Tenofovir use is associated with a decreased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among men with HIV irrespective of coinfection status.

Background & Aims: Tenofovir is recommended as part of the first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat people living with HIV (PLWH) with HBV coinfection. However, the effects of tenofovir-containing ART on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk among PLWH with/without chronic hepatitis virus infections remain unclear. Methods: This study included 23,838 PLWH. All of them were males aged ≥20 years and followed prospectively during 2000-2017. Four major nationwide registries - the Human Immunodeficiency Virus surveillance database, Taiwan Cancer Registry, Death Certification System, and National Health Insurance Database - were applied to define ART and comorbidities and ascertain newly diagnosed HCC. Tenofovir-containing ART was identified through prescription records. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the association of tenofovir use with HCC incidence. Results: HCC incidence was lower among ever users of tenofovir than among never users (24.2 and 85.7 per 100,000 person-years, respectively). Ever users had significantly reduced HCC risk (adjusted hazard ratio 0.20, 95% CI 0.13-0.31). The effect of tenofovir use on reduced risk for HCC consistently favored never users across many prespecified subgroups, including HBV or HCV coinfection (p <0.05). The findings were consistent in subgroups of PLWH diagnosed with HIV before tenofovir's approval and in those born before the nationwide roll-out of neonatal HBV vaccination. Conclusions: Our findings underscore the need for randomized controlled trials of tenofovir in combination with long-acting injectable ART regimens to assess its safety and efficacy in PLWH, particularly in those with HBV or HCV coinfection. Impact and implications: Tenofovir's effect on the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among people living with HIV with hepatitis B or C coinfection remains under investigated. This nationwide prospective cohort study, comprising 23,838 men living with HIV, showed that tenofovir-containing antiretroviral therapy was associated with reduced risk of HCC (adjusted relative risk: 0.20, 95% CI 0.13-0.31), which was consistently observed across many prespecified subgroups. The effect of tenofovir use on HCC risk should be further investigated in PLWH, particularly following the development of long-acting injectable ART regimens.

The first imported case of monkeypox in Taiwan.

he first imported case of monkeypox in Taiwan was diagnosed in an Asian man with HIV-1 infection and asymptomatic COVID-19, returning from Germany. Atypical presentations included asynchronous skin lesions, anogenital lesions and prominent inguinal lymphadenopathy. Whole genomic sequence alignment indicate that the Taiwan strain clustered together with human monkeypox virus West African clade B.1, currently circulating in Europe. Prompt diagnosis and infection control measures are crucial to mitigate the spread of monkeypox.

The influence of low-level viremia on CD4+ cell count in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients.

BACKGROUND: Following initiation of combined antiretroviral therapy, the majority of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients experience immune reconstitution indicated by virologic suppression and an increase in peripheral CD4+ T-cell counts. Some patients may suffer from low-level viremia, which was reported to be significantly associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome cases, virologic failure, and death. We aimed to further investigate the influence of low-level viremia on CD4+ T-cell count. METHODS: In our study, we included human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive patients on combined antiretroviral therapy, for at least 6 months, who received at least one assessment of human immunodeficiency virus plasma viral load and CD4+ cell count every 6 months, from January 2009 to January 2019. The copy-year viremia was determined by calculating the area under the curve of the plasma human immunodeficiency virus viral load. RESULTS: When comparing patients with a mean CD4+ cell count <200 cells/µL, there was no significant difference between patients with a mean viral load <1000 copies/mL and patients with a mean viral load ≥1000 copies/mL (p = 0.219). Among those with a mean viral load <1000 copies/mL, a higher proportion of patients had a mean CD4+ cell count ≥500 cells/µL (p < 0.001). The mean CD4+ cell count of patients with copy-years viremia (log10) <4 (577.7, interquartile range 429.2-736.7) was significantly higher than that of patients with copy-years viremia (log10) ≥4 (443.3, interquartile range 319.0-558.4) (p < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, we observed that malignancy without history, lower copy-years viremia, and high nadir CD4+ cell count were independent predictors of mean CD4+ cell count ≥500 cells/µL. CONCLUSION: Human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with a history of malignancy, high copy-year viremia, and lower nadir CD4+ cell counts should be monitored carefully in clinical settings.

Shall I trust the report? Variable performance of Sanger sequencing revealed by deep sequencing on HIV drug resistance mutation detection.

