RESUMO
T-cell redirecting therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cells and bispecific antibodies, are emerging as a novel class of immunotherapeutic agents for treatment of relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (MM). Their use is associated with an increased risk of infectious adverse events, fostered by cytopenias, hypogammaglobulinemia and T-cell exhaustion. Multiple ongoing clinical trials and real-world studies are investigating safety of T-cell therapy, highlighting the need for strategies to prevent and monitor the risk of infection. Recommended measures for risk mitigation include intravenous immunoglobulin supplementation, adequate prophylaxis therapy, vaccination and careful assessment for early diagnosis and treatment of infection. Here, we summarize available data on the risk of infections with approved and under development T-cell redirecting therapies for the treatment of MM.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Current treatments for chronic hepatitis B management include orally administered nucleos(t)ide analogues, such as tenofovir (TDF), which is an acyclic adenine nucleotide analogue used both in HBV and human immune deficiency virus (HIV). The course of HBV infection is mainly dependent on viral factors, such as HBV genotypes, immunological features and host genetic variables, but a few data are available in the context of HBV, in particular for polymorphisms of genes encoding proteins involved in drug metabolism and elimination. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential impact of genetic variants on TDF plasma and urine concentrations in patients with HBV, considering the role of HBV genotypes. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study at the Infectious Disease Unit of Amedeo di Savoia Hospital, Torino, Italy, was performed. Pharmacokinetic analyses were performed through liquidi chromatography, whereas pharmacogenetic analyses through real-time PCR. FINDINGS: Sixty - eight patients were analyzed: ABCC4 4976â¯C>T genetic variant showed an impact on urine TDF drug concentrations (p = 0.014). In addition, SLC22A6 453 AA was retained in the final regression multivariate model considering factors predicting plasma concentrations, while ABCC4 4976 TC/CC was the only predictor of urine concentrations in the univariate model. INTERPRETATION: In conclusion, this is the first study showing a potential impact of genetic variants on TDF plasma and urine concentrations in the HBV context, but further studies in different and larger cohorts of patients are required.
Assuntos
Vírus da Hepatite B , Proteínas Associadas à Resistência a Múltiplos Medicamentos , Farmacogenética , Tenofovir , Humanos , Tenofovir/uso terapêutico , Tenofovir/farmacocinética , Masculino , Feminino , Estudos Retrospectivos , Proteínas Associadas à Resistência a Múltiplos Medicamentos/genética , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Farmacogenética/métodos , Vírus da Hepatite B/genética , Vírus da Hepatite B/efeitos dos fármacos , Adulto , Hepatite B Crônica/tratamento farmacológico , Hepatite B Crônica/virologia , Hepatite B Crônica/genética , Antivirais/farmacocinética , Antivirais/uso terapêutico , Antivirais/urina , Genótipo , Estudos de Coortes , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/genética , Proteínas de Membrana Transportadoras/metabolismo , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único/genéticaRESUMO
Toxocariasis is a zoonosis transmitted by the nematode Toxocara spp. Immunocompromised hosts are more susceptible than general population to bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections. In this population toxocariasis may present as exacerbation or reactivation and could have severe or atypical manifestations being a diagnostic challenge for healthcare providers. We report a case of a presumptive pulmonary toxocariasis during chemotherapy in a patient affected by acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and Hodgkin lymphoma and we summarize current evidence of pulmonary involvement in immunocompromised population with Toxocara spp infection in a narrative review. The aim of this work is also to revise the current literature on pulmonary involvement during Toxocara spp infection in immunocompromised hosts to improve knowledge on clinical presentation, treatment and outcome. A 66 years old man who had undergone to a cytarabine and idarubicin chemotherapy induction scheme for AML, complained of febrile neutropenia and dry cought. At the chest computed tomography (CT) there were multiple nodular pulmonary lesions with subpleural consolidations. The lung biopsy revealed inflammatory infiltration with diffuse small granulomas with minor eosinophil component. The laboratory analysis showed high immunoglobulin E (IgE) count with normal peripherical eosinophils, among the extended parasitological analysis, Toxocara immunoblot assay resulted positive. In the most accepted hypothesis of a polmunary toxocariasis infection, the patient was treated with a combination of albendazole plus corticosteroids for four weeks, with a positive outcome. Infection complications during chemotherapy are not uncommon, however, this is the first reported case of pulmonary toxocariasis during cytarabine and idarubicin treatment in AML. The revised literature shows male gender and younger age as possible risk factors, nevertheless the majority of cases of seropositivity for Toxocara was reported in solid organ malignancies. In this case, the suspect was mainly based on laboratory total elevated IgE, confirmed by serological, anatomo-pathological and radiological findings. Hypereosinophilia is often not present in chronic infection. In conclusion, pulmonary toxocariasis should be ruled out in patients with pulmonary involvement and high IgE titre, with or without peripheral eosinophilia, especially in those with known immunocompromised status.
