Trends in the epidemiology of intravascular device-associated bacteremia among French hematology patients: insights from the SPIADI prospective multicenter study, 2020-2024.

Hematology patients require central venous catheters for cancer treatment and nutrition, which increases their risk of intravascular device-associated bacteremia. In the absence of recent data, we investigated intravascular device-associated bacteremia in this specific context. A three-month surveillance was conducted annually in 27 hematology wards, using a protocol derived from the HAI-Net ICU ECDC protocol (2020-2024).

Does F-FDG PET/CT add value to conventional imaging in clinical assessment of chronic disseminated candidiasis?

Background: Chronic disseminated candidiasis (CDC) classically occurs after profound and prolonged neutropenia. The aim of the CANHPARI study was to assess the clinical value of adding F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT to conventional radiology for initial and subsequent evaluations of CDC.

Materials And Methods: A pilot prospective study was conducted in 23 French onco-hematological centers from 2013 to 2017 (NCT01916057).

Practical checklist for implementation of antifungal stewardship programmes.

Antifungal stewardship programmes are needed in healthcare facilities to limit the overuse or misuse of antifungals, which are responsible for an increase in antifungal resistance. Core recommendations for antifungal stewardship were published by the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided a Core Elements of Hospital Antibiotic Stewardship Programs checklist. The recommendations offer global core elements for best practices in antifungal stewardship, but do not provide a framework for the implementation of antifungal stewardship programmes in healthcare facilities.

The Management of a Comprehensive Cancer Center during the First Six Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the South of France: Lessons from the Paoli-Calmettes Institute's Experience.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was rapidly established that cancer patients have an increased risk of developing severe forms of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) due to a backlog of cancer diagnostics and immunosuppressive treatments. Cancer centers had to quickly adapt to continue cancer therapies despite the high infection risks and major disruptions in the French healthcare system. We described and analyzed the impact of the pandemic in our institution: management adjustments, COVID-19 infection rates in patients and staff, and impacts on clinical activities and finances during the first wave of the pandemic from March to September 2020.

Post-intensive care syndrome: Screening and management in primary care.

Background: Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) affects as many as 50% of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors, and symptoms can persist for months to years. When psychological symptoms are experienced by patients' loved ones, this is termed PICS-family (PICS-F). Patients with these syndromes represent a frequently underrecognised and suboptimally managed cohort.

Post-intensive care syndrome: A crash course for general practice.

Background: Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) refers to a constellation of cognitive, psychiatric and physical symptoms experienced by patients during and following a period of critical illness. As many as 50% of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors are affected, and symptoms can persist for months to years. When psychological symptoms are experienced by patients' loved ones, this is termed PICS-family (PICS-F).

Saprochaete clavata Outbreak Infecting Cancer Center through Dishwasher.

Saprochaete clavata is a pathogenic yeast responsible for rare outbreaks involving immunocompromised patients, especially those with hematologic malignancies. During February 2016-December 2017, we diagnosed S. clavata infections in 9 patients (8 with fungemia), including 3 within 1 month, at a cancer center in Marseille, France.

De-escalation of antimicrobial treatment in neutropenic patients with severe sepsis: results from an observational study.

Background: In severe sepsis, guidelines recommend de-escalating the empirical antimicrobial treatment as soon as the microbiological results are available. We aimed to determine the rate of de-escalation of the empirical antimicrobial treatment in neutropenic patients with severe sepsis. The characteristics of antimicrobial treatment associated with de-escalation and its impact on short- and long-term survival were also determined.

Impact of pretransplant donor and recipient cytomegalovirus serostatus on outcome for multiple myeloma patients undergoing reduced intensity conditioning allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Scope of the study was to investigate the impact of pre-transplant CMV serostatus of the donor and/or recipient on the outcome of patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-SCT) for Multiple Myeloma (MM). To our knowledge no data are available in the literature about this issue. We retrospectively followed 99 consecutive patients who underwent reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) Allo-SCT for MM in our cancer center at Marseille between January 2000 and January 2012.

JC Virus Leuko-Encephalopathy in Reduced Intensity Conditioning Cord Blood Transplant Recipient with a Review of the Literature.

We report here the case of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) related to human polyomavirus JC (JCV) infection after an allogeneic transplantation with umbilical cord blood cells in 59-year-old woman with follicular Non Hodgkin lymphoma. She presented with dysphagia and weakness; magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated marked signal abnormality in the sub-cortical white matter of the left frontal lobe and in the posterior limb of the right internal capsule. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was positive for John Cunningham (JC) virus.

