Management of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci and daptomycin-resistant Enterococci infections in liver transplant recipients in a single academic center.

Introduction: Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) infections cause significant morbidity and mortality in liver transplant (LT) recipients. Management is challenging, especially in the setting of daptomycin resistance (DR).

Methods: Single-center retrospective review of patients who underwent LT between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022, and developed VRE infections.

Defining the Landscape of Educational Experiences in Transplant Infectious Diseases: A National Survey of Infectious Diseases Fellows in the United States.

Background: Transplant infectious diseases (TID) is a growing area of expertise within infectious diseases (ID), but TID training is not standardized. Previous surveys of fellows identified opportunities to improve TID education resources but did not explore didactic, clinical, and nonclinical experiences comprehensively.

Methods: The American Society of Transplantation ID Community of Practice surveyed adult and pediatric fellows in US-based general ID or dedicated TID training programs to explore their didactic exposure, clinical experiences, and non-direct patient care activities in TID.

Cell-free plasma next-generation sequencing assists in the evaluation of secondary pneumonia in patients with COVID-19: a case series.

Secondary pneumonia occurs in 8-24% of patients with Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis of secondary pneumonia can be challenging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of plasma microbial cell free DNA sequencing (mcfNGS) in the evaluation of secondary pneumonia after COVID-19.

Liver transplantation for post-COVID-19 cholangiopathy: A case series.

Background: Post-COVID-19 cholangiopathy is an emerging cholestatic liver disease observed in patients recovering from severe COVID-19 infection. Its prognosis is poor, necessitating liver transplantation in some cases. This study aimed to investigate the outcomes of liver transplantation for post-COVID-19 cholangiopathy.

A review of transplant infectious diseases and pediatric transplant infectious diseases curriculum.

Purpose Of Review: As the volume and complexity of solid organ and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation continue to see rapid growth, the training of a specialized transplant infectious diseases physician workforce is of increasing interest and importance. This review provides an overview of the evolution of transplant infectious diseases training programs, essential elements of training, as well as future needs.

Recent Findings: Despite the first publication of a transplant infectious diseases curriculum in 2010, more recent surveys of infectious diseases trainees have identified gaps in didactic curriculum, donor and recipient assessment, and safe living practices.

Cell-free next-generation sequencing impacts diagnosis and antimicrobial therapy in immunocompromised hosts: A retrospective study.

Background: Cell-free next-generation sequencing (cfNGS) may have a unique role in the diagnosis of infectious complications in immunocompromised hosts. The rapid turnaround time and non-invasive nature make it a promising supplement to standard of care.

Methods: This retrospective, observational single-center study at a tertiary care medical center in Virginia investigated the use of cfNGS in clinical practice.

An Under-recognized Cause of Antifungal Drug-Resistant Aspergillosis.

is a drug-resistant species that is phenotypically similar to . It was discovered as a cause of azole-breakthrough disease, consistent with in vitro resistance. Clinical labs can misidentify the species as fumigatus based on phenotypic typing.

Bordetella hinzii Meningitis in Patient with History of Kidney Transplant, Virginia, USA.

A patient in Virginia, USA, who had previously undergone multiple kidney transplantations showed signs of Bordetella hinzii bacteremia and meningitis. This emerging pathogen has been increasingly identified as a clinically significant pathogen in immunosuppressed and, less frequently, immunocompetent patients. This patient was treated and recovered without further issue.

Toxoplasma-induced hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis after haploidentical allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a disorder of immune regulation, manifested by fever, pancytopenia, hyperferritiniemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and extensive hemophagocytosis involving the bone marrow and spleen. HLH can occur in adults with an underlying hematopoietic malignancy, or with systemic infections. HLH following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is unusual, and the diagnosis may be challenging particularly because the diagnostic criteria in the HLH-2004 guidelines overlap with common post-transplant complications such as engraftment syndrome, graft-vs-host disease, and infections.

An unusual case of Nocardia cyriacigeorgica presenting with spinal abscesses in a renal transplant recipient and a review of the literature.

Nocardia species represent a well-recognized yet uncommon cause of opportunistic infections in humans. It most frequently presents as a pulmonary infection with or without central nervous system involvement. It is a very rare cause of spinal abscesses, with only 26 cases reported in the literature.

Graded isavuconazole introduction in a patient with voriconazole allergy.

Triazole antifungal drugs may rarely cause serious allergic reactions including angioedema. No standardized tests are available to predict cross-reactivity within the azole class and little guiding information exists on whether to change therapy within the class or to another class after a serious allergic reaction. Herein we report the first successful use, to our knowledge, of graded isavuconazole introduction for treatment of aspergillosis in a liver transplant recipient with severe voriconazole allergy.

Endocarditis and Pauci-Immune Glomerulonephritis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Among culture-negative endocarditis in the United States, species are the most common cause, with and comprising the majority of cases. Kidney manifestations, particularly glomerulonephritis, are common sequelae of infectious endocarditis, with nearly half of all patients demonstrating renal involvement. Although a pauci-immune pattern is a frequent finding in infectious endocarditis-associated glomerulonephritis, it is rarely reported in endocarditis.

Estimating Ten-Year Trends in Septic Shock Incidence and Mortality in United States Academic Medical Centers Using Clinical Data.

Background: Reports that septic shock incidence is rising and mortality rates declining may be confounded by improving recognition of sepsis and changing coding practices. We compared trends in septic shock incidence and mortality in academic hospitals using clinical vs claims data.

Methods: We identified all patients with concurrent blood cultures, antibiotics, and vasopressors for ≥ two consecutive days, and all patients with International Classification of Diseases, 9th edition (ICD-9) codes for septic shock, at 27 academic hospitals from 2005 to 2014.

Periodic Lateralized Epileptiform Discharges (PLEDs) in Patients With Neurosyphilis and HIV Infection.

Periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges (PLEDs) are an electroencephalographic pattern recorded in the setting of a variety of brain abnormalities. It is best recognized for its association with acute viral encephalitis, stroke, tumor, or latestatus epilepticus. However, there are other conditions that have been recognized as the underlying pathology for PLEDs such as alcohol withdrawal, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, anoxic brain injury, and hemiplegic migraine.

Resistin levels in lupus and associations with disease-specific measures, insulin resistance, and coronary calcification.

Objective: To evaluate levels of resistin in female subjects with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) compared to age and race-matched controls and to determine the relationship between resistin and systemic inflammation, disease measures, and coronary artery calcification (CAC).

Methods: Resistin levels were measured on stored samples from 159 women with SLE and 70 controls as an extension of a previous cross-sectional study. Spearman correlations and multivariable regressions were used to examine whether resistin levels were associated with SLE, disease-specific and inflammatory markers, insulin resistance, and CAC.

Folate and homocysteine phenotypes: Comparative findings using research and clinical laboratory data.

Objectives: A low folate/high homocysteine phenotype is associated with several pathologies, including spina bifida and cardiovascular disease. Folate and total homocysteine (tHcy) measurements are used clinically to assess risk and the need for folic acid supplementation and in research to investigate the metabolic basis of disease. Red blood cell (RBC) folate, the best indicator of long-term folate status, is usually measured as "total" folate.