Molecular characterization of a suspected IMP-type carbapenemase-producing outbreak reveals two simultaneous outbreaks in a tertiary-care hospital.

Objective: To describe IMP-type carbapenemase-producing outbreaks at Galdakao University Hospital between March 2021 to December 2021.

Design: Outbreak report.

Setting: Galdakao University Hospital is a tertiary-care hospital in the Basque Country (northern Spain).

Aspergillosis by cryptic Aspergillus species: A case series and review of the literature.

Background: The cryptic Aspegillus species are rare, these microorganisms are usually more resistant to common antifungal therapies. Therefore, a correct identification is important when evaluating the impact of such species in aspergillosis.

Aims: We aimed to describe the frequency, clinical and microbiological characteristics, and the outcomes of those cases of aspergillosis caused by cryptic species in a tertiary hospital.

Misidentification of the SARS-CoV-2 Mu variant using commercial mutation screening assays.

Detection of mutations by multiplex real-time RT-PCR is a widely used method for the screening of SARS-CoV-2 variants, but this method has several limitations. We describe three cases in which a Mu strain containing the mutation K417N was initially misclassified as the Beta variant. We recommend the detection of P681H to distinguish between these two variants.

Molecular Characterization of Imported and Autochthonous Dengue in Northeastern Spain.

Dengue is the most significant arbovirus worldwide and a public health threat to non-endemic areas in which vectors are present. Autochthonous dengue transmission has been reported in several European countries in the last decade. Infected travelers from endemic regions arriving to areas colonized by in Europe need to be monitored in surveillance and control programs.

Evaluation of a novel microfluidic immuno-magnetic agglutination assay method for detection of dengue virus NS1 antigen.

Background: Dengue virus (DENV) is the most important arbovirus worldwide, causing infections in endemic countries and returning travellers from these areas. Rapid diagnostic tests are needed to improve patient management and monitor local transmission. The detection of DENV non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is a useful tool for the diagnosis, but the currently available methods can be time consuming or lack sensitivity.

Cutaneous infection by Phaeoacremonium parasiticum.

Background: Phaeoacremonium parasiticum is considered a rare infectious agent that is part of a heterogeneous group of fungi causing phaeohyphomycosis. This organism is capable of producing subcutaneous infections, eumycetomas, osteomyelitis, arthritis, myositis and also disseminated diseases, such as fungemia and endocarditis.

Case Report: We describe a case of cutaneous infection by P.

[Clinical features and outcome in patients with mucormycosis in a tertiary hospital (2012-2016)].

Background: The most common presentation of mucormycosis in the past was the nasosinusal involvement in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis. However, in the last few years, new groups of patients with risk of mucormycosis have emerged.

Aims And Methods: Retrospective analysis of the characteristics, treatment and evolution of patients with mucormycosis in a tertiary hospital in the years 2012-2016.

Suspected quinine resistant P. falciparum severe malaria possibly acquired in Ivory Coast.

An expatriate to Ivory Coast (supposedly allergic to artemether-lumefantrine) was diagnosed with severe malaria in Spain. Parasitemia increased from 2% up to 21% within 24 h under quinine (10 mg/kg) and clindamycin (450 mg/8 h) combination treatment. Molecular profiling of the patient revealed the presence of molecular markers of quinine and other antimalarials resistance.

Evaluation of a multiplex panel for the diagnosis of acute infectious diarrhea in immunocompromised hematologic patients.

Introduction: Diarrhea is a frequent complication in hematologic patients, being an infectious cause frequently suspected. Rapid and accurate detection of gastrointestinal pathogens is vital in immunocompromised hosts. The aim of this study was to compare routine diagnostic methods versus a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the diagnosis of infectious diarrhea in immunocompromised hematologic patients.

Genomics and Susceptibility Profiles of Extensively Drug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Spain.

This study assessed the molecular epidemiology, resistance mechanisms, and susceptibility profiles of a collection of 150 extensively drug-resistant (XDR) clinical isolates obtained from a 2015 Spanish multicenter study, with a particular focus on resistome analysis in relation to ceftolozane-tazobactam susceptibility. Broth microdilution MICs revealed that nearly all (>95%) of the isolates were nonsusceptible to piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftazidime, cefepime, aztreonam, imipenem, meropenem, and ciprofloxacin. Most of them were also resistant to tobramycin (77%), whereas nonsusceptibility rates were lower for ceftolozane-tazobactam (31%), amikacin (7%), and colistin (2%).

Persistence of Zika virus in semen 93 days after the onset of symptoms.

Introduction: Zika virus is mainly transmitted through the bites of infected Aedes mosquitoes, although mother-to-child and sexual transmission have also been described. The presence of Zika virus in semen after infection seems to be not uncommon, but the duration of viral persistence has not been well-determined.

Methods: Molecular, serological and cell culture methods were used for the diagnosis and follow up of a case of Zika virus infection imported from Venezuela.

[Molecular diagnostic methods of respiratory infections. Has the scheme diagnosis changed?].

Lower respiratory tract infections remain one of the most common causes of mortality worldwide, which is why early diagnosis is crucial. Traditionally the microbiological diagnosis of these infections has been based on conventional methods including culture on artificial media for isolation of bacteria and fungi and cell cultures for virus and antibody or antigen detection using antigen-antibody reactions. The main drawback of the above mentioned methods is the time needed for an etiological diagnosis of the infection.