Section 5: Diseases Caused by Gram-Positive Bacteria

INTRODUCTION

In the late nineteenth century, pairs of micrococci were first recognized in the blood of rabbits injected with human saliva by both Louis Pasteur, working in France, and George Sternberg, an American army physician. The important role of these micrococci in human disease was not appreciated at that time. By 1886, when the organism was designated “pneumokokkus” and Diplococcus pneumoniae, the pneumococcus had been isolated by many independent investigators, and its role in the etiology of pneumonia was well known. In the 1930s, pneumonia was the third leading cause of death in the United States (after heart disease and cancer) and was responsible for ~7% of all deaths both in the United States and in Europe. While pneumonia was caused by a host of pathogens, lobar pneumonia—a pattern more likely to be caused by the pneumococcus—accounted for approximately one-half of all pneumonia deaths in the United States in 1929. In 1974, the organism was reclassified as Streptococcus pneumoniae.

MICROBIOLOGY

Etiologic Agent

Pneumococci are spherical gram-positive bacteria of the genus Streptococcus. Within this genus, cell division occurs along a single axis, and bacteria grow in chains or pairs—hence the name Streptococcus, from the Greek streptos, meaning “twisted,” and kokkos, meaning “berry.” At least 22 streptococcal species are recognized and are divided further into groups based on their hemolytic properties. S. pneumoniae belongs to the α-hemolytic group that characteristically produces a greenish color on blood agar because of the reduction of iron in hemoglobin (Fig. 171-1). The bacteria are fastidious and grow best in 5% CO₂ but require a source of catalase (e.g., blood) for growth on agar plates, where they develop mucoid (smooth/shiny) colonies. Pneumococci without a capsule produce colonies with a rough surface. Unlike that of other α-hemolytic streptococci, their growth is inhibited in the presence of optochin (ethylhydrocupreine hydrochloride), and they are bile soluble.

In common with other gram-positive bacteria, pneumococci have a cell membrane beneath a cell wall, which in turn is covered by a polysaccharide capsule. Pneumococci are divided into serogroups or serotypes based on capsular polysaccharide structure, as distinguished with rabbit polyclonal antisera; capsules swell in the presence of specific antiserum (the Quellung reaction). The most recently discovered serotypes, 6C, 6D, and 11E, have been identified with monoclonal antibodies and by serologic, genetic, and biochemical means, respectively. The currently recognized 93 serotypes fall into 21 serogroups, and each serogroup contains two to five serotypes with closely related capsules. The capsule protects the bacteria from phagocytosis by host cells in the absence of type-specific antibody and is arguably the most important determinant of pneumococcal virulence. Unencapsulated variants tend not to cause invasive disease.

Virulence Factors

Within the cytoplasm, cell membrane, and cell wall, many molecules that may play a role in pneumococcal pathogenesis and virulence have been identified (Fig. 171-2). These proteins are often involved in direct interactions with host tissues or in concealment of the bacterial surface from host defense mechanisms. Pneumolysin is a secreted cytotoxin thought to result in cytolysis of cells and tissues, and LytA enhances pathogenesis. A number of cell wall proteins interfere with the complement pathway, thus inhibiting complement deposition and preventing lysis and/or opsonophagocytosis. The pneumococcal H inhibitor (Hic) impedes the formation of C3 convertase, while pneumococcal surface protein C (PspC), also known as choline-binding protein A (CbpA), binds factor H and is thought to accelerate the breakdown of C3. PspA and CbpA inhibit the deposition of or degrade C3b. The numerous pneumococcal proteins thought to be involved in adhesion include the ubiquitous surface-anchored sialidase (neuraminidase) NanA, which cleaves sialic acid on host cells and proteins, and pneumococcal surface adhesin A (PsaA). Pili recently recognized by electron microscopy also may play an important role in binding to cells. Some of the antigens mentioned above are potential vaccine candidates (see “Prevention,” below).

Although the capsule surrounding the cell wall of S. pneumoniae is the basis for categorization by serotype, the behavior and pathogenic potential of a serotype may also be related to the genetic origin of the strain. Molecular typing is therefore of considerable interest. Initially, techniques such as pulsed-field gel electrophoresis were used to determine genetic relatedness; such techniques have been superseded by sequencing of housekeeping genes to define a clone (multilocus sequence typing, MLST). For S. pneumoniae, alleles at each of the loci aroE, gdh, gki, recP, spi, xpt, and ddl are sequenced and compared with all of the known alleles at that locus. Sequences identical to a known allele are assigned the same allele number, whereas those differing from any known allele—even at a single nucleotide site—are assigned new numbers. Software for assignment of alleles at each locus is available on the pneumococcal MLST website (spneumoniae.mlst.net), and the allelic profile of each isolate and its consequent sequence type are generated. With the advent of high-throughput and relatively inexpensive sequencing techniques, whole-genome sequencing will soon supersede MLST.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Pneumococcal infections remain a significant global cause of morbidity and death, particularly among children and the elderly. Rapid and dramatic changes in the epidemiology of this disease during the past decade in several developed countries followed the licensure and routine childhood administration of pneumococcal polysaccharide–protein conjugate vaccine (PCV). With PCV introduction in developing and middle-income countries, additional profound changes in pneumococcal ecology and disease epidemiology are likely. The disease burden and serotype distribution in the PCV era may be different than expected because of concomitant secular trends in pneumococcal disease, the impact of antibiotic use on pneumococcal strain ecology, and surveillance system attributes that can themselves affect analysis of epidemiologic features.

Serotype Distribution

Not all pneumococcal serotypes are equally likely to cause disease; serotype distribution varies by age, disease syndrome, and geography. Geographic differences may be driven by variation in the burden of disease rather than by true serotype distribution differences. Most data on serotype distribution are related to pediatric invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD, defined as infection of a normally sterile site); much less information on global distribution is available for disease in adults. Among children <5 years of age, five to seven serotypes cause >60% of IPD cases in most parts of the world, seven serotypes (1, 5, 6A, 6B, 14, 19F, and 23F) account for ~60% of cases in all areas of the world, but in any given region these seven serotypes may not all rank as the most common disease strains(Fig. 171-3). Some serotypes (e.g., types 1 and 5) not only tend to cause disease in areas with a high disease burden but also cause waves of disease in lower-burden areas (e.g., Europe) or outbreaks (e.g., in military barracks; meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa). The broader range of serotypes causing disease among adults than among children is apparent from a comparison of the coverage of existing multiserotype vaccines in different age groups. For example, data from the United States for 2006–2007 on the serotypes causing IPD indicated that a polysaccharide vaccine containing 23 serotypes (PPSV23) would cover 84% of cases among children <5 years of age and 76% of those among persons 18–64 years of age but only 65% of those among persons ≥65 years of age.

Nasopharyngeal Carriage

Pneumococci are intermittent inhabitants of the healthy human nasopharynx and are transmitted by respiratory droplets. In children, pneumococcal nasopharyngeal ecology varies by geographic region, socioeconomic status, climate, degree of crowding, and particularly intensity of exposure to other children, with children in day-care settings having higher rates of colonization. In developed-world settings, children serve as the major vectors of pneumococcal transmission. By 1 year of age, ~50% of children have had at least one episode of pneumococcal colonization. Cross-sectional prevalence data show rates of pneumococcal carriage ranging from 20% to 50% among children <5 years of age and from 5% to 15% among young and middle-aged adults; Fig. 171-4 shows relevant data from the United Kingdom. Data on colonization rates among healthy elderly individuals are limited. In developing-world settings, pneumococcal acquisition occurs much earlier, sometimes within the first few days after birth, and nearly all infants have had at least one episode of colonization by 2 months of age. Cross-sectional studies show that up to the age of 5 years, 70–90% of children carry S. pneumoniae in the nasopharynx, and a significant proportion of adults (sometimes >40%) also are colonized. Their high rates of colonization make adults an important source of transmission and may affect community transmission dynamics.

Invasive Disease and Pneumonia

IPD develops when S. pneumoniae invades the bloodstream and seeds other organs or directly reaches the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by local extension. Pneumonia may follow aspiration of pneumococci, although only 10–30% of such cases are associated with a positive blood culture (and thus contribute to the measured burden of IPD). The dramatic variation of IPD rates with age is illustrated by data from the United States for 1998–1999, a period prior to PCV introduction. Rates of IPD were highest among children <2 years of age and among adults ≥65 years of age (188 and 60 cases/100,000, respectively; Fig. 171-5). Since the introduction of PCV, IPD rates among infants and children in the United States have fallen by >75%, a decrease driven by the near elimination of vaccine-serotype IPD. A similar impact of PCV on vaccine-serotype IPD rates has been consistently observed in countries where PCV has been introduced into the routine pediatric vaccination schedule. However, changes in the non-vaccine-serotype IPD rate in various countries have been heterogeneous; the interpretation of this heterogeneity is a complex issue. In the United States, Canada, and Australia, rates of non-vaccine-serotype IPD have increased but the magnitude of the increase is generally small relative to the substantial reductions in vaccine-serotype IPD. In contrast, in other settings (e.g., Alaska Native communities and the United Kingdom), the reduction in vaccine-serotype IPD has been offset by notable increases in rates of disease caused by non-vaccine serotypes. Explanations for the heterogeneity of findings include replacement disease resulting from vaccine pressure, changes in clinical case investigation, secular trends unrelated to PCV use, antibiotic pressure selecting for resistant organisms, changes in surveillance or reporting systems, rapidity of introduction, and inclusion of a catch-up campaign. A recent systematic review concludes that serotype replacement in IPD follows the use of PCV7 but that the magnitude of this phenomenon is small relative to the reduction in disease from vaccine serotypes. The net effect of PCV is to reduce the rate of pneumococcal disease both in the age group targeted for vaccination and in unvaccinated age groups.

Pneumonia is the most common of the serious pneumococcal disease syndromes and poses special challenges from a clinical and public health perspective. Most cases of pneumococcal pneumonia are not associated with bacteremia, and in these cases a definitive etiologic diagnosis is difficult. As a result, estimates of disease burden focus primarily on IPD rates and fail to include the major portion of the burden of serious pneumococcal disease. Among children, PCV trials designed to collect efficacy data on syndrome-based outcomes (e.g., radiographically confirmed pneumonia, clinically diagnosed pneumonia) have revealed the burden of culture-negative pneumococcal pneumonia.

The case-fatality ratios (CFRs) for pneumococcal pneumonia and IPD vary by age, underlying medical condition, and access to care. In addition, the CFR for pneumococcal pneumonia varies with the severity of disease at presentation (rather than according to whether the pneumonia episode is associated with bacteremia) and with the patient’s age (from <5% among hospitalized patients 18–44 years old to >12% among those >65 years old, even when appropriate and timely management is available). Notably, the likelihood of death in the first 24 h of hospitalization did not change substantially with the introduction of antibiotics; this surprising observation highlights the fact that the pathophysiology of severe pneumococcal pneumonia among adults reflects a rapidly progressive cascade of events that often unfolds irrespective of antibiotic administration. Management in an intensive care unit can provide critical support for the patient through the acute period, with lower CFRs.

Rates of pneumococcal disease vary by season, with higher rates in colder than in warmer months in temperate climates; by sex, with males more often affected than females; and by risk group, with risk factors including underlying medical conditions, behavioral issues, and ethnic group. In the United States, some Native American populations (including Alaska natives) and African Americans have higher rates of disease than the general population; the increased risk is probably attributable to socioeconomic conditions and the prevalence of underlying risk factors for pneumococcal disease. Medical conditions that increase the risk of pneumococcal infection are listed in Table 171-1. Outbreaks of disease are well recognized in crowded settings with susceptible individuals, such as infant day-care facilities, military barracks, and nursing homes. Furthermore, there is a clear association between preceding viral respiratory disease (especially but not exclusively influenza) and risk of secondary pneumococcal infections. The significant role of pneumococcal pneumonia in the morbidity and mortality associated with seasonal and pandemic influenza is increasingly recognized.

Antibiotic Resistance Reduced pneumococcal susceptibility to penicillin was first noted in 1967, but not until the 1990s did reduced antibiotic susceptibility emerge as a significant clinical and public health issue, with an increasing prevalence of pneumococcal isolates resistant to single or multiple classes of antibiotics and a rising absolute magnitude of minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Strains with reduced susceptibility to penicillin G, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, macrolides, and other antibiotics are now found worldwide and account for a significant proportion of disease-causing strains in many locations, especially among children. Vancomycin resistance has not yet been observed in clinical pneumococcal strains. Lack of antimicrobial susceptibility is clearly related to a subset of serotypes, many of which disproportionately cause disease among children. The vicious cycle of antibiotic exposure, selection of resistant organisms in the nasopharynx, and transmission of these organisms within the community, leading to difficult-to-treat infections and increased antibiotic exposure, has been interrupted to some extent by the introduction and routine use of PCV. The clinical implications of pneumococcal antimicrobial nonsusceptibility are addressed below in the section on treatment.

