Carbapenem non-susceptibility overcalling by BD phoenix NMIC-500 panel.

We aimed to assess the accuracy of BD Phoenix for determining carbapenem susceptibility because we observed a decline in carbapenem susceptibility rate from the biannual cumulative data, after we transitioned to the BD Phoenix form Vitek 2 system. Between October 2021 and May 2022, we collected 82 non-duplicated Enterobacterales showing non-susceptible to at least one of the three carbapenems by BD Phoenix. We performed the broth microdilution (BMD) and disk diffusion (DD) according to the CLSI guideline. Compared to BMD, the categorical agreements for ertapenem (ERT), imipenem (IPM) and meropenem (MEPM) was 58.8%, 56.8% and 91.5% for BD Phoenix and it was 85.4%, 89.0%, and 97.6%, respectively, for DD (p value; 0.0001 for ERT and IPM, p value; 0.17 for MEPM). The major errors/minor errors for ERT, IPM, and MEPM were 14.0%/31.7%, 2.94%/40.7%, and 2.56%/6.10%, respectively for BD Phoenix, compared to 0%/14.6%, 0%/9.8%, and 0%/2.5%, for DD. While errors in the BD Phoenix showed tendency towards resistance, those in DD displayed no tendency towards either resistance or susceptibility. With DD, 21 out of the 27 isolates showing susceptible/intermediate/susceptible pattern (ERT/IPM/MEPM) and 13 out of the 16 isolates showing intermediate/susceptible/susceptible pattern (ERT/IPM/MEPM), were correctly categorized by DD. However, for 22 isolates showing resistant/susceptible/susceptible pattern (ERT/IPM/MEPM), only 13 isolates were correctly categorized by DD. In conclusion, to mitigate the risk of overcalling carbapenem non-susceptibility with BD Phoenix, it will be helpful to perform a complementary test using DD and to provide comments on the DD results to clinicians.

Clinical performance of ASTA SepsiPrep kit in direct bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility test using MicroIDSys Elite and VITEK-2 system.

BACKGROUND: Rapid and accurate microbial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) are essential for timely use of appropriate antimicrobial agents for bloodstream infection. To shorten the time for isolating colonies from the positive blood culture, various preparation methods for direct identification using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) system were developed. Here, we evaluated the SepsiPrep kit (ASTA Corp.) for direct identification of microorganisms and AST from positive blood cultures using MicroIDSys Elite MALDI-TOF MS system (ASTA Corp.) and VITEK-2 system (bioMérieux). METHODS: For direct identification, a total of 124 prospective monomicrobial positive blood culture bottles were included. For direct identification, the pellet was prepared by centrifugation and washing twice. For direct AST, the pellet was suspended in 0.45% saline and adjusted to McFarland 0.5. The results from the direct identification and AST using MicroIDSys Elite and VITEK-2 system were compared to those from the conventional method performed with pure colony subcultured on agar plate. RESULTS: Compared to the conventional method using pure colony, correct direct identification rate was 96.5% and 98.5% for 57 gram-positive isolates and 67 gram-negative isolates, respectively. For direct AST, among the 55 gram-positive isolates, the categorical agreement (CA) for staphylococci, streptococci, and enterococci was 96.7%, 98.4%, and 94.1%, respectively. For 66 gram-negative isolates, the CA for Enterobacterales and non-fermentative gram-negative rods was 99.0% and 96.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The SepsiPrep kit was easy to use combined with MicroIDSys Elite and VITEK-2 system and also, the correct identification and AST rate were very high.

Comparison of the ASTA MicroIDSys and VITEK MS matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry systems for identification of clinical bacteria and yeasts.

The ASTA MicroIDSys system (ASTA, Suwon, Korea) is a newly developed Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) system for identification of microorganisms. We compared the performance of the ASTA MicroIDSys system with that of the VITEK MS system (bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France) for identifying clinical microorganisms. A total 2055 isolates including 1910 bacteria and 145 yeasts were tested. Among them, the VITEK MS correctly identified 1999 (97.3%) isolates to species level and 26 (1.3%) to the genus level. The ASTA MicroIDSys correctly identified 1988 (96.7%) isolates to species level and 28 (1.4%) to the genus level. The VITEK MS and ASTA MicroIDSys misidentified one isolate and four (0.2%) isolates, respectively, and provided no identification for 29 (1.4%) and 35 (1.7%) isolates, respectively. The performance of the ASTA MicroIDSys was comparable to that of the VITEK MS for identification of clinically relevant bacterial and yeast isolates.

