Composition and changes of blood microbiota in adult patients with community-acquired sepsis: A pilot study from bench to bedside.

Background: Characteristics of the blood microbiota among adult patients with community-acquired sepsis are poorly understood. Our aim was to analyze the composition of blood microbiota in adult patients with community-acquired sepsis, and correlate changes with non-septic control patients. Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out by including adult patients hospitalized for community-acquired sepsis at our center between January and November 2019, by random selection from a pool of eligible patients. Study inclusion was done on the day of sepsis diagnosis. Community acquisition was ascertained by a priori exclusion criteria; sepsis was defined according to the SEPSIS-3 definitions. Each included patient was matched with non-septic control patients by age and gender in a 1:1 fashion enrolled from the general population. Conventional culturing with BacT/ALERT system and 16S rRNA microbiota analysis were performed from blood samples taken in a same time from a patient. Abundance data was analyzed by the CosmosID HUB Microbiome software. Results: Altogether, 13 hospitalized patients were included, 6/13 (46.2%) with sepsis and 7/13 (53.8%) with septic shock at diagnosis. The most prevalent etiopathogen isolated from blood cultures was Escherichia coli, patients mostly had intraabdominal septic source. At day 28, all-cause mortality was 15.4% (2/13). Compared to non-septic control patients, a relative scarcity of Faecalibacterium, Blautia, Coprococcus and Roseburia genera, with an abundance of Enhydrobacter, Pseudomonas and Micrococcus genera was observed among septic patients. Relative differences between septic vs. non-septic patients were more obvious at the phylum level, mainly driven by Firmicutes (25.7% vs. 63.1%; p<0.01) and Proteobacteria (36.9% vs. 16.6%; p<0.01). The alpha diversity, quantified by the Chao1 index showed statistically significant difference between septic vs. non-septic patients (126 ± 51 vs. 66 ± 26; p<0.01). The Bray-Curtis beta diversity, reported by principal coordinate analysis of total hit frequencies, revealed 2 potentially separate clusters among septic vs. non-septic patients. Conclusion: In adult patients with community-acquired sepsis, specific changes in the composition and abundance of blood microbiota could be detected by 16S rRNA metagenome sequencing, compared to non-septic control patients. Traditional blood culture results only partially correlate with microbiota test results.

Kinetics of serum C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels and their connection to outcomes in community-acquired sepsis / A C-reaktívprotein- és -prokalcitoninszintek szérumkinetikája és a klinikai kimenetellel való kapcsolata közösségben szerzett szepszisben

Introduction and objective: Community-acquired sepsis is a life-threatening systemic reaction to infection starting 72 hours within hospital admittance. Data concerning kinetics of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels during disease progression are sparse. Our aim was to analyze kinetics of CRP and PCT among adults with community-acquired sepsis. Methods: We analyzed data of consecutive patients hospitalized with community-acquired sepsis at our centre during 2016. Sepsis was defined according to ACCP/SCCM criteria, community-acquisition was ascertained by a priori exclusion criteria. CRP and PCT values of days 1­14 were collected. Primary outcomes were in-hospital all-cause mortality, intensive care unit admission, secondary outcomes were septic source and the causative microorganism. Absolute (ΔabsCRP, ΔabsPCT) and relative (Δ%CRP, Δ%PCT) differences were calculated between values at the time of diagnosis and control values within 24 hours of empirical antimicrobial therapy initiation. Results: 193 patients were included. In-hospital all-cause mortality was 13.9%, intensive care unit admittance was 25.9%. Patients who died had significantly smaller median Δ%PCT decrements (­7.7 ± 127.9% vs. ­45.7 ± 88.8%, p = 0.01), compared to survivors. During hospital stay, daily absolute values of PCT on days 2­14, while those of CRP on days 5­14 were significantly higher among patients who died. Patients admitted to the intensive care unit also had smaller median Δ%PCT decrements (­19.6 ± 72.5% vs. ­49.8 ± 100.8%, p = 0.01), compared to non-admitted patients. Calculated parameters did not show significant correlations with septic focus or causative microorganisms. Discussion, conclusion: Our findings suggest that specific fluctuations of CRP and PCT are observable, and Δ%PCT might be a favourable parameter for outcome prediction among adults with community-acquired sepsis.