PATHOGENESIS

Pneumococci colonize the human nasopharynx from an early age; colonization acquisition events are generally described as asymptomatic, but evidence exists to associate acquisition with mild respiratory symptoms, especially in the very young. From the nasopharynx, the bacteria spread either via the bloodstream to distant sites (e.g., brain, joint, bones, peritoneal cavity) or locally to mucosal surfaces where they can cause otitis media or pneumonia. Direct spread from the nasopharynx to the central nervous system (CNS) can occur in rare cases of skull base fracture, although most cases of pneumococcal meningitis are secondary to hematogenous spread. Pneumococci can cause disease in almost any organ or part of the body; however, otitis media, pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis are most common. Colonization is a relatively frequent event, yet disease is rare. In the nasopharynx, pneumococci survive in mucus secreted by epithelial cells, where they can avoid local immune factors such as leukocytes and complement. The mucus itself is a component of local defense mechanisms, and the flow of mucus (driven in part by cilia in what is known as the mucociliary escalator) effects mechanical clearance of pneumococci. While many colonization episodes are of short duration, longitudinal studies in adults and children have revealed persistent colonization with a specific serotype over many months. Colonization eventually results in the development of capsule-specific serum IgG, which is thought to play a role in mediating clearance of bacteria from the nasopharynx. IgG antibodies to surface-exposed cell wall or secreted proteins also appear in the circulation in an age-dependent fashion or after colonization; the biologic role of these antibodies is less clear. Recent acquisition of a new colonizing serotype is more likely to be associated with subsequent invasion, presumably as a result of the absence of type-specific immunity. Intercurrent viral infections make the host more susceptible to pneumococcal colonization, and pneumococcal disease in a colonized individual often follows perturbation of the nasopharyngeal mucosa by such infections. Local cytokine production after a viral infection is thought to upregulate adhesion factors in the respiratory epithelium, allowing pneumococci to adhere via a variety of surface adhesin molecules, including PsaA, PspA, CbpA, PspC, Hyl, pneumolysin, and the neuraminidases (Fig. 171-2). Adhesion coupled with inflammation induced by pneumococcal factors such as peptidoglycans and teichoic acids results in invasion. It is the inflammation induced by various bacterium-derived factors that is responsible for the pathology associated with pneumococcal infection. Cell wall–derived teichoic acids and peptidoglycans induce a variety of cytokines, including the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL) 1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor, and activate complement via the alternative pathway. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes are thus attracted, and an intense inflammatory response is initiated. Pneumolysin also is important in local pathology, inducing proinflammatory cytokine production by local monocytes.

The pneumococcal capsule, consisting of polysaccharides with antiphagocytic properties due to resistance to the deposition of complement, plays an important role in pathogenesis. While most capsular types can cause human disease, certain capsular types are more commonly isolated from sites of infection. The reason for the dominance of some serotypes over others in IPD, as depicted in Fig. 171-3, is unclear.

HOST DEFENSE MECHANISMS

Innate Immunity

As described above, intact respiratory epithelium and a host of nonspecific or innate immune factors (e.g., mucus, splenic function, complement, neutrophils, and macrophages) constitute the first line of defense against pneumococci. Physical factors such as the cough reflex and the mucociliary escalator are important in clearing bacteria from the lungs. Immunologic factors are critical as well: C-reactive protein (CRP) binds phosphorylcholine in the pneumococcal cell wall, inducing complement activation and leading to bacterial clearance; Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) recognizes both pneumococcal lipoteichoic acid and cell wall peptidoglycan; and in animal models, the absence of host TLR2 leads to more severe infection and impaired clearance of nasopharyngeal colonization. TLR4 appears to be necessary for the proinflammatory effect of pneumolysin on macrophages. The importance of TLR recognition is underlined by descriptions of an inherited deficiency of human IL-1 receptor–associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4) that manifests as an unusual susceptibility to infection with bacteria, including S. pneumoniae. IRAK-4 is essential for the normal functioning of several TLRs. Other factors that interfere with these nonspecific mechanisms (e.g., viral infections, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, complement deficiency, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) all predispose to the development of pneumococcal pneumonia. Patients who lack a spleen or have abnormal splenic function (e.g., persons with sickle cell disease) are at high risk of developing overwhelming pneumococcal disease.

Acquired Immunity

Acquired immunity induced via contact following colonization or through cross-reactive antigens rests largely on the development of serum IgG antibody specific for the pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide. Nearly all polysaccharides are T cell–independent antigens; B cells can make antibodies to such antigens without T cell help. However, in children <1–2 years old, such B cell responses are poorly developed. This delayed ontogeny of capsule-specific IgG in young children is associated with susceptibility to pneumococcal infection (Fig. 171-5). The extremely high risk of pneumococcal infection in the absence of serum immunoglobulin (i.e., in conditions such as agammaglobulinemia) highlights the important role of capsular antibody in protection against disease. Each serotype’s capsule is chemically distinct; thus immunity tends to be serotype specific, although some cross-immunity exists. For example, conjugate vaccine–induced antibodies to serotype 6B prevent infection due to serotype 6A. However, cross-protection against serotypes within serogroups is not universal; for instance, antibodies to serotype 19F do not appear to confer protection against disease caused by serotype 19A. Antibodies to surface-exposed or secreted pneumococcal proteins (such as pneumolysin, PsaA, and PspA) also appear in the circulation with increasing age of the host, but their functional significance remains unclear. Data from murine models suggest that CD4+ T cells may play a role in preventing pneumococcal colonization and disease, and recent experimental data derived from humans suggest that IL-17-secreting CD4+ T cells may be relevant.

APPROACH TO PATIENT

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

The clinical manifestations of pneumococcal disease depend on the site of infection and the duration of illness. Clinical syndromes are classified as noninvasive (e.g., otitis media and nonbacteremic pneumonia) or invasive (e.g., bacteremic pneumonia). The pathogenesis of noninvasive illness involves contiguous spread from the nasopharynx or skin; invasive disease involves infection of a normally sterile body fluid or follows bacteremia.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is the most common serious pneumococcal syndrome and is considered invasive when associated with a positive blood culture. Pneumococcal pneumonia can present as a mild community-acquired infection at one extreme and as a life-threatening disease requiring intubation and intensive support at the other.

PRESENTING MANIFESTATIONS

The presentation of pneumococcal pneumonia does not reliably distinguish it from pneumonia of other etiologies. In a subset of cases, pneumococcal pneumonia is recognized at the outset as associated with a viral upper respiratory infection and is characterized by the abrupt onset of cough and dyspnea accompanied by fever, shaking chills, and myalgias. The cough evolves from nonpurulent to productive of sputum that is purulent and sometimes tinged with blood. Patients may describe stabbing pleuritic chest pain and significant dyspnea indicating involvement of the parietal pleura. Among the elderly, the presenting clinical symptoms may be less specific, with confusion or malaise but without fever or cough. In such cases, a high index of suspicion is required because failure to treat pneumococcal pneumonia promptly in an elderly patient is likely to result in rapid evolution of the infection, with increased severity, morbidity, and risk of death.

FINDINGS ON PHYSICAL EXAMINATION

The clinical signs associated with pneumococcal pneumonia among adults include tachypnea (>30 breaths/min) and tachycardia, hypotension in severe cases, and fever in most cases (although not in all elderly patients). Respiratory signs are varied, including dullness to percussion in areas of the chest with significant consolidation, crackles on auscultation, reduced expansion of the chest in some cases as a result of splinting to reduce pain, bronchial breathing in a minority of cases, pleural rub in occasional cases, and cyanosis in cases with significant hypoxemia. Among infants with severe pneumonia, chest wall indrawing and nasal flaring are common. Nonrespiratory findings can include upper abdominal pain if the diaphragmatic pleura is involved as well as mental status changes, particularly confusion in elderly patients.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

The differential diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia includes cardiac conditions such as myocardial infarction and heart failure with atypical pulmonary edema; pulmonary conditions such as atelectasis; and pneumonia caused by viral pathogens, mycoplasmas, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Legionella, or (in HIV-infected and otherwise immunocompromised hosts) Pneumocystis. In cases with abdominal symptoms, the differential diagnosis includes cholecystitis, appendicitis, perforated peptic ulcer disease, and subphrenic abscesses. The challenge in cases with abdominal symptoms is to remember to include pneumococcal pneumonia—a nonabdominal process—in the differential diagnosis.

DIAGNOSIS

Some authorities advocate treating uncomplicated, nonsevere, community-acquired pneumonia without determining the microbiologic etiology, given that this information is unlikely to alter clinical management. However, efforts to identify the cause of pneumonia are important when the disease is more severe and when the diagnosis of pneumonia is not clearly established. The gold standard for etiologic diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia is pathologic examination of lung tissue. In lieu of that procedure, evidence of an infiltrate on chest radiography warrants a diagnosis of pneumonia. However, cases of pneumonia without radiographic evidence do occur. An infiltrate can be absent either early in the course of the illness or with dehydration; upon rehydration, an infiltrate usually appears. The radiographic appearance of pneumococcal pneumonia is varied; it classically consists of lobar or segmental consolidation (Fig. 171-6) but in some cases is patchy. More than one lobe is involved in ~30% of cases. Consolidation may be associated with a small pleural effusion or empyema in complicated cases. In children, “round pneumonia,” a distinctly spherical consolidation on chest radiography, is associated with a pneumococcal etiology. Round pneumonia is uncommon in adults. S. pneumoniae is not the only cause of such lesions; other causes, especially cancer, should be considered.

Blood drawn from patients with suspected pneumococcal pneumonia can be used for supportive or definitive diagnostic tests. Blood cultures are positive for pneumococci in a minority (<30%) of cases of pneumococcal pneumonia. Nonspecific findings include an elevated polymorphonuclear leukocyte count (>15,000/μL in most cases and upward of 40,000/μL in some), leukopenia in <10% of cases (a poor prognostic sign associated with a fatal outcome), and elevated values in liver function tests (e.g., both conjugated and unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia). Anemia, low serum albumin levels, hyponatremia, and elevated serum creatinine levels are all found in ~20–30% of patients.

Urinary pneumococcal antigen assays have facilitated etiologic diagnosis. In adults, among whom the prevalence of pneumococcal nasopharyngeal colonization is relatively low, a positive pneumococcal urinary antigen test has a high predictive value. The same is not true for children, in whom a positive urinary antigen test can reflect the mere presence of S. pneumoniae in the nasopharynx.

Most cases of pneumococcal pneumonia are diagnosed by Gram’s staining and culture of sputum. The utility of a sputum specimen is directly related to its quality and the patient’s antibiotic treatment status.

COMPLICATIONS

Empyema is the most common focal complication of pneumococcal pneumonia, occurring in <5% of cases. When fluid in the pleural space is accompanied by fever and leukocytosis (even low-grade) after 4–5 days of appropriate antibiotic treatment for pneumococcal pneumonia, empyema should be considered. Parapneumonic effusions are more common than empyema, representing a self-limited inflammatory response to pneumonia. Pleural fluid with frank pus, bacteria (detected by microscopic examination), or a pH of ≤7.1 indicates empyema and demands aggressive and complete drainage, usually through chest tube insertion.

Meningitis

Pneumococcal meningitis typically presents as a pyogenic condition that is clinically indistinguishable from meningitis of other bacterial etiologies. Meningitis can be the primary presenting pneumococcal syndrome or a complication of other conditions such as skull fracture, otitis media, bacteremia, or mastoiditis. Now that H. influenzae type b vaccine is routinely used, S. pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis are the most common bacterial causes of meningitis in both adults and children. Pyogenic meningitis, including that due to S. pneumoniae, is associated clinically with findings that include severe, generalized, gradual-onset headache, fever, and nausea as well as specific CNS manifestations such as stiff neck, photophobia, seizures, and confusion. Clinical signs include a toxic appearance, altered consciousness, bradycardia, and hypertension indicative of increased intracranial pressure. A small proportion of adult patients have Kernig’s or Brudzinski’s sign or cranial nerve palsies (particularly of the third and sixth cranial nerves).

A definitive diagnosis of pneumococcal meningitis rests on the examination of CSF for (1) evidence of turbidity (visual inspection); (2) elevated protein level, elevated white blood cell count, and reduced glucose concentration (quantitative measurement); and (3) specific identification of the etiologic agent (culture, Gram’s staining, antigen testing, or polymerase chain reaction [PCR]). A blood culture positive for S. pneumoniae in conjunction with clinical manifestations of meningitis also is considered confirmatory. Among adults, detection of pneumococcal antigen in urine is considered highly specific because of the low prevalence of nasopharyngeal colonization in this age group.

The mortality rate for pneumococcal meningitis is ~20%. In addition, up to 50% of survivors experience acute or chronic complications, including deafness, hydrocephalus, and mental retardation in children and diffuse brain swelling, subarachnoid bleeding, hydrocephalus, cerebrovascular complications, and hearing loss in adults.

Other Invasive Syndromes

S. pneumoniae can cause other invasive syndromes involving virtually any body site. These syndromes include primary bacteremia without other sites of infection (bacteremia without a source; occult bacteremia), osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, endocarditis, pericarditis, and peritonitis. The essential diagnostic approach is collection of fluid from the site of infection by sterile technique and examination by Gram’s staining, culture, and—when relevant—capsular antigen assay or PCR. Hemolytic-uremic syndrome can complicate invasive pneumococcal disease.

Noninvasive Syndromes

The two major noninvasive syndromes caused by S. pneumoniae are sinusitis and otitis media; the latter is the most common pneumococcal syndrome and most often affects young children. The manifestations of otitis media include the acute onset of severe pain, fever, deafness, and tinnitus, most frequently in the setting of a recent upper respiratory tract infection. Clinical signs include a red, swollen, often bulging tympanic membrane with reduced movement on insufflation or tympanography. Redness of the tympanic membrane is not sufficient for the diagnosis of otitis media.

Pneumococcal sinusitis is also a complication of upper respiratory tract infections and presents with facial pain, congestion, fever, and—in many cases—persistent nighttime cough. A definitive diagnosis is made by aspiration and culture of sinus material; however, presumptive treatment is most commonly initiated after application of a strict set of clinical diagnostic criteria.

TREATMENT

PREVENTION

Measures to prevent pneumococcal disease include vaccination against S. pneumoniae and influenza viruses, reduction of comorbidities that increase the risk of pneumococcal disease, and prevention of antibiotic overuse, which fuels pneumococcal resistance.

Capsular Polysaccharide Vaccines

The 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23), containing 25 μg of each capsular polysaccharide, has been licensed for use since 1983. Recommendations for its use vary by country. The U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends PPSV23 for all persons ≥65 years of age and for those 2–64 years of age who have underlying medical conditions that put them at increased risk for pneumococcal disease or, if infected, disease of increased severity (Table 171-1; see also www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/). The committee recently updated their recommendations to include the combined use of PPSV23 and a conjugate vaccine in at-risk individuals (see “Polysaccharide–Protein Conjugate Vaccines,” below). Revaccination 5 years after the first dose is recommended for persons >2 years of age who have underlying medical ­conditions but not routinely for those whose only indication is an age of ≥65 years. PPSV23 does not induce an anamnestic response, and antibody concentrations wane over time; thus revaccination is particularly important for individuals with conditions resulting in loss of antibody. Concerns about repeated revaccination have focused on safety (i.e., local reactions) and the induction of immune hyporesponsiveness. Neither the clinical relevance nor the biologic basis of hyporesponsiveness is clear, but, given the possibility of its occurrence, more than one revaccination has not been recommended.

The effectiveness of PPSV23 against IPD, pneumococcal pneumonia, all-cause pneumonia, and death is controversial, with wide variation in observations. The many published meta-analyses of PPSV efficacy have often reached opposing conclusions with regard to a given clinical entity. Generally, observational studies cite greater effectiveness than do controlled clinical trials. The consensus is that PPSV is effective against IPD but is less effective or ineffective against nonbacteremic pneumococcal pneumonia. However, published trials, observational studies, and meta-analyses contradict this view. Efficacy is often lower in the elderly and in immunodeficient patients whose condition is associated with reduced antibody responses to vaccines than in younger, healthier populations. When PPSV is effective, the duration of protection following a single dose of vaccine is estimated to be ~5 years.

What is not disputed is that improved pneumococcal vaccines are needed for adults. Even in the setting of routine pneumococcal conjugate vaccination of infants (which indirectly protects adults from vaccine-serotype strains), disease caused by serotypes not represented in the conjugate vaccine continues to be a significant burden among adults.

Polysaccharide–Protein Conjugate Vaccines

Infants and young children respond poorly to PPSV, which contains T cell–independent antigens. Consequently, another class of pneumococcal vaccines, the PCVs, were developed specifically for infants and young children. The first product, a 7-valent PCV, was licensed in 2000 in the United States. Three PCV products—containing 7, 10, and 13 serotypes, respectively—are currently (2014) commercially available. The serotypes included in these PCV formulations are important causes of IPD and antibiotic resistance among young children. Randomized controlled trials have demonstrated a high degree of efficacy of PCVs against vaccine-serotype IPD as well as efficacy against pneumonia, otitis media, nasopharyngeal colonization, and all-cause mortality. PCVs are recommended by the World Health Organization for inclusion in routine childhood immunization schedules worldwide, especially in countries with high infant mortality rates.

The United States was the first country to introduce PCV and therefore has the longest experience with its community-wide effects. The introduction of PCV in the United States has resulted in a >90% reduction in vaccine-serotype IPD among the whole population (Fig. 171-7). This decline has been noted not only in those age groups immunized but also in adults and is attributable to the near elimination of vaccine-serotype nasopharyngeal colonization in immunized infants, which reduces spread to adults. This protection of unimmunized community members through vaccination of a subset of the community is termed the indirect effect. Increases in colonization with—and concomitantly in disease due to—non-vaccine-serotype strains (i.e., replacement colonization and disease) have been seen; however, the absolute rate increases in IPD caused by non-vaccine serotypes are generally small, especially relative to decreases in vaccine-serotype IPD (see “Epidemiology,” above). Since vaccine-serotype strains are more commonly resistant to antibiotics than are non-vaccine serotypes, use of PCV has also resulted in dramatic declines in the proportion and absolute rates of drug-resistant pneumococcal disease. The recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the use of conjugate vaccines can be found at www.cdc.gov/MMWR/pdf/wk/mm5909.pdf. Recently, PCV has been shown to prevent pneumococcal infection in HIV-infected adults. In the United States, PCV13 followed by a dose of PPSV23 is now recommended for all immunocompromised children and adults.

Other Prevention Strategies

Pneumococcal disease can also be averted through the prevention of illnesses that predispose individuals to pneumococcal infections. Relevant measures include influenza vaccination and improved management and control of diabetes, HIV infection, heart disease, and lung disease. Finally, the reduction of antibiotic misuse is a strategy for the prevention of pneumococcal disease in that antimicrobial resistance directly and indirectly perpetuates organism transmission and disease in the community.

WEBSITES

American Academy of Pediatrics RED BOOK. The report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases: aapredbook.aappublications.org;

Pneumococcal Regional Serotype Distribution for Pneumococcal AMC TPP: www.gavialliance.org/library/documents/amc/tpp-codebook/

INTRODUCTION

Staphylococcus aureus, the most virulent of the many staphylococcal species, has demonstrated its versatility by remaining a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide despite the availability of numerous effective antistaphylococcal antibiotics. S. aureus is a pluripotent pathogen, causing disease through both toxin- and non-toxin-mediated mechanisms. This organism is responsible for numerous nosocomial and community-based infections that range from relatively minor skin and soft tissue infections to life-threatening systemic infections.

The “other” staphylococci, collectively designated coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), are considerably less virulent than S. aureus but remain important pathogens in infections that are primarily associated with prosthetic devices.

MICROBIOLOGY AND TAXONOMY

Staphylococci, gram-positive cocci in the family Micrococcaceae, form grapelike clusters on Gram’s stain (Fig. 172-1). These organisms (~1 μm in diameter) are catalase-positive (unlike streptococcal species), nonmotile, aerobic, and facultatively anaerobic. They are capable of prolonged survival on environmental surfaces under varying conditions. Some species have a relatively broad host range, including mammals and birds, whereas for others the host range is quite narrow—i.e., limited to one or two closely related animals.

More than 30 staphylococcal species are pathogenic. Identification of the more clinically important species has generally relied on a series of biochemical tests. Automated diagnostic systems, kits for biochemical characterization, and DNA-based assays are available for species identification. With few exceptions, S. aureus is distinguished from other staphylococcal species by its production of coagulase, a surface enzyme that converts fibrinogen to fibrin. Latex kits that detect both protein A and clumping factor also distinguish S. aureus from most other staphylococcal species. S. aureus ferments mannitol, is positive for protein A, and produces DNAse. On blood agar plates, S. aureus tends to form golden β-hemolytic colonies; in contrast, CoNS produce small white nonhemolytic colonies. Increasingly, sequence-based methods (e.g., 16S rRNA) are being used to identify different staphylococcal species.

Determining whether multiple staphylococcal isolates from different patients are the same or different is often relevant when there is concern that a nosocomial outbreak is due to a common point source (e.g., a contaminated medical instrument). Molecular typing methods, such as pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and sequence-based techniques (e.g., staphylococcal protein A [SpA] typing), have increasingly been used for this purpose. More recently, whole-genome sequencing has enhanced the ability to discriminate among clinical isolates.

S. AUREUS INFECTIONS

EPIDEMIOLOGY

S. aureus is both a commensal and an opportunistic pathogen. Approximately 30% of healthy persons are colonized with S. aureus, with a smaller percentage (~10%) persistently colonized. The rate of colonization is elevated among insulin-dependent diabetics, HIV-infected patients, patients undergoing hemodialysis, injection drug users, and individuals with skin damage. The anterior nares and oropharynx are frequent sites of human colonization, although the skin (especially when damaged), vagina, axilla, and perineum may also be colonized. These colonization sites serve as a reservoir for future infections.

Transmission of S. aureus most frequently results from direct personal contact. Colonization of different body sites allows transfer from one person to another during contact. Spread of staphylococci in aerosols of respiratory or nasal secretions from heavily colonized individuals has also been reported. Most individuals who develop S. aureus infections become infected with a strain that is already a part of their own commensal flora. Breaches of the skin or mucosal membrane allow S. aureus to initiate infection.

Some diseases increase the risk of S. aureus infection; diabetes, for example, combines an increased rate of S. aureus colonization and the use of injectable insulin with the possibility of impaired leukocyte function. Individuals with congenital or acquired qualitative or quantitative defects of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are at increased risk of S. aureus infections; this group includes neutropenic patients (e.g., those receiving chemotherapeutic agents), those with chronic granulomatous disease, and those with Job’s or Chédiak-Higashi syndrome. Other groups at risk include individuals with end-stage renal disease, HIV infection, skin abnormalities, or prosthetic devices.

S. aureus is a leading cause of health care–associated infections (Chap. 168). It is the most common cause of surgical wound infections and is second only to CoNS as a cause of primary bacteremia. These isolates are generally resistant to multiple antibiotics; thus available therapeutic options are limited. In the community, S. aureus remains an important cause of skin and soft tissue infections, respiratory infections, and (among injection drug users) infective endocarditis. The increasing use of home infusion therapy is another cause of community-acquired staphylococcal infections.

In the past two decades, there has been a dramatic change in the epidemiology of infections due to methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). In addition to its major role as a nosocomial pathogen, MRSA has become an established community-based pathogen. Numerous outbreaks of community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections have been reported in both rural and urban settings in widely separated regions throughout the world. The outbreaks have occurred among such diverse groups as children, prisoners, athletes, Native Americans, and drug users. Risk factors common to these outbreaks include poor hygienic conditions, close contact, contaminated material, and damaged skin. These infections have been caused by a limited number of MRSA strains. In the United States, strain USA300 (defined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis) has been the predominant clone. In other geographic regions of the world, different strains of CA-MRSA have been responsible for these community-based outbreaks. Although the majority of infections caused by these strains have involved the skin and soft tissue, 5–10% have been invasive and potentially life-threatening. CA-MRSA strains have also been responsible for an increasing number of nosocomial infections. Of concern has been the apparent capacity of CA-MRSA to cause disease in immunocompetent individuals.

PATHOGENESIS

General Concepts

S. aureus is a pyogenic pathogen known for its capacity to induce abscess formation at sites of both local and metastatic infections. This classic pathologic response to S. aureus defines the framework within which the infection will progress. The bacteria elicit an inflammatory response characterized by an initial intense infiltration of PMNs and a subsequent infiltration of macrophages and fibroblasts. Either the host cellular response (including the deposition of fibrin and collagen) contains the infection, or infection spreads to the adjoining tissue or the bloodstream.

In toxin-mediated staphylococcal disease, infection is not invariably present. For example, once toxin has been elaborated into food, staphylococcal food poisoning can develop in the absence of viable bacteria. In staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome (TSS), conditions allowing toxin elaboration at colonization sites (e.g., the presence of a superabsorbent tampon) suffice for initiation of clinical illness.

The S. aureus Genome

The complete genomes of numerous strains of S. aureus have now been fully sequenced. Among the interesting revelations are (1) the high degree of nucleotide sequence similarity of the core genomes of different strains; (2) acquisition of a relatively large amount of genetic information by horizontal transfer from other bacterial species; and (3) the presence of unique “pathogenicity” or “genomic” islands—mobile genetic elements that contain clusters of enterotoxin and exotoxin genes and/or antimicrobial resistance determinants. Among the genes in these islands are those carrying mecA, the gene responsible for methicillin resistance. Methicillin resistance–containing islands have been designated staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types and range in size from ~20 to 60 kb. To date, 11 SCCmec types have been identified. Among the more common types, types 1–3 are traditionally associated with nosocomial MRSA isolates, whereas types 4–6 have been associated with the epidemic CA-MRSA strains.

A limited number of MRSA clones have been responsible for most community- and hospital-associated infections worldwide. A comparison of these strains with those from earlier outbreaks (e.g., the phage 80/81 strains from the 1950s) has revealed preservation of the nucleotide sequence over time. This observation suggests that these strains possess determinants that facilitate survival and spread.

Regulation of Virulence Gene Expression

In both toxin-mediated and non-toxin-mediated diseases due to S. aureus, the expression of virulence determinants associated with infection depends on a series of regulatory genes (e.g., accessory gene regulator [agr] and staphylococcal accessory regulator [sar]) that coordinately control the expression of many virulence genes. The regulatory gene agr is part of a quorum-sensing signal transduction pathway that senses and responds to bacterial density. Staphylococcal surface proteins are synthesized during the bacterial exponential growth phase in vitro. In contrast, many secreted proteins, such as α toxin, the enterotoxins, and assorted enzymes, are released during the postexponential growth phase in response to transcription of the effector molecule of agr, RNAIII.

It has been hypothesized that these regulatory genes serve a similar function in vivo. Successful invasion requires the sequential expression of these different bacterial elements. Bacterial adhesins are needed to initiate colonization of host tissue surfaces. The subsequent release of various enzymes enables the colony to obtain nutritional support and permits bacteria to spread to adjacent tissues. Studies with strains in which these regulatory genes are inactivated show reduced virulence in several animal models of S. aureus infection.

Pathogenesis of Invasive S. aureus Infection

Staphylococci are opportunists. For these organisms to invade the host and cause infection, some or all of the following steps are necessary: contamination and colonization of host tissue surfaces, breach of cutaneous or mucosal barriers, establishment of a localized infection, invasion, evasion of the host response, and metastatic spread. Colonizing strains or strains transferred from other individuals are introduced into damaged skin, a wound, or the bloodstream. Recurrences of S. aureus infections are common, apparently because of the capacity of these pathogens to survive, to persist in a quiescent state in various tissues, and then to cause recrudescent infections when suitable conditions arise.

S. AUREUS COLONIZATION OF BODY SURFACES

The anterior nares is one of the primary sites of staphylococcal colonization in humans. Colonization appears to involve the attachment of S. aureus to keratinized epithelial cells of the anterior nares. Other factors that may contribute to colonization include the influence of other resident nasal flora and their bacterial density, host factors, and nasal mucosal damage (e.g., that resulting from inhalational drug use). Other colonized body sites, such as damaged skin, the groin, and the oropharynx, may be particularly important reservoirs for CA-MRSA strains.

INOCULATION AND COLONIZATION OF TISSUE SURFACES

Staphylococci may be introduced into tissue as a result of minor abrasions, administration of medications such as insulin, or establishment of IV access with catheters. After their introduction into a tissue site, bacteria replicate and colonize the host tissue surface. A family of structurally related S. aureus surface proteins referred to as MSCRAMMs (microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules) plays an important role in mediating adherence to these sites. By adhering to exposed matrix molecules (e.g., fibrinogen, fibronectin), MSCRAMMs such as clumping factor and collagen-binding protein enable the bacteria to colonize different tissue surfaces; these proteins contribute to the pathogenesis of invasive infections such as endocarditis and septic arthritis by facilitating the adherence of S. aureus to surfaces with exposed fibrinogen or collagen.

Although CoNS are classically known for their ability to elaborate biofilms and to colonize prosthetic devices, S. aureus also possesses the genes responsible for biofilm formation, such as the intercellular adhesion (ica) locus. Binding to these devices occurs in a stepwise fashion, involving staphylococcal adherence to serum constituents that have coated the device surface and subsequent biofilm elaboration. S. aureus is thus a frequent cause of biomedical-device infections.

INVASION

After colonization, staphylococci replicate at the initial site of infection, elaborating enzymes that include serine proteases, hyaluronidases, thermonucleases, and lipases. These enzymes facilitate bacterial survival and local spread across tissue surfaces, although their precise role in infections is not well defined. The lipases may facilitate survival in lipid-rich areas such as the hair follicles, where S. aureus infections are often initiated. The S. aureus toxin Panton-Valentine leukocidin is cytolytic to PMNs, macrophages, and monocytes. Strains elaborating this toxin have been epidemiologically linked with cutaneous and more serious infections caused by strains of CA-MRSA. MSCRAMMs also appear to play an important role in the ability of S. aureus to spread and cause disease at other tissue sites.

Constitutional findings may result from either localized or systemic infections. The staphylococcal cell wall—consisting of alternating N-acetyl muramic acid and N-acetyl glucosamine units in combination with an additional cell wall component, lipoteichoic acid—can initiate an inflammatory response that includes the sepsis syndrome. Staphylococcal α toxin, which causes pore formation in various eukaryotic cells, can also initiate an inflammatory response with findings suggestive of sepsis.

EVASION OF HOST DEFENSE MECHANISMS

Staphylococci have a multitude of immune evasion strategies that are critical to their success as invasive pathogens. They possess an antiphagocytic polysaccharide microcapsule. Most human S. aureus infections are due to capsular types 5 and 8. The zwitterionic (both negatively and positively charged) S. aureus capsule plays a critical role in the induction of abscess formation. Protein A, an MSCRAMM unique to S. aureus, acts as an Fc receptor, binding the Fc portion of IgG subclasses 1, 2, and 4 and preventing opsonophagocytosis by PMNs. Both chemotaxis inhibitory protein of staphylococci (CHIPS, a secreted protein) and extracellular adherence protein (EAP, a surface protein) interfere with PMN migration to sites of infection.

An additional potential mechanism of S. aureus evasion is its capacity for intracellular survival. Both professional and nonprofessional phagocytes internalize staphylococci. Internalization by these cells may provide a sanctuary that protects bacteria against the host’s defenses. The intracellular environment favors the phenotypic expression of S. aureus small-colony variants. Small-colony variants are found in patients receiving antimicrobial therapy (e.g., with aminoglycosides) and in those with cystic fibrosis or osteomyelitis. These variants, whether intra- or extracellular, may facilitate prolonged staphylococcal survival in different tissue sites and enhance the likelihood of recurrences. Finally, S. aureus can survive within PMNs and may use these cells to spread and to seed other tissue sites.

PATHOGENESIS OF COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED MRSA INFECTIONS

A number of virulence determinants have been identified as contributing to the pathogenesis of CA-MRSA infections. There is a strong epidemiologic association linking the presence of the gene for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin with skin and soft tissue infections as well as with necrotizing postinfluenza pneumonia. Other determinants that play a role in the pathogenesis of these infections include the arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME), a cluster of unique genes that may facilitate evasion of host defense mechanisms; phenol-soluble modulins, a family of cytolytic peptides; and α toxin.

Host Response to S. aureus Infection

The primary host response to S. aureus infection is the recruitment of PMNs. These cells are attracted to infection sites by bacterial components such as formylated peptides or peptidoglycan as well as by the cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukins (ILs) 1 and 6, which are released by activated macrophages and endothelial cells.

Although most individuals have antibodies to staphylococci, it is not clear that antibody levels are qualitatively or quantitatively sufficient to protect against infection. Although anticapsular and anti-MSCRAMM antibodies facilitate opsonization in vitro and have been protective against infection in several animal models, they have not yet successfully prevented staphylococcal infections in clinical trials.

Pathogenesis of Toxin-Mediated Disease

S. aureus produces three types of toxin: cytotoxins, pyrogenic toxin superantigens, and exfoliative toxins. Both epidemiologic data and studies in animals suggest that antitoxin antibodies are protective against illness in TSS, staphylococcal food poisoning, and staphylococcal scalded-skin syndrome (SSSS). Illness develops after toxin synthesis and absorption and the subsequent toxin-initiated host response.

ENTEROTOXIN AND TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME TOXIN 1 (TSST-1)

The pyrogenic toxin superantigens are a family of small-molecular-size, structurally similar proteins that are responsible for two diseases: TSS and food poisoning. TSS results from the ability of enterotoxins and TSST-1 to function as T cell mitogens. In the normal process of antigen presentation, the antigen is first processed within the cell, and peptides are then presented in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II groove, initiating a measured T cell response. In contrast, enterotoxins bind directly to the invariant region of MHC—outside the MHC class II groove. The enterotoxins can then bind T cell receptors via the vβ chain; this binding results in a dramatic overexpansion of T cell clones (up to 20% of the total T cell population). The consequence of this T cell expansion is a “cytokine storm,” with the release of inflammatory mediators that include interferon γ, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and TNF-β. The resulting multisystem disease produces a constellation of findings that mimic those in endotoxin shock; however, the pathogenic mechanisms differ. The release of endotoxin from the gastrointestinal tract may synergistically enhance the toxin’s effects.

A different region of the enterotoxin molecule is responsible for the symptoms of food poisoning. The enterotoxins are heat stable and can survive conditions that kill the bacteria. Illness results from the ingestion of preformed toxin. As a result, the incubation period is short (1–6 h). The toxin stimulates the vagus nerve and the vomiting center of the brain. It also appears to stimulate intestinal peristaltic activity.

EXFOLIATIVE TOXINS AND SSSS

The exfoliative toxins are responsible for SSSS. The toxins that produce disease in humans are of two serotypes: ETA and ETB. These toxins are serine proteases, which cleave desmosomal cadherins in the superficial layer of the skin, triggering exfoliation. The result is a split in the epidermis at the granular level, which is responsible for the superficial desquamation of the skin that typifies this illness.

DIAGNOSIS

Staphylococcal infections are readily diagnosed by Gram’s stain (Fig. 172-1) and microscopic examination of abscess contents or of infected tissue. Routine culture of infected material usually yields positive results, and blood cultures are sometimes positive even when infections are localized to extravascular sites. S. aureus is rarely a blood culture contaminant. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–based assays have been applied to the rapid diagnosis of S. aureus infection and are increasingly used in clinical microbiology laboratories. A number of point-of-care tests are now available to screen patients for colonization with MRSA. Determining whether patients with documented S. aureus bacteremia also have infective endocarditis or a metastatic focus of infection remains a diagnostic challenge. Uniformly positive blood cultures suggest an endovascular infection such as endocarditis (see “Bacteremia, Sepsis, and Infective Endocarditis,” below).

CLINICAL SYNDROMES

(Table 172-1)

Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

S. aureus causes a variety of cutaneous infections, many of which can also be caused by group A streptococci or (less commonly) other streptococcal species. Common factors predisposing to S. aureus cutaneous infection include chronic skin conditions (e.g., eczema), skin damage (e.g., insect bites, minor trauma), injections (e.g., in diabetes, injection drug use), and poor personal hygiene. These infections are characterized by the formation of pus-containing blisters, which often begin in hair follicles and spread to adjoining tissues. Folliculitis is a superficial infection that involves the hair follicle, with a central area of purulence (pus) surrounded by induration and erythema. Furuncles (boils) are more extensive, painful lesions that tend to occur in hairy, moist regions of the body and extend from the hair follicle to become a true abscess with an area of central purulence. Carbuncles are most often located in the lower neck and are even more severe and painful, resulting from the coalescence of other lesions that extend to a deeper layer of the subcutaneous tissue. In general, furuncles and carbuncles are readily apparent, with pus often expressible or discharging from the abscess. Other cutaneous S. aureus infections include impetigo and cellulitis. S. aureus is one of the most common causes of surgical wound infection.

Mastitis develops in 1–3% of nursing mothers. This infection of the breast, which generally presents within 2–3 weeks after delivery, is characterized by findings that range from cellulitis to abscess formation. Systemic signs, such as fever and chills, are often present in more severe cases.

Musculoskeletal Infections

S. aureus is among the most common causes of bone infections—both those resulting from hematogenous dissemination and those arising from contiguous spread from a soft tissue site. Hematogenous osteomyelitis in children most often involves the long bones. Infections present as fever and bone pain or with a child’s reluctance to bear weight. The white blood cell count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate are often elevated. Blood cultures are positive in ~50% of cases. When necessary, bone biopsies for culture and histopathologic examination are usually diagnostic. Routine x-rays may be normal for up to 14 days after the onset of symptoms. ^99mTc-phosphonate scanning often detects early evidence of infection. MRI is more sensitive than other techniques in establishing a radiologic diagnosis.

In adults, hematogenous osteomyelitis involving the long bones is less common. However, vertebral osteomyelitis is among the more common clinical presentations. Vertebral bone infections are most often seen in patients with endocarditis, those undergoing hemodialysis, diabetics, and injection drug users. These infections may present as intense back pain and fever but may also be clinically occult, presenting as chronic back pain and low-grade fever. S. aureus is the most common cause of epidural abscess, a complication that can result in neurologic compromise. Patients complain of difficulty voiding or walking and of radicular pain in addition to the symptoms associated with their osteomyelitis. Surgical intervention in this setting often constitutes a medical emergency. MRI most reliably establishes the diagnosis (Fig. 172-2).

Bone infections that result from contiguous spread tend to develop from soft tissue infections, such as those associated with diabetic or vascular ulcers, surgery, or trauma. Exposure of bone, a draining fistulous tract, failure to heal, or continued drainage suggests involvement of underlying bone. Bone involvement is established by bone culture and histopathologic examination (revealing evidence of PMN infiltration). Contamination of culture material from adjacent tissue can make the diagnosis of osteomyelitis difficult in the absence of pathologic confirmation. In addition, it is sometimes hard to distinguish radiologically between osteomyelitis and overlying soft tissue infection with underlying osteitis.

In both children and adults, S. aureus is the most common cause of septic arthritis in native joints. This infection is rapidly progressive and may be associated with extensive joint destruction if left untreated. It presents as intense pain on motion of the affected joint, swelling, and fever. Aspiration of the joint reveals turbid fluid, with >50,000 PMNs/μL and gram-positive cocci in clusters on Gram’s stain (Fig. 172-1). In adults, septic arthritis may result from trauma, surgery, or hematogenous dissemination. The most commonly involved joints include the knees, shoulders, hips, and phalanges. Infection frequently develops in joints previously damaged by osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Iatrogenic infections resulting from aspiration or injection of agents into the joint also occur. In these settings, the patient experiences increased pain and swelling in the involved joint in association with fever.

Pyomyositis is an unusual infection of skeletal muscles that is seen primarily in tropical climates but also occurs in immunocompromised and HIV-infected patients. It is believed to arise from occult bacteremia. Pyomyositis presents as fever, swelling, and pain overlying the involved muscle. Aspiration of fluid from the involved tissue yields pus. Although a history of trauma may be associated with the infection, its pathogenesis is poorly understood.

Respiratory Tract Infections

Respiratory tract infections caused by S. aureus occur in selected clinical settings. S. aureus is a cause of serious respiratory tract infections in newborns and infants; these infections present with shortness of breath, fever, and respiratory failure. Chest x-ray may reveal pneumatoceles (shaggy, thin-walled cavities). Pneumothorax and empyema are recognized complications.

In adults, nosocomial S. aureus pulmonary infections are common among intubated patients in intensive care units. Nasally colonized patients are at increased risk of these infections. The clinical presentation is no different from that encountered in pulmonary infections of other bacterial etiologies. Patients produce increased volumes of purulent sputum and develop respiratory distress, fever, and new pulmonary infiltrates. Distinguishing bacterial pneumonia from respiratory failure or other causes of new pulmonary infiltrates in critically ill patients is often difficult and relies on a constellation of clinical, radiologic, and laboratory findings.

Community-acquired respiratory tract infections due to S. aureus usually follow viral infections—most commonly influenza. Patients may present with fever, bloody sputum production, and midlung-field pneumatoceles or multiple, patchy pulmonary infiltrates. Diagnosis is made by sputum Gram’s stain and culture. Blood cultures, although useful, are usually negative.

Bacteremia, Sepsis, and Infective Endocarditis

S. aureus bacteremia may be complicated by sepsis, endocarditis, vasculitis, or metastatic seeding (establishment of suppurative collections at other tissue sites). The frequency of metastatic seeding during bacteremia has been estimated to be as high as 31%. Among the more commonly seeded tissue sites are bones, joints, kidneys, and lungs.

Recognition of these complications by clinical and laboratory diagnostic methods alone is often difficult. Comorbid conditions that are frequently seen in association with S. aureus bacteremia and that increase the risk of complications include diabetes, HIV infection, and renal insufficiency. Other host factors associated with an increased risk of complications include presentation with community-acquired S. aureus bacteremia (except in injection drug users), lack of an identifiable primary focus of infection, and the presence of prosthetic devices or material.

Clinically, S. aureus sepsis presents in a manner similar to that documented for sepsis due to other bacteria. The well-described progression of hemodynamic changes—beginning with respiratory alkalosis and clinical findings of hypotension and fever—is commonly seen. The microbiologic diagnosis is established by positive blood cultures.

The overall incidence of S. aureus endocarditis has increased over the past 20 years. S. aureus is now the leading cause of endocarditis worldwide, accounting for 25–35% of cases. This increase is due, at least in part, to the increased use of intravascular devices. Studies of patients with S. aureus bacteremia and intravascular catheters that used transesophageal echocardiography found an infective endocarditis incidence of ~25%. Other factors associated with an increased risk of endocarditis are injection drug use, hemodialysis, the presence of intravascular prosthetic devices at the time of bacteremia, and immunosuppression. Patients with implantable cardiac devices (e.g., permanent pacemakers) are at increased risk of endocarditis or device-related infections. Despite the availability of effective antibiotics, mortality rates from these infections continue to range from 20% to 40%, depending on both the host and the nature of the infection. Complications of S. aureus endocarditis include cardiac valvular insufficiency, peripheral emboli, metastatic seeding, and central nervous system (CNS) involvement (e.g., mycotic aneurysms, embolic strokes).

S. aureus endocarditis is encountered in four clinical settings: (1) right-sided endocarditis in association with injection drug use, (2) left-sided native-valve endocarditis, (3) prosthetic-valve endocarditis, and (4) nosocomial endocarditis. In each of these settings, the diagnosis is suspected by recognition of clinical stigmata suggestive of endocarditis. These findings include cardiac manifestations, such as new or changing cardiac valvular murmurs; cutaneous evidence, such as vasculitic lesions, Osler’s nodes, or Janeway lesions; evidence of right- or left-sided embolic disease; and a history suggesting a risk for S. aureus bacteremia. In the absence of antecedent antibiotic therapy, blood cultures are almost uniformly positive. Transthoracic echocardiography, while less sensitive than transesophageal echocardiography, is less invasive and may establish the presence of valvular vegetations. The Duke criteria (see Table 155-3) are now commonly used to help establish the likelihood of this diagnosis.

Acute right-sided tricuspid valvular S. aureus endocarditis is most often seen in injection drug users. The classic presentation includes a high fever, a toxic clinical appearance, pleuritic chest pain, and the production of purulent (sometimes bloody) sputum. Chest x-rays or CT scans reveal evidence of septic pulmonary emboli (small, peripheral, circular lesions that may cavitate with time) (Fig. 172-3). A high percentage of affected patients have no history of antecedent valvular damage. At the outset of their illness, patients may present with fever alone, without cardiac or other localizing findings. As a result, a high index of clinical suspicion is essential for diagnosis.

Individuals with antecedent cardiac valvular damage more commonly present with left-sided native-valve endocarditis involving the damaged valve. These patients tend to be older than those with right-sided endocarditis, their prognosis is worse, and their incidence of complications (including peripheral emboli, cardiac decompensation, and metastatic seeding) is higher.

S. aureus is one of the more common causes of prosthetic-valve endocarditis. This infection is especially fulminant in the early postoperative period and is associated with a high mortality rate. In most instances, medical therapy alone is not sufficient and urgent valve replacement is necessary. Patients are prone to develop valvular insufficiency or myocardial abscesses originating from the region of valve implantation.

The increased frequency of nosocomial endocarditis (15–30% of cases, depending on the series) reflects in part the increased use of intravascular devices. This form of endocarditis is most commonly caused by S. aureus. Because patients often are critically ill, are receiving antibiotics for various other indications, and have comorbid conditions, the diagnosis is often missed.

Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are infrequently caused by S. aureus. The presence of S. aureus in the urine generally suggests hematogenous dissemination. Ascending S. aureus infections occasionally result from instrumentation of the genitourinary tract.

Prosthetic Device–Related Infections

S. aureus accounts for a large proportion of prosthetic device–related infections. These infections often involve intravascular catheters, prosthetic valves, orthopedic devices, peritoneal catheters, pacemakers, left-ventricular-assist devices, and vascular grafts. In contrast with the more indolent presentation of CoNS infections, S. aureus device-related infections are often more acute, with both localized and systemic manifestations. The latter infections also tend to progress more rapidly. It is relatively common for a pyogenic collection to be present at the device site. Aspiration of these collections and performance of blood cultures are important components in establishing a diagnosis. S. aureus infections tend to occur more commonly soon after implantation unless the device is used for access (e.g., intravascular or hemodialysis catheters). In the latter instance, infections can occur at any time. As in most prosthetic-device infections, successful therapy usually involves removal of the device. Left in place, the device is a potential nidus for either persistent or recurrent infections.

Infections Associated with Community-Acquired MRSA

Although the skin and soft tissues are the most common sites of infection associated with CA-MRSA, 5–10% of these infections are invasive and can even be life-threatening. The latter unique infections, including necrotizing fasciitis, necrotizing pneumonia, and sepsis with Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome or purpura fulminans, were rarely associated with S. aureus prior to the emergence of CA-MRSA. These life-threatening infections reflect the increased virulence of CA-MRSA strains.

Toxin-Mediated Diseases

FOOD POISONING

S. aureus is among the most common causes of foodborne outbreaks of infection in the United States. Staphylococcal food poisoning results from the inoculation of toxin-producing S. aureus into food by colonized food handlers. Toxin is then elaborated in such growth-promoting food as custards, potato salad, or processed meats. Even if the bacteria are killed by warming, the heat-stable toxin is not destroyed. The onset of illness is rapid, occurring within 1–6 h of ingestion. The illness is characterized by nausea and vomiting, although diarrhea, hypotension, and dehydration may also occur. The differential diagnosis includes diarrhea of other etiologies, especially that caused by similar toxins (e.g., the toxins elaborated by Bacillus cereus). The rapidity of onset, the absence of fever, and the epidemic nature of the presentation (without second-degree spread) arouse suspicion of staphylococcal food poisoning. Symptoms generally resolve within 8–10 h. The diagnosis can be established by the demonstration of bacteria or the documentation of enterotoxin in the implicated food. Treatment is entirely supportive.

TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME

TSS gained attention in the early 1980s, when a nationwide outbreak occurred in the United States among young, otherwise healthy, menstruating women. Epidemiologic investigation demonstrated that these cases were associated with the use of a highly absorbent tampon that had recently been introduced to the market. Subsequent studies established the role of TSST-1 in these illnesses. Withdrawal of the tampon from the market resulted in a rapid decline in the incidence of this disease. However, menstrual and nonmenstrual cases continue to be reported. Nonmenstrual cases are frequently seen in patients with surgical or postpartum wound infections.

The clinical presentation is similar in menstrual and nonmenstrual TSS. Evidence of clinical S. aureus infection is not a prerequisite. TSS results from the elaboration of an enterotoxin or the structurally related enterotoxin-like TSST-1. More than 90% of menstrual cases are caused by TSST-1, whereas a high percentage of nonmenstrual cases are caused by enterotoxins. TSS begins with relatively nonspecific flulike symptoms. In menstrual cases, the onset usually comes 2 or 3 days after the start of menstruation. Patients present with fever, hypotension, and erythroderma of variable intensity. Mucosal involvement is common (e.g., conjunctival hyperemia). The illness can rapidly progress to symptoms that include vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, myalgias, and abdominal pain. These symptoms reflect the multisystemic nature of the disease, with involvement of the liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and/or CNS. Desquamation of the skin occurs during convalescence, usually 1–2 weeks after the onset of illness. Laboratory findings may include azotemia, leukocytosis, hypoalbuminemia, thrombocytopenia, and liver function abnormalities.

Diagnosis of TSS still depends on a constellation of findings rather than one specific finding and on a lack of evidence of other possible infections (Table 172-2). Other diagnoses to be considered are drug toxicities, viral exanthems, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, sepsis, and Kawasaki disease. Illness occurs only in persons who lack antibody to TSST-1. Recurrences are possible if antibody fails to develop after the illness.

STAPHYLOCOCCAL SCALDED-SKIN SYNDROME

SSSS primarily affects newborns and children. The illness may vary from a localized blister to exfoliation of much of the skin surface. The skin is usually fragile and often tender, with thin-walled, fluid-filled bullae. Gentle pressure results in rupture of the lesions, leaving denuded underlying skin (Nikolsky’s sign; Fig. 172-4). The mucous membranes are usually spared. In more generalized infection, there are often constitutional symptoms, including fever, lethargy, and irritability with poor feeding. Significant amounts of fluid can be lost in more extensive cases. Illness usually follows localized infection at one of a number of possible sites. SSSS is much less common among adults but can follow infections caused by exfoliative toxin–producing strains.

PREVENTION

Primary prevention of S. aureus infections in the hospital setting involves hand washing and careful attention to appropriate isolation procedures. Through careful screening for MRSA carriage and strict isolation practices, several Scandinavian countries have been remarkably successful at preventing the introduction and dissemination of MRSA in hospitals.

Decolonization strategies, using both universal and targeted approaches with topical agents (e.g., mupirocin) to eliminate nasal colonization and/or chlorhexidine to eliminate cutaneous colonization with S. aureus, have been successful in some clinical settings (e.g., intensive care units) where the risk of infection is high. An analysis of clinical trials suggests that there may also be a reduction in the incidence of postsurgical infections among persons who are nasally colonized with S. aureus.

“Bundling” (the application of selected medical interventions in a sequence of prescribed steps) has reduced rates of nosocomial infections related to such procedures as the insertion of intravenous catheters, in which staphylococci are among the most common pathogens (see Table 168-4). A number of immunization strategies to prevent S. aureus infections—both active (e.g., capsular polysaccharide–protein conjugate vaccine) and passive (e.g., clumping factor antibody)—have been investigated. However, none has been successful for either prophylaxis or therapy in clinical trials.

COAGULASE-NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCAL INFECTIONS

Although considerably less virulent than S. aureus, CoNS are among the most common causes of prosthetic-device infections. Approximately half of the identified CoNS species have been associated with human infections. Of these species, Staphylococcus epidermidis is the most common human pathogen. This component of the normal human flora is found on the skin (where it is the most abundant bacterial species) as well as in the oropharynx and vagina. Staphylococcus saprophyticus, a novobiocin-resistant species, is a common pathogen in UTIs.

PATHOGENESIS

S. epidermidis is the CoNS species most often associated with prosthetic-device infections. Infection is a two-step process, with initial adhesion to the device followed by colonization. S. epidermidis is uniquely adapted to colonize these devices by its capacity to elaborate the extracellular polysaccharide (glycocalyx or slime) that facilitates formation of a protective biofilm on the device surface.

Implanted prosthetic material is rapidly coated with host serum or tissue constituents such as fibrinogen or fibronectin. These ­molecules serve as potential bridging ligands, facilitating initial bacterial attachment to the device surface. A number of staphylococcal surface-­associated proteins, such as autolysin (AtlE), fibrinogen-binding ­protein, and accumulation-associated protein (AAP), may play a role in attachment to either modified or unmodified prosthetic surfaces. The polysaccharide intercellular adhesin facilitates subsequent ­staphylococcal colonization and accumulation on the device surface. In S. epidermidis, intercellular adhesin (ica) genes are more commonly found in strains associated with device infections than in strains associated with colonization of mucosal surfaces. Biofilm appears to act as a barrier protecting bacteria from host defense mechanisms as well as from antibiotics, while providing a suitable environment for bacterial survival. Poly-γ-DL-glutamic acid is secreted by S. epidermidis and provides protection against neutrophil phagocytosis.

Two additional staphylococcal species, Staphylococcus lugdunensis and Staphylococcus schleiferi, produce more serious infections (native-valve endocarditis and osteomyelitis) than do other CoNS. The basis for this enhanced virulence is not known, although both species appear to share more virulence determinants with S. aureus (e.g., clumping factor and lipase) than do other CoNS.

