Wilson, John

Introduction. Kytococcus schroeteri is an infrequently isolated Gram-positive coccus often encountered as a commensal bacterium. Only eighteen cases of human infection associated with this organism have been previously reported. Most of these cases involved patients with implanted prosthetic materials or patients with immunosuppressive conditions. It has been described in prosthetic valve endocarditis and in select patients with hematologic diseases but only one prior report as being involved in osteoarticular infections. Case Presentation. We describe a case of postsurgical osteoarticular hardware-related infection by K. schroeteri and discuss a possible association with implanted prosthetic material. Conclusion. Other clinical presentations of K. schroeteri, including reported infection syndromes, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, and treatment outcomes, are also reviewed.

ABSTRACT The QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus; Qiagen, Germantown, MD) interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) received FDA clearance in 2017 and will replace the prior version of the assay, the QFT-Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT). Here, we compared performances of the QFT-Plus assay and the QFT-GIT version in a diverse patient population, including patients undergoing evaluation for or follow-up of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI; n = 39) or active TB infection ( n = 3), and in health care workers (HCWs; n = 119) at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN). Compared to the QFT-GIT, the QFT-Plus assay showed 91.2% (31/34) positive, 98.4% (124/126) negative, and 96.6% (156/161) overall qualitative agreement among the 161 enrolled subjects, with a Cohen's kappa value of 0.91 (excellent interrater agreement). Among the 28 patients diagnosed with LTBI at the time of enrollment, the QFT-GIT and QFT-Plus assays agreed in 24 (85.7%) patients; in all four discordant patients, the positivity of the QFT-GIT or QFT-Plus IGRA was associated with low-level interferon gamma (IFN-γ) reactivity, ranging from 0.36 IU/ml to 0.66 IU/ml. Additionally, we document a high degree of correlation between IFN-γ levels in the QFT-GIT TB antigen tube and each of the two QFT-Plus TB antigen tubes, as well as between the QFT-Plus TB1 and TB2 tubes (Pearson's correlation coefficients [ R ] > 0.95). Overall, we show comparable results between the QFT-GIT and QFT-Plus assays in our study population composed of subjects presenting with a diverse spectrum of TB infections. Our findings suggest that the necessary transition to the QFT-Plus assay will be associated with a minimal difference in assay performance characteristics.

Introduction. The diagnostic standard forPneumocystis jiroveciipneumonia (PCP) is direct microscopic identification; however, in recent years, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples to detectPneumocystisnucleic acids has proven to be more sensitive and specific. Sputum samples have been presumed inferior to bronchoscopic samples secondary to variability and adequacy of sample collection. We observed several cases of positive sputum PCP-PCR results with negative PCP-PCR BAL results. The aim of the current study was to further characterize the clinical setting and outcomes in patients with positive sputum PCP-PCR samples and negative BAL PCP-PCR samples.Methods. We identified all patients who underwentP. jirovecii-PCR testing at Mayo Clinic between 2011 and 2016. Patients with a positive sputum and negative BAL sample collected within a 14-day time frame were identified and underwent further chart review for demographics, immunocompromised state, and clinical outcome.Results. From 2011 to 2016, 4431 respiratory samples from 3021 unique patients were tested for the presence ofP. jiroveciiby PCR. Fifty-five samples (1.2% of all samples collected) belonging to 24 unique patients (0.79% of patients tested) were identified as having a positive and negative sample collected within 14 days. Of these 24 patients, 10 (46%) patients had a positive sputum or tracheal secretion sample with negative BAL or bronchial washings. Out of these 10 patients, 8 were immunocompromised and 9 underwent treatment for PCP with 6 patients improving.Conclusion. Our results suggest that discordantP. jirovecii-PCR testing results from sputum and bronchoscopic specimens are an infrequent occurrence. Patients with positiveP. jirovecii-PCR sputum/tracheal secretion samples and negative bronchoscopic samples appear to be clinically infected and respond to PCP treatment. SputumP. jirovecii-PCR testing may be a viable alternative to invasive testing.

Abstract Bannwarth syndrome (BWS), an infrequent manifestation of neuroinvasive Lyme disease (LD) characterized by radiculopathy, neuropathy, and lymphocytic pleocytosis, is more commonly documented in Europe than North America. Here, we describe a cluster of 5 neuroinvasive LD cases with BWS in the upper Midwest United States between July and August 2017.

ABSTRACT Emerging antimicrobial resistance in members of the Bacteroides fragilis group is a concern in clinical medicine. Although metronidazole and carbapenem resistance have been reported in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron , a member of the B. fragilis group, they have not, to the best of our knowledge, been reported together in the same B. thetaiotaomicron isolate. Herein, we report isolation of piperacillin-tazobactam-, metronidazole-, clindamycin-, ertapenem-, and meropenem-resistant B. thetaiotaomicron from a patient with postoperative intra-abdominal abscess and empyema. Whole-genome sequencing demonstrated the presence of nimD with at least a portion of IS 1169 upstream, a second putative nim gene, two β-lactamase genes (one of which has not been previously reported), two tetX genes, tetQ , ermF , two cat genes, and a number of efflux pumps. This report highlights emerging antimicrobial resistance in B. thetaiotaomicron and the importance of identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of selected anaerobic bacteria.

