Usefulness of sonication in the microbiological diagnosis of cardiovascular implantable electronic device infections: systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Background: Multiple studies have demonstrated the utility of sonication to improve culture yield in patients with cardiovascular implantable electronic device (CIED) infections.

Objective: To analyze the usefulness of sonication in the microbiological diagnosis of CIED infections in comparison with traditional cultures.

Methods: Systematic database searches were performed to identify studies that provided enough data concerning both sensitivity and specificity of traditional (non-sonicated) and sonicated cultures from CIED samples.

Acidic Urine pH and Clinical Outcome of Lower Urinary Tract Infection in Kidney Transplant Recipients Treated with Ciprofloxacin and Fosfomycin.

Different factors, including antimicrobial resistance, may diminish the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy, challenging the management of post-transplant urinary tract infection (UTI). The association of acidic urine pH with microbiological and clinical outcomes was evaluated after fosfomycin or ciprofloxacin therapy in 184 kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) with UTI episodes by (N = 115) and (N = 69). Initial urine pH, antimicrobial therapy, and clinical and microbiological outcomes, and one- and six-month follow-up were assessed.

C-terminal deletion of RelA protein is suggested as a possible cause of infective endocarditis recurrence with .

Infective endocarditis (IE) caused by represents the third most common cause of IE, with high rates of relapse compared with other bacteria. Interestingly, late relapses (>6 months) have only been described in but here we describe the first reported IE relapse with more than a year (17 months) after the initial endocarditis episode. Firstly, by multi locus sequence typing (MLST), we demonstrated that both isolates (EF646 and EF641) belong to the same sequence type (ST117).

Implementation of a PCR-based strategy to control an outbreak by Serratia marcescens in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical and epidemiological impact of a new molecular surveillance strategy based on qPCR to control an outbreak by Serratia marcescens in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Methods: We design a specific qPCR for the detection of S. marcescens in rectal swabs of patients admitted to a NICU.

BIChromET: A Chromogenic Culture Medium for Detection of Piperacillin/Tazobactam and Cefepime Resistance in .

Objectives: The BIChromET selective medium for detecting piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) and cefepime (FEP) resistant was developed.

Methods: The performance of this medium was first evaluated using a collection of 100 clinical strains (70 TZP-susceptible, 30 TZP-resistant, 58 FEP-susceptible, and 42 FEP-resistant). Then, we performed clinical validation by testing 173 respiratory clinical samples.

Multicenter evaluation of BioFire JI panel related to improved microbiological diagnostics on acute osteoarticular infections.

Microbiological diagnosis of osteoarticular infections (OI) is crucial for a successful treatment. A prospective multicenter study including 262 synovial fluids with suspicion of acute OI was performed between July 2021 and October of 2022. BioFire Joint Infection Panel multiplex-PCR test was performed and results were compared with conventional cultures of synovial fluid specimens.

Usefulness of UF-5000 automatic screening system in UTI diagnosis.

We have evaluated the Sysmex UF-5000 cytometer use in microbiology for the screening of negative urines, looking for cut-off points to detect bacteria and leukocytes. The number of processed urines was 3569, the highest to date in these studies. The best general cut-off point has been 100 bact/μl, giving an area under the ROC curve of 0.

Rapid Detection of Piperacillin-Tazobactam Resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli.

Rapid determination of susceptibility to piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) is very important since the development of antibiotic resistance and inadequate treatment could increase the risk of clinical failure in infected patients, especially if such resistance is unknown to the clinician. Therefore, based on color change from orange to yellow of phenol red due to glucose metabolism (bacterial growth) in the presence of an adequate concentration of TZP (10 mg/L piperacillin and 5 mg/L tazobactam), the RapidTZP test has been developed to detect TZP resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in a maximum of 3 h. A total of 140 isolates, 43 of E.

FlowUTI: An interactive web-application for optimizing the use of flow cytometry as a screening tool in urinary tract infections.

Due to the high prevalence of patients attending with urinary tract infection (UTI) symptoms, the use of flow-cytometry as a rapid screening tool to avoid unnecessary cultures is becoming a widely used system in clinical practice. However, the recommended cut-points applied in flow-cytometry systems differ substantially among authors, making it difficult to obtain reliable conclusions. Here, we present FlowUTI, a shiny web-application created to establish optimal cut-off values in flow-cytometry for different UTI markers, such as bacterial or leukocyte counts, in urine from patients with UTI symptoms.