Clinical outcome prediction from mean platelet volume in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in Korean cohort: Implications of more simple and useful test than platelet function testing.

The aim of this study was to determine the associations of the mean platelet volume (MPV) with the development of adverse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and platelet reactivity. MPV and platelet function testing were analysed in 208 patients who underwent PCI. The primary endpoint was cardiac death. The secondary endpoint analysed was cardiovascular events (CVE): the composite of myocardial infarction (MI), target vessel revascularization (TVR), and stent thrombosis (ST). The median MPV level, aspirin reaction unit (ARU), P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) and P2Y12% inhibition (PI%) of clopidogrel were 8.55 (IQR 8.00-9.18) fl, 401.0 (IQR 389.3-442.0) ARU, 222.0 (IQR 169.0-272.3) PRU and 22 (IQR 9-38) %, respectively. We observed that high values of MPV were associated with elevated ARU (r = 0.165, p = 0.017) and decreased PI% (r = -0.167, p = 0.016). There were 10 events of cardiac death, 3 MI (including 1 event of ST), and 8 TVR during a mean of 7.6 months of follow-up. The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the higher MPV group (≥8.55 fl, median) had a significantly higher cardiac death rate compared to the lower MPV group (<8.55 fl) (7.7% vs. 1.9%, log-rank: p = 0.035). However, aspirin or clopidogrel resistance (>550 ARU, <40 PI%, respectively) did not predict cardiac death. When the MPV cut-off level was set to 8.55 fl using the receiver operating characteristic curve, the sensitivity was 80% and the specificity was 51.5% for differentiating between the group with cardiac death and the group without cardiac death. This value was more useful in patients with clinical diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Furthermore, ACS patients with an MPV over 8.55 fl had high cardiac death and CVE risk without atorvastatin loading before PCI (Log-Rank = 0.0031, 0.0023, respectively). The results of this study show that MPV was a predictive marker for cardiac death after PCI; its predictive power for cardiac death was more useful in patients with ACS.

Usefulness of mean platelet volume as a biomarker for long-term clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention in Korean cohort: a comparable and additive predictive value to high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T and N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide.

The aim of this study was to determine the associations of the mean platelet volume (MPV) high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and N-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with the development of adverse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). MPV hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP were analyzed in 372 patients who underwent PCI. The primary endpoint was cardiac death. The secondary endpoint analyzed was cardiovascular events (CVE): the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), target vessel revascularization (TVR), ischemic stroke and stent thrombosis (ST). The median MPV hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP levels were 8.20 (IQR 7.70-8.70) fL, 0.291 (IQR 0.015-3.785) ng/mL, and 105.25 (IQR 50.84-1128.5) pg/mL, respectively. There were 21 events of cardiac death, 10 MI (including 4 events of ST), 7 ischemic strokes and 29 TVR during a mean of 25.8 months of follow-up. The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the higher MPV group (>8.20 fL, median) had a significantly higher cardiac death rate than the lower MPV group (≤8.20 fL; 9.4% vs. 2.1%, log-rank: p = 0.0026). When the MPV cut-off level was set to 8.20 fL using the receiver operating characteristic curve, the sensitivity was 81% and the specificity was 53.3% for differentiating between the group with cardiac death and the group without cardiac death. This value was more useful in patients with myocardial injury (hs-cTnT ≥ 0.1 ng/mL) or heart failure (NT-proBNP ≥ 450 pg/mL). The results of this study show that MPV is a predictive marker for cardiac death after PCI; its predictive power for cardiac death is more useful in patients with myocardial injury or heart failure.

Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Vancomycin Variable Enterococcus faecium Isolated From Clinical Specimens.

