A multicentre evaluation and expert recommendations of use of the newly developed BioFire Joint Infection polymerase chain reaction panel.

Septic arthritis is a serious condition with significant morbidity and mortality, routinely diagnosed using culture. The FDA has recently approved the rapid molecular BioFire® Joint Infection Panel (BJIP) for synovial fluid. We aimed to evaluate the BJIP compared to culture and its potential use in patient management. A multicentre retrospective evaluation of BJIP was conducted in the UK and Ireland. Positive percent agreement (PPA) and negative percent agreement (NPA) were calculated between the BJIP and routine culture. A multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion addressing the optimal or potential case use of the assay practice was facilitated. Three hundred ninety-nine surplus synovial fluid samples (~ 70% from native joints) from eight centres were processed using BJIP in addition to routine culture. An increased yield of positive results was detected using BJIP compared to routine culture (98 vs 83), giving an overall PPA of 91.6% and overall NPA of 93% for the BJIP compared to culture results. The BJIP detected resistant markers and additional organisms that could influence antibiotic choices including Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Kingella kingae. The MDT agreed that the assay could be used, in addition to standard methods, in adult and children patients with specialist advice use based on local needs. Rapid results from BJIP were assessed as having potential clinical impact on patient management. Organisms not included in the panel may be clinically significant and may limit the value of this test for PJI.

Prolonged Zika Virus RNA Detection in Semen of Immunosuppressed Patient.

Zika virus RNA has been detected in semen samples collected <370 days after symptom onset. We report unusual persistence of Zika virus RNA in semen, confirmed by sequencing at 515 days after symptom onset and detectable for >900 days, in a patient with immunosuppression.

Presence and Persistence of Zika Virus RNA in Semen, United Kingdom, 2016.

Zika virus RNA has been detected in semen collected several months after onset of symptoms of infection. Given the potential for sexual transmission of Zika virus and for serious fetal abnormalities resulting from infection during pregnancy, information regarding the persistence of Zika virus in semen is critical for advancing our understanding of potential risks. We tested serial semen samples from symptomatic male patients in the United Kingdom who had a diagnosis of imported Zika virus infection. Among the initial semen samples from 23 patients, Zika virus RNA was detected at high levels in 13 (56.5%) and was not detected in 9 (39.1%); detection was indeterminate in 1 sample (4.4%). After symptomatic infection, a substantial proportion of men have detectable Zika virus RNA at high copy numbers in semen during early convalescence, suggesting high risk for sexual transmission. Viral RNA clearance times are not consistent and can be prolonged.

Mononeuritis multiplex secondary to Lyme neuroborreliosis.

Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) typically presents as a painful radiculitis or a cranial mononeuropathy with lymphocytic meningitis (Bannwarth's syndrome). Isolated peripheral mononeuropathy or multiple mononeuropathy is less frequently recognised. A 58-year-old female with a background of IgA nephropathy and chronic kidney disease presented with a painful left ulnar neuropathy followed within 3 months by superficial radial neuropathy. Initial serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis were unremarkable; nerve conduction study was in keeping with a mononeuritis multiplex. A superficial radial nerve biopsy demonstrated inflammation with axonal injury consistent with a pathologically possible vasculitis. Borrelia antibodies were identified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblot in serum consistent with active recent Lyme borreliosis. A 6-week course of doxycycline was initiated with gradual resolution of pain and improved power. A repeat nerve conduction study demonstrated improvement in sensory and motor responses. This case report identifies a peripheral nerve syndrome of a mononeuritis multiplex secondary to LNB in the absence of CSF pleocytosis with excellent outcome following antibiotic treatment. Peripheral nervous system manifestations of Lyme borreliosis can mimic a vasculitic neuropathy and therefore should be considered in individuals presenting with a painful mononeuritis multiplex.

High frequency of paediatric facial nerve palsy due to Lyme disease in a geographically endemic region.

INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic facial nerve palsy (FNP) is an uncommon but important presentation in children, with Lyme disease known to be a common cause. The UK county of Hampshire is a high incidence area of Lyme disease. We conducted a retrospective review of the investigation and management of paediatric FNP at a large University hospital, including serologic testing and treatment of Lyme disease. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of children under 18 presenting between January 1st, 2010 and December 31st, 2017 with a diagnosis of FNP. Patients with clear non-Lyme aetiology at presentation were excluded. Data was collected on demographics, initial presentation, investigations including Lyme serology, and management. RESULTS: A total of 93 children were identified, with an even proportion of male to female and median age 9.3 years (IQR 4.6-12 years). A history of rash was present in 5.4%, tick bite in 14% and recent travel to, or residence in the New Forest in 22.6%. Lyme serology was performed in 81.7% of patients, of which 29% were positive. Antibiotics were prescribed for 73.1% of patients, oral steroids for 44% and aciclovir for 17.2%. CONCLUSION: Lyme disease is a significant cause of FNP in this endemic area of the UK, and there was a large degree of variability in management prior to national guideline publication. Areas with endemic Lyme disease should consider introducing local guidelines supporting routine investigation and management for FNP, including empiric treatment for Lyme disease in accordance with NICE guidelines to improve care and reduce variability.

