Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia with elevated vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentrations.

This case-control study of 25 cases with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia with vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ≥ 2 µg/mL and 391 controls (MIC < 2 µg/mL) characterized the clinical characteristics, treatments, and outcomes associated with elevated vancomycin MIC. Elevated vancomycin MIC was associated with baseline hemodialysis, prior MRSA colonization, and metastatic infection.

MRSA lineage USA300 isolated from bloodstream infections exhibit altered virulence regulation.

The epidemic community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) USA300 lineage has recently become a leading cause of hospital-associated bloodstream infections (BSIs). Here, we leveraged this recent introduction into hospitals and the limited genetic variation across USA300 isolates to identify mutations that contribute to its success in a new environment. We found that USA300 BSI isolates exhibit altered virulence regulation. Using comparative genomics to delineate the genes involved in this phenotype, we discovered repeated and independent mutations in the transcriptional regulator sarZ. Mutations in sarZ resulted in increased virulence of USA300 BSI isolates in a murine model of BSI. The sarZ mutations derepressed the expression and production of the surface protein ClfB, which was critical for the pathogenesis of USA300 BSI isolates. Altogether, these findings highlight ongoing evolution of a major MRSA lineage and suggest USA300 strains can optimize their fitness through altered regulation of virulence.

Everybody nose: molecular and clinical characteristics of nasal colonization during active methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections pose a potentially fatal threat to patients worldwide and Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of healthcare-associated infections. S. aureus is a common commensal pathogen and a frequent cause of bacteremia, with studies demonstrating that nasal and blood isolates from single patients match more than 80% of the time. Here we report on a contemporary collection of colonizing isolates from those with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections to evaluate the diversity within hosts, and detail the clinical features associated with concomitant nasal colonization. METHODS: Swabs of the bilateral anterior nares were obtained from patients diagnosed with MRSA bacteremia. A single colony culture from the blood and an average of 6 colonies from the nares were evaluated for MRSA growth. For the nares cultures, we typed multiple isolates for staphylococcal protein A (spa) and derived the clonal complexes. Demographic and clinical data were obtained retrospectively from the electronic medical record system and analysed using univariate and multivariable regression models. RESULTS: Over an 11-month period, 68 patients were diagnosed with MRSA bloodstream infection, 53 were swabbed, and 37 (70%) were colonized with MRSA in the anterior nares. We performed molecular typing on 213 nasal colonies. Spa types and clonal complexes found in the blood were also detected in the nares in 95% of the cases. We also found that 11% of patients carried more than one clone of MRSA in the nares. Male sex and history of prior hospitalization within the past 90 days increased odds for MRSA colonization. CONCLUSION: The molecular epidemiological landscape of colonization in the setting of invasive disease is diverse and defining the interplay between colonization and invasive disease is critical to combating invasive MRSA disease.

Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia in Patients Infected With COVID-19: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Previous viral pandemics have shown that secondary bacterial infections result in higher morbidity and mortality, with Staphylococcus aureus being the primary causative pathogen. The impact of secondary S. aureus bacteremia on mortality in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains unknown. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational case series of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who developed secondary S. aureus bacteremia across 2 New York City hospitals. The primary end point was to describe 14-day and 30-day hospital mortality rates of patients with COVID-19 and S. aureus bacteremia. Secondary end points included predictors of 14-day and 30-day hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19 and S. aureus bacteremia. RESULTS: A total of 42 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 with secondary S. aureus bacteremia were identified. Of these patients, 23 (54.8%) and 28 (66.7%) died at 14 days and 30 days, respectively, from their first positive blood culture. Multivariate analysis identified hospital-onset bacteremia (≥4 days from date of admission) and age as significant predictors of 14-day hospital mortality and Pitt bacteremia score as a significant predictor of 30-day hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR], 11.9; 95% CI, 2.03-114.7; P = .01; OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.03-1.20; P = .02; and OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.19-2.18; P = .003, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Bacteremia with S. aureus is associated with high mortality rates in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Further investigation is warranted to understand the impact of COVID-19 and secondary S. aureus bacteremia.