RESUMO
The role of different genotypes in nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs) treatment is still debated. Previous studies conducted on special populations evidenced that the E genotype had the lower virological and serological response. This descriptive study aims to recognize the hepatitis B "s" antigen (HBsAg) decline during tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) treatment in a cohort of patient affected by chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We retrospectively included all patients with CHB treated with TDF between April 2007 and March 2012 with a duration of treatment of 7 years. Kinetics of HBsAg was determined as serological response in this cohort. We include 110 subjects; virological response was observed in all subjects with genotypes A, B, and D; in 17 patients with C genotype (94.4%) and 24 with E genotype (96%). HBeAg loss was observed in 2 patients with genotype A (50%), 3 with B (100%), 0 with C (0%), 1 with D (20%), and 1 with E genotype (25%). In multivariate analysis we observed as predictive factors of HBsAg decline the baseline level of HBsAg (OR = 1.467; 95%CI: 1.221-5.113; p = 0.017) and viral genotypes (OR = 11.218; 95%CI: 5.441-41.138; p < 0.001). This study confirmed higher HBsAg decline after 7 years of treatment in A and B genotypes, and lower in C, E, and D genotypes. However, no evidence is enough to choose a single NAs, but in special populations, as well as in genotype E, the use of TDF should be preferred to entecavir.
RESUMO
Background and Objectives: the principal purpose of this literature review is to cluster adults with hematological malignancies after treatment or on maintenance with obinutuzumab who experienced disseminated EV infection to understand clinical characteristics and outcome of this rare condition in these patients. We report the first clinical case of a male affected by follicular lymphoma treated with immune-chemotherapy including obinutuzumab who was affected by disseminated EV infection with cardiovascular involvement. Materials and Methods: this narrative review summarizes all the research about disseminated EV infection in immunosuppressed adult patients treated with obinutuzumab from January 2000 to January 2024 using the Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles (SANRA) flow-chart. We performed a descriptive statistic using the standard statistical measures for quantitative data. Results: we included six studies, five case reports, and one case report with literature analysis. We collected a total of seven patients, all female, with disseminated EV infection. The most common signs and clinical presentations of EV infection were fever and encephalitis symptoms (N = 6, 85.7%), followed by hepatitis/acute liver failure (N = 5, 71.4%). Conclusions: onco-hematological patients who receive immune-chemotherapy with a combination of treatments which depress adaptative immunity, which includes the antiCD20 obinutuzumab, could be at higher risk of disseminated EV infection, including CNS and cardiac involvement.
Assuntos
Infecções por Enterovirus , Linfoma Folicular , Adulto , Humanos , Masculino , Anticorpos Monoclonais Humanizados/efeitos adversos , Protocolos de Quimioterapia Combinada Antineoplásica/uso terapêutico , Infecções por Enterovirus/complicações , Infecções por Enterovirus/tratamento farmacológico , Linfoma Folicular/complicações , Linfoma Folicular/tratamento farmacológico , Linfoma Folicular/patologiaRESUMO
Background and Objectives: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a ubiquitous, aerobic, Gram-negative bacillus causing increasing concern in patients affected by haematological malignancies. Materials and Methods: We report a case series from two centres in Northern Italy to describe the characteristics, outcome and microbiological response of S. maltophilia infections in patients with haematological malignancies and/or allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT). Results: Ten patients were included. The median age was 67 years, and seven patients (70%) were males. The median Charlson Comorbidity Index was 6 (IQR: 4-8). The most frequent haematological comorbidities were acute myeloid leukaemia (AML; n = 3; 30%) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n = 3; 30%). Three (30%) patients underwent aHSCT before infection, all for AML. All the patients had undergone a recent antibiotics course and had an indwelling central venous catheter before infection. The main clinical presentations were nosocomial pneumonia, with (2; 20%) or without (4; 40%) secondary bloodstream infection and CRBSI (3; 30%). Four patients were treated with cefiderocol in monotherapy or combinations therapy with cotrimoxazole. The rest of the patients were treated with cotrimoxazole or levofloxacin in monotherapy. Conclusions: Despite a high rate of clinical improvement (90%) after starting antimicrobial therapy, we faced high 30-day mortality (30%) and in-hospital mortality (50%) rates in a highly comorbid population.
