antimicrobial stewardship.

Background: Information is limited about the effect of restricted carbapenem use on clearance of multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAB). We sought to determine the time effect of antibiotic exposure on multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAB) acquisition and clearance.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study at the intensive care units of a tertiary medical center.

2016 guidelines for the use of antifungal agents in patients with invasive fungal diseases in Taiwan.

The Infectious Diseases Society of Taiwan, Medical Foundation in Memory of Dr. Deh-Lin Cheng, Foundation of Professor Wei-Chuan Hsieh for Infectious Diseases Research and Education, and CY Lee's Research Foundation for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Vaccines have updated the guidelines for the use of antifungal agents in adult patients with invasive fungal diseases in Taiwan. This guideline replaces the 2009 version.

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy in a Patient with Undiscovered Sigmoid Colon Cancer.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is a stress-related cardiomyopathy that is characterized by reversible left systolic dysfunction, which appears to be precipitated by sudden emotional or physical stress in the absence of myocardial infarction. Here we present a rare case that clinically presented with intermittent abdominal pain, initially impressed as non-ST elevation myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure but with a normal coronary angiogram. Her symptoms relieved spontaneously without returning.

Tigecycline-based versus sulbactam-based treatment for pneumonia involving multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii complex.

Background: The treatment options for pneumonia involving multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-Acinetobacter baumannii (MDR Acb) complex are limited, and the optimal treatment has not been established.

Methods: To compare the efficacy of tigecycline-based with sulbactam (or ampicillin/sulbactam)-based therapy for pneumonia involving MDR Acb complex, we conducted a retrospective study comparing 84 tigecycline-treated adult patients during the period August 2007 to March 2010 with 84 sulbactam or ampicillin/sulbactam-treated adult patients during the period September 2004 to July 2007. Both groups had the matched Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score and received treatment for at least 7 days.

Predictive Symptoms and Signs of Laboratory-confirmed Influenza: A Prospective Surveillance Study of Two Metropolitan Areas in Taiwan.

Influenza infection poses annual threats and leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Early diagnosis is the key to successful treatment. Laboratory-based diagnosis has various limitations.

Osteomyelitis of the femur mimicking bone tumors: a review of 10 cases.

Background: The clinical symptoms and radiographic appearance of osteomyelitis can mimic those of bone tumors.

Methods: We reviewed 10 patients with osteomyelitis of the femur who were initially diagnosed as having bone tumors and were subsequently transferred to our institution.

Results: Nocturnal pain of moderate intensity occurred in seven patients, and all 10 patients had elevated C-reactive protein levels.

Synergy of imipenem/colistin methanesulfonate combinations against imipenem-nonsusceptible multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

Background: The optimal combination ratio of imipenem to colistin methanesulfonate (CMS) against imipenem-nonsusceptible multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (INS-MDRAB) has not been determined in previous studies. To provide an alternative therapeutic option for clinical INS-MDRAB isolates, we investigated whether clinically achievable serum concentrations of CMS in combination with imipenem enhance the in vitro activity of imipenem against the INS-MDRAB isolates.

Materials And Methods: Fifty-nine INS-MDRAB isolates with imipenem minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of ≥8 mg/L were selected randomly from the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at a university-affiliated medical center between July 1998 and May 2005.

Echinocandins in invasive candidiasis.

We summarise a recent meeting, sponsored by Pfizer Inc., where experts in Asia shared their clinical experience in managing IC. The echinocandins have demonstrated good activity against non-albicans infections and also azole-resistant strains, both preclinically and in recent clinical trials.

Molecular concordance of concurrent Candida albicans candidemia and candiduria.

The significance of candiduria remains unclear. We correlated Candida albicans candidemia with candiduria by molecular genotyping. 33 pairs of concurrent blood and urine C.

Diagnostic capacity of rapid influenza antigen test: reappraisal with experience from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.

Background: The rapid influenza antigen test (RIAT) has been questioned because of its poor sensitivity. Clinicians are confused as to what diagnostic help it may provide. RIAT was reappraised by other laboratory confirmatory tests for its diagnostic capacity.