Browsing by Subject "Anti-Bacterial Agents"

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    Open Access
    Molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from various healthcare institutions in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross sectional study
    (2016) Omuse, Geoffrey; Van Zyl, Kristien Nel; Hoek, Kim; Abdulgader, Shima; Kariuki, Samuel; Whitelaw, Andrew; Revathi, Gunturu
    Abstract Background Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) has established itself over the years as a major cause of morbidity and mortality both within the community and in healthcare settings. Methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in particular has been a major cause of nosocomial infections resulting in significant increase in healthcare costs. In Africa, the MRSA prevalence has been shown to vary across different countries. In order to better understand the epidemiology of MRSA in a setting, it is important to define its population structure using molecular tools as different clones have been found to predominate in certain geographical locations. Methods We carried out PFGE, MLST, SCCmec and spa typing of selected S. aureus isolates from a private and public referral hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Results A total of 93 S. aureus isolates were grouped into 19 PFGE clonal complexes (A–S) and 12 singletons. From these, 55 (32 MRSA and 23 MSSA) representative isolates from each PFGE clonal complex and all singletons were spa typed. There were 18 different MRSA spa types and 22 MSSA spa types. The predominant MRSA spa type was t037 comprising 40.6 % (13/32) of all MRSA. In contrast, the MSSA were quite heterogeneous, only 2 out of 23 MSSA shared the same spa type. Two new MRSA spa types (t13149 and t13150) and 3 new MSSA spa types (t13182, t13193 and t13194) were identified. The predominant clonal complex was CC 5 which included multi-locus sequence types 1, 8 and 241. Conclusion In contrast to previous studies published from Kenya, there’s marked genetic diversity amongst clinical MRSA isolates in Nairobi including the presence of well-known epidemic MRSA clones. Given that these clones are resident within our referral hospitals, adherence to strict infection control measures needs to be ensured to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with hospital acquired MRSA infections.
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    Open Access
    Prolonged deferral of antiretroviral therapy in the SAPIT trial: Did we need a clinical trial to tell us that this would increase mortality?
    (2010) Boulle, Andrew; Clayden, Polly; Cohen, Karen; Cohen, Ted; Conradie, Francesca; Dong, Christa; Geffen, Nathan; Grimwood, Ashraf; Hurtado, Rocio; Kenyon, Christopher; Lawn, Stephen; Maartens, Gary; Meintjes, Graeme; Mendelson, Marc; Murray, Megan; Rangaka, Molebogeng; Sanne, Ian; Spencer, David; Taljaard, Jantjie; Variava, Ebrahim; Venter, W D Francois; Wilson, Douglas
    Tuberculosis is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in HIVinfected patients in sub-Saharan Africa. HIV infection is often first diagnosed following a diagnosis of tuberculosis, with many patients needing antiretroviral therapy (ART). Starting ART in HIV-infected patients with tuberculosis (TB) may be associated with complications, including side-effects from co-administration of multiple drugs with many overlapping toxicities, reductions in concentrations of certain antiretroviral drugs following the induction of metabolising enzymes and drug transporters by rifampicin, and paradoxical deterioration due to the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). Furthermore, the high pill burden of co-treatment could reduce adherence, resulting in poor treatment outcomes for both diseases. These potential harms must be weighed against the high mortality rates in patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis who do not receive ART, especially those with low CD4 counts. The optimal time to initiate ART in patients with tuberculosis is an important research question, and randomised controlled trials are addressing this issue.
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    Pseudomonas aeruginosa burn wound infection in a dedicated paediatric burns unit
    (2013) Coetzee, Emile; Rode, Heinz; KAHN, DELAWIR
    BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is a major cause of morbidity in burns patients. There is a paucity of publications dealing with this infection in the paediatric population. We describe the incidence, microbiology and impact of P. aeruginosa infection in a dedicated paediatric burns unit. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients with clinically significant P. aeruginosa infection between April 2007 and January 2010 in the burns unit at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, was performed. RESULTS: During the 36-month study period, 2 632 patients were admitted. Of 2 791 bacteriology samples sent for microscopy, culture and sensitivity, 406 (14.5%) were positive for P. aeruginosa. Thirty-four patients had clinically significant P. aeruginosa wound infection, giving an incidence of 1.3%. Three patients had loss of Biobrane or allografts, and 23 cases of skin graft loss occurred in 18 patients. An average of 12 dressing days was needed to obtain negative swabs. All isolates were sensitive to chlorhexidine, whereas 92.5% were resistant to povidone-iodine. Piperacillin-tazobactam was the systemic antimicrobial to which there was most resistance (36.1%), and tobramycin had least resistance (3.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of clinically significant burn wound infection is low in our unit, yet the morbidity due to debridement and re-grafting is significant. We observed very high resistance to topical povidone-iodine. Resistance to systemic antimicrobials is lower than that reported from other burns units.
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    The Clostridium difficile problem: A South African tertiary institution's prospective perspective
    (2013) Rajabally, N M; Pentecost, M; Pretorius, G; Whitelaw, A; Mendelson, M; Watermeyer, G
    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to report the incidence of Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) in a tertiary-care hospital in South Africa and to identify risk factors, assess patient outcomes and determine the impact of the hypervirulent strain of the organism referred to as North American pulsed-field type 1 (NAP1). METHODS: Adults who presented with diarrhoea over a period of 15 months were prospectively evaluated for CDAD using stool toxin enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Positive specimens were evaluated by PCR. Patient demographics, laboratory parameters and outcomes were analysed. RESULTS: CDAD was diagnosed in 59 (9.2%) of 643 patients (median age 39 years, IQR 30 - 55). Thirty-four (58%) were female. Recent antibiotic exposure was reported in 39 (66%), 27 (46%) had been hospitalised within 3 months, and 14 (24%) had concomitant inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Nineteen (32%) had community-acquired CDAD (CA-CDAD). The annual incidence of hospital-acquired CDAD (HA-CDAD) was 8.7 cases/10 000 hospitalisations. Two cases of the hypervirulent strain NAP1 were identified. Seven (12%) patients underwent colectomy (OR 6.83; 95% CI 2.41 - 19.3). On logistic regression, only antibiotic exposure independently predicted for CDAD (OR 2.9; 95% CI 1.6 - 5.1). Three (16%) cases of CA-CDAD reported antibiotic exposure (v. 90% of HA-CDAD, p<0.0001). Twelve (86%) patients had concomitant IBD (p<0.0001 v. HA-CDAD). CA-CDAD was significantly associated with antibiotic exposure (OR 0.04, 95% CI 0.01 - 0.24) and IBD (OR 9.6, 95% CI 1.15 - 79.8). CONCLUSION: The incidence of HA-CDAD in the South African setting is far lower than that reported in the West. While antibiotic use was a major risk factor for HA-CDAD, CA-CDAD was not associated with antibiotic therapy. Concurrent IBD was a predictor of CA-CDAD.