Lih-Shinn Wang

Different Clinical Characteristics Among Aeromonas hydrophila, Aeromonas veronii biovar sobria and Aeromonas caviae Monomicrobial Bacteremia

This study aimed to compare the clinical presentations of Aeromonas hydrophila, A. veronii biovar sobria and A. caviae monomicrobial bacteremia by a retrospective method at three hospitals in Taiwan during an 8-yr period. There were 87 patients with A. hydrophila bacteremia, 45 with A. veronii biovar sobria bacteremia and 22 with A. caviae bacteremia. Compared with A. hydrophila and A. veronii biovar sobria bacteremia, A. caviae bacteremia was more healthcare-associated (45 vs 30 and 16%; P = 0.031). The patients with A. caviae bacteremias were less likely to have liver cirrhosis (27 vs 62 and 64%; P = 0.007) and severe complications such as shock (9 vs 40 and 47%; P = 0.009) and thrombocytopenia (45 vs 67 and 87%; P = 0.002). The APACHE II score was the most important risk factor of Aeromonas bacteremia-associated mortalities. The APACHE II scores of A. caviae bacteremias were lower than A. hydrophila bacteremia and A. veronii biovar sobria bacteremia (7 vs 14 and 16 points; P = 0.002). In conclusion, the clinical presentation of A. caviae bacteremia was much different from A. hydrophila and A. veronii biovar sobria bacteremia. The severity and mortality of A. caviae bacteremia were lower than A. hydrophila or A. veronii biovar sobria bacteremia.

Intravenous minocycline versus oral doxycycline for the treatment of noncomplicated scrub typhus

BACKGROUND Scrub typhus is an acute febrile disease for which synthetic tetracycline antibiotics are efficacious. However, no clinical studies have compared oral doxycycline with intravenous minocycline for treatment of scrub typhus. METHODS We conducted a retrospective analysis in patients diagnosed with noncomplicated scrub typhus by serologic or molecular methods from August 2001 to July 2007. We compared the efficacy of intravenous minocycline with oral doxycycline for treatment of noncomplicated scrub typhus in these patients. RESULTS Forty seven cases receiving tetracycline antibiotics for the treatment of noncomplicated scrub typhus were included. There was no statistically significant difference for the response rate between the 25 cases receiving intravenous minocycline (96%) and the 22 cases receiving oral doxycycline (91%) (p=0.909). Kaplan-Meier curve with a long-rank test for the time to defervescence showed no statistically significant difference between minocycline therapy (mean 30 hours; range 4-124 hours) and doxycycline therapy (mean 32.4 hours; range 4-144 hours) (p=0.860). After multivariate Cox regression models, the time to defervescence was only affected by Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score (hazard ratio 0.868; p=0.016). Nearly all patients (93.6%) became afebrile within 72 hours after use of tetracycline antibiotics. Prolonged hospitalization (> 7 days) was correlated with the timing to start tetracycline antibiotics after admission. CONCLUSION Both antibiotics have similar efficacy for the treatment of noncomplicated scrub typhus. Nearly all cases responding to both antibiotics became afebrile within 3 days.

Use of a Sampling Area-Adjusted Adenosine Triphosphate Bioluminescence Assay Based on Digital Image Quantification to Assess the Cleanliness of Hospital Surfaces.

Contaminated surfaces play an important role in the transmission of pathogens. We sought to establish a criterion that could indicate “cleanliness” using a sampling area–adjusted adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assay. In the first phase of the study, target surfaces were selected for swab sampling before and after daily cleaning; then, an aerobic colony count (ACC) plate assay of bacteria and antibiotic-resistant bacteria was conducted. ATP swabs were also tested, and the ATP readings were reported as relative light units (RLUs). The results of the ACC and ATP assays were adjusted according to the sampling area. During the second phase of the study, a new cleaning process employing sodium dichloroisocyanurate (NaDCC) was implemented for comparison. Using the criterion of 2.5 colony-forming units (CFU)/cm2, 45% of the sampled sites were successfully cleaned during phase one of the study. During phase two, the pass rates of the surface samples (64%) were significantly improved, except under stringent (5 RLU/cm2) and lax (500 RLU) ATP criteria. Using receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, the best cut-off point for an area-adjusted ATP level was 7.34 RLU/cm2, which corresponded to culture-assay levels of <2.5 CFU/cm2. An area adjustment of the ATP assay improved the degree of correlation with the ACC-assay results from weak to moderate.

Successful Treatment of Two Cases of Invasive Aspergillus Sinusitis With Voriconazole

Abstract Aspergillosis is a spectrum of diseases caused by Aspergillus spp., which is a widespread fungus that produces microscopic spores. Immunocompetent people may breathe in numerous Aspergillus every day, yet experience no symptoms. Invasive Aspergillus is relatively rare. There is limited information about the use of voriconazole for the treatment of invasive Aspergillus sinusitis. Here, we present two cases of invasive Aspergillus in elderly female patients with diabetes mellitus. Both patients fully recovered after treatment using surgical debridement and an antifungal regimen that included voriconazole.