Background: Molecular analysis (MA) on heart valve (HV) improves the microbiologic diagnosis of infectious endocarditis (IE). The main drawback of MA is the lack of antimicrobial susceptibility information. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort observational study of consecutive adult patients from April 2012 to May 2021 who underwent valve surgery at our hospital. The performance of MA, blood cultures (BC) and valve cultures (VC), and the diagnostic and therapeutic impact of MA were evaluated. Molecular antibiogram results were compared to culture-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Results: A total of 137 patients with definite IE and 52 patients with no IE were enrolled in the study. Among IE cases BC, VC, and MA were positive in 75 (55%), 30 (22%), and 120 (88%) of IE cases, respectively. Among 62 cases of BC-negative IE (BCNE), 57 achieved diagnosis with MA. MA led to a change of antimicrobial therapy in 92% of BCNE. MA was negative in 100% of patients with no IE. Molecular antibiogram performed on 17 valve specimens that resulted positive for pathogens potential carrier of genes encoding for multidrug resistant mechanisms showed 100% concordance with AST. Conclusions: MA showed a high specificity and sensitivity in etiological diagnosis of IE. Molecular antibiogram could overcome the major limitation of MA that is the lack of susceptibility testing. We advocate for the inclusion of MA among diagnostic criteria for IE and for a more extensive use of molecular antibiogram when the culture result is negative, and MA is the only positive test.

Donor-derived infections (DDI) sustained by carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria (CR-GNB) in solid organ transplant recipients are potentially life-threatening. In this prospective study, we evaluate the incidence, factors associated with transmission, and the outcome of recipients with unexpected CR-GNB DDI after the implementation of our local active surveillance system (LASS). LASS provides for early detection of unexpected donor CR-GNB infections, prophylaxis of recipients at high-risk, and early diagnosis and treatment of DDI. Whole Genome Sequencing confirmed DDI. Among 791 recipients, 38 (4.8%) were at high risk of unexpected CR-GNB DDI: 25 for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) and 13 for carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB). Transmission did not occur in 27 (71%), while DDI occurred in 9/25 of CRE and 2/13 of CRAB cases. Incidence of CR-GNB DDI was 1.4%. Recipients of organs with CR-GNB positive preservation fluid (PF) and liver recipients from a donor with CRE infection were at the highest risk of DDI. There was no difference in length of hospital stay or survival in patients with and without CR-GNB DDI. Our LASS contains transmission and mitigates the negative impacts of CR-GNB DDI. Under well-defined conditions, organs from donors with CR-GNB may be considered after a thorough evaluation of the risk/benefit profile.

We describe a challenging case of a patient with MBL-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa sternal osteomyelitis following aortic valve replacement with biological prosthesis. The strain exhibited a multidrug-resistance phenotype carrying the blaVIM-1 gene and belonged to the high-risk clone sequence type ST235. The patient was successfully treated with surgical debridement plus antibiotic therapy with ceftazidime/avibactam, aztreonam, and amikacin. Time kill curves showed that this triple antibiotic combination at 1 X MIC was strongly synergic after 8 hours, achieving 99.9% killing, and maintaining this until 48 hours.

The current carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria (CR-GN) treatment guidelines lack strong evidence about cefiderocol (CFD) efficacy against CR-GN, especially CRAB. The study’s purpose is to evaluate the effectiveness of CFD in a real-life setting. We made a single-center retrospective study of 41 patients who received CFD in our hospital for several CR-GN infections. Bloodstream infections (BSI) affected 43.9% (18/41) of patients, while CRAB affected 75.6% (31/41) of isolated CR-GN patients. Thirty-days (30-D) all-causes mortality affected 36.6% (15/41) of patients, while end-of-treatment (EOT) clinical cure affected 56.1% (23/41). Finally, microbiological eradication at EOT affected 56.1% (23/41) of patients. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that septic shock is an independent factor associated with mortality. Subgroup analyses showed no difference in CFD effectiveness between monotherapy and combination therapy.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a vasculitis of unknown origin of small and medium caliber blood vessels, especially involving coronary arteries and is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in childhood in developed countries. Although rarely, it can recur: most recurrences occur within 2 years of the initial episode. No data are available on incidence of recurrent KD in Europe and multiple recurrences are rarely seen. We reviewed the medical literature on Kawasaki disease recurrence and reported a new case of Kawasaki disease recurrence in a child with SARS-CoV-2 infection. We believe that in our case SARS Cov2 acted as a trigger capable to determine, in a genetically susceptible individual, a second recurrence of the disease. In the Covid-19 era we affirm the importance for Kawasaki disease to be tested for SARS Cov2 infection.

Background: Clostridioides difficile is the most common cause of healthcare-associated diarrhoea worldwide and C. difficile infection is an emerging infectious disease. In the US, its rates are monitored trough an active surveillance system, but many European Union member states still lack this, and in Italy no epidemiological data on C. difficile infection are available except for a few single-centre data. Aim: To provide data on the C. difficile infection incidence in Sicily (the biggest and 5th most populous region of Italy) during a 10-year period. Methods: We revised all the regional standardized discharge forms between 2009 and June 2019 using the code ICD-9 00845 of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision Clinical Modification, which refers to C. difficile infection with or without complications. Results: 1139 cases of CDI were identified. 97% were adults with a median age of 73.2 years and a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.4. Female patients were older than males and patients who died were older than patients who did not. The main comorbidities were renal disease, diabetes, pneumonia and hypertension. There were 65 reporting hospitals and 86% of cases were provided by level III and II hospitals. Between 2009 and 2019, the incidence increased 40-fold. 81.5% of cases were reported in Medicine Units, Infectious Diseases Units and long-term care facilities. The mean length of stay was 20 days. Mean case fatality rate was 8.3% over the 10-year period. Conclusion: Clostridioides difficile infection is a dramatically increasing condition in Sicily. A high-quality surveillance system and shared diagnostic protocols are needed.