Management of an Acinetobacter baumannii outbreak in an intensive care unit.

INTRODUCTION: Acinetobacter baumannii is a ubiquitous pathogen resistant to desiccation and responsible for healthcare-associated infections (HAI), especially in intensive care units (ICU) where it is responsible for 5-10% of HAIs. An A. baumannii outbreak occurred in the ICU of the University Hospital of Angers, France. OBJECTIVES: To describe the A. baumannii outbreak and to evaluate the control measures taken. The secondary objective was to evaluate the impact of the electronic alert system on the incidence of multidrug resistance to antibiotics. METHODS: We performed a descriptive study of A. baumannii carriers during the outbreak. Case contacts and carriers were described using the epidemic curve and a case synopsis table. RESULTS: From August 2011 to September 2013, 49 patients presenting with an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing A. baumannii infection were identified: thirty-four were colonized and 15 were infected. No death was due to the outbreak. Measures taken were: geographical and technical isolation of patients, dedicated team implementation, contact precaution implementation including hand hygiene measures, appropriate use of gloves, and reinforcement of bio-cleaning procedures. CONCLUSION: Some patients were re-admitted to hospital while still being carriers; this could explain epidemic peaks. The immersion mission of the hygiene nurse contributed to answering healthcare workers' queries and led to a better cooperation between the ICU and the hygiene team.

Emergence of NDM-1 and OXA-72 producing Acinetobacter pittii clinical isolates in Lebanon.

Acinetobacter spp. have emerged as global opportunistic pathogen causing a wide range of infections. Emergence of carbapenem resistance in these organisms is a matter of great concern. We report here the first detection of Acinetobacter pittii clinical isolates in Lebanon carrying either the bla NDM-1 or the bla OXA-72 gene.

Demonstration of the interactions between aromatic compound-loaded lipid nanocapsules and Acinetobacter baumannii bacterial membrane.

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen that is resistant to many commonly-used antibiotics. One strategy for treatment is the use of aromatic compounds (carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde) against A. baumannii. The aim of this study was to determine the interactions between bacteria and lipid nanocapsules (LNCs) over time based on the fluorescence of 3,3'-Dioctadecyloxacarbocyanine Perchlorate-LNCs (DiO-LNCs) and the properties of trypan blue to analyse the physicochemical mechanisms occurring at the level of the biological membrane. The results demonstrated the capacity of carvacrol-loaded LNCs to interact with and penetrate the bacterial membrane in comparison with cinnamaldehyde-loaded LNCs and unloaded LNCs. Modifications of carvacrol after substitution of hydroxyl functional groups by fatty acids demonstrated the crucial role of hydroxyl functions in antibacterial activity. Finally, after contact with the efflux pump inhibitor, carbonylcyanide-3-chlorophenyl hydrazine (CCCP), the results indicated the total synergistic antibacterial effect with Car-LNCs, showing that CCCP is associated with the action mechanism of carvacrol, especially at the level of the efflux pump mechanism.

First report of Oxa-72-producing Acinetobacter calcoaceticus in Lebanon.

Emergence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter spp. has been increasingly reported worldwide. We report here the first detection of an Acinetobacter calcoaceticus isolate from vegetables in Lebanon carrying the bla Oxa-72 gene. These findings show that the Lebanese environment may constitute a potential reservoir for this antibiotic resistance gene.

Synergistic interactions between doxycycline and terpenic components of essential oils encapsulated within lipid nanocapsules against gram negative bacteria.

The combination of essential oils (EOs) with antibiotics provides a promising strategy towards combating resistant bacteria. We have selected a mixture of 3 major components extracted from EOs: carvacrol (oregano oil), eugenol (clove oil) and cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon oil). These compounds were successfully encapsulated within lipid nanocapsules (LNCs). The EOs-loaded LNCs were characterised by a noticeably high drug loading of 20% and a very small particle diameter of 114nm. The in vitro interactions between EOs-loaded LNCs and doxycycline were examined via checkerboard titration and time-kill assay against 5 Gram-negative strains: Acinetobacter baumannii SAN, A. baumannii RCH, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. No growth inhibition interactions were found between EOs-loaded LNCs and doxycycline (FIC index between 0.7 and 1.30). However, when bactericidal effects were considered, a synergistic interaction was observed (FBC index equal to 0.5) against all tested strains. A synergistic effect was also observed in time-kill assay (a difference of at least 3 log between the combination and the most active agent alone). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to visualise the changes in the bacterial membrane. The holes in bacterial envelope and leakage of cellular contents were observed in SE micrographs after exposure to the EOs-LNCs and the doxycycline combination.

