Cefepime vs carbapenems for treating third-generation cephalosporin-resistant AmpC ß-lactamase-hyperproducing Enterobacterales bloodstream infections: a multicenter retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: AmpC ß-lactamase-hyperproducing Enterobacterales (ABLHE) bloodstream infections (BSI) are emerging and leading to therapeutic challenges worldwide. Prescriptions of carbapenems may lead to the emergence of resistance. This study aimed to compare cefepime with carbapenems for the treatment of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant ABLHE BSI. METHODS: This retrospective multicenter study included patients with ABLHE BSI from two tertiary hospitals in France, between July 2017 and July 2022. Non-AmpC-producing Enterobacterales, extended-spectrum ß-lactamase, and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales were excluded. Cefepime was prescribed only in case of minimal inhibitory concentration ≤1 mg/l. The primary outcome was 30-day in-hospital mortality from the date of index blood culture. Secondary outcomes were infection recurrence and treatment toxicity. An inverse probability of treatment weighting approach was used to balance the baseline characteristics between the two groups. RESULTS: We analyzed 164 BSI, which included 77 in the cefepime group and 87 in the carbapenem group. In the weighted cohort, the 30-day mortality rates were similar between the cefepime group (23.3%) and the carbapenem group (19.6%) with a relative risk of 1.19 (95% confidence interval, 0.61-2.33 P = 0.614). No significant difference in recurrence or toxicity was found between the two groups. CONCLUSION: This study adds evidence in favor of the use of cefepime for treating third-generation cephalosporin-resistant ABLHE BSI in case of minimal inhibitory concentration ≤ 1 mg/l, which could spare carbapenems.

Characteristics and Treatment of Gordonia spp. Bacteremia, France.

Systemic Gordonia spp. infections are rare and occur mostly among immunocompromised patients. We analyzed 10 cases of Gordonia bacteremia diagnosed in 3 tertiary care centers in France to assess risk factors, treatment, and clinical outcomes. Most patients were cured within 10 days by using ß-lactam antimicrobial therapy and removing central catheters.

Fungal Infections Caused by Kazachstania spp., Strasbourg, France, 2007-2020.

Rare fungal pathogens are emerging as agents of invasive fungal infections. We analyzed 13 cases of fungal infections caused by Kazachstania (Arxiozyma) spp. in Strasbourg University Hospital, Strasbourg, France. Among the cases, 4 patients had proven fungal disease (3 cases of invasive fungal disease and 1 mucocutaneous infection) and 9 were colonized by Kazachstania (Arxiozyma) spp. Candida albicans was also isolated from 11 of the 13 patients. None of the patients with proven invasive fungal disease met host criteria, but most had underlying diseases. All strains were identified as K. telluris by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and 3 were confirmed as K. bovina by internal transcribed spacer sequencing. For all tested strains, the MICs for fluconazole were >2 µg/mL. Emergence of this rare fungal infection might be explained by the increasing number of patients with immunocompromised conditions and gastroesophageal diseases.

COVID-19 in Patients with Cancer: A Retrospective Study of 212 Cases from a French SARS-CoV-2 Cluster During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We describe a large series of patients with solid tumors in an early COVID-19 cluster in the eastern part of France. From February to May 2020, this multicenter retrospective study enrolled 212 patients with cancer under treatment or on follow-up for any type of malignant solid tumor and positive for SARS-CoV-2. The mortality rate was 30%. Patients with gastrointestinal cancers were identified as a subset of more vulnerable patients; immunotherapy and radiotherapy within 3 months from COVID-19 diagnosis were risk factors for death. The reported data support the essential need to be proactive and weigh the risks of morbidity from COVID-19 against the magnitude of benefits of intended cancer therapies during this pandemic. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This article supports the essential need to be proactive (treatment delay or modification) in oncology in the setting of pandemic. This study identified patients with gastrointestinal cancers as a more vulnerable subset of patients with cancer and found that immunotherapy and radiotherapy within 3 months from COVID-19 diagnosis to be risk factors for death. The reported data indicate the necessity of weighing the risks of morbidity from COVID-19 against the magnitude of benefits of intended cancer therapies in any future wave of COVID-19.

First Case of Bacteraemia Due to Carbapenem-Resistant Bacteroides faecis.

Multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria are increasingly observed in nosocomial and community-acquired settings. Anaerobes are no exception to this rule, but there are fewer reports of MDR in the scientific literature on anaerobes than there are for other bacteria. In this short case report, we describe the first case of bacteraemia caused by a multidrug-resistant Bacteroides faecis, which produces a carbapenemase encoded by the blaCfiA gene. This bacteraemia followed a digestive surgery operation. Surprisingly, these findings did not lead to a change in antibiotic therapy, probably because the patient's clinical state had improved. Nevertheless this report calls for better knowledge of anaerobic bacteria and for a systematic antimicrobial stewardship procedure following bacteraemia.

Is COVID-19 infection more severe in kidney transplant recipients?

