Background: International travel is an important risk factor for colonization with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE). Antimicrobial use during travel likely amplifies this risk, yet to what extent, and whether it varies by antimicrobial class, has not been established. Methods: We conducted a systematic review that included prospective cohorts reporting both receipt of systemic antimicrobials and acquired ESBL-PE isolated from stool or rectum during international travel. We performed a random effects meta-analysis to estimate odds of acquiring ESBL-PE due to antimicrobials during travel, overall and by antimicrobial class. Results: Fifteen studies were included. The study population was mainly female travellers from high income countries recruited primarily from travel clinics. Participants travelled most frequently to Asia and Africa with 10% reporting antimicrobial use during travel. The combined odds ratio (OR) for ESBL-PE acquisition during travel was 2.37 for antimicrobial use overall (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.69 to 3.33), but there was substantial heterogeneity between studies. Fluoroquinolones were the antibiotic class associated with the highest combined OR of ESBL-PE acquisition, compared to no antimicrobial use (OR 4.68, 95% CI, 2.34 to 9.37). Conclusions: The risk of ESBL-PE colonization during travel is increased substantially with exposure to antimicrobials, especially fluoroquinolones. While a small proportion of colonized individuals will develop a resistant infection, there remains the potential for onward spread among returning travellers. Public health efforts to decrease inappropriate antimicrobial usage during travel are warranted.Funding Statement: The authors stated: "No outside funding supported this work."Declaration of Interests: Authors declare no conflicts of interest.
KEY POINTS A 48-year-old man presented to the emergency department with a 2-day history of pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath. His medical history included HIV infection, diagnosed 14 years earlier in the context of intravenous drug use. Three months previously, he had an undetectable
Amoebic liver abscess (ALA) is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening complication of infection with the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. E histolytica is widely distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, causing up to 40 million infections annually. The parasite is transmitted via the fecal-oral route, and once it establishes itself in the colon, it has the propensity to invade the mucosa, leading to ulceration and colitis, and to disseminate to distant extraintestinal sites, the most common of which is the liver. The authors provide a topical review of ALA and summarize clinical data from a series of 29 patients with ALA presenting to seven hospitals in Toronto, Ontario, a nonendemic setting, over 30 years.
Bartonella are gram-negative bacilli not identified by routine bacterial culture. The objectives of this study were to review the results of all serologic testing for Bartonella ordered in Manitoba, Canada, and to review cases with positive test results among adults to assess species identification, risk factors, clinical manifestations and outcomes.
Methods:
This retrospective study included all Bartonella serologic tests ordered in Manitoba and performed at the National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, from Jan. 1, 2010, until Dec. 31, 2020. We analyzed the aggregate data for all serologic tests for Bartonella for patients of all ages. We reviewed the charts of adult (age ≥ 18 yr) patients with serologic positivity for Bartonella who had a medical chart at 1 of Winnipeg’s 2 largest hospitals (Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface Hospital) to extract clinical and demographic data and create a case series. Descriptive statistics were performed.
Results:
During the study period, 1014 Bartonella serologic tests were ordered in adult and pediatric patients, of which 24 (2.4%) gave a positive result. Sixteen adults (12 men and 4 women; mean age 48 yr) seen at a participating hospital had a positive result. Molecular species-level identification occurred on explanted cardiac valves in 5 (31%) of the 16 cases; B. quintana was identified in all 5. Six patients (38%) were diagnosed with probable B. quintana infection, for a total of 11 B. quintana cases (69%); 8 (73%) of the 11 had endocarditis. Four cases of B. quintana infection (36%) were associated with rural residence. Four cases (25%) of probable B. henselae were identified; 2 patients had fever and lymphadenopathy, and 2 had endocarditis. The remaining patient was deemed to have a false-positive result as his B. henselae titre was at the threshold for positivity, his B. quintana serologic test gave a negative result, and his clinical syndrome was not suggestive of Bartonella infection. Two patients died; both had multivalvular B. quintana endocarditis with ruptured intracranial mycotic aneurysms.
Interpretation:
Bartonella quintana was a common cause of Bartonella serologic positivity among adults in Manitoba in 2010–2020 and was associated with endocarditis and systemic embolization. As B. quintana is transmitted by body lice, active case finding for people who lack suitable housing, both in urban and rural settings, should prioritize those with elevated Bartonella titres to receive echocardiography and detect endocarditis before systemic embolization occurs.
POINTS CLÉS Un homme de 48 ans s'est présenté au service des urgences pour une douleur thoracique d'origine pleurétique et un essoufflement apparus 2 jours auparavant. Ses antécédents médicaux comprenaient une infection au VIH diagnostiquée 14 ans plus tôt dans le cadre d'une
Introduction: BCG therapy is first line therapy for high grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).Case Presentation: A 54-year-old male presented with fevers, rigors and hematuria one week following intravesical BCG administration for treatment of NMIBC. He developed fever, pancytopenia, elevated liver enzymes and pulmonary infiltrates with progression of symptoms despite broad spectrum antimicrobial therapy. A bone marrow biopsy showed granulomatous infiltration; cultures of urine demonstrated growth of Mycobacterium bovis. A diagnosis of disseminated BCG infection secondary to intravesical administration was made; rifampin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and high dose prednisone were initiated.Conclusion: Adverse events associated with BCG administration have been attributed to both the primary mycobacterium infection and to hypersensitivity reactions. Timely collection of histopathology can lead to early treatment of disseminated BCG with good outcomes. Internists should have a high index of suspicion for patients presenting with organ dysfunction with an immediate or remote history of intravesical BCG administration.
Lyme disease is a tick-borne disease caused by the spirochete B. burgdorferi, and patients often present with symptoms comparable to a viral-like illness. The diagnosis can be challenging given its wide range of manifestations and diagnostic testing can take days or longer. Here, we present a case of Lyme disease presenting as brachial plexopathy and meningitis.A 76-years-old male presented to a tertiary-care hospital with left arm weakness and neck pain.Our patient was diagnosed with Lyme neuroborreliosis and had positive serology, including enzyme immunoassay and Western blot.Our patient received 17 days of ceftriaxone (2g IV daily) followed by oral doxycycline (100mg bid).Over the subsequent year, our patient had eventual complete recovery in muscle strength and sensation, with slower improvement to the cervical neck and left arm pain.Incidence of Lyme disease is increasing in North America, and the disease has a wide range of symptoms. Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is 1 presentation and can present with early or late manifestations; clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion and begin empiric treatment in individuals with a clinical syndrome consistent with LNB. Early LNB manifestations have onset within 6 months of infection and include cranial and peripheral neuropathy, radiculitis, and aseptic meningitis; late LNB encompasses a chronic encephalomyelitis.
In the version of this Article initially published, a versioning error led to a mistake in the third paragraph of the Discussion.In the text now reading "In our dataset, the most extreme and sustained increase in SARS-CoV-2 cases associated with school opening was in the South, where school opening was associated with a weekly increase in cases ranging from 9.8 to 21.3 per 100,000 people, " the range initially reported was "7.8 to 18.9 per 100,000." The results presented in the text and figures are unaffected.
KEY POINTS A 54-year-old man was sent to the emergency department by his family doctor for evaluation of a new cardiac murmur. His medical history included gastroesophageal reflux disease and degenerative disc disease. He lived in a home with his wife, rarely consumed alcohol and denied smoking or