A case report of Mycoplasma hominis brain abscess identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

We report the case of a 43-year-old man with a Mycoplasma hominis brain abscess occurring after a cranial trauma, which was identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The presence of colonies on classic blood agar plates and the use of MALDI-TOF MS, a valuable diagnostic tool that identified M. hominis due to its presence in the VITEK MS database, allowed the rapid diagnosis of this infection.

High prevalence of closely-related Acinetobacter baumannii in pets according to a multicentre study in veterinary clinics, Reunion Island.

Our objective was to study the carriage of Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) in pets in Reunion Island (RI), a French territory in Indian Ocean. Overall, 138 pets were sampled (rectum, mouth, wounds if applicable) in 9 veterinary clinics (VC). The prevalence of AB carriage was 6.5% (95%CI; 2.4, 10.6) and 9 carriers were identified from 4 VC. Hospitalization in a VC and antimicrobial treatment administered within the 15 preceding days were significantly associated with AB carriage (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). Despite the VC in which animals have been sampled were located all around RI, most isolates (8/9) were closely-related (>90% similarity by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis). Additional studies are needed to improve the understanding about interactions between the different reservoirs of AB in RI.

[Urinary tract infection caused by Haemophilus influenzae in 3 children with uropathies]. / Infection urinaire àHaemophilus influenzae chez 3 enfants ayant une malformation de l'arbre urinaire.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infections in children but Haemophilus is rarely involved. In our institution, only 3 children below the age of 15 years presented with UTI due to Haemophilus influenzae between January 2010 and October 2011. These children had typical symptoms of UTI: fever, abdominal pain and dysuria. In all 3 patients, standard urinalysis remained negative, but H. influenzae was found after bacterial growth in special media, i.e., blood agar (or chocolate agar). These patients had abnormalities of the urinary tract. The first patient, a 5-year-old girl, had a right ureteropelvic junction syndrome found after her UTI. The second, a 4-year-old girl, had a bilateral ureteral duplication found after many UTIs. The third, a 2-month-old boy, had a right ureteropelvic junction syndrome that had been diagnosed by prenatal ultrasound. In our hospital, during the study period, the prevalence of UTI caused by Haemophilus was 0.02% of all pediatric UTIs. There are few reports in the literature on UTI caused by Haemophilus in children (<1%): they are frequently associated with urinary tract abnormalities. The bacterium is not able to grow in usual media, so that when there is a clinical UTI with Gram negative bacilli on the direct exam but not found in the culture, an infection with Haemophilus should be discussed, and blood agar used, which is all the more important when there are underlying abnormalities of the urinary tract.

[In vitro activity of tigecycline on 760 bacterial strains isolated in the hospital university of Angers--2006-2009 TEST study]. / Activité in vitro de la tigécycline vis-à-vis de 760 souches bactériennes isolées au CHU d'Angers--le programme TEST 2006-2009.

