Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(2):87-92

Comparative study of the susceptibility to daptomycin and other antimicrobials against Staphylococcus spp. resistant to methicillin and Enterococcus spp. using Wider, E-test, and microdilution methods

J. L. GÓMEZ-GARCÉS, F. LÓPEZ-FABAL, A. BURILLO, Y. GIL 

 

The human and material costs of inappropriate antimicrobial therapy are high. This study was designed to search for a rapid, simple and effective antimicrobial susceptibility test capable of identifying the best treatment strategy against microorganisms causing hospital infections showing resistance or reduced susceptibility to the more traditional antibiotics. The tests compared were the E-test, an automated test (Wider) and broth microdilution (as the reference test), to determine the susceptibility to vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid and daptomycin of clinical isolates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), methicillin resistant coagulase negative Staphylococcus spp. and Enterococccus spp. The E-test and Wider methods showed good agreement with the reference method indicating their reliability for routine susceptibility testing of staphylococci and enterococci against vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid and daptomycin. Notwithstanding, when faced with a serious enterococcal infection, the MIC of daptomycin should be more accurately determined using a reference technique such as broth microdilution.

 

 
Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(2):87-92 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(4):206-209

Rapid identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from broth cultures by immunochromatographic assay   

P. GARCÍA-MARTOS, L. GARCÍA-AGUDO, M. J. RODRÍGUEZ-JIMÉNEZ, M. RODRÍGUEZ-IGLESIAS    

 

Background: Recently, a simple and rapid commercial assay (BD MGIT TBc ID) has been developed using a monoclonal antibody anti-MPT64 for the differentiation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from other mycobacteria by immunochromatography.

Methods: We evaluate in this work the clinical usefulness of the test for the identification of 51 strains of M. tuberculosis complex and 24 strains of other mycobacteria belonging to 14 different species, compared with the method of hybridization with DNA probes.

Results: Immunochromatographic method performance was excellent, with sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 98, 100, 96.1, and 98.7%, respectively.

Conclusions: These results indicate that immunochromatographic assay can be safely used for rapid identification of M. tuberculosis complex in combination with culture in liquid media. The test is extremely simple, provides results in just 15 minutes, requires no complex equipment or specialized personnel and may be a good alternative to molecular methods, especially in small laboratories.    

 
Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(4):206-209 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(2):93-99

Epidemiology and clinical presentation of Panton-Valentin leukocidin positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

N. COBOS-TRIGUEROS, C. PITART, F. MARCO, J. A. MARTÍNEZ, M. ALMELA, J. LÓPEZ, M. ORTEGA, A. SORIANO, J. MENSA 

 

Introduction: the aim of our study was to review the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of infections due to Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (PVL-MRSA).
Material and methods: Medical history of patients infected by MRSA-PVL admitted to our hospital from January 2007 to July 2009 was reviewed. PVL and the type of cromosomic cassette were determined in all strains by PCR.
Results: A total of 37 cases were included. Seventy percent were males and the median age was 39 years. Sixtytwo percent were Spanish, 14 (37.8%) were HIV-positive and 11 (29.7%) were homosexual. The source of the infection was the skin and soft tissue in 36 cases and pneumonia in 1. Sixteen patients were hospitalized, 5 had bacteremia and 5 developed septic metastasis. The relapse rate was 24% (9 cases). The prevalence during the study period was 11.2% of all MRSA isolated (37 out of 329). All the strains had a cromosomic cassette type IV and were susceptible to cotrimoxazole, rifampin, vancomyin, daptomycin and linezolid. The MIC of vancomycin, measured by E-test, was ≥1.5 mg/L in 28 out of 34 cases (82.3%).
Conclusions: Eleven percent of the MRSA strains isolated in our hospital are PVL positive. In general, skin and soft tissue infections are the most common and bacteremia or septic metastasis are frequent. In contrast to previous Spanish studies, more cases are observed in patients born in Spain and the infections are more severe.