PathoSPOT genomic epidemiology reveals under-the-radar nosocomial outbreaks.

BACKGROUND: Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is increasingly used to map the spread of bacterial and viral pathogens in nosocomial settings. A limiting factor for more widespread adoption of WGS for hospital infection prevention practices is the availability of standardized tools for genomic epidemiology. METHODS: We developed the Pathogen Sequencing Phylogenomic Outbreak Toolkit (PathoSPOT) to automate integration of genomic and medical record data for rapid detection and tracing of nosocomial outbreaks. To demonstrate its capabilities, we applied PathoSPOT to complete genome surveillance data of 197 MRSA bacteremia cases from two hospitals during a 2-year period. RESULTS: PathoSPOT identified 8 clonal clusters encompassing 33 patients (16.8% of cases), none of which had been recognized by standard practices. The largest cluster corresponded to a prolonged outbreak of a hospital-associated MRSA clone among 16 adults, spanning 9 wards over a period of 21 months. Analysis of precise timeline and location data with our toolkit suggested that an initial exposure event in a single ward led to infection and long-term colonization of multiple patients, followed by transmissions to other patients during recurrent hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that PathoSPOT genomic surveillance enables the detection of complex transmission chains that are not readily apparent from epidemiological data and that contribute significantly to morbidity and mortality, enabling more effective intervention strategies.

Convalescent plasma treatment of severe COVID-19: a propensity score-matched control study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a new human disease with few effective treatments1. Convalescent plasma, donated by persons who have recovered from COVID-19, is the acellular component of blood that contains antibodies, including those that specifically recognize SARS-CoV-2. These antibodies, when transfused into patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, are thought to exert an antiviral effect, suppressing virus replication before patients have mounted their own humoral immune responses2,3. Virus-specific antibodies from recovered persons are often the first available therapy for an emerging infectious disease, a stopgap treatment while new antivirals and vaccines are being developed1,2. This retrospective, propensity score-matched case-control study assessed the effectiveness of convalescent plasma therapy in 39 patients with severe or life-threatening COVID-19 at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Oxygen requirements on day 14 after transfusion worsened in 17.9% of plasma recipients versus 28.2% of propensity score-matched controls who were hospitalized with COVID-19 (adjusted odds ratio (OR), 0.86; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75-0.98; chi-square test P value = 0.025). Survival also improved in plasma recipients (adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 0.34; 95% CI, 0.13-0.89; chi-square test P = 0.027). Convalescent plasma is potentially effective against COVID-19, but adequately powered, randomized controlled trials are needed.

Blurred Molecular Epidemiological Lines Between the Two Dominant Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clones.

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes life-threatening infections in both community and hospital settings and is a leading cause of health care-associated infections (HAIs). We sought to describe the molecular epidemiological landscape of patients with MRSA bloodstream infections (BSIs) at an urban medical center by evaluating the clinical characteristics associated with the two dominant endemic clones. METHODS: Comprehensive clinical data from the electronic health records of 227 hospitalized patients ≥18 years old with MRSA BSI over a 33-month period in New York City were collected. The descriptive epidemiology and mortality associated with the two dominant clones were compared using logistic regression. RESULTS: Molecular analysis revealed that 91% of all single-patient MRSA BSIs were due to two equally represented genotypes, clonal complex (CC) 5 (n = 117) and CC8 (n = 110). MRSA BSIs were associated with a 90-day mortality rate of 27%. CC8 caused disease more frequently in younger age groups (56 ± 17 vs 67 ± 17 years old; P < .001) and in those of nonwhite race (odds ratio [OR], 3.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51-7.87; P = .003), with few other major distinguishing features. Morbidity and mortality also did not differ significantly between the two clones. CC8 caused BSIs more frequently in the setting of peripheral intravenous catheters (OR, 5.96; 95% CI, 1.51-23.50; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: The clinical features distinguishing dominant MRSA clones continue to converge. The association of CC8 with peripheral intravenous catheter infections underscores the importance of classical community clones causing hospital-onset infections. Ongoing monitoring and analysis of the dynamic epidemiology of this endemic pathogen are crucial to inform management and prevent disease.