Bacteremia due to Leuconostoc species: A 13-year single-center case series

INTRODUCTION

Leuconostoc spp. are facultatively anaerobic Gram-positive cocci involved in cases of hospital-acquired bacteremia, mainly in immunocompromised hosts. The available data is scarce due to its uncommon presentation.

METHODS

We describe all the episodes of Leuconostoc spp. bacteremia in a third level hospital in a 13-year period (2008-2021).

RESULTS

Four cases of clinically relevant bacteremia were detected. All cases were categorized as catheter-related. The following risk factors were found: previous glycopeptide therapy (75%), use of parenteral nutrition (100%) and cancer (75%). All isolates showed susceptibility to beta-lactams. Catheter removal was performed and wide spectrum antimicrobials were administered, with clinical response in all cases except one.

DISCUSSION

Apart from cancer and glycopeptide exposure, disruption of skin barrier and gastrointestinal conditions were identified as risk factors, as it was concordantly underlined in other case series. Susceptibility to beta-lactams is usually maintained. Catheter removal and administration of an active antibacterial therapy seem to be the best approach for Leuconostoc spp. catheter-related bacteremia.

Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for the treatment of immunocompromised adult patients with early-stage symptomatic COVID-19: A real-life experience

Regardless of vaccination status, progression to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still a relevant cause of morbidity among immunocompromised patients. Despite the proven efficacy of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (NMV/r), concerns remain regarding the potential for drug-to-drug interactions (DDIs) and the safety in this at-risk population. We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of immunocompromised patients treated with NMV/r, as well as the occurrence of DDIs and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). This retrospective observational study included all the patients with some form of immunosuppression and laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 that received NMV/r at our center from April to August 2022. The main outcome was worsening of the clinical status (increase of ≥1 point from baseline in a validated clinical progression scale) by Days +7 and +28 after the initiation of therapy. Safety outcomes included the rates of any TEAE and potentially severe DDIs. We included 110 patients. Main causes of immunosuppression were hematological malignancy (58.2%) (mainly multiple myeloma [22.7%] and non-Hodgkin lymphoma [13.6%]), active chemotherapy (30.0%) and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (14.5%). Clinical worsening by Days +7 and +28 was observed in four (3.6%) and five patients (4.5%), respectively. Only one patient had a positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction test at Day +28. At least one potentially severe DDI was observed in 56.4% of the patients. The rate of attributable TEAEs was 10.9%, although only two patients (1.8%) required premature discontinuation of NMV/r. Early initiation of NMV/r therapy should be considered in immunocompromised patients with COVID-19, with particular attention to interacting medications.

Influenza A-Associated In-Hospital Mortality in Very Older People: Does Inflammation Also Play a Role?

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to analyze the clinical manifestations and outcome of the oldest old (people aged ≥85 years) who were admitted to the hospital with a confirmed influenza A virus infection in comparison with younger patients and to assess the role of inflammation in the outcome of influenza infection in this population.

METHODS

This is an observational prospective study including all adult patients with influenza A virus infection hospitalized in a tertiary teaching hospital in Madrid, in 2 consecutive influenza seasons (2016-17 and 2017-18).

RESULTS

Five hundred nine hospitalized patients with influenza A infection were included, of whom 117 (23%) were older than 85 years (median age: 89.3 ± 3.2). We compared the clinical characteristics and outcome with those of the rest of the population (median age: 72.8 ± 15.7). Overall, mortality was higher in older patients (10% vs. 4%; p = 0.03) with no differences in clinical presentation. Patients older than 85 years who ultimately died (12 out of 117) showed increased systemic inflammation expressed by higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin compared to survivors who were discharged (odds ratio [OR] of CRP >20 mg/dL: 5.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-20.57, and OR of ferritin >500 mg: 4.3, 95% CI: 1.04-17.35).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients aged 85 and older with influenza A virus infection presented a higher in-hospital mortality than younger subjects. CRP and ferritin levels were higher in the oldest old who died, suggesting that inflammation could play a key role in the outcome of this subset of patients.

Lack of clinical significance for molecular detection of respiratory viruses in bronchoalveolar lavage samples

The clinical significance of molecular detection of respiratory viruses in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples is poorly defined. We performed an observational retrospective study including all patients who underwent a BAL procedure in our institution, regardless of the reason for bronchoscopy, from January 2015 to December 2018. Respiratory viruses were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction with a commercial multiplex panel, and a cell culture was performed to detect cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus. Positive results were correlated with clinical symptoms and patients' characteristics. Of 540 BAL samples analyzed, 113 (20.9%) were positive for any respiratory virus. Viral detection was significantly associated with respiratory symptoms (83.2% vs. 68.9%, p = .004) and radiological infiltrates (67.3% vs. 52.2%, p = .006). The most frequent viruses detected were rhinovirus (42/113, 37.2%), influenza virus (20/113, 17.7%), and parainfluenza virus (PIV) (16/113, 14.2%). Respiratory pathogens codetections were found in 51/113 (45.1%) BAL samples, including more than one virus (16/51, 31.4%), fungi (8/51, 15.7%), and bacteria (9/51, 17.6%). Viral detection was significantly higher in immunocompromised patients (26.5% vs. 16.9%; p = .022). PIV and human metapneumovirus were mostly observed in lung (50.0%, 8/16) and hemopoietic transplant recipients (25%, 2/8), respectively, with clinical repercussions. Our data underline that molecular diagnosis allows identification of viral agents as the etiology of respiratory infections; however, the high frequency of codetections hinders identification of the agent responsible for the current respiratory symptomatology. Immunocompromised patients are the target population in whom to investigate the presence of respiratory viruses in their BAL samples.