Self-Reported Penicillin Allergy and antibiotic use in critical care: An observational, retrospective study.

Background: Patients with Self-Reported Penicillin Allergy (SRPA) receive alternative antibiotics, which increase the length of stay and hospital costs, but the impact of SRPA on mortality in critically ill patients is not well described.

Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective analysis of routinely gathered clinical data for all intensive care unit (ICU) admissions over nine years. The primary outcome was 28-day mortality, which was analyzed using a time-to-event approach with multivariable models to adjust for confounding factors, including age, comorbidities, sex, and admission SOFA score (as a measure of organ dysfunction).

Postoperative Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Patients With and Without Preoperative Colonization.

Importance: Staphylococcus aureus surgical site infections (SSIs) and bloodstream infections (BSIs) are important complications of surgical procedures for which prevention remains suboptimal. Contemporary data on the incidence of and etiologic factors for these infections are needed to support the development of improved preventive strategies.

Objectives: To assess the occurrence of postoperative S aureus SSIs and BSIs and quantify its association with patient-related and contextual factors.

Intravaginal lactic acid gel versus oral metronidazole for treating women with recurrent bacterial vaginosis: the VITA randomised controlled trial.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis is a common and distressing condition for women. Short-term antibiotic treatment is usually clinically effective, but recurrence is common. We assessed the effectiveness of intravaginal lactic acid gel versus oral metronidazole for treating recurrent bacterial vaginosis.

Lactic acid gel versus metronidazole for recurrent bacterial vaginosis in women aged 16 years and over: the VITA RCT.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis is a common and distressing condition associated with serious comorbidities. Antibiotic treatment is usually clinically effective in the short term, but recurrence is common and side effects can occur.

Objectives: The objective is to assess whether or not intravaginal lactic acid gel is clinically effective and cost-effective for treating recurrent bacterial vaginosis compared with oral metronidazole (Flagyl, Sanofi).

Donor acquired visceral leishmaniasis following liver transplantation.

Patients who undergo solid organ transplantation are at risk of opportunistic infection associated with immunosuppression. We report a case of confirmed donor derived visceral leishmaniasis (VL), in a patient following liver transplantation causing fever and pancytopenia. The diagnosis was confirmed by bone marrow biopsy, with confirmed positive donor serology, with no other route of transmission.

Efficacy of β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors to treat extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales bacteremia secondary to urinary tract infection in kidney transplant recipients (INCREMENT-SOT Project).

Background: Whether active therapy with β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors (BLBLI) is as affective as carbapenems for extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) bloodstream infection (BSI) secondary to urinary tract infection (UTI) in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) remains unclear.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 306 KTR admitted to 30 centers from January 2014 to October 2016. Therapeutic failure (lack of cure or clinical improvement and/or death from any cause) at days 7 and 30 from ESBL-E BSI onset was the primary and secondary study outcomes, respectively.

Metronidazole versus lactic acid for treating bacterial vaginosis (VITA): protocol for a randomised controlled trial to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of topical lactic acid gel for treating second and subsequent episodes of bacterial vaginosis.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) affects 30-50% of women at some time in their lives and is an embarrassing and distressing condition which can be associated with potentially serious comorbidities. Current antibiotic treatments such as metronidazole are effective but can result in side effects, and recurrence is common. This trial aims to investigate whether lactic acid gel is clinically effective and cost effective in the treatment of recurrent BV compared with metronidazole.

Toxoplasmosis in Transplant Recipients, Europe, 2010-2014.

Transplantation activity is increasing, leading to a growing number of patients at risk for toxoplasmosis. We reviewed toxoplasmosis prevention practices, prevalence, and outcomes for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and solid organ transplant (SOT; heart, kidney, or liver) patients in Europe. We collected electronic data on the transplant population and prevention guidelines/regulations and clinical data on toxoplasmosis cases diagnosed during 2010-2014.

Retransplantation in Late Hepatic Artery Thrombosis: Graft Access and Transplant Outcome.

Background: Definitive treatment for late hepatic artery thrombosis (L-HAT) is retransplantation (re-LT); however, the L-HAT-associated disease burden is poorly represented in allocation models.

Methods: Graft access and transplant outcome of the re-LT experience between 2005 and 2016 was reviewed with specific focus on the L-HAT cohort in this single-center retrospective study.

Results: Ninety-nine (5.

Clinical and microbiological features of infection in alcoholic hepatitis: an international cohort study.

Background: Previous studies have described the clinical impact of infection in alcoholic hepatitis (AH) but none have comprehensively explored the aetiopathogenesis of infection in this setting. We examined the causes, consequences and treatment of infection in a cohort of patients with AH.

Methods: We undertook a retrospective cohort study of patients with AH admitted between 2009 and 2014 to seven centres in Europe and the USA.

Prescribing antibiotics in diabetic foot infection: what is the role of initial microscopy and culture of tissue samples?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of microscopy, Gram stain and the culture of tissue samples in the antibiotic treatment of patients with diabetic foot infection. A retrospective review of patients with a diabetic foot infection was undertaken. Data analysed included the severity of infection, antibiotic prescribing patterns, microscopy and culture results.

Diagnosing Tuberculous Peritonitis Early in Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis: Use of Xpert MTB/RIF Assay.

Diagnosing tuberculous peritonitis can be challenging, with mycobacterial culture potentially taking weeks for a positive result. This report describes 2 cases where a prompt diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis was made employing the Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Cepheid Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA).

Emergence of linezolid resistance in hepatobiliary infections caused by Enterococcus faecium.

Enterococcal infections are common in liver transplantation and hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) surgery. Linezolid is frequently used to treat not only vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), but also vancomycin-sensitive Enterococcus (VSE) infections, and resistance can develop. This study evaluated all the Liver Unit patients who developed infections with linezolid-resistant Enterococcus (LRE) in order to elicit the association with prior linezolid usage, to explore possible risk factors for infection, and to better understand the epidemiology of these isolates in this patient group.

Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in a UK tertiary referral centre: a 'transoesophageal echocardiogram for all' policy.

Objectives: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a feared complication in up to 38% of cases of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB). BSAC guidelines recommend echocardiography in all cases of SAB. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of IE in SAB using transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) as the first step in diagnostic imaging.