Taxonomic considerations on Aerococcus urinae with proposal of subdivision into Aerococcus urinae, Aerococcus tenax sp. nov., Aerococcus mictus sp. nov., and Aerococcus loyolae sp. nov.

Average nucleotide identity analysis, based on whole genome sequences of 115 strains previously identified as Aerococcus urinae, an emerging uropathogen, discriminates at least six unique genomic taxa. The whole genome analysis affords clearer species boundaries over 16S rRNA gene sequencing and traditional phenotypic approaches for the identification and phylogenetic organization of Aerococcus species. The newly described species can be differentiated by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight analysis of protein signatures. We propose the emendation of the description of A. urinae (type strain ATCC 51268T = CCUG 34223T=NCFB 2893) and the names of Aerococcus tenax sp. nov. (ATCC TSD-302T = DSM 115700T = CCUG 76531T=NR-58630T), Aerococcus mictus sp. nov. (ATCC TSD-301T = DSM 115699T = CCUG 76532T=NR-58629T), and Aerococcus loyolae sp. nov. (ATCC TSD-300T = DSM 115698T = CCUG 76533T=NR-58628T) for three of the newly identified genomic taxa.

Partial Oral versus Intravenous Antibiotic Treatment of Endocarditis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with infective endocarditis on the left side of the heart are typically treated with intravenous antibiotic agents for up to 6 weeks. Whether a shift from intravenous to oral antibiotics once the patient is in stable condition would result in efficacy and safety similar to those with continued intravenous treatment is unknown. METHODS: In a randomized, noninferiority, multicenter trial, we assigned 400 adults in stable condition who had endocarditis on the left side of the heart caused by streptococcus, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, or coagulase-negative staphylococci and who were being treated with intravenous antibiotics to continue intravenous treatment (199 patients) or to switch to oral antibiotic treatment (201 patients). In all patients, antibiotic treatment was administered intravenously for at least 10 days. If feasible, patients in the orally treated group were discharged to outpatient treatment. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, unplanned cardiac surgery, embolic events, or relapse of bacteremia with the primary pathogen, from the time of randomization until 6 months after antibiotic treatment was completed. RESULTS: After randomization, antibiotic treatment was completed after a median of 19 days (interquartile range, 14 to 25) in the intravenously treated group and 17 days (interquartile range, 14 to 25) in the orally treated group (P=0.48). The primary composite outcome occurred in 24 patients (12.1%) in the intravenously treated group and in 18 (9.0%) in the orally treated group (between-group difference, 3.1 percentage points; 95% confidence interval, -3.4 to 9.6; P=0.40), which met noninferiority criteria. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with endocarditis on the left side of the heart who were in stable condition, changing to oral antibiotic treatment was noninferior to continued intravenous antibiotic treatment. (Funded by the Danish Heart Foundation and others; POET ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01375257 .).

Self-assessed health status and associated mortality in endocarditis: secondary findings from the POET trial.

PURPOSE: Self-assessed poor health status is associated with increased risk of mortality in several cardiovascular conditions, but has not been investigated in patients with endocarditis. We examined health status and mortality in patients with endocarditis. METHODS: This is a re-specified substudy of the randomized POET endocarditis trial, which included 400 patients. Patients completed the single-question self-assessed health status from the Short-Form 36 questionnaire at time of randomization and were categorized as having poor or non-poor (excellent/very good, good, or fair) health status. Self-assessed health status and all-cause mortality were examined by a Cox regression model. RESULTS: Self-assessed health status was completed by 266 (67%) patients with a mean age of 68.0 years (± 11.8), 54 (20%) were females, and 86 (32%) had one or more major concurrent medical conditions besides endocarditis. The self-assessed health status distribution was poor (n = 21, 8%) and non-poor (n = 245, 92%). The median follow-up was 3.3 years and death occurred in 9 (43%) and 48 (20%) patients reporting poor and non-poor health status, respectively, and mortality rates [mortality/100 person-years, 95% confidence interval (CI)] were 18.1 (95% CI 9.4-34.8) and 5.4 (95% CI 4.1-7.2), i.e., the crude hazard ratio for death was 3.4 (95% CI: 1.7-7.0, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Self-assessed poor health status compared with non-poor health status as assessed by a single question was associated with a threefold increased long-term mortality in patients with endocarditis. POET ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01375257. TRIAL REGISTRY: POET ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01375257.

