Diagnostic Value of Serum Biomarkers for Invasive Aspergillosis in Haematologic Patients.

Background: Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with haematological malignancies. Accurate diagnosis of IA is challenging due to non-specific symptoms and the impact of antifungal prophylaxis on biomarker sensitivity.

Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the diagnostic performance of three serum biomarkers: Galactomannan Ag VirClia Monotest (VirClia), Wako β-D-Glucan Test (Wako BDG), and MycoGENIE Real-Time PCR (MycoGENIE PCR).

"A decade of candidaemia: A comprehensive analysis of prognosis and risk factors at a Belgian tertiary hospital".

Candidemia, predominantly caused by C. albicans, poses a significant threat in hospitals. Yet, non-albicans candidemia (NAC) and antifungal resistance are increasing concerns.

Multicenter comparison of Etest, Vitek2 and BD Phoenix to broth microdilution for beta-lactam susceptibility testing of Streptococcus pneumonia.

Purpose: To assess performance of Etest®, Vitek®2 and BD Phoenix™ to determine the susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae strains to penicillin, ampicillin and cefotaxime.

Methods: Sixty unique S. pneumoniae challenge strains were selected to cover a wide range of penicillin, ampicillin and cefotaxime minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs).

Comparison of testing methods assessing the in vitro efficacy of the combination of aztreonam with avibactam on multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli.

Background: Aztreonam-avibactam (ATM-AVI) combination shows promising effectiveness on most carbapenemase-producing Gram-negatives, yet standardized antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) methods for evaluating the combination in clinical laboratories is lacking. We aimed to evaluate different ATM-AVI AST approaches.

Methods: 96 characterized carbapenem-resistant clinical isolates belonging to 9 Enterobacterales (EB; n = 80) and P.

Comparative assessment of Sensititre YeastOne and Micronaut-AM EUCAST for antifungal susceptibility testing in candidaemia isolates.

Purpose: Antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) is essential to ensure appropriate antifungal therapy in candidaemia. This study compared two commercial colorimetric broth microdilution tests: Sensititre YeastOne (SYO; Thermo Scientific) and Micronaut-AM EUCAST AFST (M-AM; Bruker) for the AFST of Candida spp.

Material And Methods: A total of 74 yeast strains, including C.

Multicenter interlaboratory study of routine systems for the susceptibility testing of temocillin using a challenge panel of multidrug-resistant strains.

Accurate susceptibility result of temocillin (TMO) is important for treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant Enterobacterales. This multicenter study aimed to investigate the performance of routine temocillin testing assays against Enterobacterales challenging strains. Forty-seven selected clinical isolates were blindly analyzed by 12 Belgian laboratories using VITEK® 2 (n = 5) and BD Phoenix™ (n = 3) automated systems, ETEST® gradient strip (n = 3), and disk (3 brands) diffusion method (DD; n = 6) for temocillin susceptibility using standardized methodology.

Minimal requirements for ISO15189 validation and accreditation of three next generation sequencing procedures for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in clinical setting.

Rapid and recurrent breakthroughs of new SARS-CoV-2 strains (variants) have prompted public health authorities worldwide to set up surveillance networks to monitor the circulation of variants of concern. The use of next-generation sequencing technologies has raised the need for quality control assessment as required in clinical laboratories. The present study is the first to propose a validation guide for SARS-CoV-2 typing using three different NGS methods fulfilling ISO15189 standards.

Characterization of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in Belgium.

Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) raised concern worldwide. We studied 22 hvKp clinical invasive isolates referred to the Belgian national reference laboratory between 2014 and 2020. Sixty-four percent of the isolates expressed K2 capsular serotype and belonged to 7 different MLST lineages, while 32% expressed K1 (all belonging to ST23) and were associated with liver abscesses.

Multicentre interlaboratory analysis of routine susceptibility testing with a challenge panel of resistant strains.

Objectives: In order to elaborate a new national challenge panel of resistant Gram-negative bacilli and Gram-positive cocci strains for the validation of routine antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) methods, an interlaboratory evaluation was organised.

Methods: The results of 12 well-characterised multidrug-resistant strains tested by nine laboratories using local disk diffusion (DD) and automated AST (AUST) methods were compared with the reference broth microdilution method.

Results: Overall categorical agreement ranged from 70% to 100% both for DD and AUST and was >90% for all but one strain for all antibiotics.

Detection and Characterization of VIM-52, a New Variant of VIM-1 from a Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical Isolate.

Over the last two decades, antimicrobial resistance has become a global health problem. In Gram-negative bacteria, metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs), which inactivate virtually all β-lactams, increasingly contribute to this phenomenon. The aim of this study is to characterize VIM-52, a His224Arg variant of VIM-1, identified in a Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolate.

Rapid COVID-19 antigenic tests: Usefulness of a modified method for diagnosis.

The current reliable recommended test for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis is quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Rapid antigen test devices could be useful as they are less expensive, faster without the need of specialized laboratories to perform the test. We report the performances of two rapid immunochromatographic antigen testing devices compared with RT-qPCR for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection in nasopharyngeal samples.

resistance to antibiotics in Europe in 2018 and its relationship to antibiotic consumption in the community.

