Rapid detection of gastrointestinal pathogens using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction gastrointestinal panel and its role in antimicrobial stewardship.

OBJECTIVES: The FilmArray gastrointestinal panel (FAGIP) is widely used to detect infectious diarrhoea due to its outstanding sensitivity compared to conventional methods, but there is geographic variation, such as in the distribution of pathogens, among populations. METHODS: This was a retrospective study that analysed patients with acute diarrhoea who underwent FAGIP tests from all age groups during 2022. We compared positive rates of FAGIP between paediatric (n = 245) and adult patients (n = 242) of different origins. The targeted therapy rate and antimicrobial agent use rate were also analysed. RESULTS: Among the 487 stool samples evaluated, the overall, community-origin (CO), and nosocomial (NC) positivity rates of paediatric patients were significantly higher than those of adults (73.9 % vs. 43.0 %, p = 0.000; 76.2 % vs. 51.7 %, p = 0.000; 50.0 % vs. 19.7 %, p = 0.000). Salmonella was the most frequently detected pathogen (35.9 %) in children, while the predominant pathogen in adult patients was toxin A/B-genic Clostridioides difficile (13.2 %). There was a significantly lower antimicrobial agent use rate after FAGIP results were available (79.1 % vs. 64.5 %, p = 0.000) and a higher rate of targeted therapy towards C. difficile infection in adults than in children (84.4 % vs. 69.0 %, p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: Paediatric diarrhoea patients showed higher positivity rates than adult patients. Application of FAGIP for acute diarrhoea might lower unnecessary antimicrobial use.

Bacterial coinfections in hospitalized children with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 variant pandemic in Taiwan.

Background: Bacterial coinfections have been widely recognized in adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, bacterial coinfections in hospitalized children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have not been sufficiently researched. This study aimed to determine the clinical presentations and risk factors for bacterial coinfections of pediatric inpatients during the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 variant pandemic. Methods: This retrospective, observational study included patients younger than 18 years of age who were hospitalized for COVID-19 confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antigen rapid tests during the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 variant pandemic. Data and outcomes of these patients with or without bacterial coinfections were compared. Results: During this study period, 161 children with confirmed COVID-19 were hospitalized. Twenty-four had bacterial coinfections. The most frequently reported concurrent diagnosis was bacterial enteritis, followed by lower respiratory tract infections. Children with bacterial coinfections had higher white blood cell (WBC) counts and PCR cycle threshold values. The bacterial coinfection group comprised a relatively greater proportion of patients who required high-flow nasal cannula oxygen and remdesivir. The length of stay in the hospital and that in the intensive care unit were longer for children with COVID-19 with bacterial coinfections. Mortality was not observed in either group. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and comorbidity with neurologic illnesses were risk factors for bacterial coinfections with COVID-19. Conclusion: This study provides clinicians with reference points for the detection of COVID-19 in children and its possible association with bacterial infections. Children with COVID-19 and neurologic diseases who present with abdominal pain or diarrhea are at risk of bacterial coinfections. Prolonged fever duration and higher PCR test cycle threshold values, WBC levels, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels may indicate bacterial coinfections in children with COVID-19.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) osteomyelitis among children: Experience in a single tertiary center in central Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The insidious nature of BCG-osteomyelitis makes it challenging for clinicians to detect it early on. METHODS: This 12-year retrospective analysis was conducted at a single tertiary hospital in central Taiwan. Electronic medical records of pediatric patients treated for BCG-osteomyelitis were reviewed. Demographics, clinical features, and laboratory findings were compared with patients diagnosed with culture-proven pyogenic osteomyelitis. RESULTS: In total, eight patients fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Their median age was 16 months, and no obvious gender prevalence was found. Six of the eight patients had lesions involving the lower extremities. When compared with the pyogenic osteomyelitis group, age of disease onset was found to be significantly younger in the BCG osteomyelitis group (p=0.038). Absence of fever and pain in the BCG osteomyelitis group was found to be statistically significant when compared with the pyogenic group (p=0.002 and p=0.026 respectively). CRP and ESR were found to be significantly higher in the pyogenic osteomyelitis group (p=0.000 and p=0.004 respectively). CONCLUSION: BCG-related osteomyelitis must be considered when evaluating an afebrile child presenting with an unexplainable swelling or limp, and especially when the lesion is located on a lower limb. Laboratory studies may reveal normal WBC and CRP, with a normal to modest elevation of ESR. Imaging studies, including plain radiographs, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or computed tomography (CT) should be employed to rule out BCG-related osteomyelitis. Early diagnosis help minimize inappropriate antibiotics use, and may lead to a better outcome.