Association Between Vegetation Size and Outcome in the Partial Oral Antibiotic Endocarditis Treatment Trial.

Step-down oral antibiotic therapy is associated with a non-inferior long-term outcome compared with continued intravenous antibiotic therapy in the treatment of left-sided infective endocarditis. We aimed to analyze whether step-down oral therapy compared with continued intravenous antibiotic therapy is also associated with a non-inferior outcome in patients with large vegetations (vegetation length ≥ 10 mm) or among patients who underwent surgery before step-down oral therapy. We included patients without presence of aortic root abscess at diagnosis from the POET (Partial Oral Antibiotic Endocarditis Treatment) study. Multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to find associations between large vegetation, cardiac surgery, step-down oral therapy, and the primary end point (composite of all-cause mortality, unplanned cardiac surgery, embolic event, or relapse of positive blood cultures during follow-up). A total of 368 patients (age 68 ± 12, 77% men) were included. Patients with large vegetations (n = 124) were more likely to undergo surgery compared with patients with small vegetations (n = 244) (65% vs 20%, p <0.001). During a median 1,406 days of follow-up, 146 patients reached the primary end point. Large vegetations were not associated with the primary end point (hazard ratio 0.74, 95% confidence interval 0.47 to 1.18, p = 0.21). Step-down oral therapy was non-inferior to continued intravenous antibiotic in all subgroups when stratified by the presence of a large vegetation at baseline and early cardiac surgery. Step-down oral therapy is safe in the presence of a large vegetation at diagnosis and among patients who underwent early cardiac surgery.

The impact of partial-oral endocarditis treatment on anxiety and depression in the POET trial.

BACKGROUND: The Partial-Oral versus Intravenous Antibiotic Treatment of Endocarditis Trial (POET) found that partial-oral outpatient treatment was non-inferior to conventional in-hospital intravenous treatment in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis. We examined the impact of treatment strategy on levels of anxiety and depression. METHODS: Patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) at randomization, at antibiotic completion, and after month 3 and month 6. Changes in anxiety and depression (each subdimension 0-21, high scores indicating worse) were calculated using a repeated measure analysis of covariance model with primary assessment after 6 months. Change in score of 1.7 represented a minimal clinical important difference (MCID). RESULTS: Among the 400 patients enrolled in the POET trial, 263 (66%) completed HADS at randomization with reassessment rates of 86-87% at the three subsequent timepoints. Patients in the partial-oral group and the intravenous group had similar improvements after 6 months in levels of anxiety (-1.8 versus -1.6, P = 0.62) and depression (-2.1 versus -1.9, P = 0.63), although patients in the partial-oral group had numerically lower levels of anxiety and depression throughout. An improvement in MCID scores after 6 months was reported by 47% versus 45% (p = 0.80) patients for anxiety and by 51% versus 54% (p = 0.70) for depression. CONCLUSION: Patients with endocarditis receiving partial-oral outpatient treatment reported similar significant improvements in anxiety and depression at 6 months, as compared to conventionally treated, but numerically lower levels throughout. These findings support the usefulness of partial-oral treatment.

Imported brucellosis in Denmark: molecular identification and multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) genotyping of the bacteria.

A polymerase chain reaction was used to identify Brucella species isolated from humans in Denmark. Consecutive analysis of referred bacteria and re-examination of historical isolates identified all as Brucella melitensis. Multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) placed the isolates in the previously defined 'East Mediterranean' B. melitensis group.

Nontypable Haemophilus influenzae Septicemia and Urinary Tract Infection Associated with Renal Stone Disease.