BACKGROUND: The clinical utilisation of deep sequencing in HIV treatment has been hindered due to its unknown correlation with standard Sanger genotyping and the undetermined value of minority drug resistance mutation (DRM) detection. OBJECTIVES: To compare deep sequencing performance to standard Sanger genotyping with clinical samples, in an effort to delineate the correlation between the results from the two methods and to find the optimal deep sequencing threshold for clinical utilisation. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study using stored plasma collected from August 2014 to March 2018 for HIV genotyping with the commercial Sanger genotyping kit. Samples with available Sanger genotyping reports were further deep sequenced. Drug resistance was interpreted according to the Stanford HIV drug resistance database algorithm. RESULTS: At 15-25% minority detection thresholds, 9-15% cases had underestimated DRMs by Sanger sequencing. The concordance between the Sanger and deep sequencing reports was 68-82% in protease-reverse transcriptase region and 88-97% in integrase region at 5-25% thresholds. The undetected drug resistant minority variants by Sanger sequencing contributed to the lower negative predictive value of Sanger genotyping in cases harbouring DRMs. CONCLUSIONS: Use of deep sequencing improved detection of antiretroviral resistance mutations especially in cases with virological failure or previous treatment interruption. Deep sequencing with 10-15% detection thresholds may be considered a suitable substitute for Sanger sequencing on antiretroviral DRM detection.

Taiwan guideline on oral pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention - 2018 update.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for prevention of human immunodeficiency virus infection is proved to be effective and has been implemented worldwide. This article introduces the guideline development and revised recommendations and guidance on PrEP provision in the updated Taiwan PrEP guideline. The Taiwan PrEP guideline writing group searched randomized controlled trials and guidelines published before October 2017 through Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Database, Embase and ClinicalTrials.gov database. Keywords included pre(-)exposure prophylaxis, PrEP, Truvada, tenofovir, HIV, and AIDS. Each selected article was assessed by two authors using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation. External reviewers were invited to independently evaluate the revised manuscript per the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II. Before publication, a public consultation was held to reach consensus on the updated guideline among providers, civil society, and Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. Four systematic reviews and 28 original articles were reviewed by Taiwan PrEP writing group. The second version of the Taiwan PrEP guideline was released in March 2018. We recommended daily PrEP use for the following populations: strong recommendation and high quality of evidence for men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW), as well as heterosexual serodiscordant couples; weak recommendation and high quality of evidence for people who inject drugs, while weak recommendation and moderate quality of evidence for at-risk heterosexual men and women. There is high-quality evidence for event-driven PrEP in MSM and likely TGW, and we additionally recognized these key populations could benefit from such dosing regimen.

Distinct Pathogenic Patterns of Burkholderia pseudomallei Isolates Selected from Caenorhabditis elegans and Dictyostelium discoideum Models.

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a selective agent that causes septic melioidosis and exhibits a broad range of lethal doses in animals. Host cellular virulence and phagocytic resistance are pathologic keys of B. pseudomallei. We first proposed Caenorhabditis elegans as the host cellular virulence model to mimic bacterial virulence against mammals and second established the resistance of B. pseudomallei to predation by Dictyostelium discoideum as the phagocytosis model. The saprophytic sepsis-causing Burkholderia sp. (B. pseudomallei, Burkholderia thailandensis, Burkholderia cenocepacia, and Burkholderia multivorans) exhibited different virulence patterns in both simple models, but B. pseudomallei was the most toxic. Using both models, attenuated isolates of B. pseudomallei were selected from a transposon-mutant library and a panel of environmental isolates and reconfirmed by in vitro mouse peritoneal exudate cell association and invasion assays. The distinct pathological patterns of melioidosis were inducted by different selected B. pseudomallei isolates. Fatal melioidosis was induced by the isolates with high virulence in both simple models within 4-5 day, whereas the low-virulence isolates resulted in prolonged survival greater than 30 day. Infection with the isolates having high resistance to D. discoideum predation but a low C. elegans killing effect led to 83% of mice with neurologic melioidosis. By contrast, infection with the isolates having low resistance to D. discoideum predation but high C. elegans killing effect led to 20% cases with inflammation in the salivary glands. Our results indicated that individual B. pseudomallei isolates selected from simple biological models contribute differently to disease progression and/or tissue tropism.

Elizabethkingia bruuniana Infections in Humans, Taiwan, 2005-2017.

