A seemingly considerable increase in antimicrobial resistance in the group from blood cultures - the second national study in Denmark.

Background: Bacteroides fragilis group species are the most frequently encountered bacteria involved in anaerobic bacteraemia and associated with high mortality rates. In 2012, we performed the first national study of antimicrobial susceptibility in the B. fragilis group from blood cultures in Denmark.

Prognostic value of 24-hour cultivation of peritoneal fluid to distinguish complicated from uncomplicated acute appendicitis: a prospective cohort study.

Background: The distinction between complicated and uncomplicated acute appendicitis (AA) is important as it guides postoperative antibiotic treatment. A diagnosis based on intraoperative findings is imprecise and standard cultivation of peritoneal fluid is generally time-consuming with little clinical benefit. The aim of this study was to examine if cultivation of peritoneal fluid in acute appendicitis could reliably detect bacteria within 24 h.

BioFire blood culture identification 2 panel as detector of bacteria in peritoneal fluid from patients with acute appendicitis.

Background: Polymerase chain reaction is a method to detect bacterial DNA and is widely used because it delivers results within a few hours with the potential to guide postoperative antibiotic treatment. This study aims to determine if polymerase chain reaction can accurately detect bacteria in the peritoneal fluid compared with conventional culture from patients operated for acute appendicitis.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included patients above the age of 18 years who underwent laparoscopic surgery for acute appendicitis.

Infections increase the risk of decompensation and death in patients with early alcohol-related liver disease.

Background & Aims: Infections are frequent in patients with cirrhosis and worsen prognosis. We evaluated the incidence of infections and their impact on decompensation and death in patients with early alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) during long-term follow-up.

Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study of patients in secondary care with a history of excess alcohol intake, no prior decompensation, and with liver biopsies along with clinical investigations conducted at baseline.

Gonorrhoea on the rise in Denmark since 2022: distinct clones drive increase in heterosexual individuals.

A surge in gonorrhoea in Denmark has occurred since 2022, a 46% increase from 2021. National surveillance, leveraging mandatory reporting and epidemiological data, highlights three distinct clades linked to heterosexual transmission. Despite the rise, these exhibit high susceptibility, contrasting MSM-associated strains.

Herpes simplex virus infection among neonates suspected of invasive bacterial infection: a population-based cohort study.

Objective: To estimate the incidence of neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection and the number of neonates with suspected invasive bacterial infection (IBI) needed to treat (NNT) with acyclovir to ensure prompt treatment of invasive HSV infections.

Design: A nationwide population-based cohort study.

Setting: All neonatal and paediatric emergency departments in Denmark from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2019.

Assessing the quality of the anaerobic environment - a method developed to support EUCAST disk diffusion of anaerobic bacteria.

The purpose of this study is to establish a method for assessing the anaerobic environment for EUCAST disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of anaerobic bacteria on fastidious anaerobe agar with 5% mechanically defibrinated horse blood (FAA-HB). The method utilizes the association between a decrease in the metronidazole disk zone diameter and increasing oxygen levels with an aerotolerant Clostridium perfringens strain DSM 25589 (CCUG 75076 and NCTC 14679). The C.

Contaminated dicloxacillin capsules as the source of an NDM-5/OXA-48-producing ST79 outbreak, Denmark and Iceland, 2022 and 2023.

From October 2022 through January 2023, nine patients with NDM-5/OXA-48-carbapenemase-producing ST79 were detected in Denmark and subsequently one patient in Iceland. There were no nosocomial links between patients, but they had all been treated with dicloxacillin capsules. An NDM-5/OXA-48-carbapenemase-producing ST79, identical to patient isolates, was cultured from the surface of dicloxacillin capsules in Denmark, strongly implicating them as the source of the outbreak.

Risk of Psychiatric Disorders, Use of Psychiatric Hospitals, and Receipt of Psychiatric Medication in Patients With Brain Abscess in Denmark.

Background: It is unknown whether patients diagnosed with brain abscess have an increased risk of psychiatric disorders.

Methods: In this nationwide, population-based matched cohort study from Denmark, we compared the incidence of psychiatric disorders, use of psychiatric hospitals, and receipt of psychiatric medications between patients diagnosed with brain abscess and individuals from the general population, matched on date of birth, sex, and residential area.

Results: We included 435 patients diagnosed with brain abscess and 3909 individuals in the comparison cohort: 61% were male and median age was 54 years.

Investigation of an OXA-436 carbapenemase outbreak: when everything goes down the drain.

Over a time period of 18 months an sequence type (ST) 90, harboring a carbapenemase gene, was isolated from seven patients at Odense University Hospital, Denmark. The patients were all from the same department, but there was no apparent direct epidemiological link. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on all clinical isolates as well as on a number of environmental samples including two ST90 isolates carrying the gene, which were isolated in samples from two shower drains at the department.

Prescribing antibiotics: Factors driving decision-making in general practice. A discrete choice experiment.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to human health. We need to strive for a rational use of antibiotics to reduce the selection of resistant bacteria. Most antibiotics are prescribed in general practice, but little is known about factors influencing general practitioners' (GPs) decision-making when prescribing antibiotics.

Determinants of Antibody Response to a Third SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Dose in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: Results from the Prospective Cohort Study COVAC-Tx.

Background: We studied factors related to humoral response in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients following a three-dose regimen of an mRNA-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Method: This was a prospective study of SOT recipients who received a third homologous dose of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine. The anti-spike S1 IgG response was measured using the SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant assay (Abbott Laboratories) with a cut-off of 7.

Socioeconomic functioning in patients with brain abscess - a nationwide, population-based cohort study in Denmark.

