Outbreak of Arcanobacterium haemolyticum in chronic wounds in The Netherlands.

INTRODUCTION: Aging and comorbidities such as diabetes and vascular problems contribute to the increasing occurrence of chronic wounds. From the beginning of 2016, a marked increase in Arcanobacterium haemolyticum (ARH) in chronic wound cultures was noted among patients visiting a wound expertise centre in The Netherlands. AIM: To report the outbreak investigation of ARH cultured from chronic wounds and describe the implemented infection prevention measures. METHODS: In total, 50 ARH isolates were sent to a reference laboratory for molecular typing. Samples for bacterial culture and ARH polymerase chain reaction were taken from care workers, the environment and items used for wound care. Infection prevention measures were implemented in a bundled approach, involving education, better aseptic wound care conditions and hygienic precautions. Before and after the implementation of infection prevention measures, two screening rounds of ARH testing were performed among all patients receiving home care. RESULTS: ARH isolates from wound care patients were found to be identical by core genome multi-locus sequence typing. No definite outbreak source could be determined by culture. However, three pairs of forceps, used by two nurses on multiple patients, were found to be ARH positive by polymerase chain reaction. In the two screening rounds before and after the implementation of infection prevention measures, the proportion of ARH-positive patients decreased significantly from 20% (20/99) to 3% (3/104). Subsequently, no new cases occurred. CONCLUSION: This first ARH outbreak was likely caused by re-using contaminated instruments. Through the implementation of improved infection prevention measures and re-education of all employees involved, the outbreak was controlled. With the current trend of care transition, infection control must be a major concern.

[Fever and persisting calf abscess ten years after aorta-bifemoral bypass]. / Koorts en een kuitabces door geïnfecteerde aortaprothese.

A 52-year-old woman presented with fever and a persisting calf abscess ten years after she had received an aorta-bifemoral bypass. Her infection parameters were increased and she had anaemia. CT of the abdomen revealed air surrounding the proximal anastomosis of the bypass suggesting bypass graft infection. The diagnosis of an aorta-duodenal fistula was confirmed by gastroduodenoscopy showing migration of the bypass through the wall of the duodenum into the intestinal lumen. The bypass was resected and reconstructed using the superficial femoral vein. The patient recovered uneventful.

Saksenaea vasiformis infections: A case of an immunocompetent adult after mild injury and a literature review.

Saksenaea vasiformis is an emerging human pathogen, belonging to the order Mucorales of the subphylum Mucormycotina, most often associated with rhino-cerebral, cutaneous and subcutaneous infections following trauma. A review of the published literature was attempted on the occasion of a cutaneous leg infection with favorable outcome in a young immunocompetent man after mild injury. The overall aim was the facilitation of the study and the integrated understanding of this kind of fungal infections.

Multifocal muscle candidiasis of the legs in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia: A case report.

RATIONALE: Opportunistic infections frequently develop in immunocompromised patients, such as those with hematological malignancies, causing significant mortality. Early diagnosis of invasive fungal infections is often important and difficult due to the difficult nature of confirming infection using cytologic and histologic findings. However, we report the first case of candidal infection leading to muscle abscesses in the legs of a patient with leukemia. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 60-year-old man with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) presented with multifocal muscle abscesses of the legs. DIAGNOSES: Multifocal muscle candidiasis of the legs was confirmed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy of 2 of the calf lesions. INTERVENTIONS: After treatment with amphotericin B and flucytosine for 1 month, the patient was administered intravenous caspofungin for 3 months. OUTCOME: A CT scan of the abdomen and an MRI of the lower calves showed significant improvement. LESSONS: This case highlights that fungal infection should be considered when patients present with multiple abscesses, emphasizing the value of early biopsy to confirm diagnosis and facilitate precision treatment.

Successful treatment of chromoblastomycosis using ALA-PDT in a patient with leukopenia.

Chromoblastomycosis is a long-term fungal infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissue, usually presenting as partial hypertrophic and warty plaques. Effective treatment is necessary to control the development of lesions, especially in patients with associated diseases. But till now, the treatment is still a challenge. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an efficient and non-invasive treatment option. Here, we reported the case of a 52-year-old male with refractory chromoblastomycosis and leukopenia, who was successfully treated with 5-aminolevulinic acid-based PDT (ALA-PDT). A complete cure, confirmed by clinical improvement and mycological detection, was achieved after six sessions of every-other-week treatment. Post six months follow up no recurrence was observed. The case here suggests that ALA-PDT is a valuable anti-infective therapy for refractory chromoblastomycosis.

Myiasis-induced sepsis: a rare case report of Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica and Ignatzschineria indica bacteremia in the continental United States.

