Multicenter Retrospective Study of Vascular Infections and Endocarditis Caused by Campylobacter spp., France.

The incidence of campylobacteriosis has substantially increased over the past decade, notably in France. Secondary localizations complicating invasive infections are poorly described. We aimed to describe vascular infection or endocarditis caused by Campylobacter spp. We included 57 patients from a nationwide 5-year retrospective study on Campylobacter spp. bacteremia conducted in France; 44 patients had vascular infections, 12 had endocarditis, and 1 had both conditions. Campylobacter fetus was the most frequently involved species (83%). Antibiotic treatment involved a ß-lactam monotherapy (54%) or was combined with a fluoroquinolone or an aminoglycoside (44%). The mortality rate was 25%. Relapse occurred in 8% of cases and was associated with delayed initiation of an efficient antimicrobial therapy after the first symptoms, diabetes, and coexistence of an osteoarticular location. Cardiovascular Campylobacter spp. infections are associated with a high mortality rate. Systematically searching for those localizations in cases of C. fetus bacteremia may be warranted.

Type IV pilus retraction enables sustained bacteremia and plays a key role in the outcome of meningococcal sepsis in a humanized mouse model.

Neisseria meningitidis (the meningococcus) remains a major cause of bacterial meningitis and fatal sepsis. This commensal bacterium of the human nasopharynx can cause invasive diseases when it leaves its niche and reaches the bloodstream. Blood-borne meningococci have the ability to adhere to human endothelial cells and rapidly colonize microvessels. This crucial step enables dissemination into tissues and promotes deregulated inflammation and coagulation, leading to extensive necrotic purpura in the most severe cases. Adhesion to blood vessels relies on type IV pili (TFP). These long filamentous structures are highly dynamic as they can rapidly elongate and retract by the antagonistic action of two ATPases, PilF and PilT. However, the consequences of TFP dynamics on the pathophysiology and the outcome of meningococcal sepsis in vivo have been poorly studied. Here, we show that human graft microvessels are replicative niches for meningococci, that seed the bloodstream and promote sustained bacteremia and lethality in a humanized mouse model. Intriguingly, although pilus-retraction deficient N. meningitidis strain (ΔpilT) efficiently colonizes human graft tissue, this mutant did not promote sustained bacteremia nor induce mouse lethality. This effect was not due to a decreased inflammatory response, nor defects in bacterial clearance by the innate immune system. Rather, TFP-retraction was necessary to promote the release of TFP-dependent contacts between bacteria and, in turn, the detachment from colonized microvessels. The resulting sustained bacteremia was directly correlated with lethality. Altogether, these results demonstrate that pilus retraction plays a key role in the occurrence and outcome of meningococcal sepsis by supporting sustained bacteremia. These findings open new perspectives on the role of circulating bacteria in the pathological alterations leading to lethal sepsis.

Rifampin-moxifloxacin-metronidazole combination therapy for severe Hurley stage 1 hidradenitis suppurativa: prospective short-term trial and 1-year follow-up in 28 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND: Severe Hurley stage 1 hidradenitis suppurativa (HS1) is a difficult-to-treat form of the disease. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and tolerance of the oral combination of rifampin (10 mg/kg once daily)/moxifloxacin (400 mg once daily)/metronidazole (250-500 mg 3 times daily) (RMoM) treatment strategy in patients with severe HS1. METHODS: Prospective, open-label, noncomparative cohort study in 28 consecutive patients. Nineteen patients were treated for 6 weeks by RMoM, followed by 4 weeks of rifampin/moxifloxacin alone, then by cotrimoxazole after remission. Moxifloxacin was replaced by pristinamycin (1 g 3 times daily) in 9 patients because of contraindications or intolerance. The primary endpoint was a Sartorius score of 0 (clinical remission) at week 12. RESULTS: The median Sartorius score dropped from 14 to 0 (P = 6 × 10-6) at week 12, with 75% of patients reaching clinical remission. A low initial Sartorius score was a prognosis factor for clinical remission (P = .049). The main adverse effects were mild gastrointestinal discomfort, mucosal candidiasis, and asthenia. At 1 year of follow-up, the median number of flares dropped from 21/year to 1 (P = 1 × 10-5). LIMITATIONS: Small, monocentric, noncontrolled study. CONCLUSIONS: Complete and prolonged remission can be obtained in severe HS1 by using targeted antimicrobial treatments.

Retrospective Multicentric Study on Campylobacter spp. Bacteremia in France: The Campylobacteremia Study.

