Rev Esp Quimioter 2015:28(1):39-46

Burden of influenza virus type B and mismatch with the flu vaccine in Spain                                 
 


JOSE Mª EIROS-BOUZA, ALBERTO PÉREZ-RUBIO      
        

 

Introduction. Since the 80s two lineages of type B viruses are co – circulating in the world. Antigenic differences between them are important and it leads to lack of cross-reactivity. The impact on the burden of disease due to influenza B virus, poor foresight in estimating which of the two lineages of B viruses circulate in the season, and the consequent lack of immunity in case of including the wrong strain make that the availability of the quadrivalent vaccine is very useful. The aim of this paper is to analyze the past influenza seasons in Spain to assess the burden of disease, divergence between the vaccine strain and the circulating B and viral characteristics associated with type B in each seasonal epidemic.
Material and methods. Review of all reports issued by the Influenza Surveillance System in Spain since the 2003-2004 season to 2012-2013.
Results. Over the past influenza seasons, although type A was present mostly, circulation of influenza B virus in each season was observed, even being co – dominant in some of them. In a high number of seasons the divergence between the vaccine strain and the circulating strain lineage has been observed
Conclusions. The protective effect of influenza vaccine has varied depending on the type / subtype of influenza virus studied. The vaccine effectiveness against influenza infection by influenza B virus has varied greatly depending on the season analyzed.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2015:28(1):39-46 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2015:28(4):193-199

Safety of influenza vaccines in risk groups: analysis of adverse events following immunization reported in Valencian Community from 2005 to 2011                                 
 

ANA MARÍA ALGUACIL-RAMOS, TERESA Mª GARRIGUES-PELUFO, JULIO MUELAS-TIRADO, ANTONIO PORTERO-ALONSO, JORDI PEREZ-PANADÉS, JAIME FONS-MARTÍNEZ              

Objective. To evaluate reports of adverse events following influenza immunization by sex, risk and age groups in Valencian Community from 2005 to 2011.
Methods. A pharmacoepidemiological descriptive cross-sectional observational study based on the reports of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) against influenza, registered through the Vaccination Information System (SIV) of Valencian Community from 1 January 2005 until 31 December 2011 was done.
Results. During the study period 5,107,790 doses of vaccine against influenza were reported, with an AEFI incidence of 1.94 per 100,000 (95% CI 1.59 to 2.36), and 228,094 doses of vaccine for influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 (96.45 per 100,000, 95%CI 84.52-110.06). The 70.71% (70) and 64.55% (142), respectively, of AEFI were in women. The healthcare workers group had a higher reporting rate for seasonal influenza (25.35 per 100,000; 95%CI: 17.65-36.40) and for influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 (864.13 per 100,000; 95%CI 714.38-1044.93) during the study period.
Conclusions. Vaccines against influenza administered during the study had a high safety profile in both populations with disease risk and other susceptible target groups of vaccination. Adverse reactions reported during the study mostly coincide with those described in the summary of product characteristics of vaccines.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2015:28(4):193-199 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2015:28(Suppl. 1):48-51

Therapeutic update in hepatitis C     

                        
MARÍA JOSÉ DEVESA, FRANCISCA CUENCA, SONIA IZQUIERDO, PILAR SÁNCHEZ-POBRE, JOSÉ MARÍA LADERO, GUSTAVO LÓPEZ-ALONSO, MANUEL DÍAZ-RUBIO, ENRIQUE REY              

Hepatitis C virus infection is a major health burden affecting 130-170 million people worldwide. Approximately 10-30% of those with chronic hepatitis C will progress to cirrhosis over 20-30 years. The development of new direct-acting antivirals has changed the management of the disease, allowing efficacious Interferon-free therapies superior to prior treatment regimens with minimal side effects, even in some subgroups previously thought to be difficult to cure such as cirrhotic patients.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2015:28(Suppl. 1):48-51 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2015:28(6):317-321

Measurement of antimicrobial consumption using DDD per 100 bed-days versus DDD per 100 discharges after the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program     

                        
ROBERTO COLLADO, JUAN EMILIO LOSA, ELENA ALBA, ÁLVARO PIEDAD TORO, LEONOR MORENO, MONTSERRAT PÉREZ              

Introduction.  Monitoring antimicrobial consumption in hospitals is a necessary measure. The indicators commonly employed do not clearly reflect the antibiotic selection pressure. The objective of this study is to evaluate two different methods that analyze antimicrobial consumption based on DDD, per stay and per discharge, before and after the implementation an antimicrobial stewardship program.
Material and methods. Comparative pre-post study of antimicrobial consumption  with the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship program using DDD per 100 bed-days and DDD per 100 discharges as indicators.
Results. Hospital bed days remained stable and discharges increased slightly along the period of study Antibiotic consumption in DDD per 100 bed-days decreased by 2.5% versus 3.8% when expressed as DDD per 100 discharges. Antifungal consumption decreased by more than 50%.
Conclusions. When average hospital stay decreases, reductions in the consumption of antimicrobials with an antimicrobial stewardship program system occur at the expense of reducing the number of patients receiving treatment, while increases occur due to longer durations of treatment.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2015;28(6):317-321 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2016, 29(3):130-145

