Mycoses
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To determine the epidemiology, risk factors for and outcome of candidaemia in critically ill patients, a matched case-control study was performed in a 25-bed intensive care unit (ICU) from August 2004 to January 2006. Candidaemia occurred in 33 patients; each patient was matched to four controls according to admission illness severity, diagnostic category and length of ICU stay. Candida non-albicans species predominated (67.7%). ⋯ Among candidaemic patients, risk factors for mortality were the severity of organ dysfunction (sequential organ failure assessment score, OR, 1.57; 95% CI 1.00-2.46, P = 0.05) and a low serum albumin level (OR, 0.74; 95% CI 0.59-0.94, P = 0.012) both of them occurred on candidaemia onset. We conclude that in critically ill patients matched for illness severity and length of ICU stay, the only independent risk factor for candidaemia was the presence of ARDS. Mortality was independently associated with acquisition of candidaemia and with the illness severity at candidaemia onset.
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Risk factors for invasive candidiasis in children with candidaemia are poorly defined. We performed a retrospective cohort study of all children with candidaemia at our tertiary children's hospital from 2000 to 2006. Invasive candidiasis was diagnosed by review of the medical record and standardised EORTC/MSG criteria. ⋯ Prematurity <32 weeks (P < 0.01), an underlying immunocompromising disorder (P < 0.01), and ≥2 days of candidaemia (P = 0.05) were significantly associated with invasive candidiasis. Invasive candidiasis, especially proven or probable, in the setting of candidaemia was not common in our hospital, but premature infants and immunocompromised children were at significantly higher risk. Based on our findings, extensive imaging and examination by an ophthalmologist were particularly low-yield for invasive candidiasis in immunocompetent children beyond infancy.
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We created a clinical prediction rule to identify patients at risk of invasive candidiasis (IC) in the intensive care unit (ICU) (Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2007; 26:271). The rule applies to <10% of patients in ICUs. We sought to create a more inclusive rule for clinical trials. ⋯ We reviewed 597 patients with a mean APACHE II score of 14.4, mean ICU stay of 12.5 days and mean ventilation time of 10.7 days. A variation of the rule requiring mechanical ventilation AND central venous catheter AND broad spectrum antibiotics on days 1-3 AND an additional risk factor applied to 18% of patients, maintaining the incidence of IC at 10%. Modification of our original rule resulted in a more inclusive rule for studies.
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For the specialist, the management of invasive candidiasis infections, from diagnosis to selection of the therapeutic protocol, is often a challenge. Although early diagnosis and treatment are associated with a better prognosis, apart from cases with positive blood cultures or fluid/tissue biopsy, diagnosis is neither sensitive nor specific, relying on many different factors, clinical and laboratory findings but there is certainly a need for the specific markers in this disease. Recently, new serodiagnostic assays as Candida albicans germ-tube antibodies or (1,3)-beta-D-glucan detection and molecular techniques for the detection of fungal-specific DNA have been developed with controversial results in critical care setting. ⋯ Clinical scores were built from those risk factors. For these reasons, an approach to the new diagnosis tools in the clinical mycology laboratory and an analysis of the new prediction rules and its application situations has been made. Currently, the combination of prediction rules and non-culture microbiological tools could be the clue for improving the diagnosis and prognosis of invasive fungal infections in critically ill patients.
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Comparative Study
Molecular diagnosis of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia in immunocompromised patients.
Pneumocystis jiroveci is the major cause of pneumonia in immunocompromised patients. To evaluate the performance of single and nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods compared with immunofluorescent assay (IFA) and cytological staining for diagnosis of P. jiroveci infection, the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and sputum samples from 60 immunocompromised patients were studied. Between January 2005 and March 2008, 75 respiratory specimens (41 BAL and 34 sputum samples) were examined for P. jiroveci identification. ⋯ These patients were classified as no Pneumocystis pneumonia. PCR detection of P. jiroveci is a very sensitive test and will offer a powerful technique in clinical laboratories for the routine diagnosis of Pneumocystis pneumonia. Using the nested-PCR, additional clinical cases can be diagnosed, but there is then an obvious risk of detecting subclinical colonisation by P. jiroveci.