Using 16S rRNA and rpoB gene sequencing, we identified 6 patients infected with Elizabethkingia bruuniana treated at E-Da Hospital (Kaohsiung, Taiwan) during 2005-2017. We describe patient characteristics and the molecular characteristics of the E. bruuniana isolates, including their MICs. Larger-scale studies are needed for more robust characterization of this pathogen.

Bloodstream infection with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli: The role of virulence genes.

BACKGROUND: Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) strains hold the responsibility for the majority of E. coli infections. Numerous extraintestinal virulence factors (VFs) were possessed by ExPEC which are involved in the pathogenesis of infection. However, the effect of comorbidities or infection syndrome in the association of VFs and mortality remains inconclusive. METHOD: This study addressed whether specific sequence type (ST) and VFs of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing E. coli (ESBL-EC) are associated with different outcomes in patients with bloodstream infection. 121 adults from southern Taiwan with ESBL-EC bloodstream infections were enrolled during a 6-year period. Demographic data, including infection syndromes, underlying disease and outcomes, were collected. The virulence factors in isolates were analyzed by PCR and multilocus sequence typing analyses were also performed. RESULT: Positivity for the virulence genes iha, hlyD, sat, iutA, fyuA, malX, ompT, and traT was associated with ST131 positivity (P < 0.05). Some ESBL-EC virulence genes associated with urinary tract infection (UTI) were revealed. Positivity for ST405 and the virulence genes iroN and iss were significantly associated with increased 30-day mortality (death within 30 days) on univariate analysis (P < 0.05). Independent risk factors of 30-day mortality in bacteremic patients with UTI included underlying chronic liver disease and malignancy. ST131 was borderline associated with 30-day mortality. Independent risk factors associated with 30-day mortality among bacteremic patients without UTI included comorbidities and iroN positivity. CONCLUSION: In bacteremic patients with UTI, and the ST131 clone was borderline associated with mortality. Positivity for the virulence gene iroN may be linked to mortality in bacteremic patients without UTI.

Randomized Noninferiority Trial of Cefoperazone-Sulbactam versus Cefepime in the Treatment of Hospital-Acquired and Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia.

Cefoperazone, a third-generation cephamycin with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and the ability to permeate bacterial cell membranes, is active against commonly encountered multidrug-resistant pathogens for hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and health care-associated pneumonia (HCAP). To clarify the clinical effects of cefoperazone-sulbactam in the treatment of HAP and HCAP, we conducted an open-label, randomized, noninferiority trial that recruited patients aged ≥18 years suffering HAP/HCAP. Participants were randomly assigned to the cefoperazone-sulbactam (2 g of each per 12 h) or cefepime (2 g per 12 h) arm. Clinical and microbiological responses were evaluated at early posttherapy and test-of-cure visits. Recruited patients were allocated to subpopulations for intent-to-treat (n = 154), per-protocol (n = 147), and safety (n = 166) analyses. Intent-to-treat analysis demonstrated that (i) at the early posttherapy visit, 87.3% of patients receiving cefoperazone-sulbactam and 84.3% of patients receiving cefepime achieved clinical improvement or cure (risk difference of 3.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -9.0% to 15.0%), and (ii) at the test-of-cure visit, 73.1% of patients receiving cefoperazone-sulbactam and 56.8% of patients receiving cefepime were assessed as cured (risk difference of 16.3%; 95% CI, 0.0% to 33.0%). These results indicated the noninferiority of cefoperazone-sulbactam to cefepime, which was confirmed by per-protocol analysis. The chest radiographic consolidation/infiltration resolution rate, microbiological eradiation rate, and percentage of adverse events were comparable in both groups. Serious adverse events were rare, and none was judged to be related to the study drugs. Cefoperazone-sulbactam at 2 g every 12 h was noninferior to cefepime at 2 g every 2 h for patients with HCAP.

Genomic Features, Comparative Genomics, and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Elizabethkingia bruuniana.

