Publications by authors named "Munckhof W"

Nocardia is a Gram-positive weakly acid-fast bacterium that is ubiquitous in the environment. It represents a rare cause of infection in humans and typically causes pulmonary, cutaneous, or central nervous system (CNS) infections. CNS nocardiosis has very poor prognosis, especially in immunocompromised hosts.

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Background: Various studies have identified numerous factors associated with poor clinical outcomes in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB). A new study was created to provide deeper insight into in-hospital complications and risk factors for treatment failure.

Methods: Adult patients hospitalised with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) were recruited prospectively into a multi-centre cohort.

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Introduction: Patients with osteodiscitis are often prescribed antibiotics prior to biopsy. There is controversy in the literature about whether antibiotic pre-treatment prior to CT-guided biopsy decreases the microbiological culture yield. Conclusions from previous studies are influenced by sample size error and selection bias.

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An elevated vancomycin MIC is associated with poor outcomes in Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) and is reported in patients with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) bacteremia in the absence of vancomycin treatment. Here, using DNA microarray and phenotype analysis, we investigated the genetic predictors and accessory gene regulator (agr) function and their relationship with elevated vancomycin MIC using blood culture isolates from a multicenter binational cohort of patients with SAB.

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We report the first known Australian case of probable neurobrucellosis, in a young feral-pig shooter who presented with episodic left-sided visual loss and left-sided numbness and headache. Treatment with intravenous ceftriaxone and oral rifampicin, doxycycline and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole resulted in a good clinical response.

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We reported an association between elevated vancomycin MIC and 30-day mortality in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB), including patients with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) treated with flucloxacillin. A detailed analysis of comorbidities and disease severity scores in the same cohort of patients was performed to ascertain if unknown clinical parameters may have influenced these results.

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A ratio of the vancomycin area under the concentration-time curve to the MIC (AUC/MIC) of ≥ 400 has been associated with clinical success when treating Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia, and this target was recommended by recently published vancomycin therapeutic monitoring consensus guidelines for treating all serious S. aureus infections. Here, vancomycin serum trough levels and vancomycin AUC/MIC were evaluated in a "real-world" context by following a cohort of 182 patients with S.

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Infective endocarditis is a common complication of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia, but literature reports of community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) endocarditis are relatively uncommon and mostly comprise intravenous drug users (IVDUs) with the USA300 strain. We report 5 cases of CA-MRSA endocarditis in previously healthy young Australian adults, 4 in IVDUs.

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Background: There are concerns about reduced efficacy of vancomycin in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB), especially when the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) nears the upper limit of the susceptible range.

Methods: We examined the relationship between antibiotic treatment, 30-day mortality, and microbiologic parameters in a large Australasian cohort of patients with SAB.

Results: We assessed 532 patients with SAB from 8 hospitals.

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Objective: To document the types of, and mortality from, Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia in Australia and New Zealand, and determine factors associated with mortality.

Design And Setting: Prospective observational study in 27 independent or hospital pathology laboratories in Australia (24) and New Zealand (3), employing a web-based database to prospectively record demographic features, selected risk factors, principal antibiotic treatment and mortality data on all patients with positive blood cultures for S. aureus from June 2007 to May 2008.

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Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infections are emerging in southeast Queensland, Australia, but the incidence of carriage of CA-MRSA strains is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the nasal carriage rate of S. aureus, including CA-MRSA strains, in the general adult population of southeast Queensland.

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Septic cavernous sinus thrombosis is an uncommon clinical syndrome with a high morbidity and mortality. The commonest bacterial pathogen is Staphylococcus aureus. We describe the study of a patient with cavernous sinus thrombosis and meningitis caused by community-acquired methicillin-resistant S.

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Non-multiresistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (nmMRSA) infections are emerging worldwide and are often community-associated. This prospective case-cohort study compares features of 96 nmMRSA clinical isolates with 96 matched multiresistant MRSA (mMRSA) and 192 matched methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) clinical isolates.

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We described two rare severe and fulminant clinical presentations of acute Q fever. The first patient had severe multiorgan failure. The second patient had fever and severe cholera-like diarrhoea.

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Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) infection in children is increasingly common and can be associated with dissemination and life-threatening complications. Empiric therapy for presumed severe Staphylococcus aureus infection should be reviewed. Four children with severe invasive CA-MRSA infection causing osteomyelitis and pneumonia complicated by pulmonary embolus and deep venous thrombosis are described.

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One approach to microbial genotyping is to make use of sets of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in combination with binary markers. Here we report the modification and automation of a SNP-plus-binary-marker-based approach to the genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus and its application to 391 S. aureus isolates from southeast Queensland, Australia.

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Septic arthritis due to fungal infection is uncommon, but when it does occur it can have a devastating effect. Scedosporium prolificans is an emerging fungal pathogen that appears to have a predilection for bone and cartilaginous surfaces. This fungus is resistant to most commonly prescribed antifungal agents.

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Vancomycin is the preferred parenteral antibiotic for the treatment of all methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, including the newly emerging community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections. Vancomycin-intermediate nosocomial MRSA strains have developed in vitro and in vivo after exposure to vancomycin. The aim of this study was to determine whether daily serial passage of CA-MRSA strains onto vancomycin-supplemented agar selects for the development of vancomycin resistance.

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The aim of this study was to identify a set of genetic polymorphisms that efficiently divides methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains into groups consistent with the population structure. The rationale was that such polymorphisms could underpin rapid real-time PCR or low-density array-based methods for monitoring MRSA dissemination in a cost-effective manner. Previously, the authors devised a computerized method for identifying sets of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with high resolving power that are defined by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) databases, and also developed a real-time PCR method for interrogating a seven-member SNP set for genotyping S.

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Staphylococcal infections are a common and significant clinical problem in medical practice. Most strains of Staphylococcus aureus are now resistant to penicillin, and methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus (MRSA) are common in hospitals and are emerging in the community.

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Eight patients with invasive bacteremic community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in southeast Queensland, Australia, are reported. One patient died of septic shock. Haematogenous seeding to lungs, bone, and other sites was common.

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