Tigecycline (TGC), an antibiotic belonging to glycylcyclines, is active against Gram-positive bacteria, including multi-resistant bacteria, and most of the Gram-negative bacteria, including extended spectrum ß-lactamase-producers (ESBL) and Acinetobacter sp. TGC is not active on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The microbiological laboratory from the university hospital of Angers participates in the Tigecycline Evaluation and Surveillance Trial (TEST) since 2006. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of TGC and of various comparators against nosocomial and community-acquired pathogens. We also evaluated the effectiveness of TGC on a panel of strains isolated between 2006 and 2009 in the university hospital of Angers. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined using the microdilution method. A total of 760 clinical strains were tested. TGC had a very good activity against Gram-positive bacteria, with 100 % of susceptibility for all the strains tested, irrespective of their resistance profile. Concerning Gram-negative bacteria, TGC was active against 93 % of Enterobacteriaceae, with a MIC 90 not exceeding 2mg/L. Whole of the 20 strains ESBL-producers tested were susceptible to TGC. Acinetobacter sp. were also inhibited at low concentrations of TGC, with a MIC 90 of 1mg/L. These results suggest that TGC can be a useful therapeutic alternative, especially for infections involving multiresistant bacteria.

[Emerging Acinetobacter baumannii infections and factors favouring their occurrence]. / Infections émergentes à Acinetobacter baumannii et circonstances favorisant leur survenue.

During the last decade, Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) has been increasingly responsible for infections occurring in three particular contexts (in terms of patients and environment). Community AB pneumonia is severe infections, mainly described around the Indian Ocean, and which mainly concern patients with major co-morbidities. AB is also responsible for infections occurring among soldiers wounded in action during operations conducted in Iraq or Afghanistan. Lastly, this bacterium is responsible for infections occurring among casualties from natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis. Those infections are often due to multidrug-resistant strains, which can be implicated in nosocomial outbreaks when patients are hospitalized in a local casualty department or during their repatriation thereafter. The source of the contaminations which lead to AB infections following injuries (warfare or natural disasters) is still poorly known. Three hypotheses are usually considered: a contamination of wounds with environmental bacteria, a wound contamination from a previous cutaneous or oropharyngeal endogenous reservoir, or hospital acquisition. The implication of telluric or agricultural primary reservoirs in human AB infections is a common hypothesis which remains to be demonstrated by further specifically designed studies.

[Surgical-site infections following varicose vein surgery according to a continuous series of 408 interventions in a teaching hospital]. / Infections du site opératoire sur ablation de varices d'après une série continue de 408 interventions réalisées dans un centre hospitalier universitaire.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of surgical-site infections (SSI) following varicose vein surgery in the vascular surgery ward of a French teaching hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective surveillance of SSI was conducted during one year, with a 30-day postoperative follow-up. SSI cases were identified by using the definitions of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC, USA). Data acquisition and analysis were performed with the Epi-Info 6.04 software (CDC). RESULTS: Three quarters of the 408 included interventions were characterized by a NNIS score equal to 0. All patients underwent a hair removing practice before intervention. Hair removing methods were very heterogeneous and often not in accordance with national recommendations (e.g. mechanic shaving for 44.6% of patients). The incidence of SSI was 1.2% (95% confidence interval=[0.2-2.2]). All infections were identified after hospital discharge. Four infected patients out of five presented obesity or excess weight, and two patients had diabetes mellitus. The mean age of infected patients was significantly higher than non-infected ones (70.4 years versus 52.0; p<0.01). All SSI had consequences like rehospitalization, reintervention, or antimicrobial therapy. CONCLUSION: According to our results, SSI following varicose vein surgery are scarce and mainly concerned high-risk patients. However, in an aim of prevention, it seems necessary to homogenize hair removing methods in this ward.

[Antibacterial activity against 224 clinical bacterial strains of JCA 250 and JCA 251 compounds containing essential oils provided from Aroma Technologies research]. / Étude de la sensibilité de 224 bactéries isolées d'infections hospitalières vis-à-vis des composés JCA 250 et JCA 251 à base d'huiles essentielles issus de la recherche Aroma Technologies.