Elizabethkingia bruuniana is a novel species of the Elizabethkingia genus. There is scant information on this microorganism. Here, we report the whole-genome features and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of E. bruuniana strain EM798-26. Elizabethkingia strain EM798-26 was initially identified as E. miricola. This isolate contained a circular genome of 4,393,011 bp. The whole-genome sequence-based phylogeny revealed that Elizabethkingia strain EM798-26 was in the same group of the type strain E. bruuniana G0146T. Both in silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity analysis clearly demonstrated that Elizabethkingia strain EM798-26 was a species of E. bruuniana. The pan-genome analysis identified 2,875 gene families in the core genome and 5,199 gene families in the pan genome of eight publicly available E. bruuniana genome sequences. The unique genes accounted for 0.2-12.1% of the pan genome in each E. bruuniana. A total of 59 potential virulence factor homologs were predicted in the whole-genome of E. bruuniana strain EM798-26. This isolate was nonsusceptible to multiple antibiotics, but susceptible to aminoglycosides, minocycline, and levofloxacin. The whole-genome sequence analysis of E. bruuniana EM798-26 revealed 29 homologs of antibiotic resistance-related genes. This study presents the genomic features of E. bruuniana. Knowledge of the genomic characteristics provides valuable insights into a novel species.

Burkholderia pseudomallei-loaded cells act as a Trojan horse to invade the brain during endotoxemia.

Neurologic melioidosis occurs in both human and animals; however, the mechanism by which the pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei invades the central nervous system (CNS) remains unclear. B. pseudomallei-loaded Ly6C cells have been suggested as a putative portal; however, during melioidosis, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can drive disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This study aims to test whether the Trojan horse-like mechanism occurs during endotoxemia. The expression levels of cerebral cytokines, chemokines and cell adhesion molecules; the activation of astrocytes, microglia and endothelial cells; and the increased vascular permeability and brain-infiltrating leukocytes were evaluated using B. pseudomallei, B. thailandensis, B. cenocepacia and B. multivorans LPS-induced brains. Accordingly, different degrees of BBB damage in those brains with endotoxemia were established. The B. multivorans LPS-induced brain exhibited the highest levels of disruptive BBB according to the above mediators/indicators. Into these distinct groups of endotoxemic mice, B. pseudomallei-loaded Ly6C cells or free B. pseudomallei were adoptively transferred at equal bacterial concentrations (103 CFU). The bacterial load and number of cases of meningeal neutrophil infiltration in the brains of animals treated with B. pseudomallei-loaded Ly6C cells were higher than those in brains induced by free B. pseudomallei in any of the endotoxemic groups. In particular, these results were reproducible in B. multivorans LPS-induced brains. We suggest that B. pseudomallei-loaded cells can act as a Trojan horse and are more effective than free B. pseudomallei in invading the CNS under septic or endotoxemic conditions even when there is a high degree of BBB disruption.

Comparison of the Vitek MS and Bruker Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry Systems for Identification of Chryseobacterium Isolates from Clinical Specimens and Report of Uncommon Chryseobacterium Infections in Humans.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry is becoming more popular and is replacing traditional identification methods in the clinical microbiology laboratory. We aimed to compare the Vitek mass spectrometry (MS) and Bruker Biotyper systems for the identification of Chryseobacterium isolated from clinical specimens and to report uncommon Chryseobacterium infections in humans. The microbial database from a hospital was searched for records between 2005 and 2016 to identify cultures that yielded Chryseobacterium Species identification by the Vitek MS and Bruker Biotyper systems was compared to identification by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Over the study period, 140 Chryseobacterium isolates were included. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing, 78 isolates were C. indologenes, 39 were C. gleum, 12 were uncommon Chryseobacterium species (C. arthrosphaerae, C. culicis, C. cucumeris, C. bernardetii, C. artocarpi, and C. daecheongense), and the remaining 11 isolates were only identified at the genus level. The Vitek MS and Bruker Biotyper systems correctly identified 98.7% and 100% of C. indologenes isolates, respectively. While the Bruker Biotyper accurately identified 100% of C. gleum isolates, the Vitek MS system correctly identified only 2.6% of isolates from this species. None of the uncommon Chryseobacterium species were successfully identified by either of these two systems. The overall accuracies of Chryseobacterium identification at the species level by the Vitek MS and Bruker Biotyper systems were 60.5% and 90.7%, respectively. An upgrade and correction of the Vitek MS and Bruker Biotyper databases is recommended to correctly identify Chryseobacterium species.

Clinical manifestations, molecular characteristics, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and contributions of target gene mutation to fluoroquinolone resistance in Elizabethkingia anophelis.

