Kim JY, et al. Infect Chemother. 2023 Jan;55:e1. https://doi.org/10.3947/ic.2022.0145

Persistent reservoirs of multidrug-resistant microorganisms (MDRO) that are prevalent in hospital settings and communities can lead to the spread of MDRO. Currently, there are no effective decolonization strategies, especially non-pharmacological strategies without antibiotic regimens. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for the eradication of MDRO. A systematic literature search was performed to identify studies on the use of FMT for the decolonization of MDRO. PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception through January 2019. Of the 1,395 articles identified, 20 studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Overall, the efficacy of FMT for the eradication of each MDRO was 70.3% (102/146) in 121 patients from the 20 articles. The efficacy rates were 68.2% (30/44) for gram-positive bacteria and 70.6% (72/102) for gram-negative bacteria. Minor adverse events, including vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and ileus, were reported in patients who received FMT. FMT could be a promising strategy to eradicate MDRO in patients. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and establish a comprehensive FMT protocol for standardized treatment.

This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of candidemia and evaluate the impact of adherence to the candidemia guideline defined by the European Confederation of Medical Mycology Quality of Clinical Candidemia Management (EQUAL) Candida score. Adult candidemia patients ≥ 19 years diagnosed at a tertiary care hospital in the Republic of Korea from 2013 to 2018 were enrolled (period 1 2013–2015, period 2 2016–2018). There was a total of 223 patients. The annual incidence of candidemia increased from 0.43 to 1.33 cases per 1000 admissions between 2013 and 2018, p < 0.001. A significant increase of fluconazole-resistant C. parapsilosis candidemia was noted in period 2 (35.3%) when compared to period 1 (0.0%), p = 0.020. The 30-day mortality rate was not different between period 1 and 2 (43.5% vs. 48.1%, p = 0.527). Multivariate analysis revealed that a Charlson comorbidity index score ≥ 4, neutropenia, duration of hospital stay ≥ 21 days before candidemia diagnosis, septic shock, mycological failure, and EQUAL Candida score < 15 were significantly associated with 30-day mortality. An increase in the incidence of candidemia and fluconazole resistance in the non-albicans Candida species over time was observed. Disease severity, comorbidities, and lower adherence to the candidemia guideline were associated with mortality.

This study aimed to investigate factors associated with septic shock development and 30-day mortality outcome with a prediction model among adult candidemia patients in the intensive care unit (ICU...

Hyun H, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2023 Sep;38:e330. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2023.38.e330

We investigated the Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and their effect on Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) growth in vitro. The inhibitory effects of PA on AB were assessed using a cross-streak assay. The OMVs were extracted through high-speed centrifugation, tangential flow filtration, and ultracentrifugation and characterized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nanoparticle tracking assays (NTAs). Proteomic analysis was conducted to compare the OMVs of different PA strains. PA022 exhibited more pronounced inhibition of AB growth compared with PA ATCC 27853. TEM confirmed the presence of OMVs in both PA022 and PA ATCC 27853, revealing phospholipid bilayer structures. The NTA revealed similar sizes and concentrations. Proteomic analysis identified 623 and 538 proteins in PA022 and PA ATCC 27853 OMVs, respectively, with significant proportions of the outer membrane and extracellular proteins, respectively. Importantly, PA022 OMVs contained six known virulence factors and motility-associated proteins. This study revealed the unique characteristics of PA OMVs and their inhibitory effects on AB growth, shedding light on their role in bacterial interactions. Proteomic analysis provides valuable insights into potential pathogenic functions and therapeutic applications against bacterial infections.