Assuntos
Coinfecção , Neoplasias Hematológicas , Transplante de Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda , Stenotrophomonas maltophilia , Masculino , Humanos , Idoso , Feminino , Cefiderocol , Combinação Trimetoprima e Sulfametoxazol/uso terapêutico , Transplante de Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/efeitos adversos , Neoplasias Hematológicas/complicações , Neoplasias Hematológicas/terapia , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/complicações , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/terapiaRESUMO
Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infections are widely described in immunosuppressed patients, but safe and effective treatment strategies are lacking. We aimed to outline our approach to treating persistent COVID-19 in patients with immunosuppression from different causes. In this case series, we retrospectively enrolled all immunosuppressed patients with persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections treated at our centers between March 2022 and February 2023. Patients received different sequential or combination regimens, including antivirals (remdesivir, nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, or molnupiravir) and/or monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) (tixagevimab/cilgavimab or sotrovimab). The main outcome was a complete virological response (negative SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal swabs) at the end of treatment. Fifteen patients were included as follows: eleven (11/15; 73%) with hematological disease and four (4/15; 27%) with recently diagnosed HIV/AIDS infection. Six patients (6/15; 40%) received a single antiviral course, four patients (4/15; 27%) received an antiviral and mAbs sequentially, and two patients (13%) received three lines of treatment (a sequence of three antivirals or two antivirals and mAbs). A combination of two antivirals or one antiviral plus mAbs was administered in three cases (3/15, 20%). One patient died while still positive for SARS-CoV-2, while fourteen (14/15; 93%) tested negative within 16 days after the end of treatment. The median time to negativization since the last treatment was 2.5 days. Both sequential and combination regimens used in this study demonstrated high efficacy and safety in the high-risk group of immunosuppressed patients.
RESUMO
Strongyloides and cytomegalovirus co-infections are rarely reported, even though they are distinguished by high morbidity and mortality, especially in immunocompromised hosts. We narratively reviewed the literature on reported cases of Strongyloides and CMV co-infections in immunosuppressed patients. Most cases occurred in males with a median age of 47 (IQR, 37-59). Strongyloides/CMV co-infections occurred among immunocompromised hosts, especially in solid organ transplants and hematological or rheumatological diseases. Most of the patients underwent a course of steroid treatment before the diagnosis of co-infections. Other common immunomodulatory agents were tacrolimus and mycophenolate. The first clinical manifestations of co-infections were mainly gastrointestinal, followed by respiratory symptoms. CMV was, in most patients, co-infected with an isolated reactivation, although Strongyloides manifested especially as hyperinfection syndrome. Ganciclovir and ivermectin are the mainstays of CMV and Strongyloides treatment. However, the treatment mortality reported in this narrative review is around 52.4%. Interestingly secondary bacterial infections are common in CMV/Strongyloides-infected patients.
RESUMO
To our knowledge, we have described the first case of Strongyloides/Cytomegalovirus (CMV) concomitant infection that occurred in a European country. The patient was a 76-year-old woman affected by relapsed non-Hodgkin lymphoma who presented interstitial pneumonia with a rapidly progressive worsening of respiratory insufficiency, leading to cardiac dysfunction and consequent death. CMV reactivation is a common complication in immunocompromised patients, while hyperinfection/disseminated strongyloidiasis (HS/DS) is rare in low endemic regions, but has been widely described in Southeast Asia and American countries. HS and DS are two consequences of the failure of infection control by the immune system: HS is the uncontrolled replication of the parasite within the host and DS the spreading of the L3 larvae in organs other than the usual replication sites. Only a few cases of HS/CMV infection have been reported in the literature, and only in one patient with lymphoma as an underlying disease. The clinical manifestations of these two infections overlap, usually leading to a delayed diagnosis and a consequent poor outcome.