Abstract Background NSABP B-36 compares 6 cycles of FEC-100 with 4 cycles of standard AC in pts with node-negative breast cancer. As reported separately, no significant differences between the two treatment arms were observed in the primary endpoint of disease-free survival or in the secondary endpoints of overall survival, recurrence-free, or distant recurrence-free intervals. Greater toxicity was reported in pts who received FEC compared to AC. We present here the results of the QOL and MH studies obtained prospectively in conjunction with the treatment study. We hypothesized that pts on FEC would experience greater treatment toxicity in the first 12 months of the study, and would have greater rates of amenorrhea at 18 months compared to pts on AC. Methods Among the 1,357 pts enrolled in the QOL study, 1,332 (675 AC, 657 FEC) submitted the baseline form and had QOL follow-up (fup) information. Pts completed: 1) the FACT-B instrument; 2) a symptom checklist; and 3) the SF-36 Vitality Scale, all at baseline, day 1 of cycle 4, and at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months after random assignment. FACT-B Trial Outcome Index (TOI), symptom severity, and vitality scores were compared between the two treatment arms using a mixed model for repeated measures analysis with adjustment for the baseline scores, type of surgery, and hormone receptor status, examining the first 12 months and the later time points separately. Menstrual status was collected at baseline for all enrolled pts, with subsequent assessments on day 1 of cycle 4, and at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months for pts with menstrual bleeding within 12 months prior to random assignment and not having had a hysterectomy and/or bilateral oophorectomy (1, 096 pts). Post-chemotherapy amenorrhea was defined as the lack of menstrual periods during the 12 months preceding the 18-month fup evaluation. Data from 921 pts (475 AC, 446 FEC) were available for analysis. Logistic regression, adjusted for type of surgery and hormone receptor status, was used to test for association of amenorrhea status and treatment. Results Both TOI and vitality scores were worse for pts on FEC compared to those on AC at 6 months (p<0.01) with no significant difference at 12 months and beyond. No significant differences in symptom severity between the two treatment arms were observed. The rates of post-chemotherapy amenorrhea were significantly different between FEC and AC (66.8% vs. 58.7%, p=0.01) with positive hormone receptor status as an independent risk factor (p=0.03). Conclusions Women receiving FEC had diminished QOL at 6 months after random assignment, but no difference at 12 months or later. Premenopausal women receiving FEC experienced a higher rate of post-chemotherapy amenorrhea than women receiving AC. Support NCI grants U10-CA-12027, -37377, -69974, -69651 and -44066-26, and Pharmacia & Upjohn Company, a subsidiary of Pfizer, Inc. Citation Format: Patricia A Ganz, John W Wilson, Hanna Bandos, André Robidoux, Alexander HG Paterson, Johnathan Polikoff, Luis Baez-Diaz, Adam M Brufsky, Louis Fehrenbacher, Aroop Mangalik, Patrick J Ward, Louise Provencher, John T Hamm, Philip J Stella, Robert L Carolla, Richard G Margolese, Henry R Shibata, Edith A Perez, Norman Wolmark. Impact of treatment on quality of life (QOL) and menstrual history (MH) in the NSABP B-36: A randomized phase III trial comparing six cycles of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC) to four cycles of adriamycin and cyclophosphamide [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-12-01.

AbstractBackgroundVoriconazole is a commonly used antifungal medication in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT) patients. In solid organ transplantation, voriconazole use has been associated with the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We sought to determine if voriconazole use was associated with SCC in patients undergoing allo‐HSCT.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed consecutive adult patients who underwent allo‐HSCT at Mayo Clinic from January 2007 through July 2012. Multivariable Cox models were created to assess the relationship of SCC with two time‐dependent voriconazole exposure variables: (i) history of voriconazole exposure (yes/no), and (ii) cumulative days of voriconazole use.ResultsIn our cohort of 381 allo‐HSCT patients, SCC developed in 26 of 312 patients exposed to voriconazole (25 post‐voriconazole) and in 1 of 69 patients who received alternative antifungal agent(s). Cumulative incidence of SCC was estimated to be 19% at 5 years post allo‐transplant. Cumulative days of voriconazole use was found to be a risk factor for SCC, and this relationship persisted in a multivariable model using previously identified risk factors as covariates (hazard ratio 1.859 for each 180 days of use, P < 0.001).ConclusionThis is the first study, to our knowledge, to identify cumulative days of voriconazole use as a risk factor for SCC development following allo‐HSCT, and may help guide appropriate antifungal use in this patient population.