BACKGROUND: Campylobacter spp. bacteremia is a severe infection. A nationwide 5-year retrospective study was conducted to characterize its clinical features and prognostic factors. METHODS: The study included patients with Campylobacter spp. bacteremia diagnosed in 37 French hospitals participating in the surveillance network of the National Reference Center for Campylobacters and Helicobacters, from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019. The goal was to analyze the effects of a delay of appropriate antibiotic therapy and other risk factors on 30-day mortality rates, antibiotic resistance, patient characteristics, and prognosis according to the Campylobacter species. RESULTS: Among the 592 patients, Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter fetus were the most commonly identified species (in 42.9% and 42.6%, respectively). The patients were elderly (median age 68 years), and most had underlying conditions, mainly immunodepression (43.4%), hematologic cancers (25.9%), solid neoplasms (23%), and diabetes (22.3%). C. jejuni and Campylobacter coli were associated with gastrointestinal signs, and C. fetus was associated with secondary localizations. Among the 80 patients (13.5%) with secondary localizations, 12 had endocarditis, 38 vascular, 24 osteoarticular, and 9 ascitic fluid infections. The 30-day mortality rate was 11.7%, and an appropriate antibiotic treatment was independently associated with 30-day survival (odds ratio, 0.47 [95% confidence interval, .24-.93]; P = .03). The median efficient therapy initiation delay was quite short (2 days [interquartile range, 0-4 days]) but it had no significant impact on the 30-day mortality rate (P = .78). CONCLUSIONS: Campylobacter spp. bacteremia mainly occurred in elderly immunocompromised individuals with variable clinical presentations according to the species involved. Appropriate antimicrobial therapy was associated with improved 30-day survival.

The Microbiological Landscape of Anaerobic Infections in Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Prospective Metagenomic Study.

BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a frequent and severe disease of the skin, characterized by recurrent or chronic skinfold suppurative lesions with a high impact on quality of life. Although considered inflammatory, antimicrobial treatments can improve or lead to clinical remission of HS, suggesting triggering microbial factors. Indeed, mixed anaerobic microbiota are associated with a majority of HS lesions. Our aim in this study was to characterize the landscape of anaerobic infections in HS using high-throughput sequencing. METHODS: We sampled and cultured 149 lesions and 175 unaffected control skinfold areas from 65 adult HS patients. The microbiome of 80 anaerobic lesions was compared to that of 88 control samples by 454 high-throughput sequencing after construction of 16S ribosomal RNA gene libraries. RESULTS: Bacterial cultures detected anaerobes in 83% of lesions vs 53% of control samples, combined with milleri group streptococci and actinomycetes in 33% and 26% of cases, respectively. High-throughput sequencing identified 43 taxa associated with HS lesions. Two gram-negative anaerobic rod taxa, Prevotella and Porphyromonas, predominated, contrasting with a reduced abundance of aerobic commensals. These rare taxa of normal skinfold microbiota were associated with lesions independently of gender, duration and familial history of HS, body mass index, and location. Two main additional taxa, Fusobacterium and Parvimonas, correlated with the clinical severity of HS. CONCLUSIONS: In this study we reveal the high prevalence and particular landscape of mixed anaerobic infection in HS, paving the way for rationale targeted antimicrobial treatments.

Bacterial Colonization in Hidradenitis Suppurativa/Acne Inversa: A Cross-sectional Study of 50 Patients and Review of the Literature.

It is unclear whether bacterial colonization in hidradenitis suppurativa/acne inversa (HS) comprises a primary cause, triggering factor or secondary phenomenon of the disease pathogenesis. Furthermore, the connection between certain bacterial species, the disease severity and its localization is unknown. Bacterial species were isolated from HS lesions to reveal a potential correlation with localization and disease severity. Ninety swab tests were prospectively obtained from 90 HS lesions of 50 consecutive patients. The material was cultured under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The identified species were statistically correlated with Hurley stage and localization of the lesions. The most prevalent isolates were reported. Hurley stage significantly correlated with disease localization. Particular bacterial species were associated with "extended" disease and Hurley III stage with the detection of both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and with a higher number of species. The presence of bacterial species is dependent on the local milieu, which correlates with the localization of the disease, its clinical manifestations and its extension.

Experimental Evidence of Bacterial Colonization of Human Coronary Microvasculature and Myocardial Tissue during Meningococcemia.

