Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics, common pathogens in children with vulvovaginitis. Methods: This was a retrospective cases study. A total of 3 268 children with vulvovaginitis were enrolled, who visited the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2009 to December 2019. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the age of <7, 7-<10 and 10-18 years. Patients were also divided in to 4 groups according to the season of first visit. The pathogen distribution characteristics of infective vulvovaginitis were compared between the groups. Their clinical data were collected and then analyzed by χ² test. Results: The were 3 268 girls aged (6.2±2.5) years. There were 1 728 cases (52.9%) aged <7 years, 875 cases (26.8%) aged 7-<10 years, and 665 cases (20.3%) aged 10-18 years. Of these cases, 2 253 cases (68.9%) were bacterial vulvovaginitis, 715 cases (21.9%) were fungal vulvovaginitis and 300 cases (9.2%) were vulvovaginitis infected with other pathogens. Bacterial culture of vaginal secretions was performed in 2 287 cases, and 2 287 strains (70.0%) of pathogens were detected, of which the top 5 pathogens were Streptococcus pyogenes (745 strains, 32.6%), Haemophilus influenzae (717 strains, 31.4%), Escherichia coli (292 strains, 12.8%), Staphylococcus aureus (222 strains, 9.7%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (67 strains, 2.9%). Regarding different age groups, H.influenzae was the most common in children under 7 years of age (40.3%, 509/1 263), S.pyogenes (41.9%, 356/849) was predominantly in children aged 7 to 10 years, and E.coli was predominant in children aged 10 to 18 years (26.3%, 46/175). Susceptibility results showed that S.pyogenes was susceptible to penicillin G (610/610, 100.0%), ceftriaxone (525/525, 100.0%), and vancomycin (610/610, 100.0%); the resistance rates to erythromycin and clindamycin were 91.9% (501/545)and 90.7% (495/546), respectively. For H.influenzae, 32.5% (161/496) produced β-elactamase, and all strains were sensitive to meropenem (489/489, 100.0%) and levofloxacin (388/388, 100.0%), while 40.5% (202/499) were resistant to ampicillin. Among E.coli, all strains were sensitive to imipenem(100%, 175/175). The resistance rates of E.coli to levofloxacin and ceftriaxone were 29.1% (43/148) and 35.1% (59/168), respectively. A total of 48 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were isolated with a proportion of 28.3% (45/159) in 3 268 patients. The results of drug susceptibility test showed that all MRSA strains were sensitive to linezolid 100.0% (40/40), vancomycin (45/45, 100.0%), and tigecycline (36/36, 100.0%); the resistance rates of MRSA to penicillin G, erythromycin and clindamycin were 100% (45/45), 95.6% (43/45) and 88.9% (40/45), respectively. All methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) strains were sensitive to oxacillin (114/114, 100.0%), linezolid (94/94, 100.0%), vancomycin (114/114, 100.0%), and tigecycline (84/84, 100.0%); it's resistance rates to penicillin G, erythromycin and clindamycin were 78.1% (89/114), 59.7% (68/114) and 46.5% (53/114), respectively. The drug resistance rate of MSSA to penicillin G, erythromycin and clindamycin were lower than those of MRSA (χ²=11.71,19.74,23.95, respectively, all P<0.001). Conclusions: The age of consultation for pediatric infectious vulvovaginitis is mainly around 6 years. The most common pathogens are S.pyogenes, H.influenzae and Escherichia coli. Third generation cephalosporins can be used as the first choice of empirical anti-infection drugs. However, the results of drug susceptibility should be considered for targeted treatment.
Female ; Adolescent ; Child ; Humans ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Vancomycin/therapeutic use* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Clindamycin/therapeutic use* ; Ceftriaxone/therapeutic use* ; Tigecycline/therapeutic use* ; Linezolid/therapeutic use* ; Levofloxacin/therapeutic use* ; Retrospective Studies ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Staphylococcal Infections/drug therapy* ; Erythromycin/therapeutic use* ; Methicillin ; Penicillin G/therapeutic use* ; Escherichia coli ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial

Adolescent ; Humans ; Linezolid ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; pathogenicity ; Pneumonia ; diagnostic imaging ; microbiology ; Vancomycin ; therapeutic use

INTRODUCTIONCeftaroline is a fifth-generation cephalosporin with activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that was recently launched in Singapore. It received approval from the United States (US) Food Drug Administration (FDA) and European Commission for the treatment of adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTI). This study aimed to review current published data and determine its clinical role, particularly in the local setting.

