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Anal Chem 2022 Jun 24. Epub 2022 Jun 24.

Multidisciplinary Sepsis Group, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Health Research Institute of Balearic Islands (IdISBa), Palma de Mallorca 07120, Spain.

Infections caused by bacteria that produce β-lactamases (BLs) are a major problem in hospital settings. The phenotypic detection of these bacterial strains requires culturing samples prior to analysis. This procedure may take up to 72 h, and therefore it cannot be used to guide the administration of the first antibiotic regimen. Read More

Biomolecules 2022 Jun 4;12(6). Epub 2022 Jun 4.

Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Federal University of São Paulo (EPM/UNIFESP), São Paulo 04023, Brazil.

Prior studies demonstrate the activation of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) in various pathophysiological conditions, including sepsis. We have assessed the effect of olaparib, a clinically used PARP1 inhibitor, on the responses of human peripheral blood leukocytes (PBMCs) obtained from healthy volunteers in response to challenging with live bacteria, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), or oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide, HO). The viability of PBMCs exposed to olaparib or to the earlier generation PARP inhibitor PJ-34 (0. Read More

Semin Thromb Hemost 2022 Jun 23. Epub 2022 Jun 23.

Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, and Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina.

Although thrombosis frequently occurs in infectious diseases, the coagulopathy associated with COVID-19 has unique characteristics. Compared with bacterial sepsis, COVID-19-associated coagulopathy presents with minimal changes in platelet counts, normal prothrombin times, and increased D-dimer and fibrinogen levels. These differences can be explained by the distinct pathophysiology of the thromboinflammatory responses. Read More

Acta Clin Croat 2021 Dec;60(4):773-776

1Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Slovenj Gradec General Hospital, Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia; 2Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Slovenj Gradec General Hospital, Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia.

Deep septic pelvic thrombophlebitis is a rare but potentially devastating complication in the puerperium. Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of this postpartum complication is essential. We report a case of a 23-year-old multipara, who presented with persistent high fever and abdominal pain two days after delivery. Read More

Maedica (Bucur) 2022 Mar;17(1):215-225

Department of Infectious Diseases, "Dr. Victor Babes" Clinical Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Bucharest, Romania.

COVID-19 has proven to be an independent risk factor for secondary infectious complications. Amongst them, mucormycosis has recently been noticed more frequently than in the past. Caused by molds belonging to the order, this is a rare, but potentially fatal infection unless adequately treated. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 Jun 22;12(1):10523. Epub 2022 Jun 22.

Department of Microbiology, Hospital Universitario Ramón Y Cajal, Instituto Ramón Y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS), CIBERINFEC, Madrid, Spain.

This work aimed to evaluate the predatory activity of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus 109J on clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa selected from well-characterized collections of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung colonization (n = 30) and bloodstream infections (BSI) (n = 48) including strains selected by genetic lineage (frequent and rare sequence types), antibiotic resistance phenotype (susceptible and multidrug-resistant isolates), and colony phenotype (mucoid and non-mucoid isolates). The intraspecies predation range (I-PR) was defined as the proportion of susceptible strains within the entire collection. In contrast, the predation efficiency (PE) is the ratio of viable prey cells remaining after predation compared to the initial inoculum. Read More

Xi Bao Yu Fen Zi Mian Yi Xue Za Zhi 2022 Jun;38(6):481-486

Department of Infectious Diseases, the Chaohu Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Chaohu 238000; Department of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022; Anhui Center for Surveillance of Bacterial Resistance, Hefei 230022; Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230022, China. *Corresponding author, E-mail:

Objective To explore the biological function and mechanisms of LAMTOR2 during Klebsiella pneumoniae(K. pneumoniae) induced liver sepsis by establishing late endosomal/lysosomal adaptor 2(LAMTOR2) gene liver conditional knockout mouse model infected by K. pneumoniae. Read More

J Cyst Fibros 2022 Jun 19. Epub 2022 Jun 19.

Department of Pediatrics, Center for CF & Airways Disease Research, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, IMPEDE-CF Program, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America. Electronic address:

Background: Macrophages are the major resident immune cells in human airways coordinating responses to infection and injury. In cystic fibrosis (CF), neutrophils are recruited to the airways shortly after birth, and actively exocytose damaging enzymes prior to chronic infection, suggesting a potential defect in macrophage immunomodulatory function. Signaling through the exhaustion marker programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) controls macrophage function in cancer, sepsis, and airway infection. Read More

JAMA Netw Open 2022 Jun 1;5(6):e2217812. Epub 2022 Jun 1.

Department of Paediatric Endocrinology, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester, United Kingdom.

Importance: Endogenous cortisol levels in children and adolescents during acute illnesses can contribute to the evidence base required to optimize glucocorticoid (GC) stress doses for children and adolescents known to have GC deficiency.

Objective: To identify endogenous cortisol levels during a range of acute illnesses in children and adolescents without GC deficiency from published evidence.

Evidence Review: CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Embase, and MEDLINE were searched for studies published between January 1, 2000, and June 30, 2020. Read More

JCI Insight 2022 Jun 22;7(12). Epub 2022 Jun 22.

