scholarly journals Low prevalence of bloodstream infection and high blood culture contamination rates in patients with COVID-19

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0242533
Author(s):  
David Yu ◽  
Karolina Ininbergs ◽  
Karolina Hedman ◽  
Christian G. Giske ◽  
Kristoffer Strålin ◽  
...  

Purpose In the management of COVID-19, knowledge is lacking on the frequency of secondary bacterial infections and on how empirical antibiotic therapy should be used. In the present study, we aimed to compare blood culture (BC) results of a COVID-19 patient cohort with two cohorts of patients without detected COVID-19. Methods Using a retrospective cohort study design of patients subjected to BC in six tertiary care hospitals, SARS-CoV-2 positive patients from March 1 to April 30 in 2020 (COVID-19 group) were compared to patients without confirmed SARS-CoV-2 during the same period (control group-2020) and with patients sampled March 1 to April 30 in 2019 (control group-2019). The outcomes studied were proportion of BC positivity, clinically relevant growth, and contaminant growth. Results In total 15,103 patients and 17,865 BC episodes were studied. Clinically relevant growth was detected in 197/3,027 (6.5%) BC episodes in the COVID-19 group compared to 717/6,663 (10.8%) in control group-2020 (p<0.0001) and 850/8,175 (10.4%) in control group-2019 (p<0.0001). Contamination was present in 255/3,027 (8.4%) BC episodes in the COVID-19 group compared to 330/6,663 (5.0%) in control group-2020 (p<0.0001) and 354/8,175 (4.3%) in control group-2019 (p<0.0001). Conclusion In COVID-19 patients, the prevalence of bloodstream bacterial infection is low and the contamination rate of BC is high. This knowledge should influence guidelines regarding blood culture sampling and empirical antibiotic therapy in COVID-19 patients.

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Makeda Semret ◽  
Workeabeba Abebe ◽  
Ling Yuan Kong ◽  
Tinsae Alemayehu ◽  
Temesgen Beyene ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Hospital-associated infection (HAI) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are major health threats in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Because diagnostic capacity is lacking throughout most of Africa, patients are commonly managed with prolonged empirical antibiotic therapy. Our goal was to assess mortality in relation to HAI and empirical therapy in Ethiopia’s largest referral hospital. Methods Cohort study of patients with suspected HAI at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital from October 2016 to October 2018. Blood culture testing was performed on an automated platform. Primary outcomes were proportion of patients with bloodstream infection (BSI), antibiotic resistance patterns and 14 day mortality. We also assessed days of therapy (DOT) pre- and post-blood culture testing. Results Of 978 enrolled patients, 777 had blood culture testing; 237 (30%) had a BSI. Enterobacteriaceae were isolated in 49%; 81% of these were cephalosporin resistant and 23% were also carbapenem resistant. Mortality at 14 days was 31% and 21% in those with and without BSI, respectively. Ceftriaxone resistance was strongly correlated with mortality. Patients with BSI had longer DOT pre-blood culture testing compared with those without BSI (median DOT 12 versus 3 days, respectively, P &lt; 0.0001). After testing, DOT were comparable between the two groups (20 versus 18 days, respectively). Conclusions BSI are frequent and fatal among patients with suspected HAI in Ethiopia. Highly resistant blood isolates are alarmingly common. This study provides evidence that investing in systematic blood culture testing in LMICs identifies patients at highest risk of death and that empirical management is frequently inappropriate. Major investments in laboratory development are critical to achieve better outcomes.


2018 ◽  
pp. 161-168
Author(s):  
Abdullah Jibawi ◽  
Mohamed Baguneid ◽  
Arnab Bhowmick

Sepsis is very common; however, goal–directed therapy significantly helps to reduce mortality rate following septic shock. Sepsis Six should be delivered within one hour of initial diagnosis of sepsis. The sepsis resuscitation and management bundle includes delivery of high flow O2, blood culture, measurement of lactate, empirical antibiotic therapy, and IV fluid resuscitation and renal support.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 145-150
Author(s):  
Claire Duployez ◽  
Frédéric Wallet ◽  
Henri Migaud ◽  
Eric Senneville ◽  
Caroline Loiez

