Osteomyelitis caused by Aspergillus species: a review of 310 reported cases.

Aspergillus osteomyelitis is a rare infection. We reviewed 310 individual cases reported in the literature from 1936 to 2013. The median age of patients was 43 years (range, 0-86 years), and 59% were males. Comorbidities associated with this infection included chronic granulomatous disease (19%), haematological malignancies (11%), transplantation (11%), diabetes (6%), pulmonary disease (4%), steroid therapy (4%), and human immunodeficiency virus infection (4%). Sites of infection included the spine (49%), base of the skull, paranasal sinuses and jaw (18%), ribs (9%), long bones (9%), sternum (5%), and chest wall (4%). The most common infecting species were Aspergillus fumigatus (55%), Aspergillus flavus (12%), and Aspergillus nidulans (7%). Sixty-two per cent of the individual cases were treated with a combination of an antifungal regimen and surgery. Amphotericin B was the antifungal drug most commonly used, followed by itraconazole and voriconazole. Several combination or sequential therapies were also used experimentally. The overall crude mortality rate was 25%.

Changing characteristics and risk factors of patients with and without incident HCV infection among HIV-infected individuals.

BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has become a leading cause of non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related morbidity and mortality for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era. Despite injection drug use (IDU) remaining the main route of HCV infection, recent reports indicate outbreaks of acute HCV infection among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) and sexually transmitted infections in the absence of IDU. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study of behavioural and demographic factors of patients with and without incident HCV infection among HIV-infected individuals followed at the AIDS Clinic of the Infectious Disease Department of the University of Ancona from 1989 to 2011. RESULTS: Overall, 440 patients were considered; a total of 145 patients had initial positive HCV antibody test results (HCV+); a total of 295 patients had initial negative HCV antibody test results (HCV-). In the latter population, 14 seroconverted to HCV antibody (neoHCV), with an overall incidence of 0.59 per 100 person-years. While IDU was the principal risk factor of HCV+, the main route of transmission of incident HCV infection was sexual transmission. The HCV- group was significantly older than the other two groups and showed a significantly lower CD4 count at HIV diagnosis than neoHCV. Being Italian and having a low level of education were significantly more represented in HCV+. Younger age at HIV infection, IDU and additional risk factors other than sexual transmission significantly affected the probability of being HCV+. The cumulative probability of developing HCV infection in the HCV- group was calculated to be 6% at 15 years. CONCLUSIONS: The epidemiology of the newly acquired HCV in HIV+ persons is changing. Therefore, a frequent and constant counselling about HCV infection is desirable and a periodical screening test is mandatory.

In vitro activity and in vivo efficacy of tigecycline alone and in combination with daptomycin and rifampin against Gram-positive cocci isolated from surgical wound infection.

The aim of this work was to determine the in vitro activity of tigecycline and its bactericidal effect for a large number of Gram-positive cocci, as well as to investigate its in vitro interaction with six clinically used antibiotics. In vivo, a wound model was established through the panniculus carnosus of BALB/c mice, and then inoculated with 5 × 10(7) colony-forming units (CFU) of Staphylococcus aureus or Enterococcus faecalis. For each bacterial strain, the study included an infected or non-infected group that did not receive any treatment, three groups singly treated with tigecycline, rifampin, and daptomycin, and two groups that received tigecycline treatment plus rifampin or daptomycin. In the in vitro studies, tigecycline, daptomycin, and teicoplanin were active against all of the 48 Gram-positive isolates. The combination of tigecycline with rifampicin and daptomycin was synergistic against S. aureus and Enterococcus spp. In the in vivo studies, all groups treated with single drugs showed statistically significant results compared to the control group. The two groups treated with a combination of drugs showed the highest antimicrobial efficacy. In conclusion, our results suggested a strong activity of tigecycline alone and in combination with other antimicrobial agents against multi-resistant Gram-positive organisms isolated from wound infections.