A systematic review of randomized clinical trials published in Malaria Journal between 2008 and 2013  

                    
ELENA MARTÍNEZ-ALONSO, JOSÉ MANUEL RAMOS             

Background. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) are a key component in clinical research and they provide the highest quality clinical results. The objective of this study was to describe the main characteristics of RCTs published in Malaria Journal, including research topics, study population and design, funding sources and collaboration between institutions. This may help researchers and funders define future research priorities in this field.
Methods. A retrospective analysis was performed on the RCTs published in Malaria Journal between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2013. A key-word search by “Randomized controlled trial” or “Random*” was carried out in PubMed. RCT indexed to MEDLINE were selected for the analysis.
Results. A total of 108 published articles containing RCTs were analysed. Treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria (n=45, 41.6%), especially the efficacy and safety of antimalarial drugs, and malaria prevention (n=34, 31.5%) were the two main research topics. The majority of trials were conducted in Africa (62.2%) and Asia (27%) and received external funding (private, 42.3% and/or public, 38.6%). Paediatric population was the primary study group (n=63, 58.3%), followed by adults (n=29, 26.9%). Pregnant women (n=7) and geriatric population (n=1) remain underrepresented. Nearly 75% of trials were conducted in individual subjects and 25% in groups of subjects (cluster RCTs). A considerable collaboration between researchers and institutions is noteworthy
Conclusions. RCTs published in Malaria Journal address a wide range of research topics. Paediatric trials conducted in Africa and Asia are frequently performed, and a significant worldwide collaboration to fight against malaria has been identified.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2016; 29(3):130-145 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2016, 29(5):273-277

Prosthetic joint infection in patients with hip fracture. Differences from infection of elective prosthesis                     

JOSÉ Mª BARBERO, EDUARDO MONTERO, ALFONSO VALLÉS, MIGUEL ÁNGEL PLASENCIA, JUAN ROMANYK, JOAQUÍN LÓPEZ          

Introduction. Most publications about prosthetic joint infections (PJI) are referred to elective prosthesis and they exclude arthroplasties due to hip fracture.
Methods. We conducted a descriptive study about prosthetic joint infections after joint fracture in Alcalá de Henares Hospital (Madrid) between 2009 and 2014 and we compared with elective prosthetic infections in the same period.
Results. There were 30 PJI after hip fracture and 14 elective PJI. The incidence of infection was 4.7% in arthroplasties due to hip fracture from 1.3% in elective prosthesis (RR 3.8, p=0.005). The PJI after fracture affected older patients (82.5 years vs 71.5, p=0.006), with greater comorbidity (5.4 vs 3.6, p=0.003), higher anesthetic risk (ASA>2 70% vs 21.4%, p=0.004) and higher incidence of dementia (50% vs 0%, p=0.02). Staphylococcus aureus was the most common causative agent in both groups, but there was higher incidence of Gram negative-cases in PJI after fracture group (43.3% vs 21.4%, p no significance) and cefazolin-resistance (63.3% vs 28.6%, p=0.03). In logistic regression analysis the treatment had less chance of success in PJI after fracture than elective PJI (33.3% vs 78.6%, OR 0.09, p=0.06).
Conclusions. The PJI after fracture are more frequent than elective PJI, affect older patients, with poor general condition, are produced by more resistant bacteria and have worst evolution than EPJI.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2016; 29(5):273-277 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2016, 29(Suppl. 1):59-65

Invasive fungal infections in children: Similarities and differences with adults                     

JOSÉ TOMÁS RAMOS, LAURA FRANCISCO, ZARIFE DAOUD          

Invasive fungal infections (IFI) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised adults and children. The purpose of this review was to update the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic options in children, and to compare them with the adult population. Although there are important differences, the epidemiology, clinical features and risk factors for IFI have many similarities. Patient at risk include neutropenic hematology children, in whom Candida spp. y Aspergillus spp. predominate; primary immunodeficiencies, particularly chronic granulomatous disease with high susceptibility for Aspergillus spp.; and extremely premature infants, in whom C. albicans y C. parapsilosis are more prevalent. Premature babies are prone to dissemination, including the cen-tral nervous system. There are peculiarities in radiology and diagnostic biomarkers in children. In pulmonary aspergillosis, clasical signs in CT are usually absent. There is scant information on PCR and beta-D-glucan in children, and more limited on the performance of galactomannan enzyme immunoassay, that does not appear to be much different in neutropenic patients. There is a delay in the development of antifungals, limiting their use in children. Most azoles require therapeutic drug monitoring in children to optimize its safety and effectiveness. Pediatric treatment recommendations are mainly extrapolated from results of clinical trials performed in adults. There is no evidence for the benefit of preemptive therapy in children. It is necessary to foster specific pediatric studies with current and new antifungals to evaluate their pharmacokinetics, safety, and effectiveness at different ages in the pediatric population.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2016; 29(Suppl. 1):59-65 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2017; 30(1):1-8