Zika virus infection in travellers returning to the United Kingdom during the period of the outbreak in the Americas (2016-17): A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: In 2016, Zika virus (ZIKV) spread rapidly throughout the Americas and Caribbean in an explosive outbreak. In the UK, testing for ZIKV infection is performed at Public Health England's Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory. Here we present the UK's experience of imported ZIKV during the epidemic. METHOD: A retrospective review was performed on the laboratory computer system searching by orders for ZIKV PCR and/or ELISA serology tests between 1st January 2016 and 31st December 2017. Each individual request form and result was reviewed. RESULTS: Of 6333 symptomatic patients tested for ZIKV, 374 (6%) had molecular or serological evidence consistent with recent infection; most of these had travelled to the Caribbean in 2016. On follow-up of PCR-confirmed cases, ZIKV IgM disappeared within 6 weeks and often didn't appear in patients with previous dengue infection. Rash was the commonest symptom in PCR-confirmed infection (93%). There were only single cases of presumed sexual transmission and of in-utero transmission. CONCLUSIONS: The rise and fall in numbers of imported ZIKV cases largely reflected the temporal course of the outbreak in the Caribbean. ZIKV serology is difficult to interpret but the absence of antibodies to ZIKV 14 days after symptom onset makes infection very unlikely.

Campylobacter fetus prosthetic valve endocarditis presenting as a stroke.

INTRODUCTION: Campylobacter is a common pathogen of the gastrointestinal tract, but invasive disease is rare. Campylobacter fetus can play a role in osteomyelitis, meningitis and joint infection and has a prediliction for the vascular endothelium, causing mycotic aneurysms, thrombophlebitis and endocarditis. Here we present a case of prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by C. fetus and a review of the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: An 85-year-old woman with a tissue aortic valve replacement and atrial fibrillation was admitted to hospital with tonic-clonic seizures, right-sided hemiparesis, facial droop and hemianopia. Multiple cerebral emboli were seen on magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Blood cultures grew C. fetus and an echocardiogram showed thickening and restricted movement of the aortic valve, a significant difference from an echocardiogram done 2 months before when the same organism was again isolated in blood cultures. She improved after treatment with 6 weeks of amoxicillin and 2 weeks of synergistic gentamicin for prosthetic valve endocarditis. CONCLUSION: There have only been five previously reported cases of C. fetus prosthetic valve endocarditis and this is the only patient who presented as a stroke. The majority of surviving patients required replacement of the affected valve with only one other patient surviving in the absence of surgery. No guidelines exist on the optimum treatment of C. fetus endocarditis and this case reports adds to the growing literature on the appropriate management for this rare and potentially devastating disease.

Clostridium difficile multidisciplinary team root cause analysis: impact on clinical care and circumvention of financial penalties posed by clinical commissioning groups, but at what cost?

BACKGROUND: In Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in addition to an on-the-spot investigation into hospital-onset Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) by the infection prevention team, a multidisciplinary team root cause analysis (MDT-RCA) forum has been developed. The MDT-RCA aims to deliver a more thorough investigation into individual cases and the recommendation of cases to the clinical commissioning groups (CCG) appeals panel against potential financial penalties (£10,000 per breached case). We mainly aimed to investigate the financial impact of MDT-RCAs to the Trust. METHODOLOGY: Over two years, 84 cases of hospital-onset CDI cases were reviewed by the MDT-RCA forum. RESULTS: Among this cohort, no additional learning outcomes were identified by the MDT-RCAs over those that were found by on-the-spot investigations. In total, 543 staff members attended the MDT-RCAs at a potential cost to the Trust of £23,795.74-£51,670.10. The Trust appealed against financial penalties for 27 cases and 14 were successful, i.e. £140,000 would have been avoided had targets been breached by 14 cases. However, targets were only breached by two cases, meaning only £20,000 in fines was avoided. Deducting this from the total costs of the MDT-RCA meant the Trust lost £3,795.74-£31,670.10. CONCLUSION: Over the two years reviewed, the MDT-RCA proved to be costly to the Trust, with no additional learning or quality improvement measures identified.

Learning points from a case of severe amoebic colitis.

A case of amoebic colitis and liver abscess is described in a previously fit 59-year old man who had been given the incorrect diagnosis of ulcerative colitis. His symptoms were so severe that a colectomy was being considered. The patient had a significant travel history including trips to Morocco, the Gambia and Cape Verde, putting him at risk of acquiring amoebic disease. However, this history was not ascertained until much later on in the disease process. The case highlighted crucial learning points including the importance of taking a lifelong travel history, the difficulties in telling ulcerative colitis and amoebic colitis apart both clinically and histopathologically, and the importance of sending multiple stool samples for parasitological microscopy analysis in patients being investigated for inflammatory bowel disease.

Outbreak of pertussis among healthcare workers in a hospital maternity unit.

In December 2015, an outbreak of pertussis was detected among staff working in the Maternity Unit of a district general hospital in Hampshire. This occurred in the background of increased pertussis activity in the community. The outbreak occurred over the Christmas holiday period causing staff shortages at a time when the departments were already overstretched. The high prevalence of upper respiratory tract infections at the time were difficult to distinguish from pertussis. This paper describes the outbreak, infection control measures implemented and the learning points.