The capacity of S. saprophyticus to cause UTIs in young women appears to be related to its enhanced capacity to adhere to uroepithelial cells. A 160-kDa hemagglutinin/adhesin may contribute to this affinity.

DIAGNOSIS

Although the detection of CoNS at sites of infection or in the bloodstream is not difficult by standard microbiologic culture methods, interpretation of these results is frequently problematic. Because these organisms are present in large numbers on the skin, they often contaminate cultures. It has been estimated that only 10–25% of blood cultures positive for CoNS reflect true bacteremia. Similar problems arise with cultures obtained from other sites. Among the clinical findings suggestive of true bacteremia are fever, evidence of local infection (e.g., erythema or purulent drainage at the IV catheter site), leukocytosis, and systemic signs of sepsis. Laboratory findings suggestive of true bacteremia include multiple isolations of the same strain (i.e., the same species with the same antibiogram or a closely related DNA fingerprint) from separate cultures, growth of the strain within 48 h, and bacterial growth in both aerobic and anaerobic bottles.

CLINICAL SYNDROMES

CoNS cause a diverse array of prosthetic device–related infections, including those that involve prosthetic cardiac valves and joints, vascular grafts, intravascular devices, and CNS shunts. In all of these settings, the clinical presentation is similar. The signs of localized infection are often subtle, the rate of disease progression is slow, and the systemic findings are often limited. Signs of infection, such as purulent drainage, pain at the site, or loosening of prosthetic implants, are sometimes evident. Fever is frequently but not always present, and there may be mild leukocytosis. Acute-phase reactant levels, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and the C-reactive protein concentration may be elevated.

Infections that are not associated with prosthetic devices are infrequent, although native-valve endocarditis due to CoNS has accounted for ~5% of cases in some reviews. S. lugdunensis appears to be a more aggressive pathogen in this setting, causing greater mortality and rapid valvular destruction with abscess formation.

TREATMENT

INTRODUCTION

Many varieties of streptococci are found as part of the normal flora colonizing the human respiratory, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tracts. Several species are important causes of human disease. Group A Streptococcus (GAS, Streptococcus pyogenes) is responsible for streptococcal pharyngitis, one of the most common bacterial infections of school-age children, and for the postinfectious syndromes of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN). Group B Streptococcus (GBS, Streptococcus agalactiae) is the leading cause of bacterial sepsis and meningitis in newborns and a major cause of endometritis and fever in parturient women. Viridans streptococci are the most common cause of bacterial endocarditis. Enterococci, which are morphologically similar to streptococci, are now considered a separate genus on the basis of DNA homology studies. Thus, the species previously designated as Streptococcus faecalis and Streptococcus faecium have been renamed Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, respectively. The enterococci are discussed in Chap. 174.

Streptococci are gram-positive, spherical to ovoid bacteria that characteristically form chains when grown in liquid media. Most streptococci that cause human infections are facultative anaerobes, although some are strict anaerobes. Streptococci are relatively fastidious organisms, requiring enriched media for growth in the laboratory. Clinicians and clinical microbiologists identify streptococci by several classification systems, including hemolytic pattern, Lancefield group, species name, and common or trivial name. Many streptococci associated with human infection produce a zone of complete (β) hemolysis around the bacterial colony when cultured on blood agar. The β-hemolytic streptococci can be classified by the Lancefield system, a serologic grouping based on the reaction of specific antisera with bacterial cell-wall carbohydrate antigens. With rare exceptions, organisms belonging to Lancefield groups A, B, C, and G are all β-hemolytic, and each is associated with characteristic patterns of human infection. Other streptococci produce a zone of partial (α) hemolysis, often imparting a greenish appearance to the agar. These α-hemolytic streptococci are further identified by biochemical testing and include Streptococcus pneumoniae (Chap. 171), an important cause of pneumonia, meningitis, and other infections, and the several species referred to collectively as the viridans streptococci, which are part of the normal oral flora and are important agents of subacute bacterial endocarditis. Finally, some streptococci are nonhemolytic, a pattern sometimes called γ hemolysis. Among the organisms classified serologically as group D streptococci, the enterococci are classified as a distinct genus (Chap. 174). The classification of the major streptococcal groups causing human infections is outlined in Table 173-1.

GROUP A STREPTOCOCCI

Lancefield’s group A consists of a single species, S. pyogenes. As its species name implies, this organism is associated with a variety of suppurative infections. In addition, GAS can trigger the postinfectious syndromes of ARF (which is uniquely associated with S. pyogenes infection; Chap. 381) and PSGN (Chap. 338).

Worldwide, GAS infections and their postinfectious sequelae (primarily ARF and rheumatic heart disease) account for an estimated 500,000 deaths per year. Although data are incomplete, the incidence of all forms of GAS infection and that of rheumatic heart disease are thought to be tenfold higher in resource-limited countries than in developed countries (Fig. 173-1).

PATHOGENESIS

GAS elaborates a number of cell-surface components and extracellular products important in both the pathogenesis of infection and the human immune response. The cell wall contains a carbohydrate antigen that may be released by acid treatment. The reaction of such acid extracts with group A–specific antiserum is the basis for definitive identification of a streptococcal strain as S. pyogenes. The major surface protein of GAS is M protein, which occurs in more than 100 antigenically distinct types and is the basis for the serotyping of strains with specific antisera. The M protein molecules are fibrillar structures anchored in the cell wall of the organism that extend as hairlike projections away from the cell surface. The amino acid sequence of the distal or amino-terminal portion of the M protein molecule is quite variable, accounting for the antigenic variation of the different M types, while more proximal regions of the protein are relatively conserved. A newer technique for assignment of M type to GAS isolates uses the polymerase chain reaction to amplify the variable region of the emm gene, which encodes M protein. DNA sequence analysis of the amplified gene segment can be compared with an extensive database (developed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]) for assignment of emm type. This method eliminates the need for typing sera, which are available in only a few reference laboratories. The presence of M protein on a GAS isolate correlates with its capacity to resist phagocytic killing in fresh human blood. This phenomenon appears to be due, at least in part, to the binding of plasma fibrinogen to M protein molecules on the streptococcal surface, which interferes with complement activation and deposition of opsonic complement fragments on the bacterial cell. This resistance to phagocytosis may be overcome by M protein–specific antibodies; thus individuals with antibodies to a given M type acquired as a result of prior infection are protected against subsequent infection with organisms of the same M type but not against that with different M types.

GAS also elaborates, to varying degrees, a polysaccharide capsule composed of hyaluronic acid. The production of large amounts of capsule by certain strains imparts a characteristic mucoid appearance to the colonies. The capsular polysaccharide plays an important role in protecting GAS from ingestion and killing by phagocytes. In contrast to M protein, the hyaluronic acid capsule is a weak immunogen, and antibodies to hyaluronate have not been shown to be important in protective immunity. The presumed explanation is the apparent structural identity between streptococcal hyaluronic acid and the hyaluronic acid of mammalian connective tissues. The capsular polysaccharide may also play a role in GAS colonization of the pharynx by binding to CD44, a hyaluronic acid–binding protein expressed on human pharyngeal epithelial cells.

GAS produces a large number of extracellular products that may be important in local and systemic toxicity and in the spread of infection through tissues. These products include streptolysins S and O, toxins that damage cell membranes and account for the hemolysis produced by the organisms; streptokinase; DNAses; SpyCEP, a serine protease that cleaves and inactivates the chemoattractant cytokine interleukin 8, thereby inhibiting neutrophil recruitment to the site of infection; and several pyrogenic exotoxins. Previously known as erythrogenic toxins, the pyrogenic exotoxins cause the rash of scarlet fever. Since the mid-1980s, pyrogenic exotoxin–producing strains of GAS have been linked to unusually severe invasive infections, including necrotizing fasciitis and the streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (TSS). Several extracellular products stimulate specific antibody responses useful for serodiagnosis of recent streptococcal infection. Tests for these antibodies are used primarily for detection of preceding streptococcal infection in cases of suspected ARF or PSGN.

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

Pharyngitis

Although seen in patients of all ages, GAS pharyngitis is one of the most common bacterial infections of childhood, accounting for 20–40% of all cases of exudative pharyngitis in children; it is rare among those under the age of 3. Younger children may manifest streptococcal infection with a syndrome of fever, malaise, and lymphadenopathy without exudative pharyngitis. Infection is acquired through contact with another individual carrying the organism. Respiratory droplets are the usual mechanism of spread, although other routes, including food-borne outbreaks, have been well described. The incubation period is 1–4 days. Symptoms include sore throat, fever and chills, malaise, and sometimes abdominal complaints and vomiting, particularly in children. Both symptoms and signs are quite variable, ranging from mild throat discomfort with minimal physical findings to high fever and severe sore throat associated with intense erythema and swelling of the pharyngeal mucosa and the presence of purulent exudate over the posterior pharyngeal wall and tonsillar pillars. Enlarged, tender anterior cervical lymph nodes commonly accompany exudative pharyngitis.

The differential diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis includes the many other bacterial and viral etiologies (Table 173-2). Streptococcal infection is an unlikely cause when symptoms and signs suggestive of viral infection are prominent (conjunctivitis, coryza, cough, hoarseness, or discrete ulcerative lesions of the buccal or pharyngeal mucosa). Because of the range of clinical presentations of streptococcal pharyngitis and the large number of other agents that can produce the same clinical picture, diagnosis of streptococcal pharyngitis on clinical grounds alone is not reliable. The throat culture remains the diagnostic gold standard. Culture of a throat specimen that is properly collected (i.e., by vigorous rubbing of a sterile swab over both tonsillar pillars) and properly processed is the most sensitive and specific means of definitive diagnosis. A rapid diagnostic kit for latex agglutination or enzyme immunoassay of swab specimens is a useful adjunct to throat culture. While precise figures on sensitivity and specificity vary, rapid diagnostic kits generally are >95% specific. Thus a positive result can be relied upon for definitive diagnosis and eliminates the need for throat culture. However, because rapid diagnostic tests are less sensitive than throat culture (relative sensitivity in comparative studies, 55–90%), a negative result should be confirmed by throat culture.

TREATMENT

COMPLICATIONS

Suppurative complications of streptococcal pharyngitis have become uncommon with the widespread use of antibiotics for most symptomatic cases. These complications result from the spread of infection from the pharyngeal mucosa to deeper tissues by direct extension or by the hematogenous or lymphatic route and may include cervical lymphadenitis, peritonsillar or retropharyngeal abscess, sinusitis, otitis media, meningitis, bacteremia, endocarditis, and pneumonia. Local complications, such as peritonsillar or parapharyngeal abscess formation, should be considered in a patient with unusually severe or prolonged symptoms or localized pain associated with high fever and a toxic appearance. Nonsuppurative complications include ARF (Chap. 381) and PSGN (Chap. 338), both of which are thought to result from immune responses to streptococcal infection. Penicillin treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis has been shown to reduce the likelihood of ARF but not that of PSGN.

BACTERIOLOGIC TREATMENT FAILURE AND THE ASYMPTOMATIC CARRIER STATE

Surveillance cultures have shown that up to 20% of individuals in certain populations may have asymptomatic pharyngeal colonization with GAS. There are no definitive guidelines for management of these asymptomatic carriers or of asymptomatic patients who still have a positive throat culture after a full course of treatment for symptomatic pharyngitis. A reasonable course of action is to give a single 10-day course of penicillin for symptomatic pharyngitis and, if positive cultures persist, not to re-treat unless symptoms recur. Studies of the natural history of streptococcal carriage and infection have shown that the risk both of developing ARF and of transmitting infection to others is substantially lower among asymptomatic carriers than among individuals with symptomatic pharyngitis. Therefore, overly aggressive attempts to eradicate carriage probably are not justified under most circumstances. An exception is the situation in which an asymptomatic carrier is a potential source of infection to others. Outbreaks of food-borne infection and nosocomial puerperal infection have been traced to asymptomatic carriers who may harbor the organisms in the throat, vagina, or anus or on the skin.

TREATMENT

Scarlet Fever

Scarlet fever consists of streptococcal infection, usually pharyngitis, accompanied by a characteristic rash (Fig. 173-2). The rash arises from the effects of one of several toxins, currently designated streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxins and previously known as erythrogenic or scarlet fever toxins. In the past, scarlet fever was thought to reflect infection of an individual lacking toxin-specific immunity with a toxin-producing strain of GAS. Susceptibility to scarlet fever was correlated with results of the Dick test, in which a small amount of erythrogenic toxin injected intradermally produced local erythema in susceptible individuals but elicited no reaction in those with specific immunity. Subsequent studies have suggested that development of the scarlet fever rash may reflect a hypersensitivity reaction requiring prior exposure to the toxin. For reasons that are not clear, scarlet fever has become less common in recent years, although strains of GAS that produce pyrogenic exotoxins continue to be prevalent in the population. The symptoms of scarlet fever are the same as those of pharyngitis alone. The rash typically begins on the first or second day of illness over the upper trunk, spreading to involve the extremities but sparing the palms and soles. The rash is made up of minute papules, giving a characteristic “sandpaper” feel to the skin. Associated findings include circumoral pallor, “strawberry tongue” (enlarged papillae on a coated tongue, which later may become denuded), and accentuation of the rash in skinfolds (Pastia’s lines). Subsidence of the rash in 6–9 days is followed after several days by desquamation of the palms and soles. The differential diagnosis of scarlet fever includes other causes of fever and generalized rash, such as measles and other viral exanthems, Kawasaki disease, TSS, and systemic allergic reactions (e.g., drug eruptions).