D-Ala-d-Ser VanN-type transferable vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus faecium.

Enterococcus faecium UCN71, isolated from a blood culture, was resistant to low levels of vancomycin (MIC, 16 μg/ml) but susceptible to teicoplanin (MIC, 0.5 μg/ml). No amplification was observed with primers specific for the previously described glycopeptide resistance ligase genes, but a PCR product corresponding to a gene called vanN was obtained using degenerate primers and was sequenced.

Algorithm based on CMV kinetics DNA viral load for preemptive therapy initiation after hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Preemptive therapy in hematopoietic cell transplantation is initiated by a diagnostic technique at first detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV). The aim of this study was to use the viral dynamics of CMV DNA viral to start preemptive therapy, and to prospectively compare the CMV viral load kinetics to pp65 antigenemia. Two hundred sixty-three blood samples were collected prospectively from 93 patients.

Once-weekly liposomal amphotericin B for prophylaxis of invasive fungal infection after graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a comparative retrospective single-center study.

Background And Objectives: The liposomal formulation of amphotericin B (LAmB) has been shown to cause few and mild infusion-related reactions, while achieving high plasma and tissue concentrations compared with conventional amphotericin B. We investigated the efficacy and safety of high-dose LAmB (7.5 mg/kg once weekly) prophylaxis of fungal infections in allogeneic stem-cell transplanted (allo-SCT) patients with graft-versus-host disease (GvHD).

Impact of prior invasive aspergillosis on outcome in patients receiving reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a major cause of morbidity in patients with hematological malignancies, and a major impediment to the success of allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT). The aim of this single-center retrospective study was to determine the impact of pre-transplant IA on the outcome of allo-SCT after reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC). Twenty-eight cases of proven or probable IA were diagnosed prior to RIC allo-SCT at the Paoli-Calmettes Institute Cancer Center between January 2000 and January 2008.

High prevalence of fastidious bacteria in 1520 cases of uveitis of unknown etiology.

The etiologic evaluation of uveitis is frequently unsuccessful when noninvasive methods are used. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate systematic screening for pathogens of uveitis. All patients with uveitis referred to the participating tertiary ophthalmology departments from January 2001 to September 2007 underwent intraocular and serum specimen collection.

Ameba-associated microorganisms and diagnosis of nosocomial pneumonia.

To elucidate the role of ameba-associated microorganisms (AAMs) as etiologic agents of pneumonia, we screened for Legionella spp., Parachlamydia acanthamoeba, Afipia sp., Bosea spp.

rpoB gene sequence-based characterization of emerging non-tuberculous mycobacteria with descriptions of Mycobacterium bolletii sp. nov., Mycobacterium phocaicum sp. nov. and Mycobacterium aubagnense sp. nov.

Over the past 10 years, 16S rRNA gene sequencing has contributed to the establishment of more than 45 novel species of non-tuberculous mycobacteria and to the description of emerging mycobacterial infections. Cumulative experience has indicated that this molecular tool underestimates the diversity of this group and does not distinguish between all recognized mycobacterial taxa. In order to improve the recognition of emerging rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM), rpoB gene sequencing has been developed.

Prevotella massiliensis sp. nov. isolated from human blood.

We report a bacterial isolate (Marseille isolate) recovered from the blood of a patient hospitalized in an intensive care unit, presenting with severe trauma, fever and mechanical ventilation. Colonies appeared at 37 degrees C on blood agar after 72 h incubation. This isolate was a strictly anaerobic, Gram-negative rod phenotypically related to other Prevotella species described to date: non-motile, catalase-negative, oxidase-positive, non-glucose fermenting, resistant to vancomycin and susceptible to kanamycin.

Veillonella montpellierensis endocarditis.

Veillonella spp. rarely cause infections in humans. We report a case of Veillonella endocarditis documented by isolating a slow-growing, gram-negative microbe in blood cultures.

Early antibiotic treatment for BAL-confirmed ventilator-associated pneumonia: a role for routine endotracheal aspirate cultures.

Study Objectives: To test whether routine quantitative cultures of endotracheal aspirates obtained before the onset of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) could help to predict the causative microorganisms and to select early appropriate antimicrobial therapy before obtaining BAL culture results.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: French medical ICU.