: Biofilm-associated infections frequently span multiple body sites and represent a significant clinical challenge, often requiring a multidisciplinary approach involving surgery and antimicrobial therapy. These infections are commonly healthcare-associated and frequently related to internal or external medical devices. The formation of biofilms complicates treatment, as they create environments that are difficult for most antimicrobial agents to penetrate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntibiotics (Basel)
December 2024
: The early identification of infection-causing microorganisms through multiplex PCR panels enables prompt and targeted antibiotic therapy. This study aimed to assess the performance of the BioFire Joint Infection Panel (BF-JIP) in analysing non-synovial fluid samples. : We conducted a retrospective cohort study at Trieste University Hospital, Italy, on hospitalised adults with non-synovial fluid samples tested by both BF-JIP and traditional culture methods (November 2022-April 2024).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Infectious disease treatments are transitioning from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more tailored approach. The increasing adoption of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of antimicrobials is a clear example of this trend. Routine antimicrobial TDM in critically ill patients should be mandatory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCrimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an emerging severe tick-borne illness. The expanding habitat of ticks, coupled with migratory birds harbouring CCHF-infected ticks, contributes to an increasing number of potential hosts. The seroprevalence of anti-CCHF virus antibodies in livestock is approximately one-quarter, with a noticeable upward trend in recent years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnterococci commonly cause nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSIs), and the global incidence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) BSIs is rising. This study aimed to assess the risk factors for enterococcal BSIs and 30-day mortality, stratified by species, vancomycin resistance, and treatment appropriateness. We conducted a retrospective cohort study (2014-2021) including all hospitalized adult patients with at least one blood culture positive for or .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEffective treatment of infectious diseases requires prompt and accurate bacterial identification and tailored antimicrobial treatments. Traditional culture methods are considered the gold standard, but their effectiveness diminishes for fastidious and hard-to-grow microorganisms. In recent years, molecular diagnostic tools such as 16S rRNA gene next-generation sequencing (16S NGS) have gained popularity in the field.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInfections caused by KPC-producing continue to pose a significant clinical challenge due to their emerging resistance to new antimicrobials. We investigated the association between two drugs whose roles have been repurposed against multidrug-resistant bacteria: fosfomycin and temocillin. Temocillin exhibits unusual stability against KPC enzymes, while fosfomycin acts as a potent "synergizer".
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: It remains unclear today whether risk scores created specifically to predict early mortality after cardiac operations for infective endocarditis (IE) outperform or not the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II (EuroSCORE II).
Methods: Perioperative data and outcomes from a European multicenter series of patients undergoing surgery for definite IE were retrospectively reviewed. Only the cases with known pathogen and without missing values for all considered variables were retained for analyses.
SUMMARY infection (CDI) is one of the major issues in nosocomial infections. This bacterium is constantly evolving and poses complex challenges for clinicians, often encountered in real-life scenarios. In the face of CDI, we are increasingly equipped with new therapeutic strategies, such as monoclonal antibodies and live biotherapeutic products, which need to be thoroughly understood to fully harness their benefits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Although dalbavancin is currently approved for the treatment of ABSSIs, several studies suggest its efficacy and tolerance as long-term therapy for other off-label indications requiring prolonged intravenous antibiotic administration.
Methods: We conducted a prospective nationwide study of dalbavancin use in real-life settings for both approved and off-label indications analysing for each case the clinical and microbiological characteristics of infection the efficacy and safety of treatments.
Results: During the study period (from December 2018 to July 2021), the ID specialists from 14 different centres enrolled 223 patients treated with dalbavancin [141 males (63%) and 82 females (37%); male/female ratio 1.
In the present study, we analyzed the genome of two strains TS1 and TS2 from stool and blood cultures, respectively, and one strain of TS3, isolated from a single hospitalized patient with acute myeloid leukemia. The Goldcoast ST358 (O:8 (C2-C3) serogroup), sequenced by the MiSeq Illumina system, showed the presence of β-lactamase genes (, and ), , , , , , , and several incompatibility plasmids. A wide variety of insertion sequences (ISs) and transposon elements were identified.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis an intestinal nematode endemic throughout tropical and subtropical areas, with a life cycle consisting of free-living and parasitic components. Unlike other soil-transmitted nematodes, it is capable of self-infection, which can cause chronic disease that lasts for decades, or cause overwhelming hyperinfection in people taking corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive drugs or who have impaired Th2 cell-mediated immunity, particularly those infected with human T-lymphotropic virus 1. During hyperinfection, a large numbers of larvae have access to the bloodstream, lungs, central nervous system, and other organs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) is a chronic disease that is primarily found in the arid and poor areas of our planet where water supply systems consist of open wells. This parasitic disease is transmitted to humans not only through the consumption of water contaminated with crustaceans harbouring larvae of , but also through the ingestion of paratenic (frogs) or transport hosts (fish). The natural progression of the disease is caused by adult worms invading connective tissues, leading to blistering and ulceration of the extremities, approximately one year after infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Sternal osteomyelitis is a major complication of cardiac operations performed through median sternotomy. The surgical treatment, which involves the debridement and removal of whole infected and necrotic tissue is the standard of care, although it is sometimes unachievable. This may occur, for instance, when the infectious-inflammatory process invades the anterior mediastinum and tenaciously incorporates one or more of vital anatomical structures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBloodstream infections caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococci are increasingly reported and a consensus therapy does not exist. Oritavancin has shown good antimicrobial activity against VRE, but its use is mainly limited to skin, soft tissue, and/or bone infections. Fosfomycin is increasingly used for enterococcal infections (including bloodstream infections and endocarditis) as a partner drug given its anti-biofilm and synergistic properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndemic systemic mycoses such as blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, talaromycosis, paracoccidioidomycosis are emerging as an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. We conducted a systematic review on endemic systemic mycoses reported in Italy from 1914 to nowadays. We found out: 105 cases of histoplasmosis, 15 of paracoccidioidomycosis, 10 of coccidioidomycosis, 10 of blastomycosis and 3 of talaromycosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) is a terrible disease limited, even historically, to the arid and poor areas of our planet and which in the West has always been seen as an exotic disease and therefore has never taken root in the collective imagination. This parasitosis is transmitted to humans by drinking water contaminated with crustacean harboring larvae of , a nematode. The natural history of the disease is caused by adult worms invading connective tissues and causing blistering, ulceration and edema.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF. Several drugs which are easy to administer in outpatient settings have been authorized and endorsed for high-risk COVID-19 patients with mild-moderate disease to prevent hospital admission and death, complementing COVID-19 vaccines. However, the evidence on the efficacy of COVID-19 antivirals during the Omicron wave is scanty or conflicting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis an uncommon species causing invasive fungemia. This yeast is mainly associated with the colonisation of intravascular catheters, complicated intra-abdominal infections, and infections in the paediatric population. Here, we report a case of bloodstream infection in a 53-year-old man.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF