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What is known and objective Implementation of an antifungal stewardship programme is a recognized need. However, there is insufficient information to confirm the impact of antifungal stewardship interventions. Further, few studies have evaluated the clinical effects of an antifungal stewardship intervention using 1‐3, β‐D‐glucan (βDG) testing. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of implementing an antifungal stewardship with monitoring of βDG values on antifungal use and clinical outcomes. Methods A single institutional prospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the impact of implementing daily reviews of antifungal agents and monitoring patients who measured βDG values since August 2013. Antifungal consumption and clinical outcomes in patients with Candida bloodstream infection were compared before and after the intervention. Results After implementation of the programme, parental antifungal use was significantly reduced compared to that before intervention (P = 0.006). In the after‐intervention group, the rate of 60‐day clinical failure in patients with Candida bloodstream infection was significantly reduced, from 80.0% (28/35) to 36.4% (8/22) (P < 0.001), and the rate of 60‐day mortality associated with Candida bloodstream infection tended to be reduced, from 42.9% (15/35) to 18.2% (4/22) (P = 0.081) compared to the before‐intervention group. The incidence of adverse events associated with antifungal agents was significantly lower in the after‐intervention group than in the before‐intervention group (51.4% [18/35] vs 13.6% [3/22], P = 0.004). What is new and conclusion Our findings suggest that daily review of the use of antifungal agents and monitoring of measured βDG values was highly effective in reducing antifungal consumption and improving the clinical outcomes of patients with Candida bloodstream infection.

Summary Background Matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization‐time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) has the potential to permit early organism identification and optimization of antibiotic therapy. However, MALDI‐TOF MS combined with antimicrobial stewardship is available at only a limited number of institutions. Here, we evaluated the clinical impact of implementing MALDI‐TOF MS combined with antimicrobial stewardship intervention in patients with bloodstream infections. Methods We conducted a single‐centre, prospective cohort study to evaluate the clinical impact of implementing MALDI‐TOF MS combined with antimicrobial stewardship intervention in patients with bloodstream infections. Processes and clinical outcomes in patients with bloodstream infections were compared before and after implementation of MALDI‐TOF MS. Results Compared with the conventional identification method, MALDI‐TOF MS combined with antimicrobial stewardship intervention significantly decreased the time to organism identification (48.6 ± 46.0 hours vs 78.1 ± 38.9 hours, P < 0.001), effective antimicrobial therapy (12.9 ± 19.0 hours vs 26.2 ± 44.8 hours, P < 0.001) and optimal antimicrobial therapy (53.3 ± 55.0 hours vs 91.7 ± 88.7 hours, P < 0.001. Moreover, the rate of clinical failure (14.0% vs 33.3%, P < 0.001) and incidence of adverse events (7.5% vs 23.9%, P < 0.001) was lower in the MALDI‐TOF MS group than in the conventional identification group. A multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis indicated that implementation of MALDI‐TOF MS was a protective factor against clinical failure in patients with bloodstream infections (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval, 0.38‐0.99; P = 0.047). Conclusions Implementation of the MALDI‐TOF MS combined with antimicrobial stewardship intervention facilitated early optimization of antimicrobial therapy with a remarkable concomitant reduction in clinical failure and adverse events in patients with bloodstream infections.

Severe systemic Geotrichum capitatum (G. capitatum) infection is rare, especially in Japan. G. capitatum infection has been reported mainly in immunocompromised patients and the prognosis is poor with a mortality rate of approximately 50-75%. Here, we report a Japanese case of systemic G. capitatum infection in a severe neutropenic patient who was receiving chemotherapy for acute myelogeneous leukemia with multilineage dysplasia. G. capitatum was isolated from blood cultures, and also formed multiple nodular lesions in lung fields. The infection was successfully cured with a combination of amphotericin B, itraconazole, and voriconazole.