OBJECTIVE: It was to determine the antibacterial spectrum of JCA 250 and JCA 251, two naturally occurring compounds from Aroma Technologies research, on a bacterial population isolated from clinical infections. METHOD: Two hundred and twenty-four bacterial strains were tested. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of JCA 250 and JCA 251 were determined by agar dilution method. Tests were performed in triplicate. RESULTS: The mean MIC was 0.20% for JCA 250 and 0.15% for JCA 251. JCA 251 regularly exhibited greater activity. All Enterobacteriaceae were inhibited at concentrations less or equal to 0.15% for JCA 250 or JCA 251. For strict aerobes, the MIC values were more spread out. Two Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains differed from the population with JCA 251 MIC of 0.25 and 0.40%. Concerning Gram-positive cocci, all the strains were inhibited with less or equal to 0.25% of compound. The most resistant population were the Enterococci and the Lactobacilli, with MIC more or equal to 0.2% for JCA 250 or JCA 251. Anaerobes showed MIC closely grouped for a heterogeneous bacterial group. One Propionibacterium sp. strain came apart from the group and was inhibited with a MIC of 0.5%. CONCLUSION: The overall results showed an interesting antibacterial activity on bacteria isolated from clinical samples. Most of the bacterial strains were inhibited at a concentration of 0.2%. The highest mean values were obtained for commensal bacteria from the flora, which is of particular interest in this study.

[Assessing the usefulness of a permanently opened clinical microbiology laboratory]. / Evaluation des services rendus par le système de fonctionnement en continu d'un laboratoire de bactériologie.

UNLABELLED: Since 2005, the clinical microbiology laboratory of the Angers teaching hospital has implemented after hours service requiring the overnight presence of a technician specialized in bacteriology. During that time, bacterial identifications and antibiotic susceptibility testing to antimicrobial agents can be performed for critical samples. OBJECTIVES: The authors wanted to evaluate the impact of the after-hours service on the decrease of delay from sampling to results, and from sampling to the implementation of an appropriate antimicrobial therapy. A therapy could be initiated, changed for more efficient agents, or changed to narrower-spectrum agents (major benefits). METHODS: A 4-month prospective study was made. All samples for which identification and/or susceptibility testing were performed during after-hours service (continued analyses) were included in the study. Delays observed were compared with theoretical delays estimated in the absence of the after-hours service. RESULTS: A minimum 24 hour-decrease of the delay for results was observed for 97 % of the 430 samples included. Overall, a major benefit was obtained for more than 25 % of the analyses, representing a cumulated 111-day benefit in days of efficient treatments and a cumulated 27-day benefit in days of prescription of narrower-spectrum agents. DISCUSSION: This organization, unique in French hospitals, is directly related to the improvement of antimicrobial treatments, like antibiotic practice guidelines or infection disease specialists. It was evaluated as a relevant strategy, potentially cost saving, with a significant impact on both the efficiency of treatments and microbial ecology.

Assessment of the usefulness of performing bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing 24 h a day in a clinical microbiology laboratory.

The impact of inoculating agar media with positive blood cultures and of performing bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for positive urine cultures, blood cultures and certain fluid cultures after day hours (night service (NS)) was evaluated in a clinical microbiology laboratory. The impact of the NS was assessed in terms of decreases in the delays from the time of sampling to the time at which results became available and of the consequences for patient management and antimicrobial treatment. Two major benefits were obtained: initiation of earlier appropriate treatment, and change to a reduced-spectrum but still efficient regimen. The hours of laboratory testing and the availability and transmission of results to the clinical staff were recorded. Concurrently, these hours were estimated as though laboratory tests had been performed in the absence of NS. Reductions in delay were defined as the differences between the hours actually spent and the estimated hours. Economic concerns were also considered. Overall, 430 samples for which an identification and/or AST were performed during the NS were included in the study. The NS led to the implementation of earlier appropriate therapy in 97 cases (22.6%), and to the change to reduced-spectrum but still efficient regimens in 23 additional cases (5.3%). In conclusion, there appeared to be benefits from a system providing bacterial identification and AST overnight, but a study of the cost-effectiveness of the NS would be useful to back up this observation.

[Pays de la Loire Pneumococcus Observatory: antimicrobial resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae in 2007]. / Observatoire régional du pneumocoque en région Pays de la Loire: résistance de Streptococcus pneumoniae aux antibiotiques en 2007.

