Multiplex Molecular Stool Testing Rarely Impacts Antimicrobial Treatment Decisions More Than Three Days After Admission.

Background Acute diarrheal illness in the United States is a significant cause of healthcare utilization and hospitalizations. For patients who develop diarrhea while hospitalized, testing for pathogens other than Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) using conventional stool testing is low yield. Newer testing modalities for infectious diarrhea such as the multiplex molecular stool testing provide an improved detection rate and a faster turn-around time compared to conventional stool testing.  Methods We retrospectively examined the use of a multiplex molecular stool test at our institution for all hospital encounters over a two-year period to determine which organisms were identified ≤ 3 days and > 3 days after admission.  Results A total of 2032 patients underwent multiplex molecular stool testing during the study period, with 1698 (83.6%) performed ≤ 3 days and 334 (16.3%) > 3 days after admission. An enteric non-C. difficile pathogen was identified more frequently when patients were tested ≤ 3 days after admission (350, 20.6%) as compared to > 3 days after admission (38, 11.4%, p<0.0001). Excluding coinfections, C. difficile was identified more frequently when patients were tested > 3 days after admission (64, 20.3%) versus another organism (30, 9.0%) (p<0.0001). Of those patients with a non-C. difficile pathogen identified > 3 days after admission, a bacterial pathogen amenable to treatment was only identified in 6% (21) of patients.  Conclusion Multiplex molecular stool testing for patients tested > 3 days after admission is a low yield of information that could guide antimicrobial treatment decisions, and C. difficile testing is more useful in this clinical situation.

Candida cerebral abscesses: a case report and review of the literature.

Cerebral abscess caused by Candida spp. is a rare disease, with a nonspecific presentation, little data on treatment, and generally poor outcomes. We present a case of this type of Candida infection in a 57-year-old man with a history of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and intravenous drug abuse, and review the literature on this disease. Our patient had a good treatment outcome with liposomal amphotericin B and flucytosine, followed by oral fluconazole. Comorbidities include prior antibiotic use (52%), prior surgery (28%), malignancy (28%), stem cell or solid organ transplant (20%), prior corticosteroid use (16%), central venous catheter (CVC) insertion (10%), and burns (7%). Diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion, as clinical presentations and laboratory data can be nonspecific and difficult to differentiate from bacterial cerebral abscesses. In reviewed cases, 55% of blood cultures and 23% of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cultures were positive for Candida spp. and outcomes were poor, as the mortality rate of the non-autopsy cases reviewed was 69%.

Two hundred and eleven cases of Candida osteomyelitis: 17 case reports and a review of the literature.

Candida osteomyelitis is a rare infection. We present 17 cases of Candida osteomyelitis from our institution and review 194 patients from the literature. The median age of patients was 57 ± 22 years (range, 18-90 years) with 68% male. Comorbidities associated with this infection include prior surgery (62%), broad-spectrum antibiotics (40%), central venous catheter insertion (19%), and immunosuppression (17%). The most common infecting species were Candida albicans (69%), Candida tropicalis (15%), and Candida glabrata (8%). Most initial antifungal regimens included amphotericin B (59%); however, fluconazole is increasingly being utilized for treatment of this infection (26%). Echinocandins were used infrequently (4%). Median length of treatment was 3 ± 4.5 months (mean, 4.2 months; range, 18 days to 36 months). The overall success rate of therapy was 91%, with 75% of patients cured by 6 months. The crude mortality rate was 12% with an attributable mortality rate of 6%.