Meningococcal septic shock is associated with profound vasoplegia, early and severe myocardial dysfunction, and extended skin necrosis responsible for a specific clinical entity designated purpura fulminans (PF). PF represents 90% of fatal meningococcal infections. One characteristic of meningococcal PF is the myocardial dysfunction that occurs in the early phase of sepsis. Furthermore, hemodynamic studies have shown that the prognosis of meningococcal sepsis is directly related to the degree of impairment of cardiac contractility during the initial phase of the disease. To gain insight into a potential interaction of Neisseria meningitidis with the myocardial microvasculature, we modified a previously described humanized mouse model by grafting human myocardial tissue to SCID mice. We then infected the grafted mice with N. meningitides Using the humanized SCID mouse model, we demonstrated that N. meningitidis targets the human myocardial tissue vasculature, leading to the formation of blood thrombi, infectious vasculitis, and vascular leakage. These results suggest a novel mechanism of myocardial injury in the course of severe N. meningitidis sepsis that is likely to participate in primary myocardial dysfunction.

Efficacy of ertapenem in severe hidradenitis suppurativa: a pilot study in a cohort of 30 consecutive patients.

OBJECTIVES: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an inflammatory skin disease typically localized in the axillae and inguinal and perineal areas. In the absence of standardized medical treatment, severe HS patients present chronic suppurative lesions with polymicrobial anaerobic abscesses. Wide surgery is the cornerstone treatment of severe HS, but surgical indications are limited by the extent of lesions. Intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotics may help control HS, but their efficacy is not documented. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of a 6 week course of ertapenem (1 g daily) and of antibiotic consolidation treatments for 6 months (M6) in severe HS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients with severe HS were retrospectively included in this study. The clinical severity of HS was assessed using the Sartorius score, which takes into account the number and severity of lesions. RESULTS: The median (IQR) Sartorius score dropped from 49.5 (28-62) at baseline to 19.0 (12-28) after ertapenem (P < 10(-4)). Five patients were lost to follow-up thereafter. At M6 the Sartorius score further decreased for the 16 patients who received continuous consolidation treatments, since 59% of HS areas reached clinical remission at M6 (i.e. absence of any inflammatory symptoms, P < 10(-4)). Nine patients interrupted or received intermittent consolidation treatments due to poor observance or irregular follow-up. Their Sartorius score stopped improving or returned to baseline. No major adverse event occurred. CONCLUSIONS: Ertapenem can dramatically improve severe HS. Consolidation treatments are needed to further improve HS and are mandatory to prevent relapses. Combined with surgery, optimized antibiotic treatments may be promising in severe HS.

Bacteriology of hidradenitis suppurativa/acne inversa: A review.

Given that follicular papules and pustules, as well as nodules and abscesses, are the clinical hallmarks of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), an infectious, bacterial pathway has been suspected in the pathogenesis of this chronic, inflammatory condition. Elucidating the behavior and role of bacterial species in HS and their interaction with cutaneous innate immunity will provide more insight into the pathophysiology of this condition. This review of prospective investigations suggests a synergistic relationship between impaired innate immunity and microbial factors in the etiology of HS.

Remission of refractory pyoderma gangrenosum, severe acne, and hidradenitis suppurativa (PASH) syndrome using targeted antibiotic therapy in 4 patients.

Pyoderma gangrenosum, severe acne, and suppurative hidradenitis (PASH) syndrome can prove refractory to treatment and is characterized by relapses and recurrences. The combination of antibiotic therapy and surgery can produce success in the management of the syndrome. Acute treatment is required, but maintenance therapy is also necessary to prevent disease relapse. The response to antibiotic therapy is hypothesis generating, raising the issue of a modified host response. To date, anecdotal reports support the use of surgery and medical therapy, but controlled investigations with extended follow-up are necessary to substantiate preliminary data observed with individual cases.

Bacterial pathogens associated with hidradenitis suppurativa, France.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a skin disease characterized by recurrent nodules or abscesses and chronic suppurating lesions. In the absence of clear pathophysiology, HS is considered to be an inflammatory disease and has no satisfactory medical treatment. Recently, prolonged antimicrobial treatments were shown to improve or resolve HS lesions. We prospectively studied the microbiology of 102 HS lesions sampled from 82 patients using prolonged bacterial cultures and bacterial metagenomics on 6 samples. Staphylococcus lugdunensis was cultured as a unique or predominant isolate from 58% of HS nodules and abscesses, and a polymicrobial anaerobic microflora comprising strict anaerobes, milleri group streptococci, and actinomycetes was found in 24% of abscesses or nodules and in 87% of chronic suppurating lesions. These data show that bacteria known to cause soft tissue and skin infections are associated with HS lesions. Whether these pathogens are the cause of the lesions or are secondary infectious agents, these findings support targeted antimicrobial treatment of HS.