MATERIALS AND METHODSA literature review on published articles in English on ceftaroline, focusing in particular on clinical trials and other clinical reports. Susceptibility testing was also performed on a limited sample of local MRSA and Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates.

RESULTSCeftaroline has an extensive spectrum of activity, including coverage of MRSA and multidrug-resistant S. pneumoniae. However, it has limited activity against non-fermenting Gram-negative bacteria and is susceptible to hydrolysis by extended spectrum beta-lactamases. It is only available for intravenous delivery, with a reconstituted stability of just 6 hours, rendering it unavailable for use for outpatient antibiotic therapy. Clinical trials demonstrate non-inferiority compared to first-line comparators in the treatment of CAP and cSSTI. Published case reports/series suggest a potential greater role in the treatment of MRSA bacteremia and endocarditis. No resistance was found among local archived MRSA and S. pneumoniae isolates.

CONCLUSIONWe believe ceftaroline will occupy primarily niche roles for culture-directed treatment of various infections--in particular those caused by MRSA--until further clinical trial data become available. A variety of factors render it less useful or appealing for empirical treatment of CAP or healthcare-associated infections.

INTRODUCTION: Institutional surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) guidelines are in place at all public hospitals in Singapore, but variations exist and adherence to guidelines is not tracked consistently. A national point prevalence survey carried out in 2020 showed that about 60% of surgical prophylactic antibiotics were administered for more than 24 hours. This guideline aims to align best practices nationally and provides a framework for audit and surveillance. METHOD: This guideline was developed by the National Antimicrobial Stewardship Expert Panel's National Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis Guideline Development Workgroup Panel, which comprises infectious diseases physicians, pharmacists, surgeons and anaesthesiologists. The Workgroup adopted the ADAPTE methodology framework with modifications for the development of the guideline. The recommended duration of antibiotic prophylaxis was graded according to the strength of consolidated evidence based on the scoring system of the Singapore Ministry of Health Clinical Practice Guidelines. RESULTS: This National SAP Guideline provides evidence-based recommendations for the rational use of antibiotic prophylaxis. These include recommended agents, dose, timing and duration for patients undergoing common surgeries based on surgical disciplines. The Workgroup also provides antibiotic recommendations for special patient population groups (such as patients with β-lactam allergy and patients colonised with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), as well as for monitoring and surveillance of SAP. CONCLUSION This evidence-based National SAP Guideline for hospitals in Singapore aims to align practices and optimise the use of antibiotics for surgical prophylaxis for the prevention of surgical site infections while reducing adverse events from prolonged durations of SAP.
Humans ; Antibiotic Prophylaxis ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Singapore ; Surgeons ; Hospitals, Public

The oral microbial community is widely regarded as a latent reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes. This study assessed the molecular epidemiology, susceptibility profile, and resistance mechanisms of 35 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) strains isolated from the dental plaque of a healthy human population. Broth microdilution minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) revealed that all the isolates were nonsusceptible to oxacillin and penicillin G. Most of them were also resistant to trimethoprim (65.7%) and erythromycin (54.3%). The resistance to multiple antibiotics was found to be largely due to the acquisition of plasmid-borne genes. The mecA and dfrA genes were found in all the isolates, mostly dfrG (80%), aacA-aphD (20%), aadD (28.6%), aphA3 (22.9%), msrA (5.7%), and the ermC gene (14.3%). Classical mutational mechanisms found in these isolates were mainly efflux pumps such as qacA (31.4%), qacC (25.7%), tetK (17.1%), and norA (8.6%). Multilocus sequence type analysis revealed that sequence type 59 (ST59) strains comprised 71.43% of the typed isolates, and the eBURST algorithm clustered STs into the clonal complex 2-II(CC2-II). The staphyloccoccal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type results showed that 25 (71.43%) were assigned to type IV. Moreover, 88.66% of the isolates were found to harbor six or more biofilm-associated genes. The aap, atlE, embp, sdrF, and IS256 genes were detected in all 35 isolates. This research demonstrates that biofilm-positive multiple-antibiotic-resistant ST59-SCCmec IV S. epidermidis strains exist in the dental plaque of healthy people and may be a potential risk for the transmission of antibiotic resistance.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Dental Plaque ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Methicillin ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; isolation & purification ; Staphylococcal Infections ; diagnosis ; Staphylococcus epidermidis ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of augmented renal clearance (ARC) on plasma concentration of vancomycin, bacteriological outcome, and clinical outcome in children with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection treated by vancomycin. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 60 critically ill children who were treated with vancomycin due to MRSA infection from January 2013 to July 2017 and underwent plasma concentration monitoring. According to estimated glomerular filtration rate, these children were divided into an ARC group with 19 children and a normal renal function group with 41 children. The two groups were compared in terms of the use of vancomycin, plasma concentration of vancomycin, and treatment outcome. RESULTS: The children in the ARC group had an age of 1-12 years, and the ARC group had significantly higher body weight and body surface area than the normal renal function group (P<0.05). Compared with the normal renal function group, the ARC group had a significantly lower initial trough concentration of vancomycin and a significantly lower proportion of children who achieved the effective trough concentration of vancomycin (10-20 mg/L) (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in bacteriological outcome and clinical outcome between the two groups (P>0.05), but the ARC group had significantly longer length of stay in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and length of hospital stay than the normal renal function group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS ARC can significantly reduce the trough concentration of vancomycin and prolong the length of PICU stay and the length of hospital stay in children with MRSA infection. Idividualized medication should be administered to children with ARC.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Infant ; Methicillin ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Retrospective Studies ; Staphylococcal Infections ; drug therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Vancomycin ; therapeutic use