RESUMO
Oritavancin is a long-acting lipoglycopeptide with in vitro activity against Gram-positive pathogens, as well as good bactericidal activity and sterilisation ability in biofilm. It has been approved for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI), but recent reports have demonstrated possible off-label uses, such as for vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE), deep-seated infections including those involving prosthetic material and invasive infections. The aim of this work is to review the uses of oritavancin outside of ABSSSI, focusing on its real-life applications on infective endocarditis, catheter- or device-related infections, bloodstream infections, and bone and prosthetic joint infections in humans, as well as possible future applications. We performed a narrative review, collecting the literature published between 1 December 2002 and 1 November 2022 on PubMed and the Cochrane Library using the term 'oritavancin'. Available studies have shown how effective it is in different settings, suggesting an opportunity for step-down strategies or outpatient management of infections requiring a long duration of antibiotic treatment. So far, evidence is still scarce, and limited to a few studies and case reports, mostly focusing on Staphylococcus aureus as the major isolate. Concerns about fluid intake for dilution and interaction with coagulation markers also need to be taken into account. Further studies are required in order to assess the safety and effectiveness of Oritavancin in vascular, prosthetic, or device-related infections, as well as in resistant Gram-positive bacteria or enterococcal infections.
RESUMO
We aim to evaluate the potential protective role of intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Patients treated with intravesical adjuvant therapy for NMIBC between January 2018 and December 2019 at two Italian referral centers were divided into two groups based on the received intravesical treatment regimen (BCG vs. chemotherapy). The study's primary endpoint was evaluating SARS-CoV-2 disease incidence and severity among patients treated with intravesical BCG compared to the control group. The study's secondary endpoint was the evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 infection (estimated with serology testing) in the study groups. Overall, 340 patients treated with BCG and 166 treated with intravesical chemotherapy were included in the study. Among patients treated with BCG, 165 (49%) experienced BCG-related adverse events, and serious adverse events occurred in 33 (10%) patients. Receiving BCG or experiencing systemic BCG-related adverse events were not associated with symptomatic proven SARS-CoV-2 infection (p = 0.9) nor with a positive serology test (p = 0.5). The main limitations are related to the retrospective nature of the study. In this multicenter observational trial, a protective role of intravesical BCG against SARS-CoV-2 could not be demonstrated. These results may be used for decision-making regarding ongoing and future trials.
RESUMO
The continuous spread of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CP-Kp) strains presents a severe challenge to the healthcare system due to limited therapeutic options and high mortality. Since its availability, ceftazidime/avibactam (C/A) has become a first-line option against KPC-Kp, but C/A-resistant strains have been reported increasingly, especially with pneumonia or prior suboptimal blood exposure to C/A treatment. A retrospective, observational study was conducted with all patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) dedicated to COVID-19 patients at the City of Health & Sciences in Turin, between 1 May 2021 and 31 January 2022, with the primary endpoint to study strains with resistance to C/A, and secondly to describe the characteristics of this population, with or without previous exposure to C/A. Seventeen patients with colonization or invasive infection due to Klebsiella pneumoniae, C/A resistance, and susceptibility to meropenem (MIC = 2 µg/L) were included; the blaKPC genotype was detected in all isolates revealing D179Y mutation in the blaKPC-2 (blaKPC-33) gene. Cluster analysis showed that 16 out of the 17 C/A-resistant KPC-Kp isolates belonged to a single clone. Thirteen strains (76.5%) were isolated in a 60-day period. Only some patients had a previous infection with non-mutant KPC at other sites (5; 29.4%). Eight patients (47.1%) underwent previous large-spectrum antibiotic treatment, and four patients (23.5%) had prior treatment with C/A. The secondary spread of the D179Y mutation in the blaKPC-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic needs to be addressed constantly by an interdisciplinary interaction between microbiologists, infection control personnel, clinicians, and infectious diseases consultants to properly diagnose and treat patients.
