Clostridium difficile infection, a descriptive analysis of solid organ transplant recipients at a single center.

Clostridium difficile is a bacterial enteric pathogen, which causes clinical disease among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. This large, single-center, retrospective study describes incidence, demographics, and impact of C. difficile infection (CDI) among adult SOT recipients, cardiac (n=5), lung (n=14), liver (n=9), renal (n=26), and multiorgan (n=9) patients transplanted and diagnosed with CDI (geneB PCR) between 9/2009 and 12/2012. The overall incidence of CDI in our population during the 40-month period of study was 4%. CDI incidence among cardiac, lung, liver, and renal transplant recipients was 1.9%, 7%, 2.7%, and 3.2%, respectively (P=0.03 between organ-types). Median time from transplant to CDI for all was 51 (14-249) days, with liver recipients having the shortest time to infection, median 36 (15-101) days, and lung recipients having a longer time to infection, median 136 (29-611) days. Antibiotic exposure within 3 months of CDI was evident in 45 of the 63 (71%) patients in this study, 80%, 79%, 100%, 58%, and 67% of cardiac, lung, liver, renal, and multiorgan transplant recipients, respectively. Most patients (83%) were hospitalized within the 3 months preceding CDI. Recipients were followed for a median time of 23 (16-31) months; at the time of last follow-up, 83% of allografts were functioning, and 86% of patients were alive. One death and 1 graft failure were causally related to CDI. CDI had an overall incidence of 4%; clinicians should have heightened awareness for CDI, especially among patients receiving antibiotics, with increased monitoring and aggressive management of CDI.

Update on the optimal use of voriconazole for invasive fungal infections.

Voriconazole is an extended-spectrum triazole with excellent bioavailability that has now become the treatment of choice for aspergillosis. It has a unique side effect profile compared with other azoles, as well as a number of clinically important drug-drug interactions. These factors, along with a correlation between increased serum levels and improved outcomes, have prompted an interest in therapeutic drug monitoring of this agent. The pharmacology and clinical outcomes data of voriconazole are presented in this review.

Comparison of polymyxin B, tigecycline, cefepime, and meropenem MICs for KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae by broth microdilution, Vitek 2, and Etest.

We report MIC agreement and error rates between broth microdilution (BMD), Vitek 2, and Etest against 48 clinical KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates for polymyxin B, tigecycline, cefepime, and meropenem. Both commercial testing methods were useful for tigecycline testing; Etest provided a conservative estimate of polymyxin B susceptibility. We suggest that laboratories consider the supplemental use of reference BMD or Etest for cefepime and meropenem for susceptibility testing of KPC-producing K. pneumoniae, as Vitek 2 did not provide reliable results.

Invasive aspergillosis after pandemic (H1N1) 2009.

We report 2 patients with invasive aspergillosis after infection with pandemic (H1N1) 2009. Influenza viruses are known to cause immunologic defects and impair ciliary clearance. These defects, combined with high-dose corticosteroids prescribed during influenza-associated adult respiratory distress syndrome, may be novel risk factors predisposing otherwise immunocompetent patients to invasive aspergillosis.

Micafungin concentrations from brain tissue and pancreatic pseudocyst fluid.

We report the attainment of micafungin concentrations from brain tissue and pancreatic pseudocyst fluid from two patients with invasive candidiasis. Micafungin was present in low levels at both body sites, indicating limited penetration into central nervous system (CNS) tissue and pancreatic fluid. Further studies are needed to fully characterize its pharmacokinetics at these locations, as micafungin may potentially serve as an alternative antifungal therapy for CNS or pancreatic candidal infections for which the currently recommended first-line therapy fails.

Outcomes of extended infusion piperacillin/tazobactam for documented Gram-negative infections.

This comparison of intermittent versus extended-infusion piperacillin-tazobactam among patients with Gram-negative infections revealed similar mortality and length of stay. Outcomes remained similar when stratified by MIC value.