There are no studies which have compared the risk of severe COVID-19 and related mortality between transplant recipients and nontransplant patients. We enrolled two groups of patients hospitalized for COVID-19, that is, kidney transplant recipients (KTR) from the French Registry of Solid Organ Transplant (n = 306) and a single-center cohort of nontransplant patients (n = 795). An analysis was performed among subgroups matched for age and risk factors for severe COVID-19 or mortality. Severe COVID-19 was defined as admission (or transfer) to an intensive care unit, need for mechanical ventilation, or death. Transplant recipients were younger and had more comorbidities compared to nontransplant patients. They presented with higher creatinine levels and developed more episodes of acute kidney injury. After matching, the 30-day cumulative incidence of severe COVID-19 did not differ between KTR and nontransplant patients; however, 30-day COVID-19-related mortality was significantly higher in KTR (17.9% vs 11.4%, respectively, p = .038). Age >60 years, cardiovascular disease, dyspnea, fever, lymphopenia, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were associated with severe COVID-19 in univariate analysis, whereas transplant status and serum creatinine levels were not. Age >60 years, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, CRP >60 mg/L, lymphopenia, kidney transplant status (HR = 1.55), and creatinine level >115 µmol/L (HR = 2.32) were associated with COVID-19-related mortality in univariate analysis. In multivariable analysis, cardiovascular disease, dyspnea, and fever were associated with severe disease, whereas age >60 years, cardiovascular disease, dyspnea, fever, and creatinine level>115 µmol/L retained their independent associations with mortality. KTR had a higher COVID-19-related mortality compared to nontransplant hospitalized patients.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with severe COVID-19: prospective analysis of 1,045 hospitalised cases in North-Eastern France, March 2020.

BackgroundIn March 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization.AimOur objective was to identify risk factors predictive of severe disease and death in France.MethodsIn this prospective cohort study, we included patients ≥ 18 years old with confirmed COVID-19, hospitalised in Strasbourg and Mulhouse hospitals (France), in March 2020. We respectively compared patients who developed severe disease (admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) or death) and patients who died, to those who did not, by day 7 after hospitalisation.ResultsAmong 1,045 patients, 424 (41%) had severe disease, including 335 (32%) who were admitted to ICU, and 115 (11%) who died. Mean age was 66 years (range: 20-100), and 612 (59%) were men. Almost 75% of patients with body mass index (BMI) data (n = 897) had a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 (n = 661). Independent risk factors associated with severe disease were advanced age (odds ratio (OR): 1.1 per 10-year increase; 95% CrI (credible interval): 1.0-1.2), male sex (OR: 2.1; 95% CrI: 1.5-2.8), BMI of 25-29.9 kg/m2 (OR: 1.8; 95% CrI: 1.2-2.7) or ≥ 30 (OR: 2.2; 95% CrI: 1.5-3.3), dyspnoea (OR: 2.5; 95% CrI: 1.8-3.4) and inflammatory parameters (elevated C-reactive protein and neutrophil count, low lymphocyte count). Risk factors associated with death were advanced age (OR: 2.7 per 10-year increase; 95% CrI: 2.1-3.4), male sex (OR: 1.7; 95% CrI: 1.1-2.7), immunosuppression (OR: 3.8; 95% CrI: 1.6-7.7), diabetes (OR: 1.7; 95% CrI: 1.0-2.7), chronic kidney disease (OR: 2.3; 95% CrI: 1.3-3.9), dyspnoea (OR: 2.1; 95% CrI: 1.2-3.4) and inflammatory parameters.ConclusionsOverweightedness, obesity, advanced age, male sex, comorbidities, dyspnoea and inflammation are risk factors for severe COVID-19 or death in hospitalised patients. Identifying these features among patients in routine clinical practice might improve COVID-19 management.

The BAS2IC Score: A Useful Tool to Identify Patients at High Risk of Early Progression to Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019.

We developed a score, with easily accessible data (age, sex, body mass index, dyspnea, inflammatory parameters), to predict the risk of rapid progression to severe coronavirus disease 2019. Using a cutoff of >6 points, the negative predictive value was 87%.

Rapid Radiological Worsening and Cytokine Storm Syndrome in COVID-19 Pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: In June 2020, a large randomised controlled clinical trial in the UK found that dexamethasone was effective in reducing the number of deaths in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe a patient with rapid worsening of COVID-19 pneumonia and its dramatic improvement under corticosteroids. DISCUSSION: Corticosteroids could be useful in patients with an inflammatory profile, considering that acute respiratory distress syndrome may be the consequence of cytokine storm syndrome. LEARNING POINTS: One of the main pathophysiological hypotheses for severe COVID-19 pneumonia is inappropriate immunological hyperactivation.Corticosteroid therapy may be useful in these patients.

Coronavirus Disease 2019: Associated Multiple Organ Damage.

A 56-year-old man presented a particularly severe and multisystemic case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In addition to the common lung and quite common pulmonary embolism and kidney injuries, he presented ocular and intestinal injuries that, to our knowledge, have not been described in COVID-19 patients. Although it is difficult to make pathophysiological hypotheses about a single case, the multiplicity of injured organs argues for a systemic response to pulmonary infection. A better understanding of physiopathology should feed the discussion about therapeutic options in this type of multifocal damage related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

CT lung lesions as predictors of early death or ICU admission in COVID-19 patients.

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of early systematic chest computed tomography (CT) with quantification of lung lesions in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. METHODS: We studied 572 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 (confirmed using polymerase chain reaction) for whom a chest CT was performed at hospital admission. Visual quantification was used to classify patients as per the percentage of lung parenchyma affected by COVID-19 lesions: normal CT, 0-10%, 11-25%, 26-50%, 51-75% and >75%. The primary endpoint was severe disease, defined by death or admission to the intensive care unit in the 7 days following first admission. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 66.0 ± 16.0 years, and 343/572 (60.0%) were men. The primary endpoint occurred in 206/572 patients (36.0%). The extent of lesions on initial CT was independently associated with prognosis (odds ratio = 2.35, 95% confidence interval 1.24-4.46; p < 0.01). Most patients with lung involvement >50% (66/95, 69.5%) developed severe disease compared to patients with lung involvement of 26-50% (70/171, 40.9%) and ≤25% (70/306, 22.9%) (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively). None of the patients with normal CT (0/14) had severe disease. CONCLUSION: Chest CT findings at admission are associated with outcome in COVID-19 patients.