Clinical impact of multiple DNA virus infections in nondepleted haploidentical and unrelated allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Few studies have compared the clinical impact of multiple DNA-virus infections in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) with posttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) and unrelated donor allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (UD-HSCT) with thymoglobulin, so we retrospectively analyzed viral infections in the first 6 mo posttransplant in these scenarios. Fifty-nine patients underwent to haplo-HSCT, and 68 to UD-HSCT. The most frequent infection was cytomegalovirus (CMV) (76.3% in haplo-HSCT and 69.1% in UD-HSCT) (P = .878) and in the group of patients with CMV reactivation, maximal CMV viral load over 2500 UI/ml correlated with worse overall survival-hazard ratio (HR) 1.93 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04-3.59) P = .03. The cumulative incidence of multiple DNA virus within 180 d of posttransplant was 78.7% for one virus and 28.4% for two or more viruses with no difference regarding the type of transplant. Viral infections, age, and acute graft versus host disease (GVHD) grades II-IV were risk factors for worse overall survival in multivariate analyses: one virus HR 2.53 (95% CI 1.03-6.17) P = .04, two or more viruses HR 3.51 (95% CI 1.37-9) P < .01, age HR 1.03 (95% CI 1.02-1.05) P < .01 and acute GVHD II-IV HR 1.97 (95% CI 1.13-3.43) P = .01. Also, age over 50 y HR 4.25 (95% CI 2.01-8.97) P < .001, second CMV reactivation or having both CMV and BK polyomavirus (BKV) HR 2.65 (95% CI 1.26-5.56) P = .01 and acute GVHD grades II-IV HR 2.23 (95% CI 1.12-4.43) P = .022 were risk factors for nonrelapse mortality in the multivariate analyses. In conclusion, multiple DNA-virus infections are frequent in both haplo-HSCT and UD-HSCT and a risk factor for worse overall survival.

Recommendations for Management of Endemic Diseases and Travel Medicine in Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients and Donors: Latin America.

The Recommendations for Management of Endemic Diseases and Travel Medicine in Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients and Donors: Latin America clinical practice guideline is intended to guide clinicians caring for solid-organ transplant (SOT) donors, candidates and recipients regarding infectious diseases (ID) issues related to this geographical region, mostly located in the tropics. These recommendations are based on both systematic reviews of relevant literature and expert opinion from both transplant ID and travel medicine specialists. The guidelines provide recommendations for risk evaluation and laboratory investigation, as well as management and prevention of infection of the most relevant endemic diseases of Latin America. This summary includes a brief description of the guideline recommendations but does not include the complete rationale and references for each recommendation, which is available in the online version of the article, published in this journal as a supplement. The supplement contains 10 reviews referring to endemic or travel diseases (eg, tuberculosis, Chagas disease [ChD], leishmaniasis, malaria, strongyloidiasis and schistosomiasis, travelers diarrhea, arboviruses, endemic fungal infections, viral hepatitis, and vaccines) and an illustrative section with maps (http://www.pmourao.com/map/). Contributors included experts from 13 countries (Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, France, Italy, Peru, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay) representing four continents (Asia, the Americas and Europe), along with scientific and medical societies.

The "de-escalation concept" and antibiotic de-escalation: a missed opportunity?

"De-escalation therapy" is a term that suggests the need to reduce the spectrum or the number of antibiotics formerly prescribed for critical patients, upon clinical improvement and/or microorganism recovery. The major goal of this concept is the use of broad-spectrum antibiotic agents as initial drugs of choice for severe patients, instead of "reserving" the most potent agents after an inadequate clinical response, or after the microorganism is recovered. Despite possible commercial concerns and an unproven but possible relationship with enhancing global antibiotic use, the concept was correct and in accordance with scientific evidence. However, the "de-escalation" component of the concept is very seldom reported, and no large clinical trial on this issue is available until today. To definitely put in practice this concept, comparative large trials must be designed and sponsored to insert this strategy at the same level of evidence of wide initial empiric antibiotic treatments.

Nephrotoxicity and efficacy assessment of polymyxin use in 92 transplant patients.