Assuntos
Antibacterianos , Ceftazidima , Combinação de Medicamentos , Farmacorresistência Bacteriana , Infecções por Klebsiella , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Meropeném , Humanos , Antibacterianos/farmacologia , Antibacterianos/uso terapêutico , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , beta-Lactamases/genética , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Unidades de Terapia Intensiva , Infecções por Klebsiella/tratamento farmacológico , Klebsiella pneumoniae/efeitos dos fármacos , Klebsiella pneumoniae/genética , Meropeném/farmacologia , Meropeném/uso terapêutico , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Pandemias , Estudos RetrospectivosRESUMO
Bloodstream infections (BSI) are life-threatening complications for onco-hematologic patients. Fluoroquinolones prophylaxis (FQP) was recommended for patients with neutropenia. Later, it was correlated with increased resistance rates among this population and its role became debated. While the role of FQ prophylaxis is still being studied, its cost-effectiveness is also unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the costs and effects associated with two alternative strategies (FQP vs. no prophylaxis) for patients with hematological malignancies undergoing allogenic stem cell transplant (HSCT). A decision-tree model was built integrating retrospectively collected data from a single transplant center, part of a tertiary teaching hospital in Northern Italy. Probabilities, costs and effects were considered in the assessment of the two alternative strategies. Probabilities of colonization, BSIs, extended-spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) and Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC) BSIs and mortality associated with infection, as well as median duration of length of stay (LOS) were calculated based on data collected between 2013 and 2021. The center applied the strategy of FQP between 2013 and 2016, and of no prophylaxis between 2016 and 2021. Data on 326 patients were collected during the considered time period. Overall, the rates of colonization, BSI, KPC/ESBL BSI, and mortality were 6.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.7-13.5), 42% (9.9-81.4) and 20.72 (16.67-25.26), respectively. A mean bed-day cost of 132 was estimated. Considering no prophylaxis vs. prophylaxis, the difference in costs ranged between additional 33.61 and 80.59 per patient, whereas the difference in effects ranged between 0.11 and 0.03 life-years (LYs) lost (around 40 and 11 days). Given the small differences in terms of costs and effects between the two strategies, no prophylaxis seems an appropriate choice. Furthermore, this analysis did not consider the broader effect on hospital ecology of multiple doses of FQP, which could provide further support for the strategy of no prophylaxis. Our results suggest that the necessity for FQP in onco-hematologic setting should be determined based on local antibiotic resistance patterns.
RESUMO
Legionella pneumophila (LP) is one of the main causative agents of community-acquired pneumonia in Europe and its fifth bacterial cause in Italy (4.9%). We conducted a seven year retrospective analysis of LP infection serogroup 1 in Asti, Piedmont, between 2016 and 2022. Patients were included if they tested positive for the Legionella urinary antigen. Clinical, laboratory, and radiologic data were analyzed to describe the risk factors for mortality. Fifty patients with LD were collected, mainly male, with a median age of 69 years. The main comorbidities were cardiovascular diseases (50%), pulmonary diseases (26%), and neurological diseases (12%). The most common clinical presentations were fever, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurologic symptoms. Older age (p = 0.004), underlying cardiovascular diseases (p = 0.009), late diagnosis at admission (p = 0.035), and neurological symptoms at diagnosis (p = 0.046) were more common in the non-survivor group. Moreover, a septic-shock presentation or the need for non-invasive ventilation at admission were associated with a higher mortality. No considerable differences in the biochemical data were found between the two groups except for the median neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and PCT value. We did not find any differences in mortality related to the choice of antibiotic regimen. Differences in outcome were associated with the median duration of treatment (p =< 0.001) but not to the choice of antibiotic regimen (mainly levofloxacin or azithromycin). In conclusion, early individuation of the wide spectrum of clinical characteristics of LP infection such as respiratory, cardiac, and neurological manifestations of the patient's comorbidities, and significant biochemical data should help clinicians flag high risk patients and potentially improve their outcome.