To understand the clinical characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection and the main risk factors affecting clinical prognosis, providing a reference for clinical prevention and control of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection. In this study, the clinical data of 152 patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection admitted to Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed by reviewing the electronic medical record system, including underlying diseases, clinical characteristics, risk factors, and bacterial resistance. Statistical methods such as Chi-Squared Test and t Test were used to analyze the related risk factors that may affect the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infection, then the variables with P<0.05 in univariate analysis were included in the multivariate logistic regression model to analyze the independent risk factors of poor prognosis. The results showed among 152 patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection, 50 patients (32.89%) were infected with MRSA. In comparison, 102 patients (67.11%) were infected with methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Except for rifampicin, the resistance rate of MRSA to commonly used antibiotics was all higher than that of MSSA, and the difference was statistically significant (Chi-square values were 8.272, 11.972, 4.998, 4.776, respectively;all P-values are less than 0.05). Strains resistant to vancomycin, linezolid, and quinupristin/dalfopristin were not found. In the MRSA group, indwelling catheter and drainage tube, carbapenems, and β-lactamase inhibitor treatment were significantly higher than the MSSA group. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The incidence of poor prognosis of bloodstream infection in the MRSA group was higher than that in the MSSA group (34.00% vs 13.73%), and the difference was statistically significant (χ²=8.495, P<0.05). No independent risk factors associated with poor prognosis were found in the included patients with MRSA bloodstream infection.Multivariate Logistic regression model analysis showed that solid malignant tumors (OR=13.576, 95%CI: 3.352-54.977, P<0.05), mechanical ventilation (OR=7.468, 95%CI: 1.398-39.884, P<0.05) were the most important independent risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection. In summary, the poor prognosis rate of MRSA bloodstream infection is higher than that of MSSA. The clinical evaluation of related risk factors should be strengthened, targeted prevention and control interventions should be taken to improve the prognosis of patients with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection, and the use of antibiotics should be rational and standardized, to control bacterial infection and drug resistance effectively .
Humans ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Staphylococcal Infections/microbiology* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Methicillin/therapeutic use* ; Sepsis

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status of empirical antibiotic therapy for children with Staphylococcus aureus sepsis and the effect of therapeutic paradigm on prognosis based on a retrospective analysis. METHODS: A total of 78 children with Staphylococcus aureus sepsis who were admitted from January 2014 to August 2017 were enrolled. According to the preferred empirical antibiotics before the detection of Staphylococcus aureus by blood culture, these children were divided into a carbapenem group with 16 children, a β-lactam group with 37 children, a vancomycin group with 15 children and a vancomycin+β-lactam group with 10 children. A retrospective analysis was performed for related clinical data including general status, underlying diseases, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, history of use of immunosuppressant, drug resistance to methicillin and prognosis. A logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the effect of empirical antibiotic therapy on the clinical outcome and prognosis of children with Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among these groups in general status, underlying diseases, history of use of immunosuppressant, APACHE II score, nosocomial infection and detection rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (P>0.05). There were significant differences in the incidence rate of septic shock and in-hospital mortality among these four groups (P<0.05). The carbapenem group had the highest incidence rate of septic shock and in-hospital mortality (69% and 50% respectively). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that empirical antibiotic therapy with different antibiotics had different risks for septic shock and in-hospital death in children with Staphylococcus aureus sepsis (P<0.05), and that an APACHE II score of ≥15 was an independent risk factor for septic shock in these children (P<0.05). The carbapenem group had significantly higher risks of septic shock and in-hospital death than the vancomycin group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Inappropriate empirical use of antibiotics may lead to a poor prognosis in children with Staphylococcus aureus sepsis. Empirical use of carbapenems is not recommended for children suspected of Staphylococcus aureus sepsis.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Humans ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Staphylococcal Infections ; drug therapy ; Staphylococcus aureus