Abstract. Introduction: A post-operative empirical antibiotic therapy (PEAT) is required in periprosthetic joint infections. It commonly uses broad-spectrum antibiotics to cover most Gram-positive cocci and Gram-negative bacilli. It is currently continued until first microbiological results are available, no less than five days later.Methods: We performed a retrospective study in order to evaluate duration of incubation required for surgical samples using the BacT/Alert® Virtuo blood culture bottles system.Results: Among 216 surgical interventions and 199 clinical strains (53.8% staphylococci, 22,1% streptococci and enterococci, 14,6% Gram-negative bacilli, 5,5% anaerobes), 90.5% of the strains were detected between day 0 and day 2; 15 infective strains are cultured from day 3 including 8 Cutibacterium sp., 4 staphylococci, 2 streptococci and 1 Enterococcus.Conclusions: We suggest that the duration of PEAT in patients operated for a periprosthetic joint infection may be shortened to three days as Gram-negative rods are unlikely to grow after three days of culture by using BacT/Alert® Virtuo blood culture bottles. This is likely to shorten the overall length of hospital stay, to diminish the occurrence of adverse side effects, and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. However, coverage of Gram-positive cocci should be maintained for 14 days until the definite culture results are available.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Weston ◽  
Fathima Jahufar ◽  
Nikhil Sharma ◽  
Christopher Su ◽  
Eran Bellin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Appropriate therapy for carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) bloodstream infection (BSI) is often given late in the course of infection, and strategies for identifying CRKP BSI earlier are needed. Methods A retrospective case–control study was performed at a tertiary care hospital, university hospital, and community hospital in Bronx, New York. All participants had a blood culture sent and received an antibiotic within 48 hours of the culture. The case group (n = 163) had a blood culture with CRKP. The control group (n = 178) had a blood culture with carbapenem-susceptible Klebsiella. Data were obtained by electronic or conventional medical record abstraction. A multiple logistic regression model was built to identify associated factors and develop a clinical model for CRKP BSI. Model performance characteristics were estimated using a 10-fold cross-validation analysis. Results A prior nonblood culture with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, skilled nursing facility (SNF) residence, mechanical ventilation, and admission &gt;3 days were strongly associated risk factors. A significant interaction led to development of separate clinical models for subjects admitted &lt;3 days at the time of positive blood culture from those admitted at least 3 days. The derived models had a good ability to discriminate between subjects with and without CRKP BSI. A clinical classification rule to guide therapy can prioritize sensitivity or specificity. Conclusions Prior nonblood cultures showing resistance and exposure to SNF and health care settings are factors associated with carbapenem resistance. The clinical classification rules derived in this work should be validated for ability to guide therapy.


2013 ◽  
pp. 209-214
Author(s):  
Manuel Tufoni ◽  
Alessandra Tovoli ◽  
Caterina Maggioli ◽  
Lucia Napoli ◽  
Carmen Serena Ricci ◽  
...  

Bacterial infections are a major problem in the management of liver cirrhosis. They represent the first precipitating cause of death since patients with cirrhosis carry an increased risk of sepsis, sepsis-induced organ failure and death. Although the clinical presentation is often misleading, the presence of bacterial infection should always be actively searched and ruled out with certainty whenever a cirrhotic patient is admitted to the hospital with an acute clinical deterioration. Major changes in the epidemiology of bacterial infections have also occurred in the last decade making the choice of empirical antibiotic therapy a challenge. We report a paradigmatic case of a 54-year old man with hepatitis C-related cirrhosis admitted to the hospital for worsening of his ascites and onset of hepatic encephalopathy, an excellent example for the difficulties of management of sepsis in cirrhosis and the limits of current knowledge.


