The relative risk of noncervical high-risk human papillomavirus-related (pre)malignancies after recurrent cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3: A population-based study

Women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3) have a long-lasting increased risk for noncervical high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV)-related (pre)malignancies. The aim of our study was to estimate this risk in women with recurrent CIN3 compared to women without a history of CIN3 and women with a single episode of CIN3. Women with a CIN3 diagnosis between 1990 and 2010 were obtained from the Dutch Pathology Registry (PALGA) and matched with a control group of women without CIN3. Analysis has been conducted in a subset of women with recurrent CIN3, defined as reoccurrence minimally 2 years post-treatment. Cases of noncervical hrHPV-related (pre)malignancies of the anus, vulva, vagina and oropharynx were identified until 2015 and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated. Then, 1,797 women with recurrent CIN3 were included with a median age of 34 years (range 18–76) and 31,594 person-years of follow-up. Women with recurrent CIN3 had an increased risk of developing noncervical hrHPV-related (pre)malignancies compared to women without CIN3 with an IRR of 25.96 (95%CI 6.32–106.58). The IRR was 2.48 (95% CI 1.87–3.30) compared to women with a single episode of CIN3. Studies on posttreatment follow-up and prophylactic hrHPV vaccination are warranted.     

Mechanized laundering of mops for floor cleaning can reduce infection transmission through hospital floor

PurposeHospital floors are underappreciated reservoir for microbes; therefore, floor cleaning should warrant reduction of microbial load for decreasing risk of infection transmission and has to be aesthetically acceptable. It was aimed to study the impact of mechanized laundering of floor mops in reducing microbial load compared to manual washing.MethodsAn interventional study was conducted from January to July 2019 in various inpatient areas of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Culture of floor mops were taken after manual washing (pre-intervention) and mechanized laundering(intervention). During intervention, mops were equally divided into two piles, with one pile soaked in sodium hypochlorite for 15–20 min before mechanized laundering and other were put directly for mechanized laundering. Bacterial load in floor mops was observed in each group.ResultsSignificant difference (P Value 0.001) in bacterial load was observed in manually washed (502 cfu/plate) and mechanized laundering (278 cfu/plate) of floor mops. Presoaking of floor mops with sodium hypochlorite (262 cfu/plate) did not show any significant difference (P-value 0.59) in reduction of bacterial load compared to mops which were cleaned using mechanized laundering (294 cfu/plate). The bacterial load of floor mops which were manually washed showed increase in mean value of microbial load from 609 cfu/plate from day one to 4015 cfu/plate on day five.ConclusionMechanized laundering of floor mops standardizes the mop cleaning process and brings down the microbial load significantly compared to manual washing. Disinfection of floor mops before mechanized laundering using sodium hypochlorite did not have significant impact on reduction of microbial load.     

Novel point-of-care biomarker combination tests to differentiate acute bacterial from viral respiratory tract infections to guide antibiotic prescribing: a systematic review

BackgroundAcute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the most common reason to seek medical care, with many patients receiving inappropriate antibiotics. Novel testing approaches to identify aetiology at the point-of-care are required to accurately guide antibiotic treatment.ObjectiveTo assess the diagnostic accuracy of biomarker combinations to rapidly differentiate between acute bacterial or viral RTI aetiology.Data sourcesMEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science databases were searched to February 2021.Study eligibility criteriaDiagnostic accuracy studies comparing accuracy of point-of-care and rapid diagnostic tests in primary or secondary care, consisting of biomarker combinations, to identify bacterial or viral aetiology of RTI.MethodsRisk of bias was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. Sensitivity and specificity of tests reported by more than one study were meta-analysed using a random effects model.ResultsTwenty observational studies (3514 patients) were identified. Eighteen were judged at high risk of bias. For bacterial aetiologies, sensitivity ranged from 61% to 100% and specificity from 18% to 96%. For viral aetiologies, sensitivity ranged from 59% to 97% and specificity from 74% to 100%. Studies evaluating two commercial tests were meta-analysed. For ImmunoXpert, the summary sensitivity and specificity were 85% (95% CI 75%–91%, k = 4) and 86% (95% CI 73%–93%, k = 4) for bacterial infections, and 90% (95% CI 79%–96%, k = 3) and 92% (95% CI 83%–96%, k = 3) for viral infections, respectively. FebriDx had pooled sensitivity and specificity of 84% (95% CI 75%–90%, k = 4) and 93% (95% CI 90%–95%, k = 4) for bacterial infections, and 87% (95% CI 72%–95%; k = 4) and 82% (95% CI 66%–86%, k = 4) for viral infections, respectively.ConclusionCombinations of biomarkers show potential clinical utility in discriminating the aetiology of RTIs. However, the limitations in the evidence base, due to a high proportion of studies with high risk of bias, preclude firm conclusions. Future research should be in primary care and evaluate patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness with experimental study designs.Clinical trialPROSPERO registration number: CRD42020178973.     