Characteristics and predictors of treatment failure with intravenous tigecycline monotherapy among adult patients with severe Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection: a single-centre observational cohort study.

Our aim was to analyze characteristics of treatment failure with intravenous tigecycline monotherapy among adults with severe Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI). A single-centre observational cohort study was performed between 2014 and 2018. Data were collected by charts review, diagnosis and severity were determined by ESCMID guidelines. Primary outcome was treatment failure, secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, relapse, colectomy, and complication rates. Independent predictors of failure were identified using logistic regression. Altogether 110 patients were included, failure occurred in 37.3%. Patients with failure frequently had chronic heart and pulmonary co-morbidities, peritonitis, higher CRP levels, ICU admittance rates and need for total parenteral nutrition and vasopressors. Mostly, CDI-specific mortality and complications contributed to failure. Relapse rates were similar. Chronic pulmonary disease, ileus, total parenteral nutrition, and duration of tigecycline therapy were predictors of failure. We conclude that severe CDI cases with higher risk for tigecycline monotherapy failure might be identified by contributing factors.

["Tempus fugit, venit mors" - about streptococcal toxic shock syndrome: a case report and mini-review]. / "Tempus fugit, venit mors" ­ a streptococcalis toxikus sokk szindrómáról egy eset kapcsán.

Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) is a hyperacute, life-threatening illness, a complication of invasive streptococcal (mostly group A, rarely groups B, G or C) infection. There is no portal of entry (skin, vagina, pharynx) in nearly half of the STSS cases. The initial signs and symptoms (fever, flu-like complaints, hypotension) are scarce and aspecific, but because of its rapid progression and poor prognosis, early high level of suspicion is necessary. Management has 3 crucial points: initiation of anti-streptococcal regimen (and intravenous immunoglobulin in some cases), aggressive intensive care support of multi-organ failure, and surgical control of the infective source. In this article, we present a case of a patient succumbing to streptococcal toxic shock syndrome which was preceded by primary S. pyogenes bacteremia, and review the key points of this potentially fatal disease for practising clinicians. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(48): 1887-1893.

Clinical and microbiological characteristics and outcomes of community-acquired sepsis among adults: a single center, 1-year retrospective observational cohort study from Hungary.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired sepsis is a life-threatening systemic reaction, which starts within ≤72 h of hospital admittance in an infected patient without recent exposure to healthcare risks. Our aim was to evaluate the characteristics and the outcomes concerning community-acquired sepsis among patients admitted to a Hungarian high-influx national medical center. METHODS: A retrospective, observational cohort study of consecutive adult patients hospitalized with community-acquired sepsis during a 1-year period was executed. Clinical and microbiological data were collected, patients with pre-defined healthcare associations were excluded. Sepsis definitions and severity were given according to ACCP/SCCM criteria. The primary outcome was in-hospital all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) admittance, length-of-stay (LOS), source control and bacteraemia rates. Statistical differences were explored with classical comparison tests, predictors of in-hospital all-cause mortality were modelled by multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: 214 patients (median age 60.0 ± 33.1 years, 57% female, median Charlson score 4.0 ± 5.0) were included, 32.7% of them (70/214) had severe sepsis, and 28.5% (61/214) had septic shock. Prevalent sources of infections were genitourinary (53/214, 24.8%) and abdominal (52/214, 24.3%). The causative organisms were dominantly E. coli (60/214, 28.0%), S. pneumoniae (18/214, 8.4%) and S. aureus (14/214, 6.5%), and bacteraemia was documented in 50.9% of the cases (109/214). In-hospital mortality was high (30/214, 14.0%), and independently associated with shock, absence of fever, male gender and the need for ICU admittance, but source control and de-escalation of empirical antimicrobial therapy were protective. ICU admittance was 27.1% (58/214), source control was achieved in 18.2% (39/214). Median LOS was 10.0 ± 8.0, ICU LOS was 8.0 ± 10.8 days. CONCLUSIONS: Community-acquired sepsis poses a significant burden of disease with characteristic causative agents and sources. Patients at a higher risk for poor outcomes might be identified earlier by the contributing factors shown above.