1999 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
MJ Alfa ◽  
GKM Harding ◽  
AR Ronald ◽  
RB Light ◽  
N MacFarlane ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVE: To monitor prospectively patients withClostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CAD) in a six hundred bed tertiary care hospital to determine which factors influenced the recurrence of the diarrhea.DESIGN: A prospective, nonrandomized study. After an initial diagnosis of CAD, patients were interviewed, and each week stool samples and environmental samples were monitored for the presence of toxigenicC difficilefor as long as the patients remained in hospital. The relationship of concurrent antibiotics, prolonged fecal excretion of organism or toxin, and environmental contamination was assessed.PATIENTS: Over a two-and-a-half year period, 75 consecutive patients with CAD were selected and those who gave their written informed consent were enrolled. A control group to evaluate environmental contamination consisted of 75 patients with diarrhea not associated withC difficile.RESULTS: Of the 75 CAD patients, 11 (14.7%) had a recurrence of their diarrhea. Diarrhea recurrence was associated with an increased rate of prolonged excretion of toxigenic organism and/orC difficiletoxin(s) (nine of 11 [81.8%] compared with nine of 64 [14.1%]; P≤0.0001; relative risk 14.25; 95% CI 3.383 to 60.023). The risk of diarrhea recurrence was not related to a specific antibiotic but to concurrent therapy. Treatment within 30 days of initial CAD-specific treatment with an antibiotic other than metronidazole or vancomycin occurred significantly more frequently in patients with recurrence of diarrhea compared with those who did not have a recurrence (eight of 11 [72.7%] compared with 22 of 64 [34.4%], P=0.022; relative risk 4; 95% CI 1.153 to 13.881). The environmental contamination rate for toxigenicC difficilein week one in the rooms of patients with diarrhea not caused byC difficilewas low (two of 75 [2.6%]) compared with week one data for patients with CAD (14 of 75 [18.7%], P=0.002; relative risk 1.922; 95% CI 1.479 to 2.498). The most frequent site contaminated was the bedpan sprayer (eight of 14 [57.1%]). Pulsed field gel electrophoresis analysis of stool and environmental toxigenic isolates indicated that there was not a single endemic strain ofC difficile.CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the recurrence of diarrhea may be related to concurrent ‘other’ antibiotics. Although data indicated that there was a correlation between diarrhea recurrence and prolonged fecal excretion of toxin, further studies are required to clarify the clinical significance.


Author(s):  
Vinitha Alex ◽  
Trusha Nana ◽  
Vindana Chibabhai

Abstract Background: Community-onset bloodstream infection (CO-BSI) is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Knowledge of locally prevalent pathogens and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns can promptly guide appropriate empiric therapy and improve outcomes. Objectives: We sought to determine the epidemiology of CO-BSI, the blood culture positivity rate and the contamination rate. We also sought to establish appropriateness of current empiric antimicrobial therapy practices. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed blood cultures taken from January 2015 to December 2019 at the emergency departments (EDs) of a tertiary-care academic hospital in South Africa using extracted laboratory data. Results: The overall positivity rate of blood cultures taken at the EDs was 15% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.15–0.16) and the contamination rate was 7% (95% CI, 0.06–0.07). Gram-positive bacteria predominated in the pediatric cohort: neonates, 52 (54%) of 96; infants, 57 (52%) of 109; older children, 63 (61%) of 103. Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant pathogen among older children: 30 (35%) of 85. Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen isolated among adults and the elderly: 225 (21%) of 1,060 and 62 (29%) of 214, respectively. Among neonates, the susceptibility of E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae to the combination of ampicillin and gentamicin was 17 (68%) of 25. Among adults, the susceptibility of the 5 most common pathogens to amoxicillin-clavulanate was 426 (78%) of 546 and their susceptibility to ceftriaxone was 481 (85%) of 565 (P = .20). The prevalence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus, extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales were low among all age groups. Conclusions: Review of blood culture collection techniques is warranted to reduce the contamination rate. High rates of resistance to currently prescribed empiric antimicrobial agents for CO-BSI warrants a re-evaluation of local guidelines.


2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Walker

Procalcitonin is a promising biomarker for antibiotic therapy because its levels rise and fall quickly with bacterial infections. A multi-database literature search was reviewed with 3 primary prospective randomized control trials used in further analysis. The results indicated that a procalcitonin-guided antibiotic protocol reduces the number of days a patient has to take antibiotics while having no effect on mortality when compared with control groups. Short-term studies did not show a difference in the intensive care unit length of stay, infection relapse rate, super-infection rate, or multidrug-resistant bacteria rate between the procalcitonin-protocol and control group. Because procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy has been shown to reduce the duration of treatment with antibiotics in critically ill patients without worsening the mortality rate or other outcomes, the implementation of a procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy should be considered for patients with proven or highly suspected bacterial infections in the intensive care unit.


