Candida auris: Outbreak, surveillance and epidemiological monitoring in Northern Greece.

Candida auris is an emerging fungal pathogen associated with multi-drug resistance rates and widespread outbreaks in hospitals and health care units worldwide. Sequencing studies have revealed that different clonal lineages of the fungus seem to be prevalent among distinct geographical sites. The first case of C. auris in Northern Greece was reported in Thessaloniki in October 2022, almost two years after the first isolation in Greece (Athens 2019). The Mycology Laboratory of the Medical School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki stands as the reference laboratory for fungal diseases in Northern Greece and a meticulous search for the yeast, in plenty of suspicious samples, has been run since 2019 in the Lab as well as a retrospective analysis of all its yeasts' collection, back to 2008, with negative results for the presence of C. auris. Here, are presented the findings concerning the outbreak and surveillance of C. auris in Northern Greece, mainly the region of Thessaloniki and the broader area of Macedonia, from October 2022 until August 2023. The isolates from Northern Greece continue to fall in Clade I and present with an almost equal and stable sensitivity profile until now.

The study concerns the outbreak of Candida auris in Northern Greece since October 2022 and the effort for surveillance and epidemiological monitoring. All isolates continue to fall in Clade I and present with an almost equal and stable sensitivity profile till now.

Ceftazidime/avibactam and eravacycline susceptibility of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in two Greek tertiary teaching hospitals.

The present study evaluated the carbapenem resistance mechanisms of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated in two Greek tertiary teaching hospitals and their susceptibility to currently used and novel antimicrobial agents.Forty-seven carbapenem resistant K. pneumoniae strains were collected in G. Papanikolaou and Ippokrateio hospital of Thessaloniki between 2016 and 2018. Strain identification and antimicrobial susceptibility was conducted by Vitek 2 system (Biomérieux France). Susceptibility against new antimicrobial agents was examined by disk diffusion method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect blaKPC, blaVIM, blaNDM and blaOXA-48 genes.The meropenem-EDTA and meropenem-boronic acid synergy test performed on the 24 K. pneumoniae strains demonstrated that 8 (33.3%) yielded positive for metallo-beta-lactamases (MBL) and 16 (66.6%) for K. pneumonia carbapenemases (KPC) production. Colistin demonstrated the highest in vitro activity (87.7%) among the 47 K. pneumoniae strains followed by gentamicin (76.5%) and tigecycline (51%). Among new antibiotics ceftazidime/avibactam showed the highest sensitivity (76.6%) in all strains followed by eravacycline (66.6%). The blaKPC gene was present in 30 strains (63.8%), the blaNDM in 11 (23.4%) and the blaVIM in 6 (12.8%). The blaOXA-48 gene was not detected.Well established antimicrobial agents such as colistin, gentamicin and tigecycline and novel antibiotics like ceftazidime/avibactam and eravacycline can be reliable options for the treatment of invasive infections caused by carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae.

Bacteriology, antibiotic resistance and risk stratification of patients with culture-positive, community-acquired pleural infection.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pleural infection (CAPI) is a growing health problem worldwide. Although most CAPI patients recover with antibiotics and pleural drainage, 20% require surgical intervention. The use of inappropriate antibiotics is a common cause of treatment failure. Awareness of the common causative bacteria along with their patterns of antibiotic resistance is critical in the selection of antibiotics in CAPI-patients. This study aimed to define CAPI bacteriology from the positive pleural fluid cultures, determine effective antibiotic regimens and investigate for associations between clinical features and risk for death or antibiotic-resistance, in order to advocate with more invasive techniques in the optimal timing. METHODS: We examined 158 patients with culture positive, CAPI collected both retrospectively (2012-2013) and prospectively (2014-2018). Culture-positive, CAPI patients hospitalized in six tertiary hospitals in Greece were prospectively recruited (N=113). Bacteriological data from retrospectively detected patients were also used (N=45). Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify clinical features related to mortality, presence of certain bacteria and antibiotic resistance. RESULTS: Streptococci, especially the non-pneumococcal ones, were the most common bacteria among the isolates, which were mostly sensitive to commonly used antibiotic combinations. RAPID score (i.e., clinical score for the stratification of mortality risk in patients with pleural infection; parameters: renal, age, purulence, infection source, and dietary factors), diabetes and CRP were independent predictors of mortality while several patient co-morbidities (e.g., diabetes, malignancy, chronic renal failure, etc.) were related to the presence of certain bacteria or antibiotic resistance. CONCLUSIONS: The dominance of streptococci among pleural fluid isolates from culture-positive, CAPI patients was demonstrated. Common antibiotic regimens were found highly effective in CAPI treatment. The predictive strength of RAPID score for CAPI mortality was confirmed while additional risk factors for mortality and antibiotic resistance were detected.

Risk Factors and Outcomes of Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection Before and After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation.

Objectives: Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) emerge as a major healthcare concern worldwide. Despite the significance of infections before and after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), the burden of KP infections has not been extensively evaluated. Methods: We studied the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of consecutive alloHCT recipients with Kp isolates before and after alloHCT. Results: Among 424 patients who underwent alloHCT in 2008-2018, we studied two groups: those with Kp isolates before (group 1, 52 patients) and those with Kp isolates after alloHCT (group 2, 66 patients). prE-transplant infections were associated with post-transplant infections (p = 0.010), despite secondary prophylaxis. KPC-Kp was isolated in 29% of group 1, and 80% of group 2. Both groups were characterized by a significant burden of moderate-severe acute graft- vs.-host disease (GVHD) [cumulative incidence (CI) of 44.5 and 61.9%, respectively] and severe chronic (CI of 56.7 and 61.9%). Kp infections and GVHD were independent predictive factors of treatment-related mortality (TRM) in both groups. Conclusions: Our study highlights the significant impact of Kp infections on TRM, with GVHD consisting an important underlying factor. As prophylactic measures did not improve rates of post-transplant infections, innovative interventions need to be further investigated to address this major healthcare concern.