Polymyxins are old antimicrobials, discontinued for many years because of nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity reports and reintroduced recently due to the increasing frequency of multiresistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. There are very few data related to toxicity and efficacy from transplanted patients, the major subjects of this study. All solid-organ-transplanted patients from our institution during January 2001 to December 2007 who used polymyxins were retrospectively assessed for nephrotoxicity and treatment efficacy. Microbiological and clinical cure rates were 100% and 77.2%, respectively. Only transplant patients subjected to at least 72 h of intravenous polymyxin were entered in the study. Overall, 92 transplant patients were included, and the nephrotoxicity rate was 32.6%. Multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between duration of polymyxin treatment (P = 0.037; odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00 to 1.12) and significant renal dysfunction. Polymyxin use is associated with very high rates of significant decrease in renal function; therefore, polymyxin must be used only when no other option is available and for as briefly as possible in the solid organ transplant setting.

Morbimortality of pandemic influenza A H1N1 infection in kidney transplant recipients requiring hospitalization: a comparative analysis with nonimmunocompromised patients.

BACKGROUND: Clinical and epidemiological data of pandemic influenza A H1N1 infection in solid-organ transplant recipients have been described, but scarce data compare these outcomes with nonimmunocompromised patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed and compared the clinical presentation, morbidity, and mortality of all kidney transplant (KT) and nonimmunocompromised (non-KT) patients admitted for at least 12 hr with a diagnosis of pandemic influenza A H1N1 infection in a single hospital complex during the 2009 pandemic. RESULTS: There were 22 patients in the KT group (29.3%) and 53 in the non-KT group (70.7%). The prevalence of diabetes was higher in KT group (27.3% vs. 5.7%) while chronic pulmonary disease was more frequent in non-KT group (34% vs. 9.1%). Clinical and radiological presentations and duration of disease were similar between the two groups. The incidence of acute renal failure was higher among KT patients (40.9% vs. 17%). No differences in the rate of intensive care unit admission (22.7% vs. 22.6%) or hospital mortality (9.1% vs. 7.5%) were observed. For the overall population, poor outcome, defined as intensive care unit admission or death, was associated with in-hospital acquisition (relative risk [RR]=42.6 [95% confidence interval {95% CI } 2.2-831.9], P=0.003), symptom onset more than 48 hr (RR=12.17 [95% CI 1.3-117.2], P=0.007), and acute renal failure (RR=11.8 [95% CI 2.9-48.8], P<0.001). Among KT recipients, in-hospital acquisition was the only covariate associate with poor outcome (RR=30.0 [95% CI 2.1-421.1], P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences in morbidity and mortality were observed comparing KT and non-KT patients infected with pandemic H1N1 influenza A virus.

Risk factors for surgical site infection in kidney transplant recipients.

We analyzed the epidemiologic characteristics and risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI) in kidney transplant recipients. From among 1,939 kidney transplant recipients, 120 with corresponding control subjects were evaluated in this study (1:1 ratio). Reoperation, chronic glomerulonephritis, acute graft rejection, delayed graft function, diabetes, and high body mass index were identified in the analysis as risk factors for SSI.

Prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus fecal colonization among kidney transplant patients.

BACKGROUND: End stage renal disease patients are at risk of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) infections. The first reports of VRE isolation were from hemodialysis patients. However, to date, VRE fecal colonization rates as well as associated risk factors in kidney transplant patients have not yet been established in prospective studies. METHODS: We collected one or two stool samples from 280 kidney transplant patients and analysed the prevalence of VRE and its associated risk factors. Patients were evaluated according to the post-transplant period: group 1, less than 30 days after transplantation (102 patients), group 2, one to 6 months after transplantation (73 patients) and group 3, more than 6 months after transplantation (105 patients). RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate of fecal VRE colonization was 13.6% (38/280), respectively 13.7% for Group 1, 15.1% for group 2 and 12.4% for group 3. E. faecium and E. faecalis comprised 50% of all VRE isolates. No immunologic variables were clearly correlated with VRE colonization and no infections related to VRE colonization were reported. CONCLUSION: Fecal VRE colonization rates in kidney transplant patients were as high as those reported for other high-risk groups, such as critical care and hemodialysis patients. This high rate of VRE colonization observed in kidney transplant recipients may have clinical relevance in infectious complications.

