The importance of timely introduction of vancomycin therapy against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia and severity of MRSA bacteremia at Teaching Hospital, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Epidemiology of Staphylococcus aureus Non-Susceptible to Vancomycin in South Asia

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the ESKAPE (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) pathogens among which multidrug resistance has emerged. Resistance to methicillin has resulted in clinicians using the antibiotic of last resort, vancomycin, to treat infections caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). However, excessive use and misuse of vancomycin are major causes of resistance among S. aureus strains. South Asia encompasses ~25% of the world's population, and countries in South Asia are often characterized as low- and middle-income with poor healthcare infrastructure that may contribute to the emergence of antibiotic resistance. Here, we briefly highlight the mechanism of vancomycin resistance, its emergence in S. aureus, and the molecular epidemiology of non-susceptible S. aureus to vancomycin in the South Asian region.

Risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prosthetic joint infection in elective total hip and knee arthroplasty following eradication therapy

Re-screening following methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) decolonization will be helpful to minimize the development of prosthetic joint infection among MRSA colonizers.

Influence of early postoperative showering in undressed surgical wound for better clinical outcome

Surgeons instruct the patients to avoid postoperative bathing and dress the wounds until the sutures are removed. All wounds were sutured at the end of surgery and kept undressed. Participants received a tap water body bath where the water covered the wound after 24h of surgery. The control group were asked not to wet the dressed surgical site until wound inspection on days 3 and 5. The patients were followed up in the surgery clinic on days 14 and 30 after surgery, when age, sex and type of surgery-matched controls' surgical site infection was significantly high in clean/contaminated and contaminated appendicectomy, breast lump excision, inguinal herniotomy and tendon repair surgeries. In contaminated appendicectomy, clean/contaminated and contaminated herniotomies postsurgical infections other than surgical site infection were significantly low in test groups. Early mobilisation, keeping the surgical wounds moist and providing a clean environment are suitable to minimise the surgical wound and other associated infections.

Childhood nosocomial viral acute respiratory tract infections in teaching hospital Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Objectives

We have assessed the risk factors for the occurrence of hospital-acquired (HA) and community-acquired (CA) viral acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) in children. Children (1–60 months) who were having ARTI on admission (CA) and develops ARTI following 48 h after admission or 3 days of discharge (HA) were included. Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) was performed and multivariable analyses were done to determine the risk factors for the development of viral CA and HA-ARTI.

Results

Total of 818 with ARTIs, 226 (27.6%) RSV cases were detected. Out of 226, 86 (38.0%) HA-RSV cases were detected. CA-viral-ARTI was significantly high (p < 0.05). Compared to CA-RSV-ARTI immunodeficiency, seizures, trisomy-21 and congenital heart disease (CHD) were having 2.3, 3.2, 1.8- and 2.2-times risk for acquiring HA-RSV respectively. The number of deaths was significantly high following HA-RSV. The associated burden was significant following HA-RSV and it was 429.77 disability-adjusted life years. Children who are having immunodeficiency, CHD, seizure episodes and trisomy 21 would lead to the acquisition of nosocomial RSV infections in great. Adherence to meticulous infection control practices will be helpful to minimize the HA-viral ARTIs in great.

The emergence of non-albicans candidemia and evaluation of HiChrome Candida differential agar and VITEK2 YST® platform for differentiation of Candida bloodstream isolates in teaching hospital Kandy, Sri Lanka

Background

Candidemia is an emerging hospital-acquired bloodstream infection (BSI). It is common among severely ill and immunocompromised patients. Even following appropriate therapy in candidemia, recent studies reveal relative high mortality (40%). The global incidence of candidemia shows an incline. In Sri Lanka, candida speciation often difficult where basic facilities are less available. We have compared the risk factors, epidemiology, demography, and performance of HiChrome Candida differential agar (HiCA) characteristics with the VITEK2 YST platform for differentiation of Candida albicans (CA) and non-albicans candida (NAC) from blood culture isolate.

Methods

This is a laboratory-based cross-sectional study. Positive aerobic BACTEC blood cultures having yeast were identified using HiCA and VITEK2® platform. Epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical outcomes were compared between CA and NAC bloodstream isolates.

Results

Out of 120 positive yeast samples, VITEK2® has identified 110 (92%) as Candida sp. From that CA-34 (31%) and NAC-76 (69%) were isolated. Candidemia following NCA in neonates (p = 0.02), infants (p = 0.04) and adults (p = 0.02) in ICU and immunocompromised patients were significantly higher. Compared to CA, NAC bacteremia period prevalence (0.00041%) and incidence (0.23 per 100,000-person-years) was significantly high (p = 0.03). NAC 48 (63%) isolates were resistance to azoles. Exposure to antifungals (odds ratio (OR); p = 0.03), prolonged intensive care stay > 14 days (OR-3.3; p = 0.04), having a central venous line for > 8 days (OR-4.3; p = 0.03) and on immunosuppressive treatment (OR-2.4; p = 0.04) was significantly poses risk for NAC candidemia. Sen day mortality was significant among non-albicans cases (p = 0.03) while 30-day mortality was significant among albicans cases (p = 0.04). Compared to VITEK2®, the HiCA method was 93% sensitive and 93% specific in detecting CA.

Conclusion

Compared to CA, candidemia following NAC was high. NAC isolates were having a high percentage of fluconazole and voriconazole resistance. VITEK2 YST® platform provides antifungal susceptibility with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Impact, this would highlight the use of rapid candida identification flat form with MIC to direct appropriate antifungals for candidemia. For that implementation of novel diagnostic facilities like the VITEK2 YST platform at a tertiary care facility is demanding.

Assessment of healthiness among long term inhabiting army soldiers in dry zone of Sri Lanka

OBJECTIVES

Military personnel, because of the unique nature of their duties, are reluctant to face stressors. Living in hot and humid conditions they frequently suffer dehydration. Army soldiers living in dry zone of Sri Lanka, were screened for chronic kidney disease (CKD), common non-communicable diseases and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization. Albumin creatinine ratio > 30 mg/g urine taken as cut-off for detection of CKD.

RESULTS

Screened 417 soldiers, all were men and body mass index were 21.4 ± 2.2 kg/m2. They smoke 0.5 ± 0.1 pack years while consume alcohol 32 ± 3 units/week and were having 100/min average daily moderate physical activity. Eight of them (0.2%) were having essential hypertension, 4 (0.1%) of them were having diabetes mellitus. Blood cholesterol was within normal range. CKD unknown etiology (CKDu) prevalence among screened army soldiers was 0.009. All were from native army recruits. Further, 71.2% had MRSA colonization. In a group of middle aged army recruits, despite tobacco smoking and moderate level of alcohol consumption while continuously having healthy dietary practices with physical activities would leads to low prevalence of communicable diseases. Further, compared to native group of solders, visitors but living long time recruits CKDu incidence is zero.