2002 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 397-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara W. Trautner ◽  
Jill E. Clarridge ◽  
Rabih O. Darouiche

Objective:Skin preparation is an important factor in reducing the rate of blood culture contamination. We assessed blood culture contamination rates associated with the use of skin antisepsis kits containing either 2% alcoholic chlorhexidine gluconate or 2% alcoholic tincture of iodine.Design:Prospective, blinded clinical trial.Setting:Tertiary-care teaching hospital.Patients:Adult patients in medical wards, the medical intensive care unit, and the cardiac intensive care unit who needed paired, percutaneous blood cultures.Interventions:House officers, medical students, and healthcare technicians drew the blood for cultures. We prepared sacks containing all of the necessary supplies, including two different types of antiseptic kits. In each sack, one kit contained 2% chlorhexidine in 70% isopropyl alcohol and the other contained 2% tincture of iodine in ethyl alcohol and 70% isopropyl alcohol. Each patient received chlorhexidine at one site and tincture of iodine at the other.Results:Four (0.9%) of 430 blood culture sets from 215 patients were contaminated. The contamination rate when using alcohol and chlorhexidine (1 of 215, 0.5%) did not differ significantly from the contamination rate when using tincture of iodine (3 of 215,1.4%;P= .62, McNemar test). There was an 87% probability that the two interventions differed by less than 2% in their rate of contamination.Conclusions:Both of these antiseptic kits were highly effective for skin preparation prior to drawing blood for cultures. The use of these kits may have contributed to the low contamination rate observed in this study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S630-S630
Author(s):  
Leora Boussi ◽  
Tarun Popli ◽  
Nicholas Feola ◽  
Rajat Nog

Abstract Background Procalcitonin (PCT) is a serum biomarker used to diagnose bacterial infections and guide antibiotic therapy. Many studies highlight its high sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value for bacteremia. PCT &gt; 2ng/mL has been reported to be strongly indicative of systemic bacterial infection, with values of .5-2ng/mL suggesting localized infection and &lt; .5ng/mL strongly suggesting absence of infection. However, emerging reports have raised concerns about PCT in bacteremia, demonstrating low sensitivity. Few studies have characterized patients with bacteremia and low PCT. We aimed to analyze the clinical and microbiological characteristics of patients with bacteremia and PCT &lt; 2ng/mL. Methods Adult patients admitted at Westchester Medical Center with bacteremia and associated PCT level within 24 hours (hrs) prior to 48 hrs post blood culture collection from 1/1/2014-9/30/2019 were included. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and microbiological data were retrospectively collected and analyzed. Results There were 414 total cases of bacteremia with an associated PCT level within 24 hrs prior to 48 hrs post blood culture collection. 209 of 414 (50.5%) patients had PCT &lt; 2ng/mL. Of these, 86 were excluded (73 contaminants, defined as bacteremia not causing systemic inflammation and not treated, 10 fungal cultures, and 3 lacking data). Of the remaining 123 (37.5%) patients with PCT &lt; 2ng/mL, 66 (53.7%) had PCT&lt;. 5ng/mL. The leading infection source was endovascular/line-related at 31.7%, followed by intraabdominal/gastrointestinal and urinary. 30.9% of bloodstream organisms were gram negative. Among these 123 patients with PCT &lt; 2ng/mL, in-hospital mortality with bacteremia clinically contributing to death was 13%. Characteristics of patients with bacteremia and procalcitonin &lt; 2ng/mL Conclusion Despite literature supporting the use of PCT algorithms in initiation and de-escalation of antibiotics in patients with suspected bacterial infections, a substantial percentage of bacteremic patients can have low PCT but significant infection-related mortality. Therefore, PCT should not be the only factor utilized by clinicians in the management of such patients, including initiating or deescalating antibiotics. Further studies are needed to characterize patient characteristics as contributing factors for bacteremia with low PCT. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


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