Background Neonatal sepsis is a leading cause of child mortality, and increasing antimicrobial resistance threatens progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Evidence to guide antibiotic treatment for sepsis in neonates and young infants from randomized controlled trials or observational studies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is scarce. We aimed to describe patterns of antibiotic use, pathogens and outcomes in LMIC hospital settings globally to inform future clinical trials on the management of neonatal sepsis. Methods & Findings Hospitalised infants aged <60 days with clinical sepsis were enrolled during 2018-2020 by 19 sites in 11 countries (mainly Asia and Africa). Prospective daily data was collected on clinical signs, supportive care, antibiotic treatment, microbiology and clinical outcome at 28 days. The study was observational, with no changes to routine clinical practice. 3204 infants were enrolled, with median birth weight 2500g (IQR 1400-3000) and postnatal age 5 days (IQR 2-15). Of 309 enrolled aged 28-60 days, 58.6% (n=181) were ex-preterm and/or a neonate at admission. 2215 (69%) infants had been in hospital since birth. 206 different empiric antibiotic combinations were used, which were structured into 5 groups that were developed from the World Health Organisation (WHO) AWaRe classification. 25.9% (n=814) of infants started a WHO first line regimen (Group 1 Access, penicillin-based regimen) and 13.8% (n=432) started WHO second-line cephalosporins (cefotaxime/ceftriaxone) (Group 2 Low Watch). The largest group (34.0%, n=1068) started a regimen providing partial extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)/pseudomonal coverage (piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftazidime, or fluoroquinolone-based) (Group 3 Medium Watch), 18.0% (n=566) started a carbapenem (Group 4 High Watch), and 1.8% (n=57) started a Reserve antibiotic (Group 5, largely colistin-based). Predictors of starting non-WHO recommended regimens included lower birth weight, longer in-hospital stay, central vascular catheter use, previous culture positive sepsis or antibiotic exposure, previous surgery and greater sepsis severity. 728/2880 (25.3%) of initial regimens in Group 1-4 were escalated, mainly to carbapenems, and usually for clinical indications (n=480; 65.9%). 564 infants (17.6%) isolated a pathogen from their baseline blood culture, of which 62.9% (n=355) had a Gram-negative organism, predominantly Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=132) and Acinetobacter spp. (n=72). These leading Gram-negatives were both mostly resistant to WHO-recommended regimens, and also resistant to carbapenems in 32.6% and 71.4% of cases respectively. MRSA accounted for 61.1% of Staphylococcus aureus (n=54) isolates. Overall, 350/3204 infants died (11.3%; 95%CI 10.2-12.5%), with 17.7% case fatality rate among infants with a pathogen in baseline culture (95%CI 14.7-20.1%, n=99/564). Gram-negative infections accounted for 75/99 (75.8%) of pathogen-positive deaths, especially Klebsiella pneumoniae (n=28; 28.3%), and Acinetobacter spp. (n=24; 24.2%). Conclusion A very wide range of antibiotic regimens are now used to treat neonatal sepsis globally. There is common use of higher-level Watch antibiotics, frequent early switching and very infrequent de-escalation of therapy. Future hospital based neonatal sepsis trials will ideally need to account for the multiple regimens used as standard of care globally and include both empiric first line regimens and subsequent switching in the trial design.
