Lack of Interference between Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus in HIV-infected individuals?
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Jan Nouwen.
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The epidemiology and risks of Staphylococcus aureus carriage in continuous peritoneal dialysis (CPD) patients was studied in a single tertiary-care institution. On outpatient visits samples for culture were routinely taken prospectively from the CPD catheter exit site and the vestibulum nasi. Seventy-five patients with at least one culture positive for S. aureus in this period were included: 43 had genotypically identical S. aureus strains in over 80% of the cultures and were classified as persistent carriers; 32 were intermittent carriers. Persistent carriage was associated with a threefold higher risk for CPD-related infections and sixfold higher rates of vancomycin consumption compared to those for the intermittent carriers. No methicillin or vancomycin resistance was detected.
The vitamin D endocrine system has been shown to influence the immune response and polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene have been associated with susceptibility to infectious diseases. We determined if the Cdx2, FokI and BsmI-ApaI-TaqI polymorphisms in the VDR gene were associated with nasal carriage of Staphylococcal aureus. We defined the S. aureus nasal carriage status (persistent, intermittent or non-carriage) for a group of more that 2000 elderly volunteers. The prevalence of persistent S. aureus nasal carriage was 18%, which was, however, not associated with any of the variant VDR genotypes. Our study into genetic determinants of S. aureus carriage patterns is the largest in the field, but still we found no association between VDR gene variation and S. aureus nasal carriage.
Persistent nasal carriers and noncarriers of Staphylococcus aureus were inoculated with a mixture of different S. aureus strains. The majority of noncarriers and nearly all persistent carriers returned to their original carrier state after artificial inoculation. Furthermore, the majority of persistent carriers tested positive again for their original resident strain. Using a human nasal inoculation model, we here demonstrate that the human factor is an important determinant of S. aureus nasal carriage.
Coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) are a main cause of catheter related infections (CRI). Earlier studies (1994-1996) revealed a high incidence of CRI (6 per 1000 catheter days) among neutropenic hemato-oncologic patients in the Erasmus MC Hematology Department (Rotterdam, The Netherlands). This was mainly explained by expansion of two methicillin resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) clones (Nouwen et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 36 (1998) 2696-2702). In a new, 16-bed unit in the same institution, we investigated the effect of strict clinical isolation measures on the incidence of CRI. During two 6-month screening periods (period I: April 1998-December 1998 and period II: April 1999-October 1999) all patients receiving a central venous catheter were prospectively monitored for the development of CRI. During period I every visitor of the cubicles had to wear hair caps, masks, gowns and gloves. During period II these procedures were abolished, but hands were cleansed using alcohol and masks were worn during both periods in case of coughing and sneezing. All CoNS strains isolated from blood cultures were genetically classifies by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The incidence of CRI during period I was 13.0 per 1000 catheter days, in comparison to 9.6 in period II (P=0.84). During this latter period, 19 CRI were diagnosed, 14 catheter related bacteremia episodes (CRB) and five local infections. Seventy-two percent (n=9) of CRB were due to a CoNS. The mean catheter survival until appearance of a CRI increased from 43 days during period I to 78 days in period II (P=0.39). The mean catheter survival until infection related removal was increased from 43 days to 133 days (P=0.12). During period I less experienced intervention radiologists introduced the catheters, which may have limited the efficacy of the strict hygiene measures. Thus, abolishing strict isolation precautions had no negative effect on the incidence of CRI. After genotyping of 38 MRSE strains isolated from blood and central venous catheter cultures of 12 patients in period II, eight PFGE types were found. Three types were found in more than one patient, but based on epidemiological data patient-to-patient spread could not be proven. No genotypic identity between patient and personnel CoNS isolates was shown and the two major clonal types that were present between 1994 and 1996 were not encountered. However, from December 1998 onwards new MRSE clones could be identified (types E and J). In conclusion, despite a constant rate of CRI and implementation of optimal patient care, clonal spread of MRSE strains was not prevented by strict hygiene measures.
