Microbiological analysis of water and thickeners used for people with dysphagia.

Thickened fluids are a recognised intervention strategy in use for people with dysphagia. However, their bacterial profile has not previously been examined. AIMS: To identify bacteria and changes in bacterial profiles in a range of water sources and thickener preparations over a 5-day period. METHODS: Nine experiments were performed using a range of preparations (sterile, drinking, non-drinking tap water) and a thickening agent (sterile sachet and a used tin). FINDINGS: No bacteria were grown on serial subcultures of sterile water, both with and without thickener. Drinking, tap and thickened water left at room temperature for 24 hours may become contaminated with environmental organisms. CONCLUSIONS: The growth of bacteria in preparations of thickening agent appears to be dependent upon water quality, while the proliferation of bacteria is dependent upon the length of time the preparation is allowed to stand at room temperature.

Dysphagia, Hyperglycemia, and Presyncope.

There have been over 80 documented cases of swallow syncope-a rare form of reflex or neurally mediated syncope-with most cases associated with an underlying esophageal disorder. Here, we describe the first reported case of swallow syncope or presyncope caused by an infectious esophagitis. Our 65-year-old patient initially developed dysphagia, odynophagia, and presyncope with swallowing. This lead to nutrition and medication avoidance behavior, which was followed by the development of diabetic ketoacidosis. The diagnosis of swallow presyncope was confirmed with a provocative swallow study demonstrating 8 s sinus arrest, and an underlying cause of Candida esophagitis was found by upper endoscopy. Symptoms completely resolved after treatment with micafungin.

Feasibility of Providing Safe Mouth Care and Collecting Oral and Fecal Microbiome Samples from Nursing Home Residents with Dysphagia: Proof of Concept Study.

Individuals with dysphagia who reside in nursing homes often receive inadequate mouth care and experience poor oral health. From a policy perspective, the combination of absent evidence-based mouth care protocols coupled with insufficient dental coverage create a pool of individuals at great risk for preventable infectious illnesses that contribute to high health care costs. The purpose of the current study was to determine (a) the safety of a mouth care protocol tailored for individuals with dysphagia residing in nursing homes without access to suction equipment, and (b) the feasibility of collecting oral and fecal samples for microbiota analyses. The mouth care protocol resulted in improved oral hygiene without aspiration, and oral and fecal samples were safely collected from participants. Policies supporting ongoing testing of evidence-based mouth care protocols for individuals with dysphagia are important to improve quality, demonstrate efficacy, and save health care costs. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 43(9), 9-15.].

Wound botulism, its neurological manifestations, treatment and outcomes: A case series from the Glasgow outbreak, 2015.

Background and aims We examined the neurological manifestations, treatment and outcomes of a subset of 25 patients within the largest ever outbreak of wound botulism in Europe. Methods and results All 25 cases were intravenous drug users. The most common presenting symptom was dysarthria in 19/25 (76%), followed by dysphagia in 12/25 (48%), blurred vision in 10/25 (40%) and double vision in 8/25 (32%). Microbiological analysis confirmed the diagnosis in nine cases (36%). Duration of admission positively correlated with time to antitoxin, time to wound debridement and female sex. Conclusion As the outbreak continued, hospital stays shortened, reflecting growing awareness of the outbreak and quicker treatment initiation.

Relationship between clinical factors and severity of esophageal candidiasis according to Kodsi's classification.