Our study confirms a relatively high incidence of ureteral involvement in patients with DIE. TVS appears to be a reliable tool for the diagnosis of ureteral involvement and, additionally, it allows the detection of both the level and degree of obstruction. Our findings confirm that TVS examination is an accurate non-invasive diagnostic tool for the detection of ureteral involvement by endometriosis. Copyright © 2017 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Background There is limited data on antibiotic treatment in hospitalized neonates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to describe patterns of antibiotic use, pathogens, and clinical outcomes, and to develop a severity score predicting mortality in neonatal sepsis to inform future clinical trial design. Methods and findings Hospitalized infants <60 days with clinical sepsis were enrolled during 2018 to 2020 by 19 sites in 11 countries (mainly Asia and Africa). Prospective daily observational data was collected on clinical signs, supportive care, antibiotic treatment, microbiology, and 28-day mortality. Two prediction models were developed for (1) 28-day mortality from baseline variables (baseline NeoSep Severity Score); and (2) daily risk of death on IV antibiotics from daily updated assessments (NeoSep Recovery Score). Multivariable Cox regression models included a randomly selected 85% of infants, with 15% for validation. A total of 3,204 infants were enrolled, with median birth weight of 2,500 g (IQR 1,400 to 3,000) and postnatal age of 5 days (IQR 1 to 15). 206 different empiric antibiotic combinations were started in 3,141 infants, which were structured into 5 groups based on the World Health Organization (WHO) AWaRe classification. Approximately 25.9% (n = 814) of infants started WHO first line regimens (Group 1—Access) and 13.8% (n = 432) started WHO second-line cephalosporins (cefotaxime/ceftriaxone) (Group 2—“Low” Watch). The largest group (34.0%, n = 1,068) started a regimen providing partial extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)/pseudomonal coverage (piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftazidime, or fluoroquinolone-based) (Group 3—“Medium” Watch), 18.0% (n = 566) started a carbapenem (Group 4—“High” Watch), and 1.8% (n = 57) a Reserve antibiotic (Group 5, largely colistin-based), and 728/2,880 (25.3%) of initial regimens in Groups 1 to 4 were escalated, mainly to carbapenems, usually for clinical deterioration (n = 480; 65.9%). A total of 564/3,195 infants (17.7%) were blood culture pathogen positive, of whom 62.9% (n = 355) had a gram-negative organism, predominantly Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 132) or Acinetobacter spp. (n = 72). Both were commonly resistant to WHO-recommended regimens and to carbapenems in 43 (32.6%) and 50 (71.4%) of cases, respectively. MRSA accounted for 33 (61.1%) of 54 Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Overall, 350/3,204 infants died (11.3%; 95% CI 10.2% to 12.5%), 17.7% if blood cultures were positive for pathogens (95% CI 14.7% to 21.1%, n = 99/564). A baseline NeoSep Severity Score had a C-index of 0.76 (0.69 to 0.82) in the validation sample, with mortality of 1.6% (3/189; 95% CI: 0.5% to 4.6%), 11.0% (27/245; 7.7% to 15.6%), and 27.3% (12/44; 16.3% to 41.8%) in low (score 0 to 4), medium (5 to 8), and high (9 to 16) risk groups, respectively, with similar performance across subgroups. A related NeoSep Recovery Score had an area under the receiver operating curve for predicting death the next day between 0.8 and 0.9 over the first week. There was significant variation in outcomes between sites and external validation would strengthen score applicability. Conclusion Antibiotic regimens used in neonatal sepsis commonly diverge from WHO guidelines, and trials of novel empiric regimens are urgently needed in the context of increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The baseline NeoSep Severity Score identifies high mortality risk criteria for trial entry, while the NeoSep Recovery Score can help guide decisions on regimen change. NeoOBS data informed the NeoSep1 antibiotic trial (ISRCTN48721236), which aims to identify novel first- and second-line empiric antibiotic regimens for neonatal sepsis. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, (NCT03721302).
Background Pneumonia is the primary cause of death among HIV-infected children in Africa, with mortality rates as high as 35–40% in infants hospitalized with severe pneumonia. Bacterial pathogens and Pneumocystis jirovecii are well known causes of pneumonia-related death, but other important causes such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) and tuberculosis (TB) remain under-recognized and undertreated. The immune response elicited by CMV may be associated with the risk of developing TB and TB disease progression, and CMV may accelerate disease caused both by HIV and TB. Minimally invasive autopsies confirm that CMV and TB are unrecognized causes of death in children with HIV. CMV and TB may also co-infect the same child. The aim of this study is to compare the impact on 15-day and 1-year mortality of empirical treatment against TB and CMV plus standard of care (SoC) versus SoC in HIV-infected infants with severe pneumonia. Methods This is a Phase II-III, open-label randomized factorial (2 × 2) clinical trial, conducted in six African countries. The trial has four arms. Infants from 28 to 365 days of age HIV-infected and hospitalized with severe pneumonia will be randomized (1:1:1:1) to (i) SoC, (ii) valganciclovir, (iii) TB-T, and (iv) TB-T plus valganciclovir. The primary endpoint of the study is all-cause mortality, focusing on the short-term (up to 15 days) and long-term (up to 1 year) mortality. Secondary endpoints include repeat hospitalization, duration of oxygen therapy during initial admission, severe and notable adverse events, adverse reactions, CMV and TB prevalence at enrolment, TB incidence, CMV viral load reduction, and evaluation of diagnostic tests such as GeneXpert Ultra on fecal and nasopharyngeal aspirate samples and urine TB-LAM. Discussion Given the challenges in diagnosing CMV and TB in children and results from previous autopsy studies that show high rates of poly-infection in HIV-infected infants with respiratory disease, this study aims to evaluate a new approach including empirical treatment of CMV and TB for this patient population. The potential downsides of empirical treatment of these conditions include toxicity and medication interactions, which will be evaluated with pharmacokinetics sub-studies. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03915366, Universal Trial Number U111-1231-4736, Pan African Clinical Trial Registry PACTR201994797961340.
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