OBJECTIVES: Between 1st January and 31st December 2007, 331 Streptococcus pneumoniae strains were collected from 20 participating laboratories in the Pneumococcus Network Pays de la Loire county to assess their susceptibility to antibiotics and to evaluate serogroups of strains. METHOD: The coordinating centre performed MICs of penicillin G, amoxicillin and cefotaxime by the reference agar dilution method. Results were interpreted according to CA-SFM breakpoints. Sensitivity to other antibiotics were studied and serotyping of each strain performed. RESULTS: Three hundred and thirty one strains were isolated in 2007. They were collected from 30 cerebrospinal fluids, 239 blood samples, 53 middle ear fluids and nine pleural fluids. The percentage of pneumococci with decreased susceptibility to penicillin G (PDSP) was 39% and was higher in children (51%) than in adults (35%). The PDSP were often multidrug resistants especially with a high percentage of resistance to erythromycin (87.6% versus 8.4% for pneumococci sensitive to penicillin G). Finally, the most prevalent serogroup was the serogroup 19 (29.6% of isolates). CONCLUSION: A decrease of PDSP was observed since 2001 and high-level resistant strains to beta-lactams remain low. The rate of PDSP in Pays de la Loire is in the national average.

Measurement and interpretation of hand hygiene compliance rates: importance of monitoring entire care episodes.

Our objective was to assess the importance of monitoring hand hygiene compliance (HHC) during series of successive contacts with patients or surroundings for measurement and interpretation of the compliance rates. A direct observational study of HHC was performed in four intensive care units (ICUs) and four healthcare settings with non-intensive care wards (NICWs). Hand hygiene (HH) opportunities were differentiated into two categories: extra-series opportunities (ESOs) (before or after a single contact, and before the first contact or after the last contact of a series of successive contacts) or as intra-series opportunities (ISOs) (from the opportunity following the first contact to the opportunity preceding the last in the same series). In all, 903 opportunities of HH were performed in ICUs and 760 in NICWs. The proportion of ISOs was 46.0% in ICUs and 22.9% in NICWs. The overall HHC was significantly higher in NICWs than in ICUs (61.2% vs 47.5%, P<0.00001). The HHC was significantly higher for ESOs than for ISOs (67.7% vs 28.5%, P<0.00001). The HHC for ISOs was significantly higher in ICUs (32.2% vs 19.0%, P<0.005). If the distribution of categories of HH opportunities observed in NICWs had been the same as in ICUs, the overall HHC would have been similar in NICWs (46.4%) and in ICUs (47.5%). Monitoring HHC during entire care episodes in series of successive contacts is necessary to avoid a strong overestimation of the overall compliance rates. Concurrently, comparison of compliance data should take into account the proportion of ISOs included in the evaluation study.

[Using a 48-hour delay from admission to the first positive culture without any other consideration: an accurate method to differentiate acquired and imported methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus?]. / Retenir un délai de 48 heures entre l'admission des patients et le premier prélèvement positif est-il suffisant pour différencier les souches acquises à l'hôpital et importées de Staphylococcus aureus résistant à la méticilline?

To differentiate imported and acquired strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a 48-hour delay from hospital admission to the first MRSA-positive culture is usually considered. To assess if taking into account this delay without any other consideration is an accurate method, we defined 3 situations for whom we considered the MRSA acquisition status as questionable. The other situations were defined as either acquired MRSA or imported MRSA. We determined the acquisition status of MRSA (acquired, imported, or questionable) isolated during a 20-month period by considering or not considering screening samples performed on admission. The ratio "imported MRSA/acquired MRSA" (I/A) was calculated according to (1) the consideration of MRSA with questionable status as imported or acquired, and (2) the consideration of screening samples or not in the calculation of the ratio. The acquisition status in our hospital was questionable in 3.6% of patients when all samples were considered and in 12,0% when only clinical samples were taken into account (p = 0,01). The ratio I/A was 4-fold higher by considering both clinical and screening cultures and questionable status as imported than by considering only clinical samples and questionable status as acquired. Using a 48-hour delay without any other consideration is probably an accurate method to differentiate acquired and imported MRSA when a selective screening programme at admission in operational. Conversely, this definition seems to be more hazardous in the absence of screening.