Department of Pathology, Section on Comparative Medicine, and.

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host response to an infection. The metabolic aberrations associated with sepsis underly an acute and organism-wide hyperinflammatory response and multiple organ dysfunction; however, crosstalk between systemic metabolomic alterations and metabolic reprogramming at organ levels remains unknown. We analyzed substrate utilization by the respiratory exchange ratio, energy expenditure, metabolomic screening, and transcriptional profiling in a cecal ligation and puncture model to show that sepsis increases circulating free fatty acids and acylcarnitines but decreases levels of amino acids and carbohydrates, leading to a drastic shift in systemic fuel preference. Read More

Nat Commun 2022 Jun 21;13(1):3544. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Institute of Immunology and Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, 310058, P. R. China.

Immunometabolism contributes to inflammation, but how activated macrophages acquire extracellular nutrients to fuel inflammation is largely unknown. Here, we show that the plasma membrane potential (V) of macrophages mediated by Kir2.1, an inwardly-rectifying K channel, is an important determinant of nutrient acquisition and subsequent metabolic reprogramming promoting inflammation. Read More

Biomaterials 2022 Jun 16;287:121632. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Institute of Biochemistry II, Center for Sepsis Control and Care, Jena University Hospital, Am Nonnenplan 1, 07743, Jena, Germany. Electronic address:

Infections with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) have been reported from various organs ranging from asymptomatic colonization to severe infections and sepsis. Although considered an extracellular pathogen, S. Read More

Intensive Care Med 2022 Jun 21. Epub 2022 Jun 21.

Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Hospital Universitario, 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.

Purpose: Although there is evidence supporting the benefits of corticosteroids in patients affected with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there is little information related to their potential benefits or harm in some subgroups of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with COVID-19. We aim to investigate to find candidate variables to guide personalized treatment with steroids in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Methods: Multicentre, observational cohort study including consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted to 55 Spanish ICUs. Read More

J Korean Med Sci 2022 Jun 20;37(24):e196. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Department of Pediatrics, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

Background: infections cause high morbidity and mortality in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. However, there are limited data on the changes of long-term epidemiology of imipenem resistance in bacteremia among pediatric ICU (PICU) patients.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed on patients with bacteremia in PICU of a tertiary teaching hospital from 2000 to 2016. Read More

Burns 2022 Jun 9. Epub 2022 Jun 9.

Department of Diabetology, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Piazza Ospedale Maggiore 3, 20162 Milan, Italy.

Skin allografts represent a milestone in burn patient treatment. However, skin procurement is still burdened by high rates of contamination, and validation procedures have not yet been standardized. In addition, it is not clear if tissue viability affects allograft skin outcomes. Read More

J Infect Public Health 2022 Jun 16;15(7):766-772. Epub 2022 Jun 16.

Critical Care Department, University Hospital of Larissa, University of Thessaly Faculty of Medicine, Greece.

Background: Cardiac arrhythmias, mainly atrial fibrillation (AF), is frequently reported in COVID-19 patients, more often in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients, yet causality has not been virtually explored. Moreover, non-Covid ICU patients frequently present AF, sepsis being the major trigger. We aimed to examine whether sepsis or other factors-apart from Covid-19 myocardial involvement-contribute to elicit New Onset AF (NOAF) in intubated ICU patients. Read More

Arch Microbiol 2022 Jun 20;204(7):404. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Symbiosis School of Biological Sciences, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Lavale, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India.

Neisseria meningitidis is a commensal of human nasopharynx which under certain unidentified conditions could lead to fulminant meningitis or sepsis. Availability of nutrients is essential for bacterial growth and virulence. The metabolic adaptations allow N. Read More

Angiogenesis 2022 Jun 20. Epub 2022 Jun 20.

Department of Medicine D, Division of General Internal and Emergency Medicine, Nephrology, and Rheumatology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer Campus 1, 48149, Münster, Germany.

Aims: Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and bacterial sepsis are distinct conditions, both are known to trigger endothelial dysfunction with corresponding microcirculatory impairment. The purpose of this study was to compare microvascular injury patterns and proteomic signatures in COVID-19 and bacterial sepsis patients.

Methods And Results: This multi-center, observational study included 22 hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients, 43 hospitalized bacterial sepsis patients, and 10 healthy controls from 4 hospitals. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 3;13:828949. Epub 2022 Jun 3.

Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, India.

Background: Decompensated cirrhosis patients are more prone to bacterial infections. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) expand in sepsis patients and disrupt immune cell functions. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) therapy helps in restoring immune cell functions and resolving infections. Read More

Front Immunol 2022 2;13:907461. Epub 2022 Jun 2.

Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom.

