Background. The benefits of using the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23) are controversial. This study assessed clinical effectiveness of PPV23 in preventing community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) among the general population aged ≥60 years. Methods. This was a population-based cohort study involving 27 204 individuals aged ≥60 years in Tarragona, Spain, who were prospectively followed from 1 December 2008 until 30 November 2011. Primary outcomes were hospitalization for pneumococcal CAP (bacteremic and nonbacteremic cases) and all-cause CAP. All CAP cases were radiographically confirmed and validated by checking clinical records. Cox regression was used to evaluate the association between pneumococcal vaccination and the risk of each outcome. Results. Cohort members were followed for a total of 76 033 person-years (29 065 person-years for vaccinated subjects). Incidence rates (per 1000 person-years) were 0.21 for bacteremic pneumococcal CAP (0.14 vs 0.26 among vaccinated and unvaccinated subjects, respectively), 1.45 for nonbacteremic pneumococcal CAP (1.46 vs 1.44), and 7.51 for all-cause CAP (7.19 vs 7.71). In primary analyses including all cohort members, PPV23 did not appear to be effective against any analyzed outcome. However, a beneficial effect emerged in sensitive and stratified analyses. After multivariable adjustments, as compared with those never vaccinated, recent vaccination with PPV23 (<5 years ago) was associated with reduced risks of bacteremic pneumococcal CAP (hazard ratio [HR], 0.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], .09–1.68), nonbacteremic pneumococcal CAP (HR, 0.52; 95% CI, .29–.92), overall pneumococcal CAP (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, .29–.84), and all-cause CAP (HR, 0.75; 95% CI, .58–.98). Conclusions. Our data support a protective effect of recent PPV23 vaccination (within previous 5 years) against both pneumococcal and all-cause CAP.

To assess the performance of Candida albicans germ tube antibody (CAGTA), (1 → 3)-ß-D-glucan (BDG), mannan antigen (mannan-Ag), anti-mannan antibodies (mannan-Ab), and Candida DNA for diagnosing invasive candidiasis (IC) in ICU patients with severe abdominal conditions (SAC). A prospective study of 233 non-neutropenic patients with SAC on ICU admission and expected stay ≥ 7 days. CAGTA (cutoff positivity ≥ 1/160), BDG (≥80, 100 and 200 pg/mL), mannan-Ag (≥60 pg/mL), mannan-Ab (≥10 UA/mL) were measured twice a week, and Candida DNA only in patients treated with systemic antifungals. IC diagnosis required positivities of two biomarkers in a single sample or positivities of any biomarker in two consecutive samples. Patients were classified as neither colonized nor infected (n = 48), Candida spp. colonization (n = 154) (low-grade, n = 130; high-grade, n = 24), and IC (n = 31) (intra-abdominal candidiasis, n = 20; candidemia, n = 11). The combination of CAGTA and BDG positivities in a single sample or at least one of the two biomarkers positive in two consecutive samples showed 90.3 % (95 % CI 74.2–98.0) sensitivity, 42.1 % (95 % CI 35.2–98.8) specificity, and 96.6 % (95 % CI 90.5–98.8) negative predictive value. BDG positivities in two consecutive samples had 76.7 % (95 % CI 57.7–90.1) sensitivity and 57.2 % (95 % CI 49.9–64.3) specificity. Mannan-Ag, mannan-Ab, and Candida DNA individually or combined showed a low discriminating capacity. Positive Candida albicans germ tube antibody and (1 → 3)-ß-D-glucan in a single blood sample or (1 → 3)-ß-D-glucan positivity in two consecutive blood samples allowed discriminating invasive candidiasis from Candida spp. colonization in critically ill patients with severe abdominal conditions. These findings may be helpful to tailor empirical antifungal therapy in this patient population.

Although rarely, Arcobacter spp. have been associated with diarrhoea and bacteraemia. We report a persistent case in a healthy 26‐year‐old Spanish male of bloody diarrhoea, which was attributed to Campylobacter but in fact was caused by Arcobacter cryaerophilus, as determined by sequencing of the rpoB gene. The isolate was re‐identified by matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight (MALDI‐TOF) and genotyped for five putative virulence genes and for seven genes included in the Arcobacter multilocus sequence typing database. The low score obtained by MALDI‐TOF indicates the need to complement the database with more isolates. Only the ciaB gene, which encodes for an invasin, was detected. Despite the isolate belonging to a new sequence type, three of the alleles (glnA, pgm and tkt) had been found previously in isolates from faeces of patients with diarrhoea. This study, together with the reviewed literature, indicates that Arcobacter can produce bacteraemia and that the isolation from patients with diarrhoea range from 0.11% to 1.25%. This study also demonstrates that Arcobacter species are confused with Campylobacter spp., as previously suggested. This is one of the factors that leads to underestimation of their incidence together with the use of inappropriate detection and identification methods.