Control of Chagas disease in pregnant Latin-American women and her children  

 

FRANCISCO J MERINO, ROCÍO MARTÍNEZ-RUIZ, ICIAR OLABARRIETA, PALOMA MERINO, SILVIA GARCÍA-BUJALANCE, TERESA GASTAÑAGA, MARÍA FLORES-CHAVEZ, GRUPO DE ESTUDIO DE LA ENFERMEDAD DE CHAGAS DE LA COMUNIDAD DE MADRID             

Chagas disease is a chronic and systemic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. According to estimates from WHO, 10 million people are affected by this parasite. In the last years, birthrate among the immigrant women from Latin America settled in the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid has been increasing, and as T. cruzi can be transmitted from mother to child, in fact 11 cases of congenital Chagas disease have been confirmed. Therefore, the aim of this paper is encouraging improvements in the coverage of the anti-T. cruzi antibodies detection in pregnant women from endemic areas. By this strategy, an active search for infected pregnant women and early detection of her infected newborns could be conducted, and then an early specific treatment could be administrated. Thus, there could be an important contribution to the control of Chagas disease in non-endemic area.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2013:26(3):253-260 [pdf]

Prevalence and risk factors for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in an acute care hospital and long-term care facilities located in the same geographic area                                 
 

M. PILAR BARRUFET, ESTER VENDRELL, LLUIS FORCE, GORETTI SAUCA, SANDRA RODRIGUEZ, ENCARNA MARTINEZ, ELISABET PALOMERA, MATEU SERRA-PRAT,  JOSEP ANTON CAPDEVILA, JORDI CORNUDELLA, ANABEL LLOPIS, M. ASUNCIÓN ROBLEDO, CRISÓSTOMO VAZQUEZ               

To determine the prevalence and risk factors (RF) for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) during stay in 1 acute care hospital (ACH) and 4 long-term care facilities (LTCF). After obtaining the informed consent, nasal and skin ulcer swabs were taken and a survey was conducted to determine RF for MRSA. Six hundred and ninety nine patients were included, 413 LTCF and 286 ACH patients and MRSA prevalence were 22.5% and 7.3% respectively. MRSA was located in the nares, skin ulcers, and in both in 61.4%, 21.1%, and 17.5%. Among MRSA carriers, 81% of the ACH and 66.7% of the LTCF patients were only colonized. The multivariate analysis for the ACH revealed the following factors to be associated with MRSA: referral from an LTCF (OR 4.84), pressure ulcers (OR 4.32), a Barthel score < 60 (OR 2.60), and being male (OR 5.21). For the LTCF: urinary catheterisation (OR 3.53), pressure ulcers (OR 2.44), other skin lesions (OR 2.64), antibiotic treatment in ≤ 6 months, (OR 2.23), previous MRSA colonization (OR 2.15), and a Barthel score <20 (OR 1.28). Molecular typing identified 2 predominant clones Q, P, present in all centres. No relationship was found between clones and antibiotic susceptibility.
In conclusion: MRSA prevalence is high in all centres but is 3 times greater in LTCF. The risk factors most strongly associated with MRSA were pressure ulcers and a stay in an LTCF. We propose preventive isolation in these cases.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2014:27(3):190-195 [pdf]

Immunization practices for workers. Update recommendations

MARÍA CARMEN SÁENZ-GONZÁLEZ, IGNACIO HERNÁNDEZ-GARCÍA             

Introduction. Infectious diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the workplace. Worker vaccination against a number of infectious diseases is considered the most effective strategy of primary prevention to control them.
Sources. A literature review was performed in Medline and websites of Spanish scientific societies were consulted to detect workers vaccination recommendations. The inclusion criteria was that the recommendation had been made from January 2007 to October 2012.
Development. Seventeen papers were selected and websites of the Ministry of Health, Spanish Society of Chemotherapy, Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Hygiene, and Vaccinology Spanish Association provided relevant information to our review. Groups of workers at increased risk of acquiring infectious diseases during their professional activity were determined, and vaccination recommendations were established (vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, pneumococcus, meningococcus, measles, rubella, mumps, chickenpox, influenza, Haemophilus influenzae b, typhoid, polio, tuberculosis and rabies).
Conclusions. Epidemiological changes in recent years, with the re-emergence of some diseases such as whooping cough, measles or mumps, force the exposed workers (especially the health care workers) to check their immune status.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2013:26(4):287-297 [pdf]