Circadian rhythms affect the progression and severity of bacterial infections including those caused by , but the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon remain largely elusive. Following advances in our understanding of the role of replication of within splenic macrophages, we sought to investigate whether events within the spleen correlate with differential outcomes of invasive pneumococcal infection. Utilising murine invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) models, here we report that infection during the murine active phase (zeitgeber time 15; 15h after start of light cycle, 3h after start of dark cycle) resulted in significantly faster onset of septicaemia compared to rest phase (zeitgeber time 3; 3h after start of light cycle) infection. Read More

BMC Public Health 2022 Jun 18;22(1):1214. Epub 2022 Jun 18.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.

Background: Risk factors contributing to sepsis-related mortality include clinical conditions such as cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, and diabetes, all of which have also been shown to be associated with air pollution exposure. However, the impact of chronic exposure to air pollution on sepsis-related mortality has been little studied.  METHODS: In a cohort of 53 million Medicare beneficiaries (228,439 sepsis-related deaths) living across the conterminous United States between 2000 and 2008, we examined the association of long-term PM exposure and sepsis-related mortality. Read More

J Surg Res 2022 Jun 15;279:8-16. Epub 2022 Jun 15.

Faculty of Anesthesiology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address:

Introduction: The T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (Tim-3) mediated immunosuppressive pathway has been shown to play an essential role in the development of sepsis. However, the influence of Tim-3 blockade during sepsis and the possible effects on T cells' function remains largely unknown. Our study investigates the role of Tim-3 in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced sepsis in mice. Read More

Pol J Microbiol 2022 Jun 19;71(2):263-277. Epub 2022 Jun 19.

Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine, Warsaw, Poland.

Hospital-acquired bloodstream infections are a severe worldwide problem associated with significant morbidity and mortality. This retrospective, single-center study aimed to analyze bloodstream infections in patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Military Institute of Medicine, Poland. Data from the years 2007-2019 were analyzed. Read More

Pol J Microbiol 2022 Jun 19;71(2):257-261. Epub 2022 Jun 19.

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Anhui Chest Hospital, Hefei, People's Republic of China.

The identification and antibiotic susceptibility of two clinical isolates of from bloodstream infections were determined. This microorganism is rarely pathogenic, and the findings are presented here to promote the detection and awareness of this infection. The bacteria were obtained from one patient with pressure sores and another with a malignant gastric tumor. Read More

Crit Care 2022 06 17;26(1):181. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Medical Clinic V Nephrology, Rheumatology, Blood Purification, Academic Teaching Hospital, Braunschweig, Germany.

Background: Bacterial burden as well as duration of bacteremia influence the outcome of patients with bloodstream infections. Promptly decreasing bacterial load in the blood by using extracorporeal devices in addition to anti-infective therapy has recently been explored. Preclinical studies with the Seraph® 100 Microbind® Affinity Blood Filter (Seraph® 100), which consists of heparin that is covalently bound to polymer beads, have demonstrated an effective binding of bacteria and viruses. Read More

BMC Infect Dis 2022 Jun 17;22(1):554. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Division of General Cardiology, Florence, Italy.

Background: Infective endocarditis still has high mortality and invalidating complications, such as cerebral embolism. The best strategies to prevent and manage neurologic complications remain uncertain. This study aimed to identify predictors of cerebral septic embolism and evaluate the role of surgery in these patients in a real-world surgical centre. Read More

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022 Jun 17;119(25):e2202059119. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Biozentrum, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.

The bacterial genus comprises numerous emerging pathogens that cause a broad spectrum of disease manifestations in humans. The targets and mechanisms of the anti- immune defense are ill-defined and bacterial immune evasion strategies remain elusive. We found that experimentally infected mice resolved infection by mounting antibody responses that neutralized the bacteria, preventing their attachment to erythrocytes and suppressing bacteremia independent of complement or Fc receptors. Read More

J Community Hosp Intern Med Perspect 2022 12;12(2):50-52. Epub 2022 Apr 12.

Internal Medicine, UPMC Harrisburg, PA, USA.

Background: is a gram-negative pathogen commonly associated with soft tissue infections caused by bites or scratches from household animals. However, infections have been reported without prior zoonotic exposure or associated soft tissue or skin infection in immunocompromised individuals.

Case: A 73-year-old patient with history significant for multiple malignancies including lung cancer presented to the emergency department with a fever, chills, and rigor. Read More

J Int Med Res 2022 Jun;50(6):3000605221106705

Clinical Medical Laboratory Center, Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, PR China.

Objective: Multidrug-resistant (MDR KP) bloodstream infections are a serious problem. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of appropriate combination therapies on MDR KP bloodstream infections.

Methods: MDR KP strains isolated from clinical samples were assessed for antibiotic susceptibility using the broth microdilution method. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2022 Jun 17;23:e936279. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.

BACKGROUND The eustachian valve is rarely involved in bacterial endocarditis. Patients who present with bacteremia and evidence of organic septic emboli should raise the suspicion of endocarditis as a possible differential diagnosis. This case series describes 2 unique cases of eustachian valve endocarditis (EVE) in patients who had a history of intravenous drug use; although 63% of EVE is caused by Staphylococcus aureus, the causative agent in our first case was methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE), which is only the third reported case of EVE caused by Staphylococcus epidermidis. Read More