Ocular thelaziosis: an emerging human parasitosis in Europe.

Ocular thelaziosis is a parasitosis distributed mainly in East Asia, but increasingly described in Europe in different domestic and wild animals, including dogs, different wild canids and lagomorphs, and exceptionally in humans. In Spain, in some areas, a high infection prevalence rate has been described in domestic canids, which may lead to an increase in human cases. However, the description of human cases is still exceptional, which suggests that they are probably underdiagnosed. A case of ocular thelaziosis in a 2-year-old girl from an urban environment is described.

Quantification of Immune Dysregulation by Next-generation Polymerase Chain Reaction to Improve Sepsis Diagnosis in Surgical Patients.

OBJECTIVES: To quantify immunological dysfunction in surgical patients with presence/absence of sepsis using a droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) transcriptomic analysis. The study also aims to evaluate this approach for improving identification of sepsis in these patients. BACKGROUND: Immune dysregulation is a central event in sepsis. Quantification of the expression of immunological genes participating in the pathogenesis of sepsis could represent a new avenue to improve its diagnosis. METHODS: Expression of 6 neutrophil protease genes (MMP8, OLFM4, LCN2/NGAL, LTF, PRTN3, MPO) and also of 5 genes involved in the immunological synapse (HLA-DRA, CD40LG, CD3E, CD28, ICOS) was quantified in blood from 101 surgical patients with sepsis, 53 uninfected surgical patients, and 16 blood donors by using ddPCR. Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) and multivariate regression analysis were employed to test individual genes and gene ratios to identify sepsis, in comparison with procalcitonin. RESULTS: Sepsis-induced overexpression of neutrophil protease genes and depressed expression of immunological synapse genes. MMP8/HLA-DRA, LCN2/HLA-DRA outperformed procalcitonin in differentiating between patients with sepsis and surgical controls in the AUROC analysis: LCN2/HLA-DRA: 0.90 (0.85-0.96), MMP8/HLA-DRA: 0.89 (0.84-0.95), procalcitonin: 0.80 (0.73-0.88) (AUROC, confidence interval 95%), and also in the multivariate analysis: LCN2/HLA-DRA: 8.57 (2.25-32.62); MMP8/HLA-DRA: 8.03 (2.10-30.76), procalcitonin: 4.20 (1.15-15.43) [odds ratio (confidence interval 95%)]. Gene expression levels of HLA-DRA were an independent marker of hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Quantifying the transcriptomic ratios MMP8/HLA-DRA, LCN2/HLA-DRA by ddPCR is a promising approach to improve sepsis diagnosis in surgical patients.

Postbooster Antibodies from Humans as Source of Diphtheria Antitoxin.

Diphtheria antitoxin for therapeutic use is in limited supply. A potential source might be affinity-purified antibodies originally derived from plasma of adults who received a booster dose of a vaccine containing diphtheria toxoid. These antibodies might be useful for treating even severe cases of diphtheria.

[In vitro activity of ceftaroline against Spanish isolates of Staphylococcus aureus: a multicenter study]. / Estudio multicéntrico sobre la actividad in vitro de ceftarolina frente a Staphylococcus aureus aislados en España.

INTRODUCTION: Ceftaroline fosamil is a new-generation antimicrobial agent of cephalosporins subgroup. It is the first commercially available beta-lactam antibiotic that exhibits activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The aim of this study is to determine the in vitro Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) values of ceftaroline against S.aureus strains (including MRSA). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A multicenter study involving four hospitals representative of the Spanish geography was performed. MIC and MBC values against both the methicillin-resistant and sensitive strains of S.aureus (MRSA and methicillin-sensitive S.aureus [MSSA]) were determined using a broth microdilution method. RESULTS: A total of 266 S.aureus strains were analyzed (95 MRSA and 171 MSSA). Ceftaroline bacterial sensitivity showed a mean MIC of 0.227 µg/ml (SD=0.146; range, 0.06 to 1 µg/ml). All MIC values of the 266 strains tested belonged to the sensitive category (value ≤ 1 µg/ml). Intermediate or resistant strains were not detected. MIC50 and MIC90 values for MRSA were 0.25 and 0.5 µg/ml, respectively (range=0.125-1 µg/ml). MSSA strains showed MIC50 and MIC90 values of 0.125 and 0.25 µg/ml, respectively (range=0.125-0.5 µg/ml). MBC50 and MBC90 values for MRSA were 0.5 and 1 µg/ml, respectively (range=0.125-1 µg/ml). MSSA strains showed MBC50 and MBC90 values of 0.25 and 0.25 µg/ml, respectively (range=0.125-0.5 µg/ml). CONCLUSION: Ceftaroline shows excellent in vitro activity against S.aureus, including MRSA strains. Therefore, this antibiotic may be a promising alternative for the treatment of infections caused by this bacterium.