Nosocomial primary bacteremia: clinical and laboratory characteristics in adults and children

A prospective study was carried out to evaluated the main clinical and laboratory manifestations of nosocomial primary bacteremia among adults and children at the Heart Institute. University of Säo Paulo School of Medicine, Brazil during 1993. Forty occurrences of bacteremia were analyzed; 27 in adults and 13 in children. Among adults, although fever, rigors and alterations in leukocyte count were frequently recorded, rigors and fever were absent in 30 percent of the cases and the frequency of any associated clinical manifestations was only 55 percent. Among children, fever ocurred most frequently, but rigors were not recorded. It is concluded that the diagnosis of nosocomial bacteremia is imprecise due to frequent absence of the main clinical correlates of bacteremia. blood cultures should be obtained in patients who are in a setting associated with bacteremia, even if typical clinical signs and symptoms are not presented, and that frequent updating of guidelines for empiric treatment is needed. We also suggest that separate guidelines be established for children and adults because of the differences in the clinical findings in these two groups.

Bacteremias hospitalares no Instituto do Coracao do Hospital das Clinicas FMUSP: estudo retrospectivo de quatro anos consecutivos / Nosocomial bacteremias at the \"Instituto do Coracao do Hospital das Clinicas da FMUSP\": retrospective study of 4 years

Os relatorios de ocorrencia de infeccoes hospitalares aos anos de 1989 a 1992 do Instituto do Coracao-HC-FMUSP(InCor) foram revistos com a finalidade de classificar as hemoculturas positivas em bacteremias primarias, bacteremias secundarias e contaminantes. Este trabalho descreve os resultados desta classificacao bem como os dados de prevalencia de bacteremias hospitalares, a letalidade associada e os principais agentes etiologicos envolvidos.

Contrapulsaçäo em operaçäo cardíaca: análise retrospectiva da incidência de infecçäo / Conterpulsation in cardiac surgery: retrospective analysis of the incidence of infections

Recentes avanços tecnológicos ampliaram o uso do balao intra-aórtico como medida de suporte na insuficiência cardíaca aguda. Apesar disto, têm sido descritas algumas complicaçoes relacionadas à sua inserçao, duraçao do uso e localizaçao. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar retrospectivamente a ocorrência de infecçoes em pacientes críticos que necessitaram do uso do balao intra-aórtico (BIA) após operaçao cardíaca. Entre janeiro de 1990 e julho de 1992, foram revisados os prontuários de 97 pacientes que necessitaram de BlA no pós-operatório de operaçao cardíaca, sendo que apenas 55 apresentavam informaçoes completas que permitiram sua inclusao na revisao. Foram obtidas informaçoes a respeito de ocorrência de infecçoes, resultados de culturas, tipo e tempo de duraçao das operaçoes ,tempo de circulaçao extracorpórea, duraçao da cateterizaçao intravascular e evoluçao clínica. Foram considerados os seguintes locais de infecçao: pulmao, urina, corrente sanguínea, ferida operatória e local de inserçao do BIA. A média de permanência do BIA foi de 3,9 ñ 2,01 dias e os tempos médios de operaçao e de circulaçao extracorpórea foram 8h e 2,5h, respectivamente. Observamos uma alta icidência de infecçoes nestes pacientes, principalmente pneumonia (63,6 por cento). A taxa de infecçao no local de inserçao do BIA foi de 7 por cento e maior que a taxa geral de infecçao da ferida operatória em nossa Instituiçao (3 por cento). Apesar desta alta incidência de infecçoes nao relacionar-se diretamente com ataxa de mortalidade, sugerimos rigorosa vigilância com relaçao à ocorrência de infecçoes e possíveis medidas profiláticas em relaçao a infecçoes pulmonares.