Optimization and adaptation of the diagnostic capacity for the performance of large volumes of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR.

Introduction: In the present manuscript we describe the planning carried out in our hospital to adapt our diagnostic capability to perform large numbers of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR.

Methods: The analysis and prediction of workflow included the number of RT-PCR per week from the beginning of the pandemic, with a total of 31971 determinations. The planning phase was developed based on the different scenarios previously predicted.

Factors associated with recruitment success in the phase 2a study of aztreonam-avibactam development programme: a descriptive qualitative analysis among sites in Spain.

Objective: Successful clinical trials are subject to recruitment. Recently, the REJUVENATE trial, a prospective phase 2a open-label, single-arm interventional clinical trial conducted within the Innovative Medicines Initiative-supported Combatting Bacterial Resistance in Europe-Carbapenem Resistance project, was published, with 85% of the recruitment performed in Spain. We analysed the recruitment success in this trial by establishing a model of recruitment practice.

Optimization and adaptation of the diagnostic capacity for the performance of large volumes of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR.

Introduction: In the present manuscript we describe the planning carried out in our hospital to adapt our diagnostic capability to perform large numbers of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR.

Methods: The analysis and prediction of workflow included the number of RT-PCR per week from the beginning of the pandemic, with a total of 31971 determinations. The planning phase was developed based on the different scenarios previously predicted.

Impact of Treating Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Prospective Cohort Study.

This study aims to define the epidemiologic, clinical, and microbiological features of asymptomatic bacteriuria (AB) and cystitis in kidney transplantation recipients (KTRs), and to determine the impact of antimicrobial therapy of AB and the risk factors of cystitis. We conducted a prospective observational study of AB and cystitis in KTRs from January to June 2017. One-hundred ninety seven KTRs were included: 175 (88.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Antimicrobial Consumption and Hospital-Acquired Candidemia and Multidrug-Resistant Bloodstream Infections.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship strategies has been recommended. This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary care Spanish hospital with an active ongoing antimicrobial stewardship programme (ASP). For a 20-week period, we weekly assessed antimicrobial consumption, incidence density, and crude death rate per 1000 occupied bed days of candidemia and multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial bloodstream infections (BSI).

Detection of Low-Level Fosfomycin-Resistant Variants by Decreasing Glucose-6-Phosphate Concentration in Fosfomycin Susceptibility Determination.

Mutations that confer low-level fosfomycin resistance (LLFR) but not clinical resistance in are increasingly reported. LLFR strains can become clinically resistant under urinary tract physiological conditions or may act as gateways for highly resistant subpopulations by the selection of additional LLFR mutations. Nevertheless, most LLFR strains are impossible to detect under routine fosfomycin susceptibility determinations.

Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Relationship Between Stressful Life Events and Quality of Life in Adolescents.

Purpose: Stressful life events (SLEs) increase allostatic load and require adaptation. Experiencing SLEs has been associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among adolescents. This study examined racial/ethnic and developmental differences in the relationship between SLEs and HRQOL from preadolescence to midadolescence.

Efficacy and safety of a comprehensive educational antimicrobial stewardship program focused on antifungal use.

Objective: Few data exist regarding the impact of antimicrobial stewardship programs on antifungal use. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a comprehensive long-term antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) focused on antifungal use.

Methods: During a 9-year period, we quarterly assessed antifungal consumption, incidence density of hospital-acquired candidemia, Candida spp.

In vitro study of synergy of ampicillin with ceftriaxone against Listeria monocytogenes.

Objective: To evaluate if the in vitro activity of ampicillin increases when combined with ceftriaxone.

Methods: The activity of ampicillin and ceftriaxone was evaluated against six Listeria monocytogenes invasive clinical isolates. Ampicillin and ceftriaxone MICs were determined by the broth microdilution method.

Urinary Tract Conditions Affect Fosfomycin Activity against Escherichia coli Strains Harboring Chromosomal Mutations Involved in Fosfomycin Uptake.

The steps by which strains harboring mutations related to fosfomycin (FOS) resistance arise and spread during urinary tract infections (UTIs) are far from being understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of urine, pH, and anaerobiosis on FOS activity against a set of isogenic strains carrying the most prevalent chromosomal mutations conferring FOS resistance (Δ, Δ, Δ, and Δ), either singly or in combination. We also studied fosfomycin-resistant clinical isolates from patients with UTI.