Vancomycin variable Enterococcus (VVE) bacteria are phenotypically susceptible to vancomycin, but they harbor the vanA gene. We aimed to ascertain the prevalence of VVE among clinically isolated vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus faecium (VSE) isolates, as well as elucidate the molecular characteristics of the vanA gene cluster within these isolates. Notably, we investigated the prevalence and structure of the vanA gene cluster of VVE. Between June 2021 and May 2022, we collected consecutive, non-duplicated vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus faecium (VSE) samples. Real-time PCR was performed to detect the presence of vanA, vanB, and vanC. Overlapping PCR with sequencing and whole-genome sequencing were performed for structural analysis. Sequence types (STs) were determined by multilocus sequence typing. Exposure testing was performed to assess the ability of the isolates to acquire vancomycin resistance. Among 282 VSE isolates tested, 20 isolates (7.1%) were VVE. Among them, 17 isolates had partial deletions in the IS1216 or IS1542 sequences in vanS (N=10), vanR (N=5), or vanH (N=2). All VVE isolates belonged to the CC17 complex and comprised five STs, namely ST17 (40.0%), ST1421 (25.0%), ST80 (25.0%), ST787 (5.0%), and ST981 (5.0%). Most isolates were related to three hospital-associated clones (ST17, ST1421, and ST80). After vancomycin exposure, 18 of the 20 VVEs acquired vancomycin resistance. Considering the high reversion rate, detecting VVE by screening VSE for vanA is critical for appropriate treatment and infection control.

Comparison of BD MAX Check-Points CPO assay with Cepheid Xpert Carba-R assay for the detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae directly from rectal swabs.

We compared the performance of 2 automated systems for detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, BD MAX Check-Points CPO (CPO assay) and Xpert Carba-R assay, with culture confirmed by polymerase chain reaction as the reference method. Using 867 samples from 627 patients, the overall sensitivity, specificity, total positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the CPO assay were 95.7%, 96.5%, 60.8% and 99.8% and for the Xpert assay were 97.9%, 99.8%, 95.8%, and 99.9%, respectively. The cycle threshold values (Ct value) of the false-positive CPO assay results were significantly higher than those of true-positive cases (P < 0.001). By applying a modified cut-off Ct value of 37.3 for klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPC), the positive predictive value for KPC was improved from 52.9% to 89.5%. The CPO assay will be useful when handling many specimens, as tests are conducted in batches. However, positive cases showing high Ct values should be confirmed by another assay to rule out false positivity.

Stroke prediction using mean platelet volume in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Platelet size, measured as mean platelet volume (MPV), is associated with platelet reactivity. MPV has been identified as an independent risk factor for future stroke and myocardial infarction. The aim of this study was to determine the association of MPV with the development of stoke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). MPV, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were analysed in 200 patients with AF (mean age 69 years; 56% male). The primary endpoint was ischaemic stroke event. The mean MPV was 8.5 ± 1.0 fL and the median NT-proBNP was 1916.5 (IQR 810-4427) pg/mL. The median hsCRP was 0.47 (IQR 0.32-2.46) mg/dL. There were 14 stroke events during a mean of 15.1 months of follow up. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the higher tertile MPV group (≥8.9 fL) had a significantly higher stroke rate compared to the lower tertile MPV group (<8.0 fL) (14.7% vs. 3.1%, log-rank: P = 0.01). A higher MPV was an independent predictor of stroke risk after adjusting for age, gender, and other CHADS(2) (congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, and previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) history) score components (hazard ratio: 5.03, 95% CI 1.05-24.05, P = 0.043) in Cox proportional hazard analysis. When the MPV cut-off level was set to 8.85 fL using the receiver operating characteristic curve, the sensitivity was 71% and the specificity was 69% for differentiating between the group with stroke and the group without stroke. This value was more useful in patients with a low to intermediate traditional thromboembolic risk (CHADS(2) score <2). Furthermore, AF patients with an MPV over 8.85 fL had high stroke risk without anticoagulation, especially in the low thromboembolic risk group (Log-Rank <0.0001). The results of this study show that MPV was a predictive marker for stroke; its predictive power for stroke was independent of age, gender, and other CHADS(2) score components in patients with AF. These findings suggest that anticoagulation may be needed in patients with a high MPV, even if they have low to intermediate traditional thromboembolic risk (CHADS(2) score <2).