RATIONALE: The presentation of sepsis and bacteremia in cutaneous and cavitary myiasis is uncommon. We present a patient, residing in a temperate region of the United States, with myiasis and sepsis from the emerging human pathogens Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica and Ignatzschineria indica. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 37-year-old male patient with an 8-month history of chronic lymphedema and ulcers of the lower left extremity presented with myiasis of the left foot and leg. The patient was initially seen by his family practitioner many times and was prescribed antibiotics which he could not afford. Debridement of the myiasis was not conducted by the family practitioner due to the belief that the patient's current state of myiasis would effectively debride and eventually heal the chronic ulcers along with multiple antibiotic regimens. Over the 8-month period, the patient developed a progressive, painful, necrotizing infection of his lower left extremity. DIAGNOSES: Physical examination clearly showed myiasis of the patient's lower left extremity, believed to be caused by Lucilia sericata (green bottle fly). Blood cultures revealed the presence of Providencia stuartii, W chitiniclastica, and I indica to be the underlying cause of sepsis and bacteremia. INTERVENTIONS: All visible maggots were extracted, debridement of devitalized tissue was performed, and the leg ulcers were wrapped in pH neutral bleach. The patient was initially treated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic regimen of vancomycin, clindamycin, piperacillin, and tazobactam which, following clinical improvement, was de-escalated to cefepime. OUTCOMES: The fly larvae and maggots were removed from the extremity by scrubbing, pulse lavage, and filing away the callused tissue. Additionally, the patient's sepsis and bacteremia, caused by W chitiniclastica and I indica, were successfully treated through antibiotic intervention. Amputation was avoided. LESSONS: The use of pulse lavage and chlorhexidine-soaked brushes for the removal of cavitary myiasis is an effective and minimally invasive procedure which does not cause additional damage to surrounding tissue. W chitiniclastica and I indica are emerging bacteria that have known association to parasitic fly myiasis in humans and are capable of causing sepsis and/or bacteremia if not accurately identified and treated promptly.

Identification of Aspergillus tubingensis in a primary skin infection.

OBJECTIVE: Aspergillus section Nigri comprises a group of related species that include Aspergillus niger, A. welwitschiae, A. carbonarius, A. brasiliensis and A. tubingensis. Some of these species are morphologically very similar to A. niger but exhibit different patterns of susceptibility to antifungal agents; such is the case for A. tubingensis. Therefore, when diagnosing aspergillosis, it is important to identify the pathogen at the species level. This study aimed to identify the species of an Aspergillus spp. isolate (MM-82) obtained from a patient with a dermatosis localized to the right leg. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The MM-82 isolate was examined for macro- and microscopic morphology, conidia size and thermotolerance, and a phylogenetic analysis of a benA gene segment was performed for molecular identification. Susceptibility to antifungals was determined using antifungal microdilution according to the methodology of European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (EUCAST). RESULTS: Based on its phenotypic characteristics and the phylogenetic analysis of the sequence of a benA gene segment, the MM-82 isolate was identified as A. tubingensis. This fungus did not show resistance to antifungal agents commonly used for treatment. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that A. tubingensis can cause skin infection; this constitutes the first report of a case of aspergillosis caused by A. tubingensis in Mexico.

Predicting the Likelihood of Delayed Venous Leg Ulcer Healing and Recurrence: Development and Reliability Testing of Risk Assessment Tools.

Venous leg ulcers are characterized by a long healing process and repeated cycles of ulceration. A secondary analysis of data from multisite longitudinal studies was conducted to identify risk factors for delayed healing and recurrence of venous leg ulcers for development of risk assessment tools, and a single-site prospective study was performed to as- sess the new tools' interrater reliability (IRR). The development of the risk assessment tools was based on results from previous multivariate analyses combined with further risk factors documented in the literature from systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, and cohort studies with regard to delayed healing and recurrence. The delayed healing tool contained 10 items, including patient demographics, living status, use of high-compression therapy, ulcer area, wound bed tissue type, and percent reduction in ulcer area after 2 weeks. The recurrence tool included 8 items, including his- tory of deep vein thrombosis, duration of previous ulcer, history of previous ulcers, body mass index, living alone, leg elevation, walking, and compression. Using consensus procedures, content validity was established by an advisory group of 21 expert multidisciplinary clinicians and researchers. To determine intraclass correlation (ICC) and IRR, 3 rat- ers assessed 26 patients with an open ulcer and 22 with a healed ulcer. IRR analysis indicated statistically signi cant agreement for the delayed healing tool (ICC 0.84; 95% con dence interval [CI], 0.70-0.92; P <.001) and the recurrence tool (ICC 0.88; 95% CI, 0.75-0.94; P <.001). The development and reliability results of these risk assessment tools meet the recommendations for evidence-based, reliable tools and may bene t clinicians and patients in the management of venous leg ulcers. Studies to examine the items with low ICC scores and to determine the predictive validity of these tools are warranted.

Chromoblastomycosis of the leg.

CASE REPORT: We herein report a case of chromoblastomycosis presenting as a verrucous lesion over the leg. A 56-year-old male patient was a known case of carcinoma larynx and was treated for the same. At presentation to our hospital, the patient, in addition to the recurrent local disease, was suspected to have second primary in the form of verrucous carcinoma of the leg. Histopathological examination of the skin biopsy revealed the presence of characteristic pigmented sclerotic bodies with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia of the overlying epithelium. The case was reported as chromoblastomycosis and the patient responded well to anti-fungal chemotherapy in the form of itraconazole.