INTRODUCTION: Haemophilus influenzae commonly causes upper respiratory tract infections and has only rarely been reported etiology of urinary tract infections. Since the introduction of the Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) vaccine, non-typable haemophilus species now cause the majority of invasive disease in Europe. CASE REPORT: We report a case of an adult man with non-typable Haemophilus influenzae septicemia, urinary tract infection and bilateral renal stone disease. The patient presented with right sided flank pain and a CT scan showed bilateral renal stones and a right sided ureteral stone causing obstruction. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Haemophilus influenzae was identified in blood and urine and despite a tendency of increasing antibiotic resistance among Haemophilus influenzae, our strain was susceptible to all antibiotics tested. Treatment consisted of 3 days of intravenous cefuroxime, insertion of a right sided JJ ureteric stent and 5 days of peroral ciprofloxacin after discharge. Physicians and microbiologists should be aware of Haemophilus influenzae as a possible urinary tract pathogen, especially when urinary tract abnormalities are present, and take the risk of antibiotic resistance into consideration at initial treatment.

Incidence of HACEK bacteraemia in Denmark: A 6-year population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: Bacteria with common microbiological and clinical characteristics are often recognized as a particular group. The acronym HACEK stands for five fastidious genera associated with infective endocarditis (Haemophilus, Aggregatibacter, Cardiobacterium, Eikenella, and Kingella). Data on the epidemiology of HACEK are sparse. This article reports a 6-year nationwide study of HACEK bacteraemia in Denmark. METHODS: Cases of HACEK bacteraemia occurring during the years 2010-2015 were retrieved from the national Danish microbiology database, covering an average surveillance population of 5.6 million per year. RESULTS: A total of 147 cases of HACEK bacteraemia were identified, corresponding to an annual incidence of 0.44 per 100000 population. The annual incidence for males was 0.56 per 100000 and for females was 0.31 per 100000. The median age was 56 years (range 0-97 years), with variation among the genera. One hundred and forty-three isolates were identified to the species level and six to the genus level: Haemophilus spp, n=55; Aggregatibacter spp, n=37; Cardiobacterium spp, n=9; Eikenella corrodens n=21; and Kingella spp, n=27. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study on the incidence of HACEK bacteraemia in a large surveillance population and may inspire further studies on the HACEK group. Haemophilus spp other than Haemophilus influenzae accounted for most cases of HACEK bacteraemia in Denmark, with Aggregatibacter spp in second place.

Species identification of Streptococcus bovis group isolates causing bacteremia: a comparison of two MALDI-TOF MS systems.

This study compared two MALDI-TOF MS systems (Biotyper and VITEK MS) on clinical Streptococcus bovis group isolates (n=66). The VITEK MS gave fewer misidentifications and a higher rate of correct identifications than the Biotyper. Only the identification of S. lutetiensis by the VITEK MS was reliable. Additional optimization of the available system databases is needed.

Aerococcus urinae and Aerococcus sanguinicola: Susceptibility Testing of 120 Isolates to Six Antimicrobial Agents Using Disk Diffusion (EUCAST), Etest, and Broth Microdilution Techniques.

BACKGROUND: Aerococcus urinae and Aerococcus sanguinicola are relatively newcomers and emerging organisms in clinical and microbiological practice. Both species have worldwide been associated with urinary tract infections. More rarely cases of bacteremia/septicemia and infective endocarditis have been reported. Treatment options are therefore important. Just recently, European recommendations on susceptibility testing and interpretive criteria have been released. OBJECTIVE: In this investigation 120 A. urinae and A. sanguinicola isolates were tested for susceptibility to six antimicrobial agents: Penicillin, cefotaxime, meropenem, vancomycin, linezolid, and rifampicin. METHODS: Three susceptibility testing methods were used; disk diffusion according to The European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) standardized disk diffusion methodology and MIC determination with Etest and broth microdilution (BMD). All testing was performed with EUCAST media for fastidious organisms. RESULTS: Data obtained in this study were part of the background data for establishing EUCAST breakpoints. MIC values obtained by Etest and BMD were well correlated with disk diffusion results. CONCLUSION: All isolates were found susceptible to all six antimicrobial agents: penicillin, cefotaxime, meropenem, vancomycin, linezolid, and rifampicin.

Bacteremia with the bovis group streptococci: species identification and association with infective endocarditis and with gastrointestinal disease.