Severe Candida esophagitis (CE) may lead to development of strictures, hemorrhage, esophagotracheal fistula, and a consequent decrease in quality of life. Although the severity of CE has been classified based on macroscopic findings on endoscopy, the clinical significance remains unknown. The aim of the study was to elucidate the predictive clinical factors for endoscopic severity of CE. Patients who underwent upper endoscopy and answered questionnaires were prospectively enrolled. Smoking, alcohol, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, diabetes mellitus, chronic renal failure, liver cirrhosis, systemic steroids use, proton pump inhibitor use, H2 blocker use, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms were assessed on the same day of endoscopy. GI symptoms including epigastric pain, heartburn, reflux, hunger cramps, nausea, dysphagia, and odynophagia were assessed on a 7-point Likert scale. Endoscopic severity was classified as mild (Kodsi's grade I/II) or severe (grade III/IV). Of 1855 patients, 71 (3.8%) were diagnosed with CE (mild, n = 48; severe, n = 23). In the CE patients, 50.0% (24/48) in the mild group and 23.1% (6/23) in the severe group did not have any GI symptoms. In HIV-infected patients (n = 17), a significant correlation was found between endoscopic severity and declining CD4 cell count (Spearman's rho = -0.90; P < 0.01). Multivariate analysis revealed that GI symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 3.32) and HIV infection (OR, 3.81) were independently associated with severe CE. Patients in the severe group experienced more epigastric pain (P = 0.02), reflux symptoms (P = 0.04), dysphagia (P = 0.05), and odynophagia (P < 0.01) than those in the mild group. Of the GI symptoms, odynophagia was independently associated with severe CE (OR 9.62, P = 0.02). In conclusion, the prevalence of CE in adults who underwent endoscopy was 3.8%. Silent CE was found in both mild and severe cases. Endoscopic severity was associated with characteristic GI symptoms and comorbidity of HIV infection. A decline in immune function correlated with CE disease progression.

OESOPHAGEAL CANDIDIASIS IN AN IMMUNOCOMPETENT ADULT, AN ADVERSE EFFECT OF ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY FOLLOWING CARDIAC SURGERY, CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE.

Dysphagia following cardiac surgery is a frequently encountered problem, being most commonly due to the sternotomy incision and/or prolonged intubation. Oesophageal candidiasis is an increasing problem that is usually associated with immunosuppression or immunodeficiency. We report a 59 years age, immunocompetent lady whom had developed dysphagia and odynophagia following open cardiac surgery and long term course of antibiotics. Diagnosis of Candida oesophagitis was established after radiological, endoscopic and microbiological evidence, and successful treatment with combined topical and systemic antifungal therapy was achieved. Possibility of immunodeficiency was excluded. We believe that this lady developed oesophageal candidiasis due to a long-term course of broad spectrum antibiotics. We discuss the various diagnostic modalities and treatment options.

Rare case of dysphagia.

Wound botulism is exceedingly rare and occurs almost exclusively among injection drug users. In 2008 there was a case of wound botulism in a noninjecting drug user reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We report a case of a Caucasian male developing dysphagia due to wound botulism after having a motorcycle accident that left him with open fractures. The CDC was contacted and the patient was transferred to medical intensive care unit to be emergently started on hepatavalent Clostridium botulinum antitoxin. Early suspicion of wound botulism is essential for effective therapy with antitoxin in this life-threatening disease. If not suspected, this patient would likely have died. Nevertheless, the delay in diagnosis and treatment resulted in the patient's suffering dysphagia and neurological deficits. The patient required a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube and months of dysphagia therapy, supportive care, and rehabilitation. Our aim is to increase the awareness for wound botulism when a patient presents with dysphagia and diplopia after suffering open wounds. If suspected early, the morbidity and mortality from this disease can be prevented.

