Comparison of the clinical course of Clostridium difficile infection in glutamate dehydrogenase-positive toxin-negative patients diagnosed by PCR to those with a positive toxin test.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the potential role of PCR-based assays in the over-diagnosis of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) by using a validated diagnostic algorithm in daily clinical practice. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study evaluating all C. difficile-positive stool samples identified at our institution during a 12-month period, to compare outcomes and recurrence rates between patients with a positive enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for both glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and toxin A/B ('toxin-positive group'), with those with GDH-positive, toxin-negative samples in whom the diagnosis was made by a positive PCR-based assay ('toxin-/PCR+ group'). Medical records were reviewed by two independent investigators blinded to the mode of diagnosis. RESULTS: We analysed 231 first CDI episodes (106 (45.8 %) in the 'toxin-positive group' and 125 (54.1%) in the 'toxin-/PCR+ group'). Both groups had similar baseline characteristics. Patients in the 'toxin-positive group' presented more frequently with a severe/severe complicated form than those in the 'toxin-/PCR+ group' (36 (33.9%) versus 24 (19.2%); p 0.011) and had more recurrences (27 (25.5%) versus 9 (7.2%); p 0.001). Diagnosis of CDI based on a GDH/toxin-positive EIA independently predicted severe/severe-complicated course (adjusted OR 2.11; 95% CI 1.06-4.22; p 0.033) and recurrence (adjusted OR 3.79; 95% CI 1.65-8.69; p 0.002). There were no differences in all-cause mortality (12.3% versus 12.0%; p 0.95) or CDI-attributable mortality (4.7% versus 4.8%; p 0.93). CONCLUSIONS: Toxin-positive patients were more likely to have severe-complicated forms of CDI and recurrences. Nevertheless, CDI-related complications may still occasionally occur among toxin-negative patients diagnosed by PCR, which stresses the need for individualized clinical evaluation.

Should Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Be Systematically Treated in Kidney Transplant Recipients? Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

The indication for antimicrobial treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria (AB) after kidney transplantation (KT) remains controversial. Between January 2011 and December 2013, 112 KT recipients that developed one episode or more of AB beyond the second month after transplantation were included in this open-label trial. Participants were randomized (1:1 ratio) to the treatment group (systematic antimicrobial therapy for all episodes of AB occurring ≤24 mo after transplantation [53 patients]) or control group (no antimicrobial therapy [59 patients]). Systematic screening for AB was performed similarly in both groups. The primary outcome was the occurrence of acute pyelonephritis at 24-mo follow-up. Secondary outcomes included lower urinary tract infection, acute rejection, Clostridium difficile infection, colonization or infection by multidrug-resistant bacteria, graft function and all-cause mortality. There were no differences in the primary outcome in the intention-to-treat population (7.5% [4 of 53] in the treatment group vs. 8.4% [5 of 59] in the control group; odds ratio [OR] 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22-3.47) or the per-protocol population (3.8% [1 of 26] in the treatment group vs. 8.0% [4 of 50] in the control group; OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.05-4.34). Moreover, we found no differences in any of the secondary outcomes. In conclusion, systematic screening and treatment of AB beyond the second month after transplantation provided no apparent benefit among KT recipients (NCT02373085).

Risk factors for metastatic osteoarticular infections after a long follow-up of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.

We aimed to identify risk factors associated with the development of haematogenous metastatic osteoarticular infection (MOI) after an episode of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB). We followed 198 patients with SAB during a median of 68.9 months. Nine (4.54%) developed an MOI (median: 6.77 months) after SAB. Factors associated with MOI were the presence of joint prosthesis (hazard ratio 17.56; 95% CI 4.48-68.85) and osteoporosis (hazard ratio 8.46; 95% CI 1.9-37.57). MOI is a common complication after SAB and is related to high morbidity and mortality. Patients with previous osteoarticular disease are at the greatest risk of developing this complication.

Infiltrative cervical lesions causing symptomatic occipital neuralgia.

BACKGROUND: Occipital neuralgia is a well-recognized cause of posterior head and neck pain that may associate mild sensory changes in the cutaneous distribution of the occipital nerves, lacking a recognizable local structural aetiology in most cases. Atypical clinical features or an abnormal neurological examination are alerts for a potential underlying cause of pain, although cases of clinically typical occipital neuralgia as isolated manifestation of lesions of the cervical spinal cord, cervical roots, or occipital nerves have been increasingly reported. CASE REPORTS: We describe two cases (one with typical and another one with atypical clinical features) of occipital neuralgia secondary to paravertebral pyomyositis and vertebral relapse of multiple myeloma in patients with relevant medical history that aroused the possibility of an underlying structural lesion. DISCUSSION: We discuss the need for cranio-cervical magnetic resonance imaging in all patients with occipital neuralgia, even when typical clinical features are present and neurological examination is completely normal.