Candida bloodstream infection in patients with systemic autoimmune diseases.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the epidemiological, clinical and microbiological characteristics and mortality of patients with Candida bloodstream infection and systemic autoimmune diseases. METHODS: We performed a retrospective multicenter study of candidemia in adults with systemic autoimmune diseases between 2010 and 2016. RESULTS: Among 1040 patients with candidemia, 36 (3.5%) had a systemic autoimmune disease. The most common systemic autoimmune disease was rheumatoid arthritis (27.8%). The most common species was Candida albicans (66.7%). Twenty-two (61.1%) patients received a corticosteroid therapy and nine (25%) received an immunosuppressive therapy at the time of candidemia. The mortality rate was 27.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic autoimmune diseases are not common in patients with candidemia. The unadjusted mortality rate was comparable to other candidemia studies in the general population.

The updated Charlson comorbidity index is a useful predictor of mortality in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.

The objective was to compare the performance of the updated Charlson comorbidity index (uCCI) and classical CCI (cCCI) in predicting 30-day mortality in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB). All cases of SAB in patients aged ⩾14 years identified at the Microbiology Unit were included prospectively and followed. Comorbidity was evaluated using the cCCI and uCCI. Relevant variables associated with SAB-related mortality, along with cCCI or uCCI scores, were entered into multivariate logistic regression models. Global model fit, model calibration and predictive validity of each model were evaluated and compared. In total, 257 episodes of SAB in 239 patients were included (mean age 74 years; 65% were male). The mean cCCI and uCCI scores were 3.6 (standard deviation, 2.4) and 2.9 (2.3), respectively; 161 (63%) cases had cCCI score ⩾3 and 89 (35%) cases had uCCI score ⩾4. Sixty-five (25%) patients died within 30 days. The cCCI score was not related to mortality in any model, but uCCI score ⩾4 was an independent factor of 30-day mortality (odds ratio, 1.98; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-3.74). The uCCI is a more up-to-date, refined and parsimonious prognostic mortality score than the cCCI; it may thus serve better than the latter in the identification of patients with SAB with worse prognoses.

Effectiveness of combination therapy versus monotherapy with a third-generation cephalosporin in bacteraemic pneumococcal pneumonia: A propensity score analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Combining a macrolide or a fluoroquinolone to beta-lactam regimens in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe community-acquired pneumonia is recommended by the international guidelines. However, the information in patients with bacteraemic pneumococcal pneumonia is limited. METHODS: A propensity score technique was used to analyze prospectively collected data from all patients with bacteraemic pneumococcal pneumonia admitted from 2000 to 2015 in our institution, who had received empirical treatment with third-generation cephalosporin in monotherapy or plus macrolide or fluoroquinolone. RESULTS: We included 69 patients in the monotherapy group and 314 in the combination group. After adjustment by PS for receiving monotherapy, 30-day mortality (OR 2.89; 95% CI 1.07-7.84) was significantly higher in monotherapy group. A higher 30-day mortality was observed in monotherapy group in both 1:1 and 1:2 matched samples although it was statistically significant only in 1:2 sample (OR: 3.50 (95% CI 1.03-11.96), P = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that in bacteraemic pneumococcal pneumonia, empirical therapy with a third-generation cephalosporin plus a macrolide or a fluoroquinolone is associated with a lower mortality rate than beta-lactams in monotherapy. These results support the recommendation of combination therapy in patients requiring admission with moderate to severe disease.

Assessment of a multi-modal intervention for the prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

BACKGROUND: Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) represent an important healthcare burden. AIM: To assess the effectiveness of an evidence-based multi-modal, multi-disciplinary intervention intended to improve outcomes by reducing the use of urinary catheters (UCs) and minimizing the incidence of CAUTIs in the internal medicine department of a university hospital. METHODS: A multi-modal intervention was developed, including training sessions, urinary catheterization reminders, surveillance systems, and mechanisms for staff feedback of results. The frequency of UC use and incidence of CAUTIs were recorded in three-month periods before (P1) and during the intervention (P2). FINDINGS: The catheterization rate decreased significantly during P2 [27.8% vs 16.9%; relative risk (RR): 0.61; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57-0.65]. We also observed a reduction in CAUTI risk (18.3 vs 9.8%; RR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.30-0.93), a reduction in the CAUTI rate per 1000 patient-days [5.5 vs 2.8; incidence ratio (IR): 0.52; 95% CI: 0.28-0.94], and a non-significant decrease in the CAUTI rate per 1000 catheter-days (19.3 vs 16.9; IR: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.46-1.55). CONCLUSION: The multi-modal intervention was effective in reducing the catheterization rate and the frequency of CAUTIs.