Objectives: Long-term functional outcomes of brain abscess remains sparsely elucidated.

Methods: Nationwide, population-based cohort study of all Danish patients with a culture verified brain abscess and a comparison cohort from the general population individually matched on date of birth and sex.

Results: Among 435 patients and 1740 members of the comparison cohort, 61% were men and median age was 54 years.

Factors associated with C-reactive protein testing when prescribing antibiotics in general practice: a register-based study.

Background: The use of C-reactive protein (CRP) tests has been shown to safely reduce antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs). The aim of this study was to explore patient and clinical factors associated with the use of CRP testing when prescribing antibiotics recommended for RTIs.

Methods: A nation-wide retrospective cross-sectional register-based study based on first redeemed antibiotic prescriptions issued to adults in Danish general practice between July 2015 and June 2017.

Microbiological diagnosis in cardiac implantable electronic device infections detected by sonication and next-generation sequencing.

Background: Device-related infection (DRI) is a severe complication of treatment with cardiac implantable electronic devices. Identification of the causative pathogen is essential for optimal treatment, but conventional methods often are inadequate.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to improve microbiological diagnosis in DRI using sonication and next-generation sequencing analysis.

Prescribing antibiotics: the use of diagnostic tests in general practice. A register-based study.

Objective: To assess (i) the pattern of antibiotic prescribing in Danish general practice, (ii) the use of diagnostic tests [point-of-care (POC) and tests analysed at the hospital laboratory (laboratory tests)], and (iii) the frequency of diagnostic testing in relation to antibiotic prescriptions.

Design: Retrospective cross-sectional register-based study.

Setting: General practice in a geographical area of Denmark covering 455,956 inhabitants.

Diagnostics with clinical microbiome-based identification of microorganisms in patients with brain abscesses-a prospective cohort study.

Brain abscesses are often polymicrobial and of unclear primary origin. Here, we compare the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology with classical microbiological diagnostics for identification of clinically relevant microorganisms and describe the microbiome profiling with respect to the primary source of brain abscess. Thirty-six samples from 36 patients, with primary brain abscesses, were subjected to both culture- and 16S/18S rRNA Sanger sequencing-based diagnostics ("standard methods") and compared to a 16S/18S amplicon-based NGS, which were also subjected to a microbiome diversity analyses.

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among 7950 healthcare workers in the Region of Southern Denmark.

Objective: Healthcare workers (HCWs) carry a pronounced risk of acquiring severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and potential risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs in the Region of Southern Denmark after the first pandemic wave in the spring of 2020.

Methods: This was an observational study conducted between May and June 2020.

Development of a EUCAST disk diffusion method for the susceptibility testing of rapidly growing anaerobic bacteria using Fastidious Anaerobe Agar (FAA): a development study using Bacteroides species.

Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance among anaerobic bacteria is increasing, leading to a growing demand for inexpensive and reliable susceptibility testing methods. The aim of this study was to determine the suitability of Fastidious Anaerobe Agar (FAA) as a medium for disk diffusion for rapidly growing anaerobic bacteria.

Methods: Reproducibility of zone diameters and quality of growth were tested using six quality control (QC) strains.

septic arthritis in a patient with hypogammaglobinaemia and rheumatoid arthritis.

We describe the case of septic arthritis in a 58-year-old woman with a history of rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis on immunosuppressive therapy with rituximab. Treatment with anti-CD20 antibodies (eg, rituximab) leads to an immediate depletion of B cells and hence risk of reductions in immunoglobulins and increased risk of infections. This effect may last long after drug cessation.

Pre-hospital antibiotic therapy preceded by blood cultures in a physician-manned mobile emergency care unit.

Background: Rapid recognition and antibiotic treatment, preferably preceded by blood cultures (BCs), is a mainstay in sepsis therapy. The objective of this investigation was to determine if pre-hospital BCs were feasible and drawn with an acceptably low level of contamination and to investigate whether pre-hospital antibiotics were administered on correct indications.

Methods: We performed a register-based study in a pre-hospital physician-manned mobile emergency care unit (MECU) operating in a mixed urban/rural area in Denmark.

Comparison of six commercially available SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays-Choice of assay depends on intended use.

Objectives: Evaluate six commercial serological assays for detection of IgA, IgM or IgG SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in different disease severities.

Methods: Three lateral flow tests (LFTs) (Acro IgM/IgG, CTK IgM/IgG, Livzon IgM/IgG) and three ELISA assays (Euroimmun IgA and IgG, Wantai IgM) were included. Application was evaluated using samples from 57 patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, stratified according to disease severity.

Bacteraemia with and : a case report.

and are obligate anaerobic Gram-positive bacteria that are rarely involved in human infections. We present the first case of bacteraemia with , which was part of a co-infection with . Both micro-organisms were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and was also identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS).

Molecular characterization of Danish ESBL/AmpC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae from bloodstream infections, 2018.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to molecularly characterize third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from bloodstream infections in Denmark in 2018 using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data, and to compare these isolates to the most common clones detected in 2006 and 2008.

Methods: Sixty-two extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)/AmpC-producing K. pneumoniae isolates from Danish blood cultures from 2018 were analysed using WGS to obtain multilocus sequence typing (MLST), core genome MLST (cgMLST), resistance profile and phylogeny.

Similar genomic patterns of clinical infective endocarditis and oral isolates of Streptococcus sanguinis and Streptococcus gordonii.

Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus sanguinis belong to the Mitis group streptococci, which mostly are commensals in the human oral cavity. Though they are oral commensals, they can escape their niche and cause infective endocarditis, a severe infection with high mortality. Several virulence factors important for the development of infective endocarditis have been described in these two species.