Clinical and microbiological profile of Viridans group streptococcal bacteraemia; experience from South India.

Background: Viridans Group Streptococci (VGS) are a group of distinct species that can cause bacteraemia and other invasive infections. They are also among the common organisms causing infective endocarditis. Data on the epidemiology and clinical profile of VGS is limited, especially from India. Methods: We conducted an electronic medical record-based retrospective analysis of patients with VGS bacteraemia admitted to our hospital between January 2012 to December 2021. Blood cultures were incubated by BacT/ALERT system and bacterial identification and susceptibility testing were done by using the VITEK 2 microbial identification system. Susceptibility test reporting was as per Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. The incidence, clinical profile, source of bacteraemia, co-morbidities and antimicrobial resistance among VGS bacteraemia were analyzed. Results: VGS were isolated in 219 patients, accounting for 3.2% of positive blood cultures during the period studied. The median age of the patients was 58 years and 69% were males. Diabetes mellitus was the most common co-morbidity (55%) followed by chronic kidney disease and chronic liver disease. Patients with haematological malignancy and neutropenia were few. Intra-abdominal infections were the most common source of infection and was noted in 26%. Infective endocarditis was diagnosed in only 10% of the cases. Streptococcus mitis was the most common species isolated followed by S. gallolyticus and S. sanguinis. 9.58% of the isolates could not be identified up to the species level. Overall penicillin susceptibility was 71% and ceftriaxone susceptibility was 92%, with individual species variation. In-hospital mortality was 19%. Conclusions: VGS are an important cause of bacteraemia and was associated with 19% mortality in our study. High rates of penicillin and ceftriaxone resistance are a reason of concern. Molecular diagnostics like matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) identification must be increasingly applied for species identification considering that a substantial number of isolates were not identified to species level.

Prevalence of Group B Streptococcus in pregnant women in Kerala and relation to neonatal outcomes: a prospective cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Early onset sepsis (EOS) in neonates is a scourge that contributes to morbidity and mortality. Prominent stakeholders recommend universal screening of antenatal women for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) and intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) for those who are carriers. However, there are controversies. Other guidelines allow region-specific protocols due to sociodemographic, geographical and ethnic differences. We planned to analyze the prevalence of GBS rectovaginal carriage at 36-37 weeks gestation and its effect on early neonatal status. METHODS: This prospective multidisciplinary study (Obstetrics, Perinatology, Neonatology, Microbiology and Infectious diseases) was conducted in our tertiary care center between February 2020 and May 2021. RESULTS: In our study group which included 966 mothers who delivered at the hospital, 4.8% of mothers who were screened by genito-rectal swabs were positive for GBS at 36-37 weeks gestation. All these mothers were given IAP as per protocol. Other organisms detected on screening mothers were Candida and Gram-negative bacteria. None of the neonates born to these mothers required any intensive care unit admission or therapy for systemic illness. There was no difference in clinically relevant outcomes between neonates who were born to GBS-positive mothers as compared to those born to negative screen result mothers. CONCLUSIONS: GBS prevalence in our cohort was lower than most scientific reports. The neonates born to carrier mothers did not present with signs of early-onset sepsis.

Achromobacter spp. bacteremia outbreak related to contaminated furosemide ampoules.

Nosocomial outbreaks related to medication contamination are reported world-wide. A sudden increase in cases of Achromobacter spp. bacteremia led to an outbreak investigation in our setting. Line listing and environmental sampling led to identification of contaminated furosemide ampoules as the source. Molecular identification helped in species identification and in this outbreak more than one species was identified. Prompt withdrawal of the contaminated batch of ampoules curtailed the outbreak.

Susceptibility and serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates in invasive pneumococcal disease: a study from Kerala, South India.

Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is a major burden causing significant mortality and morbidity. This study was conducted to ascertain the magnitude of the problem of drug resistance, the pneumococcal serotypes that are prevalent in our area, and whether current pneumococcal vaccines are able to cover the prevalent serotypes adequately. A retrospective study was done by reviewing the microbiology registry of our hospital. Details of patients whose blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or any other sterile fluid grew S. pneumoniae between the period January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019 were collected. Identification and susceptibility testing were done by Vitek2 as per CLSI 2008 guidelines. Serotyping was attempted for 39 isolates. Fifty-five pneumococcal isolates in blood and CSF were identified over four years from 51 patients, of whom nine belonged to the paediatric age group. Among 55 isolates, 50 were isolated from blood, four had growth of pneumococci in both blood and CSF, and one had growth in CSF alone. Overall non-susceptibility to penicillin was noted in 11 isolates, and 10 isolates were non-susceptible to ceftriaxone. Common serotypes isolated were 9V, 19F, 23F and 6 B. The most common clinical presentation was pneumonia followed by sepsis and meningitis. Five of the 51 patients succumbed to the illness. Penicillin susceptibility among pneumococcal isolates in IPD was 80% and susceptibility to ceftriaxone was 82%. This observation reiterates the view that vancomycin must be added to the empiric therapy of suspected IPD. Most of the identified serotypes are covered by current pneumococcal vaccines, highlighting the pivotal role of pneumococcal vaccine in prevention of IPD.