Skin and Soft Tissue Infections

GAS—and occasionally other streptococcal species—can cause a variety of infections involving the skin, subcutaneous tissues, muscles, and fascia. While several clinical syndromes offer a useful means for classification of these infections, not all cases fit exactly into one category. The classic syndromes are general guides to predicting the level of tissue involvement in a particular patient, the probable clinical course, and the likelihood that surgical intervention or aggressive life support will be required.

IMPETIGO (PYODERMA)

Impetigo, a superficial infection of the skin, is caused primarily by GAS and occasionally by other streptococci or Staphylococcus aureus. Impetigo is seen most often in young children, tends to occur during warmer months, and is more common in semitropical or tropical climates than in cooler regions. Infection is more common among children living under conditions of poor hygiene. Prospective studies have shown that colonization of unbroken skin with GAS precedes clinical infection. Minor trauma, such as a scratch or an insect bite, may then serve to inoculate organisms into the skin. Impetigo is best prevented, therefore, by attention to adequate hygiene. The usual sites of involvement are the face (particularly around the nose and mouth) and the legs, although lesions may occur at other locations. Individual lesions begin as red papules, which evolve quickly into vesicular and then pustular lesions that break down and coalesce to form characteristic honeycomb-like crusts (Fig. 173-3). Lesions generally are not painful, and patients do not appear ill. Fever is not a feature of impetigo and, if present, suggests either infection extending to deeper tissues or another diagnosis. The classic presentation of impetigo usually poses little diagnostic difficulty. Cultures of impetiginous lesions often yield S. aureus as well as GAS. In almost all cases, streptococci are isolated initially and staphylococci appear later, presumably as secondary colonizing flora. In the past, penicillin was nearly always effective against these infections. However, an increasing frequency of penicillin treatment failure suggests that S. aureus may have become more prominent as a cause of impetigo. Bullous impetigo due to S. aureus is distinguished from typical streptococcal infection by more extensive, bullous lesions that break down and leave thin paper-like crusts instead of the thick amber crusts of streptococcal impetigo. Other skin lesions that may be confused with impetigo include herpetic lesions—either those of orolabial herpes simplex or those of chickenpox or zoster. Herpetic lesions can generally be distinguished by their appearance as more discrete, grouped vesicles and by a positive Tzanck test. In difficult cases, cultures of vesicular fluid should yield GAS in impetigo and the responsible virus in herpesvirus infections.

TREATMENT

CELLULITIS

Inoculation of organisms into the skin may lead to cellulitis: infection involving the skin and subcutaneous tissues. The portal of entry may be a traumatic or surgical wound, an insect bite, or any other break in skin integrity. Often, no entry site is apparent. One form of streptococcal cellulitis, erysipelas, is characterized by a bright red appearance of the involved skin, which forms a plateau sharply demarcated from surrounding normal skin (Fig. 173-4). The lesion is warm to the touch, may be tender, and appears shiny and swollen. The skin often has a peau d’orange texture, which is thought to reflect involvement of superficial lymphatics; superficial blebs or bullae may form, usually 2–3 days after onset. The lesion typically develops over a few hours and is associated with fever and chills. Erysipelas tends to occur on the malar area of the face (often with extension over the bridge of the nose to the contralateral malar region) and the lower extremities. After one episode, recurrence at the same site—sometimes years later—is not uncommon. Classic cases of erysipelas, with typical features, are almost always due to β-hemolytic streptococci, usually GAS and occasionally group C or G. Often, however, the appearance of streptococcal cellulitis is not sufficiently distinctive to permit a specific diagnosis on clinical grounds. The area involved may not be typical for erysipelas, the lesion may be less intensely red than usual and may fade into surrounding skin, and/or the patient may appear only mildly ill. In such cases, it is prudent to broaden the spectrum of empirical antimicrobial therapy to include other pathogens, particularly S. aureus, that can produce cellulitis with the same appearance. Staphylococcal infection should be suspected if cellulitis develops around a wound or an ulcer.

Streptococcal cellulitis tends to develop at anatomic sites in which normal lymphatic drainage has been disrupted, such as sites of prior cellulitis, the arm ipsilateral to a mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection, a lower extremity previously involved in deep venous thrombosis or chronic lymphedema, or the leg from which a saphenous vein has been harvested for coronary artery bypass grafting. The organism may enter via a dermal breach some distance from the eventual site of clinical cellulitis. For example, some patients with recurrent leg cellulitis following saphenous vein removal stop having recurrent episodes only after treatment of tinea pedis on the affected extremity. Fissures in the skin presumably serve as a portal of entry for streptococci, which then produce infection more proximally in the leg at the site of previous injury. Streptococcal cellulitis may also involve recent surgical wounds. GAS is among the few bacterial pathogens that typically produce signs of wound infection and surrounding cellulitis within the first 24 h after surgery. These wound infections are usually associated with a thin exudate and may spread rapidly, either as cellulitis in the skin and subcutaneous tissue or as a deeper tissue infection (see below). Streptococcal wound infection or localized cellulitis may also be associated with lymphangitis, manifested by red streaks extending proximally along superficial lymphatics from the infection site.

TREATMENT

Deep Soft-Tissue Infections

Necrotizing fasciitis (hemolytic streptococcal gangrene) involves the superficial and/or deep fascia investing the muscles of an extremity or the trunk. The source of the infection is either the skin, with organisms introduced into tissue through trauma (sometimes trivial), or the bowel flora, with organisms released during abdominal surgery or from an occult enteric source, such as a diverticular or appendiceal abscess. The inoculation site may be inapparent and is often some distance from the site of clinical involvement; e.g., the introduction of organisms via minor trauma to the hand may be associated with clinical infection of the tissues overlying the shoulder or chest. Cases associated with the bowel flora are usually polymicrobial, involving a mixture of anaerobic bacteria (such as Bacteroides fragilis or anaerobic streptococci) and facultative organisms (usually gram-negative bacilli). Cases unrelated to contamination from bowel organisms are most commonly caused by GAS alone or in combination with other organisms (most often S. aureus). Overall, GAS is implicated in ~60% of cases of necrotizing fasciitis. The onset of symptoms is usually quite acute and is marked by severe pain at the site of involvement, malaise, fever, chills, and a toxic appearance. The physical findings, particularly early on, may not be striking, with only minimal erythema of the overlying skin. Pain and tenderness are usually severe. In contrast, in more superficial cellulitis, the skin appearance is more abnormal, but pain and tenderness are only mild or moderate. As the infection progresses (often over several hours), the severity and extent of symptoms worsen, and skin changes become more evident, with the appearance of dusky or mottled erythema and edema. The marked tenderness of the involved area may evolve into anesthesia as the spreading inflammatory process produces infarction of cutaneous nerves.

Although myositis is more commonly due to S. aureus infection, GAS occasionally produces abscesses in skeletal muscles (streptococcal myositis), with little or no involvement of the surrounding fascia or overlying skin. The presentation is usually subacute, but a fulminant form has been described in association with severe systemic toxicity, bacteremia, and a high mortality rate. The fulminant form may reflect the same basic disease process seen in necrotizing fasciitis, but with the necrotizing inflammatory process extending into the muscles themselves rather than remaining limited to the fascial layers.

TREATMENT

Pneumonia and Empyema

GAS is an occasional cause of pneumonia, generally in previously healthy individuals. The onset of symptoms may be abrupt or gradual. Pleuritic chest pain, fever, chills, and dyspnea are the characteristic manifestations. Cough is usually present but may not be prominent. Approximately one-half of patients with GAS pneumonia have an accompanying pleural effusion. In contrast to the sterile parapneumonic effusions typical of pneumococcal pneumonia, those complicating streptococcal pneumonia are almost always infected. The empyema fluid is usually visible by chest radiography on initial presentation, and its volume may increase rapidly. These pleural collections should be drained early, as they tend to become loculated rapidly, resulting in a chronic fibrotic reaction that may require thoracotomy for removal.

Bacteremia, Puerperal Sepsis, and Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome

GAS bacteremia is usually associated with an identifiable local infection. Bacteremia occurs rarely with otherwise uncomplicated pharyngitis, occasionally with cellulitis or pneumonia, and relatively frequently with necrotizing fasciitis. Bacteremia without an identified source raises the possibility of endocarditis, an occult abscess, or osteomyelitis. A variety of focal infections may arise secondarily from streptococcal bacteremia, including endocarditis, meningitis, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, peritonitis, and visceral abscesses. GAS is occasionally implicated in infectious complications of childbirth, usually endometritis and associated bacteremia. In the preantibiotic era, puerperal sepsis was commonly caused by GAS; currently, it is more often caused by GBS. Several nosocomial outbreaks of puerperal GAS infection have been traced to an asymptomatic carrier, usually someone present at delivery. The site of carriage may be the skin, throat, anus, or vagina.

Beginning in the late 1980s, several reports described patients with GAS infections associated with shock and multisystem organ failure. This syndrome was called streptococcal TSS because it shares certain features with staphylococcal TSS. In 1993, a case definition for streptococcal TSS was formulated (Table 173-4). The general features of the illness include fever, hypotension, renal impairment, and respiratory distress syndrome. Various types of rash have been described, but rash usually does not develop. Laboratory abnormalities include a marked shift to the left in the white blood cell differential, with many immature granulocytes; hypocalcemia; hypoalbuminemia; and thrombocytopenia, which usually becomes more pronounced on the second or third day of illness. In contrast to patients with staphylococcal TSS, the majority with streptococcal TSS are bacteremic. The most common associated infection is a soft tissue infection—necrotizing fasciitis, myositis, or cellulitis—although a variety of other associated local infections have been described, including pneumonia, peritonitis, osteomyelitis, and myometritis. Streptococcal TSS is associated with a mortality rate of ≥30%, with most deaths secondary to shock and respiratory failure. Because of its rapidly progressive and lethal course, early recognition of the syndrome is essential. Patients should receive aggressive supportive care (fluid resuscitation, pressors, and mechanical ventilation) in addition to antimicrobial therapy and, in cases associated with necrotizing fasciitis, surgical debridement. Exactly why certain patients develop this fulminant syndrome is not known. Early studies of the streptococcal strains isolated from these patients demonstrated a strong association with the production of pyrogenic exotoxin A. This association has been inconsistent in subsequent case series. Pyrogenic exotoxin A and several other streptococcal exotoxins act as superantigens to trigger release of inflammatory cytokines from T lymphocytes. Fever, shock, and organ dysfunction in streptococcal TSS may reflect, in part, the systemic effects of superantigen-mediated cytokine release.

TREATMENT

PREVENTION

No vaccine against GAS is commercially available. A formulation that consists of recombinant peptides containing epitopes of 26 M-protein types has undergone phase 1 and 2 testing in volunteers. Early results indicate that the vaccine is well tolerated and elicits type-specific antibody responses. Vaccines based on a conserved region of M protein or on a mixture of other conserved GAS protein antigens are in earlier stages of development.

Household contacts of individuals with invasive GAS infection (e.g., bacteremia, necrotizing fasciitis, or streptococcal TSS) are at greater risk of invasive infection than the general population. Asymptomatic pharyngeal colonization with GAS has been detected in up to 25% of persons with >4 h/d of same-room exposure to an index case. However, antibiotic prophylaxis is not routinely recommended for contacts of patients with invasive disease because such an approach (if effective) would require treatment of hundreds of contacts to prevent a single case.

STREPTOCOCCI OF GROUPS C AND G

Group C and group G streptococci are β-hemolytic bacteria that occasionally cause human infections similar to those caused by GAS. Strains that form small colonies on blood agar (<0.5 mm) are generally members of the Streptococcus milleri (Streptococcus intermedius, Streptococcus anginosus) group (see “Viridans Streptococci,” below). Large-colony group C and G streptococci of human origin are now considered a single species, Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis. These organisms have been associated with pharyngitis, cellulitis and soft tissue infections, pneumonia, bacteremia, endocarditis, and septic arthritis. Puerperal sepsis, meningitis, epidural abscess, intraabdominal abscess, urinary tract infection, and neonatal sepsis have also been reported. Group C or G streptococcal bacteremia most often affects elderly or chronically ill patients and, in the absence of obvious local infection, is likely to reflect endocarditis. Septic arthritis, sometimes involving multiple joints, may complicate endocarditis or develop in its absence. Distinct streptococcal species of Lancefield group C cause infections in domesticated animals, especially horses and cattle; some human infections are acquired through contact with animals or consumption of unpasteurized milk. These zoonotic organisms include Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus and S. equi subspecies equi.

TREATMENT

GROUP B STREPTOCOCCI

Identified first as a cause of mastitis in cows, streptococci belonging to Lancefield’s group B have since been recognized as a major cause of sepsis and meningitis in human neonates. GBS is also a frequent cause of peripartum fever in women and an occasional cause of serious infection in nonpregnant adults. Since the widespread institution of prenatal screening for GBS in the 1990s, the incidence of neonatal infection per 1000 live births has fallen from ~2–3 cases to ~0.6 case. During the same period, GBS infection in adults with underlying chronic illnesses has become more common; adults now account for a larger proportion of invasive GBS infections than do newborns. Lancefield group B consists of a single species, S. agalactiae, which is definitively identified with specific antiserum to the group B cell wall–associated carbohydrate antigen. A streptococcal isolate can be classified presumptively as GBS on the basis of biochemical tests, including hydrolysis of sodium hippurate (in which 99% of isolates are positive), hydrolysis of bile esculin (in which 99–100% are negative), bacitracin susceptibility (in which 92% are resistant), and production of CAMP factor (in which 98–100% are positive). CAMP factor is a phospholipase produced by GBS that causes synergistic hemolysis with β lysin produced by certain strains of S. aureus. Its presence can be demonstrated by cross-streaking of the test isolate and an appropriate staphylococcal strain on a blood agar plate. GBS organisms causing human infections are encapsulated by one of ten antigenically distinct polysaccharides. The capsular polysaccharide is an important virulence factor. Antibodies to the capsular polysaccharide afford protection against GBS of the same (but not of a different) capsular type.