Singapore has a sophisticated healthcare system and is an important referral centre for Asia. Like much of the world, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is now endemic across its health system. MRSA infection has been associated with considerable attributable mortality, morbidity plus personal and public cost. Nosocomial infections are potentially preventable and need to be considered an unacceptable complication rather than a tolerable byproduct of healthcare. Failure to introduce long-term sustainable infection control initiatives is not an option for responsible clinical leaders and managers. Control of MRSA transmission in Singapore is achievable but we need to accept the challenge and acknowledge that it will take perhaps a decade. It requires implementation of many varied infection control measures to be rolled out sequentially and across all health services. Our ambition, in Singapore, should be for hospitals to achieve an inpatient prevalence of <1% MRSA colonised patients. Identified transmission of MRSA should be regarded as a serious breech. Successful control will require extraordinary collaboration, support, resources, accountability and consistency of effort. Currently, efforts are evolving significantly and today, we have a good opportunity to embark on this difficult journey. Implementing infection control initiatives successfully over the next few years will save lives in the future.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; therapeutic use ; Disease Outbreaks ; prevention & control ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Infection Control ; methods ; Methicillin Resistance ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Prevalence ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Staphylococcal Infections ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; prevention & control

BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) may cause infections during wound dressing. We aimed to compare the antibacterial activities and wound-healing effects of commercially available silver-coated or silver-impregnated wound dressings on MRSA-infected wounds. METHODS: Full-thickness skin defects were made on the back of rats (N=108) and were infected with MRSA. The rats were divided into the following 6 groups according to the dressing used for the wounds: nanocrystalline silver (Acticoat(R)), silver carboxymethylcellulose (Aquacel(R)-Ag), silver sulfadiazine (Medifoam silver(R)), nanocrystalline silver (PolyMem silver(R)), silver sulfadiazine (Ilvadon(R)), and 10% povidone iodide (Betadine(R)). We analyzed the wound sizes, histological findings, and bacterial colony counts for the groups. We also inoculated the silver materials on Mueller-Hinton agar plates containing MRSA and compared the inhibition zones in the agar plates. RESULTS: The order of the rate of wound-size decrease was Acticoat(R)>Aquacel(R)-Ag>PolyMem silver(R)>Medifoam silver(R)>Ilvadon(R)>Betadine(R). The histological findings revealed that the Acticoat(R) showed more reepithelialization and granulation tissue formation and less inflammatory cell infiltration than the other materials. The order of the time required for wound healing was Acticoat(R)>Aquacel (R)-Ag>PolyMem silver(R)>Ilvadon(R)>Medifoam silver(R)>Betadine(R). The bacterial colony counts reduced in all the groups, except in the Medifoam silver(R) group. The order of the size of the inhibition zone was Acticoat(R)>Aquacel(R)-Ag>Ilvadon(R)>PolyMem silver(R)>Betadine(R)>Medifoam silver(R). CONCLUSIONS: Silver-coated or silver-impregnated wound dressings can be used for treating MRSAinfected wounds. Considering its superior efficacy in comparison to the efficacies of other silver-coated or silver-impregnated wound dressings, Acticoat(R) should be preferentially used for the treatment of MRSA-infected skin wounds.
Animals ; Bandages ; Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium/therapeutic use ; Female ; Metal Nanoparticles/therapeutic use ; *Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Povidone-Iodine/therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Silver/chemistry/*therapeutic use ; Silver Sulfadiazine/therapeutic use ; Skin/pathology ; Staphylococcal Infections/*drug therapy/pathology ; Wound Healing/*drug effects