J. Gigi

An outbreak of Ochrobactrum anthropi bacteraemia in five organ transplant patients

Nosocomial bacteraemia caused by Ochrobactrum anthropi occurred over a 1-month period in five organ transplant recipients, four of whom were in the same renal and pancreatic transplant unit. Bacteraemia occurred with cyclosporin A, azathioprine and steroids, and with a rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (RATG) during the induction phase. RATG appeared to be the only common factor among the five cases. Over the period described, 71.4% of all patients receiving RATG developed O. anthropi bacteraemia. Three patients presented with fever and chills during or shortly after RATG infusion. Analysis of residues of the infusion, and the used vials of RATG, showed the presence of O. anthropi in concentrations of between 20 and 1000 cfu ml-1 in 5.3% of samples. Unused vials were found to be heavily contaminated with either O. anthropi or Microbacterium spp. in 23.5% of samples. All positive vials were of one particular lot number suggesting a malfunction in the manufacturing process. Many parenteral drugs such as the RATG used here do not contain preservatives and, although aseptically prepared, will not withstand thermal sterilization. Bacterial contamination of these small volume medications is not always easily detectable by conventional methods. This outbreak highlights the need for accurate quality control testing to detect small inocula that may occur during or after the manufacturing process.

Listeria infections associated with infliximab: case reports

Infliximab is a human-murine chimeric monoclonal antibody directed against tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Infliximab and other TNF blockers are used to treat inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). TNF blockers are suspected to play a key role in some infections. We report here two cases of Listeria monocytogenes sepsis associated with infliximab treatment for RA. The first patient developed a terminal ileitis and a bacteraemia after three doses of infliximab; the second RA patient presented a bacteraemia associated with a prosthetic joint arthritis of the left hip, both related to Listeria. Those two cases occurred in a population of 518 patients treated with TNF blockers in our hospitals since the year 2000. Those events are of particular interest because of the severity of the infection, because the treatment differs from other infections, and because that, in the rheumatology unit, septic arthritis can mimic RA symptoms. They enhance the likelihood for this drug to increase the risk for infections with germs like Listeria.

Isolation of Brucella melitensis from human sperm.

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Nocardiosis : A rare cause of pleuropulmonary disease in the immunocompromised host

We report a case of acute pleuropulmonary nocardial infection in a 24-year-old woman suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus. In most instances, No-cardia asteroides is an opportunistic pathogen. In our patient, the infection was facilitated by systemic lupus erythematosus and chronic use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs. N. asteroides was cultured from both pleural effusion and blood. No extrathoracic location was found and the patient improved upon intravenous antibiotics and pleural drainage. Owing to the poor tolerance of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, the patient was treated successfully with imipenem. The predisposing factors, the clues to the diagnosis and the therapy of nocardiosis are briefly reviewed.

Imipenem Cilastatin Versus Piperacillin Plus Amikacin As Empiric Therapy in the Treatment of Febrile Episodes in Neutropenic Patients With Hematologic Malignancies

Recently, new beta-lactam antibiotics, such as imipenem/cilastatin (IMP) with an unusually broad antibacterial spectrum and especially an adequate P. aeruginosa activity, have introduced the possibility of using prospective agent as empiric management of febrile granulocytopenic patients. We randomized 83 febrile neutropenic cancer patients for a prospective evaluation of two regimens: IMP versus piperacillin plus amikacin (PA). Both patients groups were similarly distributed with regard to age, sex, primary diagnosis and degree of granulocytopenia. More than 20% of the 74 evaluable patients had bacteraemia. The overall response rate for clinically or microbiologically documented infections was 90% in the IMP regimen versus 76% in the PA regimen, but statistical difference was not achieved. All bacteraemias in the IMP group but only 60% in the PA group were cured, however statistical difference was not achieved. IMP had to be discontinued in only one patient and the most common side effects were nausea and vomiting; no seizures were noted. Nephro- and ototoxicity, skin rash and bleeding have been the major side effects requiring drug discontinuation in 6 patients treated by PA. In conclusion, these data suggest that IMP used alone is safe and as effective as the combination of P plus A for the management of febrile granulocytopenic patients with haematologic malignancies. Further studies on a larger number of patients are needed to confirm these findings.