Complete genome sequence of Achromobacter insolitus type strain LMG 6003T, a pathogen isolated from leg wound.

Achromobacter insolitus is a newly described, Gram-negative, small (1-2 mm long) and coccoid pathogen that has been isolated from leg wound. Due to its potential threat to human beings, the type strain of this species LMG 6003T was completely sequenced in this study. The genomic analysis revealed that the genome of LMG 6003T consists of one circular DNA chromosome of 6 492 697 bp with a GC content of 65.10%. The entire genome contains 6208 predicted coding genes, 61 tRNAs and 13 rRNA genes. Comparative genome analysis between LMG 6003T and another selected 10 sequenced Achromobacter revealed that 725 genes only exist in LMG 6003T. In particular, these genes include several important pathogenic-related genes such as Type IV prepilin peptidase (TadV/CpaA), Type VI secretion lipoprotein (VasD) and type 1 fimbriae major subunit (FimA). Genomic island (GI) analysis also suggests the existence of GIs in LMG 6003T. All these results strongly suggest the unique genomic features in LMG 6003T against other Achromobacter species. This report will provide us with an extended understanding of A. insolitus at the genomic level and would be helpful for understanding the evolution of the Achromobacter genus.

Yaws Osteoperiostitis Treated with Single-Dose Azithromycin.

AbstractThe etiologic agent of yaws, Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue, causes a multistage infection transmitted by nonsexual contact with the exudates from active lesions. Bone lesions in the form of osteoperiostitis are common and occur in numerous bones simultaneously in early stages. Although a multinational eradication campaign with mass administration of intramuscular benzathine benzylpenicillin in the 1950s greatly reduced its global incidence, a resurgence of yaws has occurred since around 2000 in western and central Africa and the Pacific Islands. The finding that a single oral dose of azithromycin (30 mg/kg) was as effective as benzathine benzylpenicillin prompted renewed interest by World Health Organization in 2012 toward eradication of this infection by 2020. We previously reported the excellent response to benzathine benzylpenicillin therapy for yaws osteoperiostitis. Herein, we document a confirmed case of yaws with osteoperiostitis successfully treated with single-dose azithromycin and discuss the pathology of yaws periostitis and comment on the implications of this in light of the new campaign toward yaws eradication.

Tuberculosis presenting as a 'swollen calf'.

We report the case of an 83-year-old man who presented with swelling of his left lower leg. Subsequent investigations revealed that the swelling was due to a Mycobacterium tuberculosis abscess in the tibialis anterior muscle.

Sonographic Findings in Necrotizing Fasciitis: Two Ends of the Spectrum.

Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare but serious disease, and early diagnosis is essential to reducing its substantial morbidity and mortality. The 2 cases presented show that the key clinical and radiographic features of necrotizing fasciitis exist along a continuum of severity at initial presentation; thus, this diagnosis should not be prematurely ruled out in cases that do not show the dramatic features familiar to most clinicians. Although computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are considered the most effective imaging modalities, the cases described here illustrate how sonography should be recommended as an initial imaging test to make a rapid diagnosis and initiate therapy.

Toxoplasma gondii detection and viability assays in ham legs and shoulders from experimentally infected pigs.

Epidemiological studies of toxoplasmosis show that infection in humans is mainly caused by the consumption of raw, undercooked or cured meat. Cured "Serrano" ham is a typical pork product from the Mediterranean area, highly valued for its flavour. The "Serrano" ham is prepared from pork meat and undergoes a process known as curing and a subsequent fermentation without thermal or smoking treatments. The viability of Toxoplasma gondii in hams and shoulders from experimentally infected pigs that have been subject to different curing processes has been studied in order to evaluate the best method to completely eliminate the viable protozoa. The different treatments include, i) freezing the legs and shoulders below -20 °C for 3 days before salting with marine salt, ii) salting the meat with marine salt and nitrites, iii) salting only with marine salt (traditional process) and iv) salting with marine salt and then freezing at -20 °C for 3 days after the curing period. The ham leg samples were cured for 7 months and the shoulder samples for 5 months. The presence of T. gondii in the different treatments was studied by a "magnetic-capture" method for the isolation of T. gondii DNA and a quantitative real-time PCR to estimate the T. gondii burden in the ham legs and shoulders. The infectivity capacity of T. gondii in positive samples was assayed by bioassays in mice and some physicochemical parameters, such as pH, water activity (aw) and salt content, were evaluated at the end of the curing time. In all the cases where the samples were frozen the T. gondii infectivity was eliminated. In samples in which the meat was salted in marine salt plus nitrites, the parasite viability remained for longer than in the traditional salting process. The methods described here could be useful for producers to guarantee the safety of their products.