Neisseria meningitidis colonization of the brain endothelium and cerebrospinal fluid invasion.

The brain and meningeal spaces are protected from bacterial invasion by the blood-brain barrier, formed by specialized endothelial cells and tight intercellular junctional complexes. However, once in the bloodstream, Neisseria meningitidis crosses this barrier in about 60% of the cases. This highlights the particular efficacy with which N. meningitidis targets the brain vascular cell wall. The first step of central nervous system invasion is the direct interaction between bacteria and endothelial cells. This step is mediated by the type IV pili, which induce a remodelling of the endothelial monolayer, leading to the opening of the intercellular space. In this review, strategies used by the bacteria to survive in the bloodstream, to colonize the brain vasculature and to cross the blood-brain barrier will be discussed.

Meningococcal interaction to microvasculature triggers the tissular lesions of purpura fulminans.

Neisseria meningitidis is a strict human pathogen that closely interacts with human endothelial cells via type IV pili in vitro. To decipher whether this interaction plays a role in vivo, we set up an experimental model of fulminant meningococcemia in human skin grafted SCID mice using the wild-type strain 2C4.3. Human skin and mouse tissues were sampled 24 hours after bacterial challenge for histopathology, immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural analysis. In all infected mice, N. meningitidis targeted the human vasculature, leading to bacterial and blood thrombi, infectious vasculitis and vascular leakage. Mouse vessels, including brain vessels, remained unaffected by the infectious and thrombotic process, and a nonpiliated Δ pilE derivative of 2C4.3 failed to target human graft vessels and to induce vascular damages. These data demonstrate that N. meningitidis targets human endothelial cells in vivo and that this interaction triggers the vascular damages that characterize purpura fulminans.

Antimicrobial resistance surveillance of Bacteroides fragilis isolated from blood cultures, Europe, 2022 (ReSuBacfrag).

BACKGROUND: Bacteroides fragilis is the most frequent cause of anaerobic bacteraemia. Although recent data suggest a rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of this and other anaerobic bacteria, surveillance remains limited due to a lack of both data availability and comparability. However, a newly introduced standardised method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of anaerobic bacteria has made larger scale surveillance possible for the first time. AIM: To investigate phenotypic AMR of Bacteroides fragilis isolates from bacteraemia across Europe in 2022. METHODS: In a multicentre approach, clinical microbiology laboratories in Europe were invited to contribute results of AST for Bacteroides fragilis blood culture isolates (including only the first isolate per patient and year). AST of a selection of four antibiotics was performed locally by participating laboratories in a prospective or retrospective manner, using the new EUCAST disc diffusion method on fastidious anaerobe agar (FAA-HB). RESULTS: A total of 16 European countries reported antimicrobial susceptibilities in 449 unique isolates of Bacteroides fragilis from blood cultures in 2022. Clindamycin demonstrated the highest resistance rates (20.9%, range 0 - 63.6%), followed by piperacillin-tazobactam (11.1%, 0 - 54.5%), meropenem (13.4%, 0 - 45.5%), and metronidazole (1.8%, 0 - 20.0%), all with wide variation between countries. CONCLUSION: Considering that the mean resistance rates across Europe were higher than expected for three of the four anti-anaerobic antibiotics under surveillance, both local AST of clinically relevant isolates of Bacteroides fragilis and continued surveillance on an international level is warranted.

Protective effect of IgM against colonization of the respiratory tract by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae in patients with hypogammaglobulinemia.

BACKGROUND: Primary immunoglobulin deficiencies lead to recurrent bacterial infections of the respiratory tract and bronchiectasis, even with adequate immunoglobulin replacement therapy. It is not known whether patients able to secrete IgM (eg, those with hyper-IgM [HIgM] syndrome) are as susceptible to these infections as patients who lack IgM production (eg, those with panhypogammaglobulinemia [PHG]). OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at identifying specific microbiological and clinical (infections) characteristics that distinguish immunoglobulin-substituted patients with PHG from patients with HIgM syndrome. METHODS: A cohort of patients with HIgM syndrome (n = 25) and a cohort of patients with PHG (n = 86) were monitored prospectively for 2 years while receiving similar polyvalent immunoglobulin replacement therapies. Regular bacterial analyses of nasal swabs and sputum were performed, and clinical events were recorded. In parallel, serum and saliva IgM antibody concentrations were measured. RESULTS: When compared with patients with PHG, patients with HIgM syndrome were found to have a significantly lower risk of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae carriage in particular (relative risk, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.21-0.63). Moreover, patients with HIgM syndrome (including those unable to generate somatic hypermutations of immunoglobulin genes) displayed anti-nontypeable H influenzae IgM antibodies in their serum and saliva. Also, patients with HIgM syndrome had a lower incidence of acute respiratory tract infections. CONCLUSIONS: IgM antibodies appear to be microbiologically and clinically protective and might thus attenuate the infectious consequences of a lack of production of other immunoglobulin isotypes in patients with HIgM syndrome. Polyvalent IgG replacement therapy might not fully compensate for IgM deficiency. It might thus be worth adapting long-term antimicrobial prophylactic regimens according to the underlying B-cell immunodeficiency phenotype.

