Microbiological diagnosis of catheter-related infections.

This revision describes in detail the different diagnostic techniques of catheter-related infection, both in terms of catheter removal and preservation. Culture techniques based on catheter withdrawal are classified depending on the detection of extraluminal and/or intraluminal colonization, and new methodologies are described. In general, the most important recommendations are: (a) do not send for culture catheter tips without suspicion of infection, (b) Maki's technique is the standard for detecting extraluminal colonization, (c) take 2 pairs of peripheral blood cultures before starting antibiotic treatment, (d) use skin and connections/connectors cultures for the conservative diagnosis due to their high negative predictive value (Gram and culture), and (e) take differential quantitative blood cultures though all catheter lumens and through a peripheral vein.

Quality of the aetiological diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia in Spain in the opinion of intensive care specialists and microbiologists.

Introduction: Current guidelines for the microbiological diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are imprecise. Based on data provided by intensive care specialists (ICS) and microbiologists, this study defines the clinical practices and microbiological techniques currently used for an aetiological diagnosis of VAP and pinpoints deficiencies.

Methods: Eighty hospitals in the national health network with intensive care and microbiology departments were sent two questionnaires, one for each department, in order to collect data on VAP diagnosis for the previous year.

Individualizing risk of multidrug-resistant pathogens in community-onset pneumonia.

Introduction: The diffusion of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria has created the need to identify risk factors for acquiring resistant pathogens in patients living in the community.

Objective: To analyze clinical features of patients with community-onset pneumonia due to MDR pathogens, to evaluate performance of existing scoring tools and to develop a bedside risk score for an early identification of these patients in the Emergency Department.

Patients And Methods: This was an open, observational, prospective study of consecutive patients with pneumonia, coming from the community, from January 2011 to January 2013.

Comparison of three statistical methods for establishing tentative wild-type population and epidemiological cutoff values for echinocandins, amphotericin B, flucytosine, and six Candida species as determined by the colorimetric Sensititre YeastOne method.

The Sensititre YeastOne (SYO) method is a widely used method to determine the susceptibility of Candida spp. to antifungal agents. CLSI clinical breakpoints (CBP) have been reported for antifungals, but not using this method.

Myocarditis caused by human parainfluenza virus in an immunocompetent child initially associated with 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus.

The association between respiratory viruses and myocarditis has hardly ever been described. We report a case of acute myocarditis in an immunocompetent child associated with the presence of parainfluenza virus type 3 infection, in a context of recent influenza illness, confirmed by molecular and serological studies.

[Changes in the epidemiology of fungaemia and fluconazole susceptibility of blood isolates during the last 10 years in Spain: results from the FUNGEMYCA study].

Background: Recent epidemiological surveillance studies have reported an increase in fungaemia caused by non-Candida albicans species, as well as a decrease in fluconazole susceptibility.

Objectives: To evaluate changes in the epidemiology of fungaemia in Spain comparing data from a new surveillance epidemiological study conducted in 2009 with a previous study carried out from 1997 to 1999 (Pemán J, et al. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis.

Does treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection reduce hepatitis delta virus (HDV) replication in HIV-HBV-HDV-coinfected patients?

Background: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) has a unique replication process that requires coinfection with hepatitis B virus (HBV). Treatment is currently limited to interferon therapy. The role of potent nucleos(t)ide analogues active against HBV has not been well examined in chronic delta hepatitis (CDH).

Impact of zygomycosis on microbiology workload: a survey study in Spain.

This multicenter, population-based study evaluated the laboratory workload produced by zygomycetes and the number of cases of zygomycosis in Spain during 2005. Less than 8% of the patients who harbored zygomycete isolates had zygomycosis. The incidence of zygomycosis (6 cases) was 0.

In vitro activities of tigecycline and eight other antimicrobials against different Nocardia species identified by molecular methods.

The in vitro activities of tigecycline and other antimicrobials against 51 isolates of Nocardia spp. were evaluated. MIC(90)s and MIC ranges were as follows: tigecycline, 4 and < or =0.

In vitro activities of amphotericin B, caspofungin, itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole against 45 clinical isolates of zygomycetes: comparison of CLSI M38-A, Sensititre YeastOne, and the Etest.

We evaluated the activities of amphotericin B, itraconazole, voriconazole, caspofungin, and posaconazole against zygomycetes by CLSI M38-A, Etest and Sensititre. The most active drug was posaconazole, followed by amphotericin B and itraconazole. The correlation of the Etest and Sensititre with CLSI M38-A was moderate for posaconazole but poor for the others.