Objectives: Elizabethkingia anophelis has recently emerged as a cause of life-threatening infections in humans. We aimed to investigate the clinical and molecular characteristics of E. anophelis. Methods: A clinical microbiology laboratory database was searched to identify patients with Elizabethkingia infections between 2005 and 2016. Isolates were re-identified and their species were confirmed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Patients with E. anophelis infections were included in this study. Clinical information, antimicrobial susceptibility and mutations in DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV were analysed. Results: A total of 67 patients were identified to have E. anophelis infections, including 47 men and 20 women, with a median age of 61 years. Comorbidity was identified in 85.1% of the patients. Among the 67 E. anophelis isolates, 40 (59.7%) were isolated from blood. The case fatality rate was 28.4%. Inappropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy was an independent risk factor for mortality (adjusted OR = 10.01; 95% CI = 1.20-83.76; P = 0.034). The isolates were 'not susceptible' to multiple antibiotics. All the isolates were susceptible to minocycline. Susceptibilities to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were 4.5% and 58.2%, respectively. Mutations in DNA gyrase subunit A were identified in 11 isolates that exhibited high-level fluoroquinolone resistance. Conclusions: Minocycline has the potential to be the drug of choice in patients with E. anophelis infections. Additional investigations are needed to determine the optimal antimicrobial agents to treat this life-threatening infection.

Complete Genome Sequence of Elizabethkingia miricola Strain EM798-26 Isolated from the Blood of a Cancer Patient.

Elizabethkingia miricola EM798-26 was isolated from the blood of a patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in Taiwan. We report here the complete genome sequence of EM798-26, which contains a G+C content of 35.7% and 3,877 candidate protein-coding genes.

Clinical predictors of the leading pathogens in human immunodeficiency virus-infected adults with community-onset bacteremia in the emergency department: The importance of transmission routes.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and pathogens of community-onset bacteremia among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults as well as to establish the clinical predictors of the major microorganisms. METHODS: An observational cohort study was conducted retrospectively between January 2007 and December 2012. Demographic characteristics and pathogens determined from chart records were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 121 eligible HIV adults with bacteremia, there was a male predominance (106 patients, 87.6%); elderly individuals (age ≥ 65 years) accounted for only 2.5% of the study population (3 patients). Of the total microorganisms isolated (n=123), Staphylococcus aureus (55, 44.7%) and Salmonella enterica (17, 13.8%) were the common pathogens. In a multivariate analysis, the leading two significant predictors of S. aureus infection were infective endocarditis (odds ratio, 11.49; p=0.001) and transmission risk with injection drug users (IDUs; odds ratio, 6.22; p=0.001). In addition, transmission risk with men who have sex with men (MSM; odds ratio, 37.49; p=0.001) was the leading clinical predictor of S. enterica infection. In further analyses, a strong linear-by-linear correlation between S. aureus infection and IDU (γ=0.94, p=0.02) as well as between S. enterica infection and MSM (γ=0.96, p=0.01) was evidenced. CONCLUSION: Focusing on the two key pathogens in HIV-infected adults with community-onset bacteremia, IDU was one of independent predictors associated with S. aureus infection, whereas MSM was the leading risk factor of S. enterica infection. Although the proposed predictive model of these pathogens has been not established, a scoring system involving the transmission risk of HIV may be of use for the early identification of these patients for clinicians.

Genomic features, phylogenetic relationships, and comparative genomics of Elizabethkingia anophelis strain EM361-97 isolated in Taiwan.

Elizabethkingia anophelis has become an emerging infection in humans. Recent research has shown that previous reports of E. meningoseptica infections might in fact be caused by E. anophelis. We aimed to investigate the genomic features, phylogenetic relationships, and comparative genomics of this emerging pathogen. Elizabethkingia anophelis strain EM361-97 was isolated from the blood of a cancer patient in Taiwan. The total length of the draft genome was 4,084,052 bp. The whole-genome analysis identified the presence of a number of antibiotic resistance genes, which corresponded with the antibiotic susceptibility phenotype of this strain. Based on the average nucleotide identity, the phylogenetic analysis revealed that E. anophelis EM361-97 was a sister group to E. anophelis FMS-007, which was isolated from a patient with T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in China. Knowledge of the genomic characteristics and comparative genomics of E. anophelis will provide researchers and clinicians with important information to understand this emerging microorganism.

Bacterial colonization patterns in daily chlorhexidine care at the exit site in peritoneal dialysis patients-A prospective, randomized controlled trial.