Detection of respiratory pathogens by application of multiplex PCR panel during early period of COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary hospital in Central Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) represent a major cause of clinical visits worldwide. Viral epidemiology of RTIs in adults has been less studied compared to children. FilmArray respiratory panel (FA-RP), a multiplex, real time polymerase chain reaction method can simultaneously detect the nucleic acids of multiple pathogens. The purpose of this study is to analyze the epidemiology and clinical presentations of an RTI cohort. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) and China Medical University Children's Hospital (CMUCH), from January 2020 to June 2020. The FA-RP results were collected and analyzed according to upper versus lower RTIs. RESULTS: Among 253 respiratory samples tested, 135 (53.4%) were from adults and 118 (46.6%) from children. A total positive rate of 33.9% (86/253) was found, with 21.48% (29/135) in adults and 48.31% (57/118) in children. Human rhinovirus/Enterovirus (HRV/EV) was detected in most of the age groups and was more common in URIs. HRV/EV was found as a frequent co-detection virus. Among children, HRV/EV was the most detected pathogen of URIs, while the most predominant pathogen in LRIs was Mycoplasma pneumoniae. CONCLUSIONS: FA-RP has the potential to improve the detection rate of respiratory pathogens. The positive rate of FA-RP was higher in children compared to adults, which likely corresponds to the higher incidence of viral RTIs in children. Different pathogens may lead to different types of respiratory infections.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of culture-negative versus culture-positive osteomyelitis in children treated at a tertiary hospital in central Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The causative pathogen of pediatric osteomyelitis is often unidentified despite culturing attempts. This study evaluated and compared the clinical characteristics, therapeutic approach, and outcomes of osteomyelitis caused by unknown pathogens and identified microorganisms. METHOD: This 17-year retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in central Taiwan. Medical records of children aged less than 18 years with a diagnosis of osteomyelitis between 2003 and 2019 were reviewed. RESULT: In total, 70 patients (median age = 6.4 years; male = 65.7%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria, of whom 33 (47.1%) were culture negative. Staphylococcus aureus was the main pathogen (67.6% of identified bacteria). The proportion of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was 44% and 54.5% of the MRSA isolates exhibited clindamycin resistance. Compared to children with culture-positive osteomyelitis, those with culture-negative osteomyelitis had a lower rate of concomitant septic arthritis (40.5% vs. 15.2%, p = 0.019) and leukocytosis on presentation (45.9% vs. 21.2%, p = 0.030); they also required fewer surgical interventions (56.8% vs. 24.2%, p = 0.006) and received a shorter course of total antibiotic therapy (49.0 vs. 43.0 days, p = 0.045). In the culture-negative group, the MRSA coverage rate was 18.8% during initial empirical therapy and increased to 59.4% during further adjusted therapy. The overall complication rate was 18.6% and was lower in the culture-negative group (32.4% vs. 3.0%, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: In areas where community-associated MRSA and clindamycin resistance strains are a concern, empirical glycopeptide-based therapy is suggested in pediatric osteomyelitis, particularly in those with culture-negative infections.

Phylogenetic analysis of Mycobacterium aurum and Mycobacterium neoaurum with redescription of M. aurum culture collection strains.

We examined American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) strains of Mycobacterium aurum and Mycobacterium neoaurum by using multilocus DNA target sequencing. Apart from the type strain, all 10 ATCC M. aurum strains examined were classified incorrectly, with most being reclassified as belonging to the M. neoaurum-'Mycobacterium lacticola' relatedness group. All four M. neoaurum strains were tightly clustered, but heterogeneity was observed within the cluster. As a result of the incorrect annotation of the M. aurum strains, two commonly used methods of identification are compromised and two case reports implicating M. aurum as a human pathogen are probably incorrect, with the isolates probably belonging to the M. neoaurum-'M. lacticola' relatedness group. These findings together with a review of isolates identified at two large reference laboratories suggest that M. aurum is not a clinically significant isolate.