Nonbullous impetigo is a common skin infection in children and is frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcal toxins and especially exfoliative toxin A are known mediators of bullous impetigo in children. It is not known whether this is also true for nonbullous impetigo. We set out to analyze clonality among clinical isolates of S. aureus from children with nonbullous impetigo living in a restricted geographical area in The Netherlands. We investigated whether staphylococcal nasal carriage and the nature of the staphylococcal strains were associated with the severity and course of impetigo. Bacterial isolates were obtained from the noses and wounds of children suffering from impetigo. Strains were genetically characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis-mediated typing and binary typing, which was also used to assess toxin gene content. In addition, a detailed clinical questionnaire was filled in by each of the participating patients. Staphylococcal nasal carriage seems to predispose the patients to the development of impetigo, and 34% of infections diagnosed in the Rotterdam area are caused by one clonal type of S. aureus. The S. aureus strains harbor the exfoliative toxin B (ETB) gene as a specific virulence factor. In particular, the numbers (P = 0.002) and sizes (P < 0.001) of the lesions were increased in patients infected with an ETB-positive strain. Additional predictors of disease severity and development could be identified. The presence of a staphylococcal plasmid encoding multiple antibiotic resistance traits, as detected by binary typing, was associated with a reduction in the cure rate. Our results recognize that a combination of staphylococcal virulence and resistance genes rather than a single gene determines the development and course of nonbullous impetigo. The identification of these microbial genetic markers, which are predictive of the severity and the course of the disease, will facilitate guided individualized antimicrobial therapy in the future.
INTRODUCTION: There is an increased interest in developing once-daily regimens for the treatment of HIV-infected patients. A Phase II study was conducted to investigate the pharmacokinetics, and short-term safety and efficacy of an indinavir/ritonavir combination as part of a once-daily regimen. METHODS: HIV-infected patients with either proven poor compliance to HAART regimens in the past or an anticipated poor compliance to such a regimen in the future were eligible for this study. They received a once-daily regimen consisting of indinavir 1200 mg, ritonavir 400 mg, and one or two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), also administered once daily with food. A 24 h pharmacokinetic profile was constructed in a subset of patients. Short-term safety and efficacy were evaluated at 4, 12 and 24 weeks after initiation of treatment. RESULTS: A total of 64 patients were included in this study, of whom 27 (42.2%) were treatment-naive. The geometric mean (+95% CI) of indinavir AUC0-24h, Cmax and Cmin as determined in an unselected group of 16 patients were 84.9 (69.7-103.5) mg/l x h, 12.0 (10.2-14.1) mg/l and 0.15 (0.09-0.26) mg/l, respectively. A large interpatient variability was observed, with five out of the 16 subjects having a Cmin value below the minimum effective concentration of 0.10 mg/l. During the 24 weeks of follow-up nine patients (14.1%) discontinued study medication, two due to medication-related toxicity. Gastrointestinal adverse events were reported most frequently (50.0%), followed by skin effects (45.3%), joint pain (9.4%) and urological complaints (7.8%). No patient developed nephrolithiasis. The median (+interquartile range) serum creatinine level in the 64 patients increased slightly from 74 (63-88) micromol/l to 79 (66-92) micromol/l during the 24 weeks of follow-up. One new patient reached a grade 1 elevation in serum creatinine, which normalized during the follow-up; five other patients with elevated serum creatinine at baseline remained stable. During the 24 weeks of follow-up, the proportion of patients with a viral load <500 copies/ml increased from 35.1% at baseline to 71.4% (ITT NC=F analysis) or 83.3% (OT analysis), and from 0% at baseline to 76.2% (ITT NC=F analysis) or 100.0% (OT analysis) in treatment-experienced and -naive patients, respectively. This was accompanied by a mean increase in CD4 cell count of 52 and 220 cells/mm3 in these two sub-groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: The 24-week follow-up data of this study indicate favourable pharmacokinetics of an indinavir/ritonavir 1200/400 mg combination as part of a once-daily regimen consisting also of one or two NRTIs. Short-term safety and efficacy were also satisfactory. Long-term follow up is planned to evaluate the durability of these results.