In contrast to the other Nordic countries Sweden has long had a favourable position as regards meningococcal disease. In the last 10 year period the annual incidence has been only about one case per 100,000 inhabitants. The treatment once the cause is confirmed is conventional and no different from that in the other Nordic countries but varies somewhat in the event of unknown etiology. Cortisone therapy also seems to be more frequent in treatment of meningitis. Two strategies for antibiotic prophylaxis are used in Sweden.
The objective of this follow-up study was to determine the long-term outcome of strictly classified cases of neuroborreliosis treated with antibiotics. A 1-y prospective population-based survey of Lyme borreliosis was conducted in southern Sweden between 1992 and 1993. A total of 349 identified cases with suspected neuroborreliosis were followed up 5 y later. Medical records were reviewed and all participants filled in a questionnaire. Of those patients classified with definite neuroborreliosis, 114/130 completed the follow-up, of whom 111 had completed the initial antibiotic treatment. Of the 114 patients followed up, 86 (75%) had recovered completely and 70 (61%) had recovered within 6 months. Residual neurological symptoms, such as facial palsy, concentration disorder, paresthesia and/or neuropathy, were reported by 28/114 patients. No significant differences between different antibiotic treatments were observed in terms of the occurrence of sequelae. To conclude, we found that 25% (95% confidence interval 17-33%) of the patients suffered from residual neurological symptoms 5 y post-treatment. However, the clinical outcome of treated neuroborreliosis is favorable as only 14/114 (12%) patients had sequelae that influenced their daily activities post-treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment would seem to be of great importance in order to avoid such sequelae.
Changes in the proportion of penicillin-non-susceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae (PNSP) isolates during an intervention programme were evaluated by phenotypic analysis of all initial isolates with penicillin MIC > or =0.5 microg/ml (n=1248) collected 1995-2004. During the study period, the proportion of such isolates was fairly constant (12-19%), and there was no statistically significant variation in the proportion of total PNSP cases (MIC > or =0.12 microg/ml) or PNSP with MIC > or =0.5 microg/ml, with the exception of an increase in 2004. Analysis restricted to clinical cases revealed no statistically significant changes. 23 different serogroups were found, and serogroup 9 isolates accounted for almost half of the PNSP cases. Only minor changes in phenotypic characteristics occurred in the other serogroups, which indicates that the increase in PNSP in 2004 was not due to import of a new resistant clone. Antibiotic consumption is considered to be an important risk factor for penicillin resistance in S. pneumoniae. After initiation of the intervention programme in Malmö, overall prescribing of antibiotics decreased 28%, and the reduction was even greater among children (52%). In conclusion, the proportion of PNSP isolates in Malmö has remained stable, despite the intervention programme and decreased consumption of antibiotics.
We estimated the prevalence of blood culture negative endocarditis (CNE) and described and analysed data with special attention to antibiotic treatment from patients with infective endocarditis (IE) reported to the Swedish endocarditis registry during the 10-y period 1995-2004. All 29 departments of infectious diseases in Sweden reported data to the registry. During the 10-y period, 2509 IE episodes (78% Duke definite) were identified in 2410 patients. 304 CNE episodes (25% Duke definite) were found. The proportion of CNE was measured to be 12% of all IE episodes. Fatal outcome occurred in 10.7% of all IE patients and in 5% of the CNE patients. The risk of dying was significantly increased in female (9%) compared to male (2%) CNE patients (OR 5.1). Mortality was significantly decreased in patients treated with an aminoglycoside (3%) versus patients without aminoglycoside therapy (13%), OR 0.2. In conclusion, the prevalence of CNE was 12% in Swedish IE patients in a 10-y survey. The mortality in IE was low (10.7%) and 4.6% for CNE. Women have higher mortality rates than men in CNE. CNE patients who received aminoglycoside therapy survived more frequently than CNE patients without this therapy.
A 10-year survey of clinically significant blood culture isolates and antibiotic susceptibilities from adult patients with hematological diseases at a major Swedish hospital.
