The CARBA-MAP study: national mapping of carbapenemases in Spain (2014-2018).

Introduction: Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including isolates producing acquired carbapenemases, constitute a prevalent health problem worldwide. The primary objective of this study was to determine the distribution of the different carbapenemases among carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE, specifically Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae complex, and Klebsiella aerogenes) and carbapenemase-producing P. aeruginosa (CPPA) in Spain from January 2014 to December 2018. Methods: A national, retrospective, cross-sectional multicenter study was performed. The study included the first isolate per patient and year obtained from clinical samples and obtained for diagnosis of infection in hospitalized patients. A structured questionnaire was completed by the participating centers using the REDCap platform, and results were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 29.0.0. Results: A total of 2,704 carbapenemase-producing microorganisms were included, for which the type of carbapenemase was determined in 2692 cases: 2280 CPE (84.7%) and 412 CPPA (15.3%), most often using molecular methods and immunochromatographic assays. Globally, the most frequent types of carbapenemase in Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa were OXA-48-like, alone or in combination with other enzymes (1,523 cases, 66.8%) and VIM (365 cases, 88.6%), respectively. Among Enterobacterales, carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae was reported in 1821 cases (79.9%), followed by E. cloacae complex in 334 cases (14.6%). In Enterobacterales, KPC is mainly present in the South and South-East regions of Spain and OXA-48-like in the rest of the country. Regarding P. aeruginosa, VIM is widely distributed all over the country. Globally, an increasing percentage of OXA-48-like enzymes was observed from 2014 to 2017. KPC enzymes were more frequent in 2017-2018 compared to 2014-2016. Discussion: Data from this study help to understand the situation and evolution of the main species of CPE and CPPA in Spain, with practical implications for control and optimal treatment of infections caused by these multi-drug resistant organisms.

Development of Meropenem Resistance in a Multidrug-Resistant Campylobacter coli Strain Causing Recurrent Bacteremia in a Hematological Malignancy Patient.

Campylobacter bacteremia is an uncommon disease that mainly occurs in immunocompromised patients and is associated with antibiotic resistance, particularly in Campylobacter coli. We report a patient with persistent blood infection because of a multidrug-resistant (MDR) C. coli strain over a 3-month period. Through this period monotherapy with meropenem was associated with the development of resistance to it. Improving immunity status and a combined therapy for intestinal decolonization were useful to control persistent C. coli infection in this patient.

Antimicrobial use and aetiology of bloodstream infections in critically ill patients during early stages of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Background: During early stages of COVID-19 pandemic, antimicrobials were commonly prescribed. Aim: To describe clinical, microbiological and antimicrobial use changes in bloodstream infections (BSI) of ICU patients during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-COVID-19 era. Methods: Observational cohort study of patients admitted to ICU of Bellvitge University Hospital was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic (March-June 2020) and before COVID-19 pandemic (March-June 2019). Differences in clinical characteristics, antimicrobial consumption and incidence and aetiology of BSI were measured. Findings: COVID-19 patients had significantly less comorbidities with obesity the only risk factor that increased in frequency. COVID-19 patients more frequently required invasive supportive care measures, had longer median ICU stay and higher mortality rates. The incidence of BSIs was higher in COVID-19 period (RR 3.2 [95%CI 2.2-4.7]), occurred in patients who showed prolonged median ICU stay (21days) and was associated with high mortality rate (47%). The highest increases in the aetiological agents were observed for AmpC-producing bacteria (RR 11.1 [95%CI 2.6-47.9]) and non-fermenting rods (RR 7.0 [95%CI 1.5-31.4]). The emergence of bacteraemia caused by Gram-negative rods resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanate, which was used as empirical therapy during early stages of the pandemic, led to an escalation towards broader-spectrum antimicrobials such as meropenem and colistin which was also associated with the emergence of resistant isolates. Conclusions: The epidemiological shift towards resistant phenotypes in critically ill COVID-19 patients was associated with the selective use of antimicrobials. Our study provides evidence of the impact of empirical therapy on the selection of bacteria and their consequences on BSI over the subsequent months.

One-step diagnosis strategy together with multidisciplinary telematics referral perform an effective approach for identifying and treating patients with active Hepatitis C infection.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Implementation of a one-step strategy for diagnosis of active Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection would encourage the early diagnosis and reduce the time to access antiviral treatments. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a HCV one-step diagnosis compared to the traditional two-step protocol in terms of the time required for patients to be seen by specialists and the time taken to start antiviral treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A comparative study was carried out to assess two diagnostic algorithms (one-step and two-step) for active HCV infection. Serological markers were quantified using the same serum sample to determine both anti-HCV antibodies (HCV-Ab) and HCV core antigen (HCV-cAg) by Architect i2000 SR kit. In this period, a multidisciplinary procedure was started for telematics referral of viremic patients. RESULTS: One-step approach reduced the time required for patient HCV diagnosis, referral to a specialist, access to treatment, and eliminated the loss of patients to follow-up. Significant differences were observed between one-step and two-step diagnosis methods in the time required for patients to be seen by a specialist (18 days [Interquartile range (IQR) = 14-42] versus 107 days [IQR = 62-148]) and for the initiation of treatment (54 days [IQR = 43-75] versus 200 days [IQR = 116-388]), mainly for patients with advanced fibrosis (35 days [IQR = 116-388] versus 126 days [IQR = 152-366]). CONCLUSIONS: Use of HCV-cAg has proven to be a useful tool for screening patients with active hepatitis C. The development of a multidisciplinary protocol for the communication of results improved the efficiency of the care process.

Evaluation of a mass spectrometry and Vitek 2 combined protocol for rapid identification and susceptibility testing of Enterobacterales directly from positive blood cultures.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to evaluate a rapid method which would combine identification and susceptibility testing directly from positive blood cultures for Gram-negative bacilli of the Enterobacterales. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Gram-negative rods from blood cultures were directly identified by MALDI-TOF. Samples with Enterobacterales were selected for direct antimicrobial susceptibility testing by Vitek 2. The results were compared to those obtained with our laboratory's standard method. RESULTS: MALDI-TOF directly from blood cultures identified correctly 83% of the samples. Enterobacterales (n=68) were identified at gender and species level in 85% of blood cultures with a score >1.7. In general, MICs were obtained after 7h. MICs of amoxicillin-clavulanate, amikacin and ciprofloxacin showed in almost 50% of the cases after 5h. CONCLUSIONS: A simple procedure with low cost and reduced working time makes it possible to integrate both identification and susceptibility testing directly from blood cultures. Thus, this protocol could offer advantages when it comes to selection and cost of treatment and patients' clinical outcomes.

Effect of freezing and storage temperature on stability and antimicrobial activity of an antibiotic mixture used for decontamination of tissue allografts.

One of the most important risks to be controlled in tissue banking is the infection associated with the clinical use of auto- and allografts. Thus, tissue disinfection protocols are used, in addition to processing in controlled environments. For this purpose, combinations of antibiotics are designed to ensure a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. This type of protocol is usually validated by testing its antimicrobial efficacy. In this work, we have studied the effect of several factors on the potential of an antibiotic mixture: container, freezing, storage at 4 °C, storage at - 30 °C and storage at - 80 °C. The molecular stability of the compounds has also been tested, additionally to their efficacy. Our findings show that storage conditions affect the molecular stability of Fungizone and Tobramycin (only in case of frozen storage for the last one). Nevertheless, the solution retains its antimicrobial activity for several weeks. The availability of stored aliquots of disinfectant solution and defining expiry dates for different storage conditions can help to schedule tissue bank tasks.