State of the Art of Probiotic Use in Neonatal Intensive Care Units in French-Speaking European Countries.

The effectiveness of probiotics in reducing the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis has been supported by a very large number of studies. However, the utilization of probiotics in preterm infants remains a topic of debate. This study aims to assess the rate of probiotic use in European neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), compare administration protocols, and identify barriers and concerns associated with probiotic use. An online questionnaire was distributed via email to European NICUs between October 2020 and June 2021. Different questions related to the frequency of probiotic use were proposed. Data on probiotic administration protocols and reasons for non-utilization were collected. The majority of responses were from France and Switzerland, with response rates of 85% and 89%, respectively. A total of 21% of French NICUs and 100% of Swiss NICUs reported routine probiotic use. There was significant heterogeneity in probiotic administration protocols, including variations in probiotic strains, administration, and treatment duration. The main obstacles to routine probiotic use were the absence of recommendations, lack of consensus on strain selection, insufficient scientific evidence, and concerns regarding potential adverse effects. The rate of routine probiotic administration remains low in European NICUs, with heterogeneity among protocols. Further trials are necessary to elucidate optimal treatment modalities and ensure safety of administration.

Machine learning-based typing of Salmonella enterica O-serogroups by the Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy-based IR Biotyper system.

BACKGROUND: Salmonella enterica is among the major burdens for public health at global level. Typing of salmonellae below the species level is fundamental for different purposes, but traditional methods are expensive, technically demanding, and time-consuming, and therefore limited to reference centers. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is an alternative method for bacterial typing, successfully applied for classification at different infra-species levels. AIM: This study aimed to address the challenge of subtyping Salmonella enterica at O-serogroup level by using FTIR spectroscopy. We applied machine learning to develop a novel approach for S. enterica typing, using the FTIR-based IR Biotyper® system (IRBT; Bruker Daltonics GmbH & Co. KG, Germany). We investigated a multicentric collection of isolates, and we compared the novel approach with classical serotyping-based and molecular methods. METHODS: A total of 958 well characterized Salmonella isolates (25 serogroups, 138 serovars), collected in 11 different centers (in Europe and Japan), from clinical, environmental and food samples were included in this study and analyzed by IRBT. Infrared absorption spectra were acquired from water-ethanol bacterial suspensions, from culture isolates grown on seven different agar media. In the first part of the study, the discriminatory potential of the IRBT system was evaluated by comparison with reference typing method/s. In the second part of the study, the artificial intelligence capabilities of the IRBT software were applied to develop a classifier for Salmonella isolates at serogroup level. Different machine learning algorithms were investigated (artificial neural networks and support vector machine). A subset of 88 pre-characterized isolates (corresponding to 25 serogroups and 53 serovars) were included in the training set. The remaining 870 samples were used as validation set. The classifiers were evaluated in terms of accuracy, error rate and failed classification rate. RESULTS: The classifier that provided the highest accuracy in the cross-validation was selected to be tested with four external testing sets. Considering all the testing sites, accuracy ranged from 97.0% to 99.2% for non-selective media, and from 94.7% to 96.4% for selective media. CONCLUSIONS: The IRBT system proved to be a very promising, user-friendly, and cost-effective tool for Salmonella typing at serogroup level. The application of machine learning algorithms proved to enable a novel approach for typing, which relies on automated analysis and result interpretation, and it is therefore free of potential human biases. The system demonstrated a high robustness and adaptability to routine workflows, without the need of highly trained personnel, and proving to be suitable to be applied with isolates grown on different agar media, both selective and unselective. Further tests with currently circulating clinical, food and environmental isolates would be necessary before implementing it as a potentially stand-alone standard method for routine use.