Serum N-Glycomics Stratifies Bacteremic Patients Infected with Different Pathogens

Bacteremia—i.e., the presence of pathogens in the blood stream—is associated with long-term morbidity and is a potential precursor condition to life-threatening sepsis. Timely detection of bacteremia is therefore critical to reduce patient mortality, but existing methods lack precision, speed, and sensitivity to effectively stratify bacteremic patients. Herein, we tested the potential of quantitative serum N-glycomics performed using porous graphitized carbon liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to stratify bacteremic patients infected with Escherichia coli (n = 11), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 11), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 5), and Streptococcus viridans (n = 5) from healthy donors (n = 39). In total, 62 N-glycan isomers spanning 41 glycan compositions primarily comprising complex-type core fucosylated, bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), and α2,3-/α2,6-sialylated structures were profiled across all samples using label-free quantitation. Excitingly, unsupervised hierarchical clustering and principal component analysis of the serum N-glycome data accurately separated the patient groups. P. aeruginosa-infected patients displayed prominent N-glycome aberrations involving elevated levels of fucosylation and bisecting GlcNAcylation and reduced sialylation relative to other bacteremic patients. Notably, receiver operating characteristic analyses demonstrated that a single N-glycan isomer could effectively stratify each of the four bacteremic patient groups from the healthy donors (area under the curve 0.93–1.00). Thus, the serum N-glycome represents a new hitherto unexplored class of potential diagnostic markers for bloodstream infections.

Melioidosis- Report of Two Cases

Melioidosis which is caused by burkholderia pseudomallei occurs predominantly in Southeast Asia. Cases are now being reported from india as well. It can present with varying clinical manifestations like pneumonia, septicemia, arthritis, abscess etc. Neurologic meliodiosis, though rare can occur in upto 3-4% cases. Here we present two cases of melioidosis from Indian subcontinent, one involving central nervous system causing cerebral abscess and second one involving multiple splenic and liver abscess with bacteremia. First patient with cerebral abscess was managed with surgical debridement with antibiotics and discharged in a stable condition after 15 days while the bacteremic patient developed septic shock with mutiorgan failure and succumbed to death after 12 days of treatment

Low-Avidity Autoantibodies against Bactericidal/Permeability-Increasing Protein Occur in Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Bacteremia

ABSTRACT Antibody autoreactivity against bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) is strongly associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis (CF), non-CF bronchiectasis (BE), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We examined the pathogen-specific nature of this autoreactivity by examining antibodies to BPI in bacteremia patients. Antibodies to BPI and bacterial antigens were measured in sera by ELISA from five patient cohorts (n = 214). Antibody avidity was investigated. Bacteremic patient sera (n = 32) exhibited IgG antibody autoreactivity against BPI in 64.7% and 46.7% of patients with positive blood cultures for P. aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, respectively. Autoantibody titers correlated with IgG responses to bacterial extracts and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). A prospective cohort of bacteremic patient sera exhibited anti-BPI IgG responses in 23/154 (14.9%) patients with autoreactivity present at the time of positive blood cultures in patients with Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, including 8/60 (13.3%) patients with Staphylococcus aureus. Chronic tissue infection with S. aureus was associated with BPI antibody autoreactivity in 2/15 patients (13.3%). Previously, we demonstrated that BPI autoreactivity in CF patient sera exhibits high avidity. Here, a similar pattern was seen in BE patient sera. In contrast, sera from patients with bacteremia exhibited low avidity. These data indicate that low-avidity IgG responses to BPI can arise acutely in response to bacteremia and that this association is not limited to P. aeruginosa. This is to be contrasted with chronic respiratory infection with P. aeruginosa, suggesting that either the chronicity or the site of infection selects for the generation of high-avidity responses, with biologic consequences for airway immunity.