Evaluation of modified saponin preparation method for the direct identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing from positive blood culture.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the two in-house sample preparation methods (saponin method (SAP) and [saponin + Sputazyme] method (SSPZ)) for direct identification of microorganisms using MALDI-TOF MS from positive blood culture bottles. Also, we evaluated the [saponin + Sputazyme] method for direct antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) using Vitek 2 system. METHODS: For direct identification, 163 prospective, monomicrobial positive blood culture bottles and 25 contrived blood culture bottles spiked with 25 infrequently isolated bacterial strains were included. For direct AST, pellets obtained by SSPZ method from 102 prospective blood culture bottles were tested. The results from the direct identification and AST were compared with those from the routine diagnostic method performed with colonies sub cultured on solid media. RESULTS: In 163 prospective specimens, SAP method correctly identified 132/163 (81.0%) isolates and SSPZ method correctly identified 148/163 (90.8%) isolates (P = .018). Among the 92 Gram-positive isolates, the correct identification rate was significantly higher with the SSPZ method than the SAP method (92.4% vs. 81.5%), respectively (P = .041). However, the SSPZ method failed to identify Streptococcus pneumoniae. Among the 64 Gram-negative isolates, the correct identification rate was 82.8% (53/64) and 87.5% (56/64) for the former and the latter method, respectively (P = .491). Compared with standard methods direct AST showed 98.5% (1523/1547) agreement. CONCLUSION: The addition of Sputazyme improved the identification of commonly isolated bacteria, especially for Gram-positive isolates and yeasts and can be applied for direct antimicrobial susceptibility testing of bacteria. Although SAP method showed better results for Campylobacter spp. and anaerobic bacteria, considering their very low incidence, routine use of SSPZ will be more practical.

Non-invasive recognition of generalized coronary arteriosystemic fistulae by contrast echocardiography and multidetector CT.

Coronary artery fistulae, including generalized coronary arteriosystemic fistulae, are usually identified incidentally during invasive coronary angiographies. Generalized or multiple coronary arteriosystemic fistulae arise from all three major coronary arteries draining into the left ventricular chamber. In a patient with generalized coronary arteriosystemic fistulae, myocardial ischemia and diastolic volume overload of the left ventricle can be caused by a left-to-left shunt; however, the clinical and hemodynamic consequences are incompletely understood. We report the case of generalized coronary arteriosystemic fistulae in a 73-year-old female who presented with mild exertional dyspnea as an anginal equivalent. This case report represents the complementary, non-invasive role of transthoracic contrast echocardiography and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography in the early recognition of generalized coronary arteriosystemic fistulae by demonstrating a plexus of multiple small vessels emptying exclusively into the left ventricle.

Effects of lovastatin on the pharmacokinetics of diltiazem and its main metabolite, desacetyldiltiazem, in rats: possible role of cytochrome P450 3A4 and P-glycoprotein inhibition by lovastatin.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of lovastatin on cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4 and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in vitro and then to determine the effects of lovastatin on the pharmacokinetics of diltiazem and its main metabolite, desacetyldiltiazem, in rats. METHODS: The pharmacokinetic parameters of diltiazem and desacetyldiltiazem were determined after orally administering diltiazem (12 mg/kg) to rats in the presence and absence of lovastatin (0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg). The effect of lovastatin on P-gp as well as CYP3A4 activity was also evaluated. KEY FINDINGS: Lovastatin inhibited CYP3A4 enzyme activity with a 50% inhibition concentration of 6.06 µM. In addition, lovastatin significantly enhanced the cellular accumulation of rhodamine-123 in MCF-7/ADR cells overexpressing P-gp. Compared with the control (given diltiazem alone), the presence of lovastatin significantly altered the pharmacokinetic parameters of diltiazem. The areas under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) and the peak concentration of diltiazem were significantly increased (P < 0.05, 1.0 mg/kg) in the presence of lovastatin. Consequently, the absolute bioavailability values of diltiazem in the presence of lovastatin (11.1% at 1.0 mg/kg) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of the control group (7.6%). The metabolite-parent AUC ratio in the presence of lovastatin (1.0 mg/kg) was significantly (P < 0.05) decreased compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: It might be considered that lovastatin resulted in reducing the first-pass metabolism in the intestine and/or in the liver via inhibition of CYP3A4 and increasing the absorption of diltiazem in the intestine via inhibition of P-gp by lovastatin.