Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
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The optimal duration of antibiotic therapy for ventilator-associated tracheitis (VAT) has not been defined, which may result in unnecessarily prolonged courses of antibiotics. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether prolonged-course (≥7 days in duration) therapy for VAT was more protective against progression to hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) or ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), compared with short-course antibiotics (<7 days in duration). The secondary objective was to determine whether prolonged-course therapy was more likely to result in the acquisition of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) compared with short-course therapy. ⋯ A prolonged course of antibiotics for VAT does not appear to protect against progression to HAP or VAP compared with short-course therapy. Furthermore, prolonged antibiotic courses were associated with a significantly increased risk of subsequent MDRO acquisition.
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Gram-negative bacillary (GNB) ventriculitis and meningitis are rare but serious complications after neurosurgery. Prospective studies on antibiotic treatment for these infections are lacking, and retrospective reports are sparse. At our hospital in Uppsala, Sweden, meropenem has been recommended as empirical therapy since 1996, with the addition of intraventricular gentamicin in cases that do not respond satisfactorily to treatment. In this study, we retrospectively compare the efficacy of combination treatment with intraventricular gentamicin to that of systemic antibiotics alone. In addition, we report our experience of meropenem for the treatment of GNB ventriculomeningitis. ⋯ Our results support combination treatment with intraventricular gentamicin for postneurosurgical GNB ventriculomeningitis. Meropenem seems to be an effective and safe alternative for the systemic antibiotic treatment of these neurointensive care infections.
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Over the past decade, the United States has witnessed an epidemic of acute bacterial skin and skin-structure infections (ABSSSIs) caused primarily by community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. To address this medical need as well as the ongoing threat of increasing resistance, new antibiotics are being developed. Clinical trials involving patients with complicated ABSSSI are being implemented to understand the efficacy and safety of these new antibiotic agents. ⋯ Next, we address the ongoing discussion of the new 2010 guidance as we understand it, along with its perceived strengths and weaknesses. Throughout this process, we wish to emphasize that the continued development of antibiotics is essential. Thus, we hope that as the FDA and FNIH move forward they will strike a balance between "The Perfect" statistical solution and "The Good" practical clinical realities.
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Early diagnosis and treatment of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) improves outcome. ⋯ A recently developed pan-Aspergillus PCR assay and GM testing of BAL fluid may facilitate the diagnosis of IPA after lung transplantation. A. fumigatus- and A. terreus-specific real-time PCR assays may be useful in rapidly identifying the most common cause of IPA and a species that is intrinsically resistant to amphotericin B, respectively.
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Serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels rapidly increase in patients with invasive bacterial disease. PCT levels increase faster than do C-reactive protein levels. ⋯ In patients with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, sequential PCT levels are useful as a guide to shorter courses of antimicrobial therapy. With use of emerging multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction platforms for the detection of viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens, it should be possible to critically assess whether an elevated serum PCT level is a valid biomarker of invasive bacterial infection.