703. Mechanisms of High-Level Ceftolozane/Tazobactam (CT) Resistance Against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Synergy Between CT and Tobramycin (TOB)

Background Ceftolozane/tazobactam (CT) is a cephalosporin/β-lactamase inhibitor with excellent activity against multi-drug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa (PSA). Several cases of CT-resistance (CT-R) development after exposure have been reported. We recovered a PSA isolate with high-level CT-R from a bacteremic patient with severe, prolonged neutropenia and 5 weeks of CT exposure. Then, multiple mutational pathways and the role of combination therapy were evaluated. Methods Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) to CT were determined by Etest. Synergy tests between CT and tobramycin (TOB) were conducted and interpreted based on the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI). Furthermore, whole genome sequencing was performed. Paired-end reads were mapped and compared with reference strain PAO1. Variant analyses were conducted using CLC Genomics Workbench. Results The MICs for CT and TOB were >256 and 4 mg/L, respectively. The combination revealed synergistic effects (FICI < 0.5) with reduced CT and TOB MICs to 16 and 1 mg/L, respectively. Clinically, combination therapy of CT 3g q8h given over 4 hours and TOB 7 mg/kg q24h successfully cleared the bacteremia within 2 days. Genomic analysis revealed the CT-R isolate contained multiple variants in the ampC gene, including G183D associated with low level CT-R. Two additional variants in aminoacid position 79 (R79Q) and position 105 (T105A) were located inside or near helix-H2 which interacts with the Ω-loop through hydrogen-binding rendering the serine active site more pliable to accommodate larger molecules. Moreover, the CT-R isolate showed a truncated ampD and multiple mutations in mexD, mexT, mexI, and mexR, a primary regulator of mexAB-oprM. The isolate also contained the oprD mutation (Q142X) and an oprD-inactivating mutation (W417X). In addition to these chromosomal mutations, the isolate harbored OXA-50, blaPAO1, and aph(3′)-IIb. Conclusion High-level CT-R was likely driven by multiple mutations in the ampC region causing structural changes. While resistance to CT is worrisome, our case of a severe neutropenic patient who rapidly cleared bacteremia on CT 3g qh8 given over 4 hours plus TOB emphasizes the importance of strategic combination and dosing in combating MDR PSA. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Bridging Endovascular Therapy and Subsequent Surgical Repair for the Treatment of Infected Aneurysms after Percutaneous Cardiac Intervention

Bridging endovascular therapy, accompanied by a second stage open surgical repair was used to treat a rare case of infected aneurysms alongside external iliac artery after a percutaneous cardiac intervention. Because these aneurysms require early treatment, we suggest this approach, in order to avoid immediate, major surgery in a recently symptomatic cardiac and bacteremic patient receiving dual antiplatelet therapy. The approach seems to be safe and durable.

Influence of Matching for Exposure Time on Estimates of Attributable Mortality Caused by Nosocomial Bacteremia in Critically Ill Patients

Objective:To evaluate the influence of matching on exposure time on estimates of attributable mortality of nosocomial bacteremia as assessed by matched cohort studies.Design:Two retrospective, pairwise-matched (1:2) cohort studies.Setting:A 54-bed intensive care unit (ICU) in a university hospital.Patients:Patients with nosocomial Escherichia coli bacteremia (n = 68) and control-patients without nosocomial bacteremia (n = 136 for each matched cohort study).Intervention:In both matched cohort studies, the same set of bacteremic patients was matched with control-patients using the APACHE II system. In the first study, control-patients were required to have an ICU stay at least as long as the respective bacteremic patient prior to onset of bacteremia (matching on exposure time). In the second study, control-patients were required to have an ICU stay shorter than the stay prior to the development of bacteremia in the respective bacteremic patient (no matching on exposure time).Results:For bacteremic patients, the mean ICU stay before onset of the bacteremia was 9 days (median, 6 days). In the first matched cohort study, hospital mortality was not different between bacteremic patients and control-patients (44.1% vs 43.4%; P = .999). In the second study, mortality of bacteremic patients and control-patients was also not different (44.1% vs 47.8%; P = .657). Mortality rates between control groups were not different (43.4% vs 47.8%; P = .543).Conclusion:Matching or not matching on exposure time did not alter the estimate of attributable mortality for ICU patients with E. coli bacteremia.