In patients treated with cytotoxic drugs granulocytopenia and septicemia are commonly seen. In this 10-year survey 324 blood culture isolates from 184 patients with hematological diseases and septicemia were studied. The distribution of microbiological diagnoses in patients with hematological diseases as well as acute leukemia 1980-1986 was significantly different (p less than 0.01) from an unselected blood culture material from the same period. The differences are mainly seen between Enterobacteriaceae other than Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococci. The microbiological spectrum for patients with hematological disease 1987-1989 was also significantly different (p less than 0.05) from the spectrum of the same group of patients 1980-1986 due to higher frequencies of coagulase-negative staphylococci and alpha-streptococci and lower frequency of E. coli in the latter period. 40% of the isolates were gram-positive cocci during the first period and increased to 50% during the second period. The susceptibility testing indicates that trimethoprim/sulfonamide is not as good a choice as ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin for oral antibiotic prophylaxis. For intravenous therapy imipenem/cilastatin or the combinations of an aminoglycoside/piperacillin or aminoglycoside/third generation cephalosporin have advantages over aminoglycoside/trimethoprim/sulfa in combination. However, addition of isoxazolylpenicillin or vancomycin now seems necessary to cover the increasing part of gram-positive bacteria causing septicemia in patients with hematological disease.
14-Year Survey in a Swedish County Reveals a Pronounced Increase in Bloodstream Infections (BSI). Comorbidity - An Independent Risk Factor for Both BSI and Mortality.
we assessed the incidence, risk factors and outcome of BSI over a 14-year period (2000-2013) in a Swedish county.
retrospective cohort study on culture confirmed BSI among patients in the county of Östergötland, Sweden, with approximately 440,000 inhabitants. A BSI was defined as either community-onset BSI (CO-BSI) or hospital-acquired BSI (HA-BSI).
of a total of 11,480 BSIs, 67% were CO-BSI and 33% HA-BSI. The incidence of BSI increased by 64% from 945 to 1,546 per 100,000 hospital admissions per year during the study period. The most prominent increase, 83% was observed within the CO-BSI cohort whilst HA-BSI increased by 32%. Prescriptions of antibiotics in outpatient care decreased with 24% from 422 to 322 prescriptions dispensed/1,000 inhabitants/year, whereas antibiotics prescribed in hospital increased by 67% (from 424 to 709 DDD per 1,000 days of care). The overall 30-day mortality for HA-BSIs was 17.2%, compared to 10.6% for CO-BSIs, with an average yearly increase per 100,000 hospital admissions of 2 and 5% respectively. The proportion of patients with one or more comorbidities, increased from 20.8 to 55.3%. In multivariate analyses, risk factors for mortality within 30 days were: HA-BSI (2.22); two or more comorbidities (1.89); single comorbidity (1.56); CO-BSI (1.21); male (1.05); and high age (1.04).
this survey revealed an alarming increase in the incidence of BSI over the 14-year study period. Interventions to decrease BSI in general should be considered together with robust antibiotic stewardship programmes to avoid both over- and underuse of antibiotics.
Notes
Cites: Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2009 Nov;30(11):1036-4419780675
Cites: Am J Infect Control. 2016 Feb;44(2):167-7226577629
Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a leading cause of early revision after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Open debridement with exchange of tibial insert allows treatment of infection with retention of fixed components. We investigated the success rate of this procedure in the treatment of knee PJIs in a nationwide material, and determined whether the results were affected by microbiology, antibiotic treatment, or timing of debridement.
145 primary TKAs revised for the first time, due to infection, with debridement and exchange of the tibial insert were identified in the Swedish Knee Arthroplasty Register (SKAR). Staphylococcus aureus was the most common pathogen (37%) followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) (23%). Failure was defined as death before the end of antibiotic treatment, revision of major components due to infection, life-long antibiotic treatment, or chronic infection.
The overall healing rate was 75%. The type of infecting pathogen did not statistically significantly affect outcome. Staphylococcal infections treated without a combination of antibiotics including rifampin had a higher failure rate than those treated with rifampin (RR = 4, 95% CI: 2-10). In the 16 cases with more than 3 weeks of symptoms before treatment, the healing rate was 62%, as compared to 77% in the other cases (p = 0.2). The few patients with a revision model of prosthesis at primary operation had a high failure rate (5 of 8).
Good results can be achieved by open debridement with exchange of tibial insert. It is important to use an antibiotic combination including rifampin in staphylococcal infections.
Database reviews of the findings in bacteriological specimens from a period of six years from patients in a department of haematology are employed as a model of how cumulative data about the microorganisms isolated may be employed for surveillance of accumulated infections and in the organization of the antibiotic policy of a department. During the period of observation, the standard treatment with antibiotics for febrile episodes in granulocytopenic patients was altered to piperacillin and netilimicin on the basis of the frequent occurrence of Gram-negative rods including Pseudomonas aeruginosa in blood cultures. It is concluded that accumulated microbiological data is of value for a clinical department and that analysis of the data does not constitute an increased work-load provided that the microbiological reports are routinely registered in a database.