DNA sequencing of the intergenic spacer (ITS) region was used to identify 53 blood culture isolates that had previously been designated to the bovis group streptococci and clinical data was collected retrospectively from patients' records using a standardized protocol. ITS sequencing identified 19 (35.8%) isolates as Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus, 12 (22.6%) as S. gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus, two (3.8%) as S. gallolyticus subsp. macedonicus, seven (13.2%) as S. infantarius subsp. infantarius, 12 (22.6%) as S. lutetiensis and one (1.9%) as S. equinus. The association of S. gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus with colorectal neoplasia and with infective endocarditis and the association between S. gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus and pancreatic cancer were found to be clinically important. Also, a very high 1-year mortality rate with S. lutetiensis (66.7%) and S. gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus (58.7%) bacteremia calls for intensive investigation for underlying disease focusing on the pancreas and the hepatobiliary system.

Listeria monocytogenes: maternal-foetal infections in Denmark 1994-2005.

Maternal-foetal infection by Listeria monocytogenes is a rare complication in pregnancy. In the period 1994-2005, 37 culture-confirmed cases of maternal-foetal Listeria monocytogenes infections were reported in Denmark. We examined 36 patients' files in order to evaluate risk factors, clinical and laboratory findings, response to therapy, and outcome for maternal-foetal listeriosis. Patient data and bacteriological findings were divided into 2 groups for comparison: 1 group with children born alive (n=24) and another group with abortion or stillbirth (n=12). 23 of the 36 children survived the acute infection, as did all the mothers. The mothers were generally only mildly affected by the infection. In contrast, among the children born alive, 15 were diagnosed with bacteraemia/septicaemia, 3 children with pneumonia, 3 with neonatal meningitis, and 3 were unaffected. Despite the high frequency of illness only 1 of the live-born children died from the infection and none of the surviving children showed signs of permanent damage at the time they were discharged from hospital. Listeriosis during pregnancy is a serious threat to the unborn child. One-third of culture-confirmed cases of maternal-foetal infections resulted in abortion or stillbirth; however, the prognosis for live-born children is good, even in severely ill newborns.

Erythromycin resistance caused by erm(A) subclass erm(TR) in a Danish invasive pneumococcal isolate: are erm(A) pneumococcal isolates overlooked?

Erm(A) is rarely reported as erythromycin resistance determinant in pneumococci. One invasive erm(A) isolate was initially tested intermediate erythromycin resistant using E-test. However, upon re-testing it was resistant, thus close to the breakpoint value. This may be a reason why erm(A) only rarely is reported to cause resistance in pneumococci.

Report of the first human case of Caulobacter sp. infection.

A Caulobacter sp. isolate was recovered from the dialysis fluid of a patient undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Bacterial identification included electron microscopy and 16S rDNA sequencing. To our knowledge, this is the first report of human Caulobacter infection. Special growth requirements suggest that Caulobacter spp. may be overlooked in the clinical microbiology laboratory.

Serum insulin-like growth factor I levels in growth hormone-deficient adults: influence of sex steroids.

Measurement of serum insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) concentrations remains the single most important tool in the evaluation of growth hormone (GH) replacement in GH-deficient adults, and the therapeutic goal is to maintain the level within the age-adjusted normal range. In healthy adults, IGF-I levels do not differ between males and females, whereas spontaneous GH secretion is approximately twofold higher in females. Untreated GH-deficient women exhibit lower IGF-I levels compared with men, and the increase in serum IGF-I during GH replacement is also significantly less. Put together, these data suggest resistance to GH in women, which in healthy individuals is compensated for by increased GH secretion. Administration of oral oestrogen in healthy post-menopausal women suppresses hepatic IGF-I production and increases pituitary GH release, and oral oestrogen replacement in women with GH deficiency lowers IGF-I concentrations and increases the amount of GH necessary to obtain IGF-I target levels during treatment. These data clearly suggest that hepatic suppression of IGF-I production by oestrogen subserves the gender difference in GH sensitivity, but it is also likely that sex steroids may interact with the GH/IGF axis at further levels. There is also circumstantial evidence to indicate that testosterone stimulates IGF-I production, and it is speculated that a certain threshold level of androgens is essential to ensure hepatic IGF-I production. Whether these data should translate into earlier discontinuation of oestrogen replacement therapy in adult women with hypopituitarism merits consideration.