Bacterial colonization patterns in daily chlorhexidine care at the exit site in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients were not known. We performed a prospective, randomized controlled trial enrolling 89 PD patients. After stratification by initial Staphylococcus aureus (SA) carrier status, patients were randomly assigned to receive daily 4% chlorhexidine care (intervention group) or normal saline (control group) at the exit site. Monthly, we cultured bacteria from the exit site and nasal swabs for 1 year. The SA colonization rates at exit site at 6 and 12 months were significantly lower in the intervention group than the control group (5.0% vs. 22.9%, p = 0.023 and 8.6% vs. 28.1%, p = 0.037 for 6 and 12 months, respectively). The Methicillin-resistant SA (MRSA) colonization rate at exit site at 6 months was similar (5.7% vs. 2.5%,p = 0.596) in control and intervention group, but significantly lower in the intervention group than the control group at exit site at 12months (0% vs. 12.5%, p = 0.047). The gram-negative bacilli (GNB) colonization rates were similar between the intervention and control groups at 6 and 12 months. Genotyping of all MRSA isolates showed ST (sequence type) 59 was the most predominant clone. In conclusion, chlorhexidine care at the exit site in PD patients may be a good strategy for SA and MRSA decolonization. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02446158.

Comparison of four automated microbiology systems with 16S rRNA gene sequencing for identification of Chryseobacterium and Elizabethkingia species.

Chryseobacterium and Elizabethkingia species have recently emerged as causative agents in life-threatening infections in humans. We aimed to evaluate the rates at which four common microbial identification systems identify Chryseobacterium and Elizabethkingia species in clinical microbiology laboratories. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing, a total of 114 consecutive bacteremic isolates, including 36 (31.6%) C. indologenes, 35 (30.7%) E. anophelis, 22 (19.3%) C. gleum, 13 (11.4%) E. meningoseptica, and other species, were included in this study. The overall concordance between each method and 16S rRNA gene sequencing when identifying Chryseobacterium and Elizabethkingia species was 42.1% for API/ID32, 41.2% for Phoenix 100 ID/AST, 43.9% for VITEK 2, and 42.1% for VITEK MS. Among the 22 C. gleum isolates, only one (4.8%) was correctly identified using VITEK 2 and Phoenix 100 ID/AST, and none were accurately recognized using API/ID32 or VITEK MS. Except for two isolates that were not identified using API/ID32, all E. anophelis isolates were misidentified by all four identification systems as E. meningoseptica. Our results show that these approaches have low accuracy when identifying Chryseobacterium and Elizabethkingia species. Hence, we recommend amending the discrimination rate of and adding non-claimed pathogens to databases of microbial identification systems.

Prevalence of and risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization among human immunodeficient virus-infected outpatients in Taiwan: oral Candida colonization as a comparator.

Human immuodeficency virus (HIV)-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) have increased in recent years in Taiwan. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for nasal and oral S. aureus and MRSA colonization among contemporary HIV-infected populations. Clinical variables for S. aureus and MRSA colonization among HIV-infected outpatients from three hospitals were analyzed and compared with those for oral Candida colonization. Genetic characteristics of MRSA isolates were analyzed. A total of 714 patients were screened for nasal S. aureus colonization, and a subset of 457 patients were also screened for oral S. aureus colonization. Of all patients, 79.4% were receiving HAART, and their mean CD4 count was 472 cells/mm3. The colonization rates in the oral cavity, nasal cavity, and at either site were 18.8%, 31.7%, and 36.8%, respectively, for S. aureus, and 3.1%, 4.4%, and 5.5%, respectively, for MRSA. These rates were all much lower than the previously reported rate of oral Candida colonization (52.4%). By multivariate analysis, a suppressed viral load (<200 copies/mL) protected against oral S. aureus, MRSA, and Candida colonization, and recent use of antibacterial agents protected against oral and nasal S. aureus colonization. Recent incarceration increased the risk of nasal MRSA colonization, while recent hospitalization, tuberculosis, older age, and intravenous drug use increased the risk of oral Candida colonization. Candida spp. did not augment S. aureus or MRSA colonization in the oral cavity. Most of the 41 MRSA isolates recovered belonged to the SCCmec IV/pvl-negative (51.2%) and VT/pvl-positive (26.8%) ST59 local prevalent CA-MRSA clones. Distinct carriage rates demonstrated here suggested that mucosal immunity against colonization might differ in terms of microbes and sites. A decreased risk in oral carriage of MRSA and Candida might be a benefit of HAART.