Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
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The increasing prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has resulted in a reevaluation of the role of vancomycin for surgical prophylaxis. Two systematic reviews of randomized control studies have concluded that cephalosporins are as effective as vancomycin for the prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs). However, most of these studies were conducted more than 10 years ago and cannot be generalized to the current rates of MRSA. ⋯ Decision analysis models have also been used to estimate thresholds of MRSA prevalence for which vancomycin would minimize the incidence and cost of SSIs. Combination therapy and the emergence of resistant pathogens following vancomycin prophylaxis are reviewed. Vancomycin is not recommended for routine use in surgical prophylaxis but may be considered as a component of a MRSA prevention bundle for SSIs in selective circumstances.
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Comparative Study
Performance of Candida real-time polymerase chain reaction, β-D-glucan assay, and blood cultures in the diagnosis of invasive candidiasis.
The sensitivity of blood cultures for diagnosing invasive candidiasis (IC) is poor. ⋯ Candida PCR and, to a lesser extent, BDG testing significantly enhanced the ability of blood cultures to diagnose IC.
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Observational studies showed that the profile of infective endocarditis (IE) significantly changed over the past decades. However, most studies involved referral centers. We conducted a population-based study to control for this referral bias. The objective was to update the description of characteristics of IE in France and to compare the profile of community-acquired versus healthcare-associated IE. ⋯ S. aureus became both the leading cause and the most important prognostic factor of IE, and healthcare-associated IE appeared as a major subgroup of the disease.