EPICO 2.0 PROJECT. Development of educational therapeutic recommendations using the DELPHI technique on invasive candidiasis in critically ill adult patients in special situations                                 
 

RAFAEL ZARAGOZA, RICARD FERRER, EMILIO MASEDA, PEDRO LLINARES, ALEJANDRO RODRIGUEZ ON BEHALF OF THE EPICO PROJECT GROUP               

Introduction. Although there has been an improved management of Invasive Candidiasis in the last decade, still controversial issues remain, especially in different therapeutic critical care scenarios.
Objectives. We sought to identify the core clinical knowledge and to achieve high agreement recommendations required to care for critically ill adult patients with Invasive Candidiasis for antifungal treatment in special situations and different scenarios.
Methods. Second Prospective Spanish survey reaching consensus by the Delphi technique, conducted anonymously by electronic e-mail in the first phase to 23 national multidisciplinary experts in invasive fungal infections from five national scientific societies including Intensivists, Anesthesiologists, Microbiologists, Pharmacologists and Infectious disease specialists, answering 30 questions prepared by a coordination group after a strict review of literature in the last five years. The educational objectives spanned four categories, including peritoneal candidiasis, immunocompromised patients, special situations and organ failures. The agreement among panellists in each item should be higher than 75% to be selected. In a second phase, after extracting recommendations from the selected items, a meeting was heldwith more than 60 specialists in a second round invited to validate the preselectedrecommendations.
Measurements and Main Results. In the first phase, 15 recommendations were preselected (peritoneal candidiasis (3), immunocompromised patients (6), special situations (3) and organ failures (3)). After the second round the following 13 were validated: Peritoneal candidiasis (3): Source control and early adequate antifungal treatment is mandatory; empirical antifungal treatment is recommended in secondary nosocomial peritonitis with Candida spp colonization risk factors and in tertiary peritonitis. Immunocompromised patients (5): Consider hepatotoxicity and interactions before starting antifungal treatment with azoles in transplanted patients; treat candidemia in neutropenic adult patients with antifungal drugs at least 14 days after the first negative blood culture and until normalization of neutrophil count is achieved. Caspofungin, if needed, is the echinocandin with most scientific evidence to treat candidemia in neutropenic adult patients; Caspofungin is also the first choice drug to treat febrile candidemia; in neutropenic patients with candidemia remove catheter. Special situations (2): In moderate hepatocelular failure, patients with invasive candidiasis use echinocandins (preferably low doses of anidulafungin and caspofungin) and try to avoid azoles; in case of possible interactions review all of the drugs involved and preferably use Anidulafungin. Organ failures (3): Echinocandins are the safest antifungal drugs; reconsider the use of azoles in patients under renal replacement therapy; all of the echinocandins are accepted for the treatment of patients under continuous renal replacement therapy and do not require dosage adjustment.
Conclusions. Treatment of Invasive Candidiasis in ICU patients requires a broad range of knowledge and skills as summarized in our recommendations. These recommendations may help to optimize the therapeutic management of these patients in special situations and different scenarios and improve
their outcome based on the DELPHI methodology.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2014:27(3):196-212 [pdf]

Prevention and control of nosocomial and health-care facilities associated infections caused by species of Candida and other yeasts

JAVIER PEMÁN, RAFAEL ZARAGOZA, MIGUEL SALAVERT             

Knowledge of the epidemiology of invasive fungal diseases caused by yeasts (Candida spp., especially) in health care settings allows the establishment of the levels necessary for its prevention. A first step is to identify groups of patients at high risk of nosocomial invasive fungal infections, establish accurate risk factors, observing the periods of greatest risk, and analyze the epidemiological profile in genera and species as well as the patterns of antifungal resistance. Secondly, mechanisms to avoid persistent exposure to potential fungal pathogens must be programed, protecting areas and recommending measures such as the control of the quality of the air and water, inside and outside the hospital, and other products or substances able to cause outbreaks. Finally, apart from the correct implementation of these measures, in selected patients at very high risk, the use of antifungal prophylaxis should be considered following the guidelines published.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2013:26(4):298-311 [pdf]