The impact of gastrointestinal dysmotility on the aerodigestive microbiome of pediatric lung transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: Delayed gastric emptying has been associated with increased graft rejection, although the mechanism of this association is not known. This study aims to investigate the interrelationship between delays in gastrointestinal motility and the diversity and composition of gastric, oropharyngeal, and lung microbiomes in pediatric lung transplant recipients. METHODS: We prospectively recruited 23 pediatric lung transplant recipients and 98 pediatric patients with respiratory symptoms undergoing combined endoscopy and bronchoscopy. Gastric, oropharyngeal, and bronchoalveolar lavage samples were collected for 16S sequencing. Gastric samples were also analyzed for bile composition using liquid chromatography. RESULTS: Patients who underwent lung transplantation had significantly reduced alpha diversity in gastric and oropharyngeal sites compared with patients with respiratory symptoms. This reduction in alpha diversity was especially evident in gastric samples in patients with delayed gastric emptying defined as abnormal gastric emptying on nuclear scintigraphy or as an elevation in gastric bile concentration (p ≤ 0.05). Whereas monocolonies were seen in the lungs of patients who underwent transplantation, these were not the same microbes seen in the stomach; the microbial overlap between lung and gastric samples within patients was low, and data indicated high individual variation between lung transplant recipients. Other contributors to reduced alpha diversity included antibiotics in combination with proton pump inhibitors, especially in gastric and oropharyngeal samples. CONCLUSIONS: Lung transplant recipients have reduced microbial diversity in gastric fluid (GF) and oropharynx compared with patients who did not undergo lung transplantation. The decreased alpha diversity in GF may be associated with dysmotility.

Metagenomic sequencing and evaluation of the host response in the pediatric aerodigestive population.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the diagnostic utility of metagenomic sequencing in pediatric aerodigestive clinic patients being evaluated for chronic aspiration. We hypothesize that using a metagenomics platform will aid in the identification of microbes not found on standard culture. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty-four children referred to an aerodigestive clinic were enrolled in a prospective, single-site, cross-sectional cohort study. At the time of clinical evaluation under anesthesia, two samples were obtained: an upper airway sample and a sample from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Samples were sent for routine culture and analyzed using Explify® Respiratory, a CLIA Laboratory Developed Test which identifies respiratory commensals and pathogens through RNA and DNA sequencing. Since RNA was sequenced in the course of the metagenomic analysis to identify organisms (RNA viruses and bacteria), the sequencing approach also captured host derived messenger RNA during sample analysis. This incidentally obtained host transcriptomic data were analyzed to evaluate the host immune response. The results of these studies were correlated with the clinical presentation of the research subjects. RESULTS: In 10 patients, organisms primarily associated with oral flora were identified in the BAL. Standard culture was negative in three patients where clinical metagenomics led to a result with potential clinical significance. Transcriptomic data correlated with the presence or absence of dysphagia as identified on prior videofluoroscopic evaluation of swallowing. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical metagenomics allows for simultaneous analysis of the microbiota and the host immune response from BAL samples. As the technologies in this field continue to advance, such testing may improve the diagnostic evaluation of patients with suspected chronic aspiration.

The association between oral microorgansims and aspiration pneumonia in the institutionalized elderly: review and recommendations.

Aspiration pneumonia is a leading cause of illness and death in persons who reside in long-term-care facilities and, combined with the lack of proper oral health care and services, the risk of aspiration pneumonia rises. The purpose of this article is to review recent literature on oral hygiene and oral care in long-term-care facilities and report new findings regarding associated risks for aspiration pneumonia, as well as research on oral care and health outcomes. The PubMed MeSH database was utilized to direct a specific search by entering terms "aspiration pneumonia" and "oral hygiene" from 1970 to 2009, which yielded 34 articles. The Ovid and Google Scholar databases were utilized as well and provided no additional references for the two terms. A manual search of references from other articles, including three systematic reviews published over the past decade, provided additional information regarding oral microorganisms and respiratory pathogens, as well as investigations of oral care. Finally, a brief but comprehensive introductory review was organized regarding oral microorganisms, biofilm, periodontal disease, and pneumonia to establish a framework for discussion. Overall, studies suggest (1) an association between poor oral hygiene and respiratory pathogens, (2) a decrease in the incidence of respiratory complications when patients are provided chemical or mechanical interventions for improved oral care, (3) the complex nature of periodontal disease and aspiration pneumonia make direct connections between the two challenging, and (4) additional studies are warranted to determine adequate oral hygiene protocols for nursing home patients to further reduce the incidence of aspiration pneumonia.