Fluoroquinolones: Non-antibacterial properties                     

SOCORRO LEYVA-RAMOS, HIRAM HERNÁNDEZ-LÓPEZ           

Fluoroquinolones are a class of well-established chemotherapeutic agents with a potent biological activity being the structure of 4-quinolone-3-carboxilic acids privileged because it contains different sites for functionalization allowing expand its use in clinical practice for their antifungal, antiviral and anticancer activities. Quinolones structural changes have resulted in a first, second, third and fourth generation of drugs so it is advisable to continue modifying existing structures in new ways to generate compounds with desirable  biological and pharmacological properties.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2017; 30(1):1-8 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2017, Mar 9

Strategies to optimize the use of antibiotics in hospitals                     

JOAQUÍN GÓMEZ, CRISTINA BONILLO, LUIS HUMBERTO NAVARRO, ALICIA HERNÁNDEZ, ELISA GARCÍA VÁZQUEZ           

The inadequate use of antibiotics is a clinical reality we are faced with day by day. The great peculiarity of this group of drugs is the influence they have not only on the patients and at the time of their use, but also of future infections and the general population, by favoring alterations in the resistance patterns of the bacterial microflora that colonize people. It is our obligation as experts in infectious diseases to work on improving the use of antimicrobials.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2017; Mar 9 [pdf]

Rev Esp Quimioter 2015:28(1):47-53

A practice-based observational study identifying factors associated with the use of high-dose tigecycline in the treatment of secondary peritonitis in severely ill patients                                 
 


EMILIO MASEDA, ALEJANDRO SUÁREZ-DE-LA-RICA, VÍCTOR ANILLO, PATRICIA SALGADO,
EDUARDO TAMAYO, CARLOS A. GARCÍA-BERNEDO, FERNANDO RAMASCO, MARÍA-JOSÉ VILLAGRÁN, ARACELI LÓPEZ-TOFIÑO, MARÍA-JOSÉ GIMÉNEZ, JUAN-JOSÉ GRANIZO, CARMEN HERNÁNDEZ-GANCEDO, LORENZO AGUILAR, FERNANDO GILSANZ      
        

 

Introduction. Based on tigecycline linear pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics, dose increases have been advocated to maximise activity especially when severe infections with high bacterial load and/or multidrug resistance are suspected. This practice-based observational study explored factors associated with tigecycline administration (100 mg/12h, 200 mg loading dose) in severely ill patients with complicated intra-abdominal infection (cIAI) admitted to four Surgical Critical Care Units (SCCUs).
Methods. Medical records of all consecutive adult patients with cIAI and controlled infection source requiring surgery and admission for ≥48h to SCCU were reviewed and divided into patients treated with a regimen including tigecycline (tigecycline group) and those that not (control group). A logistic regression model was performed using “tigecycline administration” (dependent variable) and variables showing differences (p≤0.1) in bivariate analyses (independent variables).
Results. One hundred and twenty one patients were included. In the tigecycline group, higher percentage of patients(vs. controls) presented colon as surgical site (66.7% vs. 41.8%, p=0.006), nosocomial infection (55.6% vs. 26.9%, p=0.001), mechanical ventilation (48.1% vs. 28.4%, p=0.025), chronic renal replacement therapy (40.7% vs. 19.4%, p=0.008), septic shock (72.2% vs. 46.3%, p=0.004), and higher values of SAPS II (48.0±15.0 vs. 39.6±15.5, p=0.003), SOFA at admission (7.0±3.3 vs. 5.5±3.7, p=0.020), lactate-24h (2.5±2.8 vs. 1.6±0.9, p=0.029) and CRP-72h (207.4±87.9 vs. 163.7±76.8, p=0.021). In the multivariate analysis (R2=0.187, p<0.001) nosocomial infection (OR=7.721; 95%CI=2.193, 27.179; p=0.001), colon as infection site (OR=4.338; 95%CI=1.432, 13.145; p=0.009) and CRP-72h (OR=1.009 per-unit; 95%CI=1.002, 1.016; p=0.012) were associated with tigecycline administration.
Conclusions. In severely ill patients with cIAI, high-dose tigecycline administration was associated with nosocomial origin of cIAI and colon as source infection site.

Rev Esp Quimioter 2015:28(1):47-53 [pdf]