ABSTRACT
Background: Mucormycosis is a life-threatening fungal infection with variable epidemiology between countries. Limited data are available locally; we aim to describe the clinical spectrum and outcome of mucormycosis in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective multi-center study including all patients with clinical and pathological evidence of mucormycosis in 3 tertiary care centers in Saudi Arabia from January 2009 to December 2019. Results: Thirty-three patients were identified during the study period. The mean age was 42 years. People with diabetes accounted for 48% of the patient population. The most common site of infection was cutaneous (27%), followed by isolated sinusitis (21%) and pulmonary and rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (each 18%). The most common isolated species were Rhizopus (50%) and Mucor (15%). Most patients received medical therapy with amphotericin B (79%), and more than half were treated surgically. The 1-year mortality rate reached 48%, with higher mortality observed in disseminated and rhino-orbital-cerebral infections than in other sites. Conclusion: Our study addressed the epidemiology of mucormycosis in Saudi Arabia and showed comparable patterns of clinical and mycological aspects to worldwide reports. Further studies are needed to evaluate mucormycosis risk factors and prognosis based on the species, site of infection and therapy type.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The burden of carbapenem resistance is not well studied in the Middle East. We aimed to describe the molecular epidemiology and outcome of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infections from several Saudi Arabian Centers. METHODS: This is a multicenter prospective cohort study conducted over a 28-month period. Patients older than 14 years of age with a positive CRE Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae culture and a clinically established infection were included in this study. Univariate and multivariable logistic models were constructed to assess the relationship between the outcome of 30-day all-cause mortality and possible continuous and categorical predictor variables. RESULTS: A total of 189 patients were included. The median patient age was 62.8 years and 54.0% were male. The most common CRE infections were nosocomial pneumonia (23.8%) and complicated urinary tract infection (23.8%) and 77 patients (40.7%) had CRE bacteremia. OXA-48 was the most prevalent gene (69.3%). While 100 patients (52.9%) had a clinical cure, 57 patients (30.2%) had died within 30 days and 23 patients (12.2%) relapsed. Univariate analysis to predict 30-day mortality revealed that the following variables are associated with mortality: older age, high Charlson comorbidity index, increased Pitt bacteremia score, nosocomial pneumonia, CRE bacteremia and diabetes mellitus. In multivariable analysis, CRE bacteremia remained as an independent predictor of 30 day all-cause mortality [AOR and 95% CI = 2.81(1.26-6.24), p = 0.01]. CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight the molecular epidemiology and outcomes of CRE infection in Saudi Arabia and will inform future studies to address preventive and management interventions.
Subject(s)
Bacteremia , Enterobacteriaceae Infections , Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Bacteremia/drug therapy , Bacteremia/epidemiology , Carbapenems/pharmacology , Carbapenems/therapeutic use , Enterobacteriaceae Infections/drug therapy , Enterobacteriaceae Infections/epidemiology , Escherichia coli , Female , Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia/drug therapy , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Molecular Epidemiology , Prospective Studies , Saudi Arabia/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Healthcare settings can amplify transmission of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but knowledge gaps about the epidemiology of transmission remain. We conducted a retrospective cohort study among healthcare personnel in hospital units that treated MERS-CoV patients. Participants were interviewed about exposures to MERS-CoV patients, use of personal protective equipment, and signs and symptoms of illness after exposure. Infection status was determined by the presence of antibodies against MERS-CoV. To assess risk factors, we compared infected and uninfected participants. Healthcare personnel caring for MERS-CoV patients were at high risk for infection, but infection most often resulted in a relatively mild illness that might be unrecognized. In the healthcare personnel cohort reported here, infections occurred exclusively among those who had close contact with MERS-CoV patients.