 
Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(2):93-99 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(2):103-108

A combination of tigecycline, colistin, and meropenem against multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia in a renal transplant recipient: pharmacodynamic and microbiological aspects  

F.J. CANDEL, N. CALVO, J. HEAD, A. SÁNCHEZ, M. MATESANZ, E. CULEBRAS, A. BARRIENTOS, J. PICAZO 

 

Acinetobacter baumannii are emerging as the causal agents of healthcare-associated infections. We describe a renal transplant recipient who developed bacteremia caused by multiresistant A. baumannii, which received a combination of tigecycline, colistin, and meropenem in continuous infusion. The clinical outcome was favorable. In this article we made a molecular study of this multiresistant strain. Our analysis reveals the presence of a bla-OXA-72 gene, a class D of oxacillinase belonging to bla-OXA-40-like group, which constitutes the most disseminated familiy of carbapenemases in Spain. Thus, we found different susceptibility patterns of A. baumannii when we used different Mueller-Hinton agars with different manganese concentrations. Lastly, we explain the combination of these three antibiotics administered to increase microbiologic and pharmacodynamic yield.

 
Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(2):103-108 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(3):109-114

Treatment of human infections caused by Bartonella spp. 

L. PÉREZ-MARTÍNEZ, J. R. BLANCO, J. A. OTEO 

 

Infections by Bartonella spp. include a wide spectrum of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.There is not a universal therapy for this infection, therefore treatment should be chosen individually. The aim of this review is to update the therapeutics aspects of this kind of infections.

 
Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(3):109-114 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(3):115-121

Endotoxin adsortion as adjuvant therapy in gramnegative severe sepsis 

F.J. CANDEL, F. MARTÍNEZ-SAGASTI, M. BORGES, E. MASEDA, M. HERRERA-GUTIÉRREZ, J. GARNACHO-MONTERO, F.J. MAYNAR, R. ZARAGOZA, J. MENSA, J.R. AZANZA 

 

The mortality rate of severe sepsis and septic shock remains still high. Within the last years a better knowledge of its physiopathology and the implementation of a group of measures addressed to a fast identification and early treatment of the septic patients have proved to reduce mortality rate. Likewise, it continues being investigated in modulating the inflammatory response and limiting the harmful action of the bacterial products on the immune system. As a result of this research some endotoxin adsorber devices have been designed to control one of the most important targets that start the inflammatory cascade when gramnegative microorganisms are involved.The usefulness that these endotoxin removal devices might have as adjuvant treatment in the Septic Syndrome and its applicability are reviewed in this paper. Likewise a profile of patient that might be to the benefit of this therapy is suggested according to the current knowledge.  

 
Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(3):115-121 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(1):4-11

Nonantimicrobial effects of tetracyclines

L. GARCÍA-ÁLVAREZ, J. A. OTEO

 

Tetracyclines are a family of antibiotics very common in clinical practice that have been used in not infectious affections. One of their most studied actions is their ability to inhibit matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a group of proteinases that have been implicated in pathological processes as oncogenesis and inflammation. Tetracyclines have been shown to play an important role in malignant angiogenesis and cancer invasion, which is related with tumor aggressiveness and metastatic potential. They also show anti-inflammatory activity in neurological, respiratory, bone and heart diseases, and in rheumatologic and dermatologic processes. The aim of this review is to make an updating about the non antimicrobial actions of tetracyclines, specially their therapeutic applications in different diseases.

 
Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(1):4-11 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(3):122-125

Antifungal activity of posaconazole against Candida spp. and non-Candida clinical yeasts isolates 

A. J. CARRILLO-MUÑOZ, C. TUR-TUR, J. M. HERNÁNDEZ-MOLINA, G. QUINDÓS, C. MARCOS-ARIAS, E. ERASO, D. CÁRDENES, O. ORTIZ-MAESTRO, P. SANTOS, D. ESTIVILL, C. GUARDIA, G. GIUSIANO 

 

The in vitro antifungal activity of posaconazole was tested against 315 yeast clinical isolates and 11 ATCC reference strains by means an agar diffusion method (Neosensitabs, Rosco,Denmark) based in CLSI M44-A2 document. Posaconazole activity was excellent against Cryptococcus and Rhodotorula species studied and showed very good activity against most species of Candida tested. A total of 13 clinical isolates (4.1%) were resistant: Candida albicans (n=5), Candida glabrata (n=5), Candida tropicalis (n=1), Geotrichum australiensis (n=1) and Geotrichum capitatum (n=1). Our results suggest posaconazole is an effective antifungal agent against the most clinically important yeasts species (92.7% of susceptibility). Agar diffusion method provides good conditions for the posaconazole susceptibility study in the routine laboratory.  

 
Rev Esp Quimioter 2010:23(3):122-125 [pdf]