Clinical outcomes of initially asymptomatic patients with COVID-19: a Korean nationwide cohort study

BackgroundThis study was performed to compare severe clinical outcome between initially asymptomatic and symptomatic infections and to identify risk factors associated with high patient mortality among initially asymptomatic patients.MethodsIn this retrospective, nationwide cohort study, we included 5621 patients who had been discharged from isolation or died from COVID-19 by 30 April 2020. The mortality rate and admission rate to intensive care unit (ICU) were compared between initially asymptomatic and symptomatic patients. We established a prediction model for patient mortality through risk factor analysis among initially asymptomatic patients.ResultsThe prevalence of initially asymptomatic patients upon admission was 25.8%. The mortality rates were not different between groups (3.3% vs. 4.5%, p = .17). However, initially symptomatic patients were more likely to receive ICU care compared to initially asymptomatic patients (4.1% vs. 1.0%, p < .0001). The age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index score (CCIS) was the most potent predictor for patient mortality in initially asymptomatic patients.Conclusions The mortality risk was not determined by the initial presence of symptom among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The CCIS was the most potent predictors for mortality. The clinicians should predict the risk of death by evaluating age and comorbidities but not the initial presence of symptom.

Key messages

• The mortality rate was not different between initially asymptomatic and symptomatic patients.
• Symptomatic patients were more likely to admitted to the intensive care unit.
• Age and comorbidities were the potent risk factors for mortality.

     

Profile of co-infections & secondary infections in COVID-19 patients at a dedicated COVID-19 facility of a tertiary care Indian hospital: Implication on antimicrobial resistance

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns over secondary infections because it has limited treatment options and empiric antimicrobial treatment poses serious risks of aggravating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Studies have shown that COVID-19 patients are predisposed to develop secondary infections. This study was conducted to ascertain the prevalence and profiles of co- & secondary infections in patients at the COVID-19 facility in North India.MethodsWe studied the profile of pathogens isolated from 290 clinical samples. Bacterial and fungal pathogens were identified, and antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the Vitek2® system. Additionally, respiratory samples were tested for any viral/atypical bacterial co-infections and the presence of AMR genes by FilmArray test. The clinical and outcome data of these patients were also recorded for demographic and outcome measures analyses.ResultsA total of 151 (13%) patients had secondary infections, and most got infected within the first 14 days of hospital admission. Patients aged >50 years developed severe symptoms (p = 0.0004) and/or had a fatal outcome (p = 0.0005). In-hospital mortality was 33%.K.pneumoniae (33.3%) was the predominant pathogen, followed by A. baumannii (27.1%). The overall resistance was up to 84%.Majority of the organisms were multidrug-resistant (MDR) harbouring MDR genes.ConclusionA high rate of secondary infections with resistant pathogens in COVID-19 patients highlights the importance of antimicrobial stewardship programs focussing on supporting the optimal selection of empiric treatment and rapid-de-escalation, based on culture reports.     

颈深部间隙感染的相关危险因素分析

 目的 分析颈深部间隙感染(deep neck space infections,DNSI)的临床特点,探讨DNSI高危因素。方法 回顾性分析2004-01至2017-03广西医科大学第一附属医院耳鼻咽喉头颈外科收治的125例DNSI患者的临床资料,对临床表现、感染间隙、病因、细菌学、高危并发症、治疗方式等进行分析。并对引发患者高危并发症的气道阻塞、肺炎、纵隔炎/脓肿、败血症等相关危险因素进行统计分析。结果 125例中发生高危并发症39例(31.2%);发生高危并发症主要因素为:呼吸困难24例(61.5%),肺炎16例(41.0%),纵隔炎或脓肿11例(28.2%),电解质紊乱5例(12.8%),感染性休克3例(7.6),脓毒血症2例(5.0%)。其余86例无高危并发症。多因素Logistic回归分析显示,伴有糖尿病、累及多间隙感染、全身炎性反应综合征(systemic inflammatory response syndrome,SIRS)是DNSI伴发高危并发症的危险因素。结论 合并糖尿病、累及多间隙、伴有SIRS是导致DNSI高危并发症的危险因素。临床医师应高度重视,并预防和积极处理高危并发症,提高治愈率和降低病死率。     

Evidence for re-infection and persistent carriage of Shigella species in adult males reporting domestically acquired infection in England

ObjectivesWe analysed national surveillance typing data of Shigella isolated from adult males with domestically acquired infection (a cohort largely consisting of men who have sex with men (MSM)) to establish whether multiple isolates from the same individual over time represented persistent carriage or re-infection.MethodsWe carried out a retrospective cohort study of adult males diagnosed with Shigella from 2004 to 2018. Median time intervals between multiple isolations of Shigella flexneri and S. sonnei were compared. Analysis of whole genome sequencing data provided strain discrimination at the single nucleotide level and was used to quantify the genetic distance among isolates. Maximum likelihood phylogenies were constructed to determine whether persistent carriage (characterized by multiple isolations of the same strain) or re-infection (characterized by multiple isolations of different strains) was best supported by the phylogenetic analysis. A comparison analysis was carried out using data linked to adult females with domestically acquired shigellosis.ResultsThe number of men reporting multiple isolations of Shigella species was 165/4733 (3.5%) compared with 31/2423 (1.3%) females (p < 0.001). For isolate pairs from men associated with persistent carriage, the isolation time interval range was 6–176 days (median 23.5; IQR 8–70) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) distance range was 0–7 SNPs (median 0.5; IQR 0–2). For those associated with re-infection, the isolation time interval was 34–2636 days (median 732; IQR 191–1258) and the SNP distance was 10–1462 SNPs (median 120; IQR 29–377).DiscussionMultiple Shigella isolations in individuals with domestically acquired infections was more frequently observed in adult males than in adult females. Following the acute phase of infection, carriage can persist for months, and infection can recur within months, even with strains belonging to the same species and the same serotype. A combination of multiple sexual partners, persistent carriage following the acute phase of infection and evidence of recurrent re-infection is likely to contribute to sustained transmission in this population.