Objective: Our aim was to prospectively assess the antibiotic resistance rates in strains in Europe in 2018 and to study the link between antibiotic consumption in the community and resistance levels in the different countries.

Design: The proportion of primary antibiotic resistance cases of and their corresponding risk factors were investigated in 24 centres from 18 European countries according to a standardised protocol. Data on antibiotic consumption in the community were collected for the period 2008-2017.

Multicenter study of automated systems for colistin susceptibility testing.

Purpose: Broth microdilution (BMD) stays as the reference testing method for determination of antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) to colistin and is considered essential for patient management and for monitoring of colistin resistance. This multicenter study aimed to evaluate the performance of automated systems for colistin AST among Enterobacterales as an alternative for BMD since the majority of laboratories use automated systems as first-line method.

Methods: Twenty colistin resistant (COL-R) including 10 MCR producers and 10 colistin-susceptible (COL-S) Enterobacterales isolates were blindly tested for colistin susceptibility with the routine automated AST systems used by 8 laboratories (3 with BD Phoenix, 3 with Vitek2 and 2 with MicroScan).

Severe influenza/respiratory syncytial virus infections and hospital antimicrobial stewardship opportunities: impact of a 4-year surveillance including molecular diagnosis.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults hospitalized for a respiratory infection in the winter months and to evaluate the impact of a viral diagnosis on empirical antimicrobial management (antibiotics and antivirals).

Design: Observational cohort study.

Setting: Acute-care university hospital.

Cross-border spread of - and -positive : a European collaborative analysis of whole genome sequencing and epidemiological data, 2014 to 2019.

Analysis of sequencing data for 143 - and -positive isolates from 13 European national collections and the public domain resulted in the identification of 15 previously undetected multi-country transmission clusters. For 10 clusters, cases had prior travel/hospitalisation history in countries outside of the European Union including Egypt, Iran, Morocco, Russia, Serbia, Tunisia and Turkey. These findings highlight the benefit of European whole genome sequencing-based surveillance and data sharing for control of antimicrobial resistance.

Evaluation of the Novodiag CarbaR+, a Novel Integrated Sample to Result Platform for the Multiplex Qualitative Detection of Carbapenem and Colistin Resistance Markers.

This study evaluated the performance of the Novodiag CarbaR+ an automated qualitative nucleic acid-based diagnostic assay detecting the , , , , , , , , and IS1 associated carbapenemase genes and colistin resistance gene from clinical isolates or directly from rectal swabs. CarbaR+ was evaluated on 201 clinical isolates and on 100 rectal swabs (80 selected swabs from patients that were evaluated by culture method and/or Xpert Carba-R assay and 20 spiked samples). PCR-sequencing on colonies was considered as the gold standard.

Interactions between Avibactam and Ceftazidime-Hydrolyzing Class D β-Lactamases.

Class D β-lactamases exhibit very heterogeneous hydrolysis activity spectra against the various types of clinically useful β-lactams. Similarly, and according to the available data, their sensitivities to inactivation by avibactam can vary by a factor of more than 100. In this paper, we performed a detailed kinetic study of the interactions between two ceftazidime-hydrolyzing OXA enzymes and showed that they were significantly more susceptible to avibactam than several other class D enzymes that do not hydrolyze ceftazidime.

Comparison of two multiplex immunochromatographic assays for the rapid detection of major carbapenemases in Enterobacterales.

Objectives: Two commercially available lateral flow immunochromatographic assays (ICAs) for detection of the major carbapenemases were prospectively assessed for the detection of carbapenemases in Enterobacterales: RESIST-4 O.K.N.

Prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms in nursing homes in Belgium in 2015.

Objectives: Following two studies conducted in 2005 and 2011, a third prevalence survey of multidrug-resistant microorganisms (MDRO) was organised in Belgian nursing homes (NHs) using a similar methodology. The aim was to measure the prevalence of carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLE) and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) in NH residents. Risk factors for MDRO carriage were also explored.

Evaluation of the RESIST-4 K-SeT assay, a multiplex immunochromatographic assay for the rapid detection of OXA-48-like, KPC, VIM and NDM carbapenemases.

Objectives: Accurate and fast identification of carbapenemase producers is essential for optimal patient management. Here, a new lateral flow immunochromatographic RESIST-4 K-SeT assay was assessed for the detection of carbapenemases in Enterobacteriaceae and non-fermenters.

Methods: The RESIST-4 K-SeT assay targets OXA-48-like, KPC, VIM and NDM, but not IMP carbapenemases.

Evaluation of the ePlex Blood Culture Identification Panels for Detection of Pathogens in Bloodstream Infections.

Rapid identification and susceptibility testing results are of importance for the early appropriate therapy of bloodstream infections. The ePlex (GenMark Diagnostics) blood culture identification (BCID) panels are fully automated PCR-based assays designed to identify Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, and bacterial resistance genes within 1.5 h from positive blood culture.

An Outpatient Clinic as a Potential Site of Transmission for an Outbreak of New Delhi Metallo-β-Lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Sequence Type 716: A Study Using Whole-genome Sequencing.

Background: The incidence of nosocomial infections due to carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is increasing worldwide. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) can help elucidate the transmission route of nosocomial pathogens.

Methods: We combined WGS and epidemiological data to analyze an outbreak of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM)-producing K.