INFECTION IN NEONATES

Two general types of GBS infection in infants are defined by the age of the patient at presentation. Early-onset infections occur within the first week of life, with a median age of 20 h at onset. Approximately half of these infants have signs of GBS disease at birth. The infection is acquired during or shortly before birth from the colonized maternal genital tract. Surveillance studies have shown that 5–40% of women are vaginal or rectal carriers of GBS. Approximately 50% of infants delivered vaginally by carrier mothers become colonized, although only 1–2% develop clinically evident infection. Prematurity, prolonged labor, obstetric complications, and maternal fever are risk factors for early-onset infection. The presentation of early-onset infection is the same as that of other forms of neonatal sepsis. Typical findings include respiratory distress, lethargy, and hypotension. Essentially all infants with early-onset disease are bacteremic, one-third to one-half have pneumonia and/or respiratory distress syndrome, and one-third have meningitis.

Late-onset infections occur in infants 1 week to 3 months old and, in rare instances, in older infants (mean age at onset, 3–4 weeks). The infecting organism may be acquired during delivery (as in early-onset cases) or during later contact with a colonized mother, nursery personnel, or another source. Meningitis is the most common manifestation of late-onset infection and in most cases is associated with a strain of capsular type III. Infants present with fever, lethargy or irritability, poor feeding, and seizures. The various other types of late-onset infection include bacteremia without an identified source, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, and facial cellulitis associated with submandibular or preauricular adenitis.

TREATMENT

PREVENTION

The incidence of GBS infection is unusually high among infants of women with risk factors: preterm delivery, early rupture of membranes (>24 h before delivery), prolonged labor, fever, or chorioamnionitis. Because the usual source of the organisms infecting a neonate is the mother’s birth canal, efforts have been made to prevent GBS infections by the identification of high-risk carrier mothers and their treatment with various forms of antibiotic prophylaxis or immunoprophylaxis. Prophylactic administration of ampicillin or penicillin to such patients during delivery reduces the risk of infection in the newborn. This approach has been hampered by logistical difficulties in identifying colonized women before delivery; the results of vaginal cultures early in pregnancy are poor predictors of carrier status at delivery. The CDC recommends screening for anogenital colonization at 35–37 weeks of pregnancy by a swab culture of the lower vagina and anorectum; intrapartum chemoprophylaxis is recommended for culture-positive women and for women who, regardless of culture status, have previously given birth to an infant with GBS infection or have a history of GBS bacteriuria during pregnancy. Women whose culture status is unknown and who develop premature labor (<37 weeks), prolonged rupture of membranes (>18 h), or intrapartum fever or who have a positive intrapartum nucleic acid amplification test for GBS should also receive intrapartum chemoprophylaxis. The recommended regimen for chemoprophylaxis is a loading dose of 5 million units of penicillin G followed by 2.5 million units every 4 h until delivery. Cefazolin is an alternative for women with a history of penicillin allergy who are thought not to be at high risk for anaphylaxis. For women with a history of immediate hypersensitivity, clindamycin may be substituted, but only if the colonizing isolate has been demonstrated to be susceptible. If susceptibility testing results are not available or indicate resistance, vancomycin should be used in this situation.

Treatment of all pregnant women who are colonized or have risk factors for neonatal infection will result in exposure of up to one-third of pregnant women and newborns to antibiotics, with the attendant risks of allergic reactions and selection for resistant organisms. Although still in the developmental stages, a GBS vaccine may ultimately offer a better solution to prevention. Because transplacental passage of maternal antibodies produces protective antibody levels in newborns, efforts are under way to develop a vaccine against GBS that can be given to childbearing-age women before or during pregnancy. Results of phase 1 clinical trials of GBS capsular polysaccharide–protein conjugate vaccines suggest that a multivalent conjugate vaccine would be safe and highly immunogenic.

INFECTION IN ADULTS

The majority of GBS infections in otherwise healthy adults are related to pregnancy and parturition. Peripartum fever, the most common manifestation, is sometimes accompanied by symptoms and signs of endometritis or chorioamnionitis (abdominal distention and uterine or adnexal tenderness). Blood and vaginal swab cultures are often positive. Bacteremia is usually transitory but occasionally results in meningitis or endocarditis. Infections in adults that are not associated with the peripartum period generally involve individuals who are elderly or have an underlying chronic illness, such as diabetes mellitus or a malignancy. Among the infections that develop with some frequency in adults are cellulitis and soft tissue infection (including infected diabetic skin ulcers), urinary tract infection, pneumonia, endocarditis, and septic arthritis. Other reported infections include meningitis, osteomyelitis, and intraabdominal or pelvic abscesses. Relapse or recurrence of invasive infection weeks to months after a first episode is documented in ~4% of cases.

TREATMENT

NONENTEROCOCCAL GROUP D STREPTOCOCCI

The main nonenterococcal group D streptococci that cause human infections were previously considered a single species, Streptococcus bovis. The organisms encompassed by S. bovis have been reclassified into two species, each of which has two subspecies: Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus, S. gallolyticus subspecies pasteurianus, Streptococcus infantarius subspecies infantarius, and S. infantarius subspecies coli. Endocarditis caused by these organisms is often ­associated with neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract—most frequently, a colon carcinoma or polyp—but is also reported in association with other bowel lesions. When occult gastrointestinal lesions are carefully sought, abnormalities are found in >60% of patients with endocarditis due to S. gallolyticus or S. infantarius. In contrast to the enterococci, nonenterococcal group D streptococci like these organisms are reliably killed by penicillin as a single agent, and penicillin is the agent of choice for the infections they cause.

VIRIDANS AND OTHER STREPTOCOCCI

VIRIDANS STREPTOCOCCI

Consisting of multiple species of α-hemolytic streptococci, the viridans streptococci are a heterogeneous group of organisms that are important agents of bacterial endocarditis (Chap. 155). Several species of viridans streptococci, including Streptococcus salivarius, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus sanguis, and Streptococcus mutans, are part of the normal flora of the mouth, where they live in close association with the teeth and gingiva. Some species contribute to the development of dental caries.

Previously known as Streptococcus morbillorum, Gemella morbillorum has been placed in a separate genus, along with Gemella haemolysans, on the basis of genetic-relatedness studies. These species resemble viridans streptococci with respect to habitat in the human host and associated infections.

The transient viridans streptococcal bacteremia induced by eating, toothbrushing, flossing, and other sources of minor trauma, together with adherence to biologic surfaces, is thought to account for the predilection of these organisms to cause endocarditis (see Fig. 155-1). Viridans streptococci are also isolated, often as part of a mixed flora, from sites of sinusitis, brain abscess, and liver abscess.

Viridans streptococcal bacteremia occurs relatively frequently in neutropenic patients, particularly after bone marrow transplantation or high-dose chemotherapy for cancer. Some of these patients develop a sepsis syndrome with high fever and shock. Risk factors for viridans streptococcal bacteremia include chemotherapy with high-dose ­cytosine arabinoside, prior treatment with trimethoprim-­sulfamethoxazole or a fluoroquinolone, treatment with antacids or histamine antagonists, mucositis, and profound neutropenia.

The S. milleri group (also referred to as the S. intermedius or S. anginosus group) includes three species that cause human disease: S. intermedius, S. anginosus, and Streptococcus constellatus. These organisms are often considered viridans streptococci, although they differ somewhat from other viridans streptococci in both their hemolytic pattern (they may be α-, β-, or nonhemolytic) and the disease syndromes they cause. This group commonly produces suppurative infections, particularly abscesses of brain and abdominal viscera, and infections related to the oral cavity or respiratory tract, such as peritonsillar abscess, lung abscess, and empyema.

TREATMENT

ABIOTROPHIA AND GRANULICATELLA SPECIES (NUTRITIONALLY VARIANT STREPTOCOCCI)

Occasional isolates cultured from the blood of patients with endocarditis fail to grow when subcultured on solid media. These nutritionally variant streptococci require supplemental thiol compounds or active forms of vitamin B₆ (pyridoxal or pyridoxamine) for growth in the laboratory. The nutritionally variant streptococci are generally grouped with the viridans streptococci because they cause similar types of infections. However, they have been reclassified on the basis of 16S ribosomal RNA sequence comparisons into two separate genera: Abiotrophia, with a single species (Abiotrophia defectiva), and Granulicatella, with three species associated with human infection (Granulicatella adiacens, Granulicatella para-adiacens, and Granulicatella elegans).

TREATMENT

OTHER STREPTOCOCCI

Streptococcus suis is an important pathogen in swine and has been reported to cause meningitis in humans, usually in individuals with occupational exposure to pigs. Strains of S. suis associated with human infections have generally reacted with Lancefield group R typing serum and sometimes with group D typing serum as well. Isolates may be α- or β-hemolytic and are sensitive to penicillin. Streptococcus iniae, a pathogen of fish, has been associated with infections in humans who have handled live or freshly killed fish. Cellulitis of the hand is the most common form of human infection, although bacteremia and endocarditis have been reported. Anaerobic streptococci, or peptostreptococci, are part of the normal flora of the oral cavity, bowel, and vagina. Infections caused by the anaerobic streptococci are discussed in Chap. 201.

INTRODUCTION

Enterococci have been recognized as potential human pathogens for more than a century, but only in recent years have these organisms acquired prominence as important causes of nosocomial infections. The ability of enterococci to survive and/or disseminate in the hospital environment and to acquire antibiotic resistance determinants makes the treatment of some enterococcal infections in critically ill patients a difficult challenge. Enterococci were first mentioned in the French literature in 1899; the “entérocoque” was found in the human gastrointestinal tract and was noted to have the potential to produce significant disease. Indeed, the first pathologic description of an enterococcal infection dates to the same year. A clinical isolate from a patient who died as a consequence of endocarditis was initially designated Micrococcus zymogenes, was later named Streptococcus faecalis subspecies zymogenes, and would now be classified as Enterococcus faecalis. The ability of this isolate to cause severe disease in both rabbits and mice illustrated its potential lethality in the appropriate settings.

ETIOLOGY

Enterococci are gram-positive organisms. In clinical specimens, they are usually observed as single cells, diplococci, or short chains (Fig. 174-1), although long chains are noted with some strains. Enterococci were originally classified as streptococci because organisms of the two genera share many morphologic and phenotypic characteristics, including a generally negative catalase reaction. Only DNA hybridization studies and later 16S rRNA sequencing clearly demonstrated that enterococci should be grouped as a genus distinct from the streptococci. Nonetheless, unlike the majority of streptococci, enterococci hydrolyze esculin in the presence of 40% bile salts and grow at high salt concentrations (e.g., 6.5%) and at high temperatures (46°C). Enterococci are usually reported by the clinical laboratory to be nonhemolytic on the basis of their inability to lyse the ovine or bovine red blood cells (RBCs) commonly used in agar plates; however, some strains of E. faecalis do lyse RBCs from humans, horses, and rabbits. The majority of clinically relevant enterococcal species hydrolyze pyrrolidonyl-β-naphthylamide (PYR); this characteristic is helpful in differentiating enterococci from organisms of the Streptococcus gallolyticus group (formerly known as S. bovis), which includes S. gallolyticus, Streptococcus pasteurianus, and Streptococcus infantarius, and from Leuconostoc species. Although at least 18 species of enterococci have been isolated from human infections, the overwhelming majority of cases are caused by two species, E. faecalis and Enterococcus faecium. Less frequently isolated species include Enterococcus gallinarum, Enterococcus durans, Enterococcus hirae, and Enterococcus avium.

PATHOGENESIS

Enterococci are normal inhabitants of the large bowel of human adults, although they usually make up <1% of the culturable intestinal microflora. In the healthy human gastrointestinal tract, enterococci are typical symbionts that coexist with other gastrointestinal bacteria; in fact, the utility of certain enterococcal strains as probiotics in the treatment of diarrhea suggests their possible role in maintaining the homeostatic equilibrium of the bowel. Enterococci are intrinsically resistant to a variety of commonly used antibacterial drugs. One of the most important factors that disrupts this equilibrium and promotes increased gastrointestinal colonization by enterococci is the administration of antimicrobial agents. In particular, antibiotics that are excreted in the bile and have broad-spectrum activity (e.g., certain cephalosporins that target anaerobes and gram-negative bacteria) are usually associated with the recovery of higher numbers of enterococci from feces. This increased colonization appears to be due not only to the simple enterococcal replacement in a “biologic niche” after the eradication of competing components of the flora, but also (at least in mice) to the suppression—upon reduction of the gram-negative microflora by antibiotics—of important immunologic signals (e.g., by the lectin RegIIIγ) that help keep enterococcal counts low in the normal human bowel. Several studies have shown that higher levels of gastrointestinal colonization are a critical factor in the pathogenesis of enterococcal infections. However, the mechanisms by which enterococci successfully colonize the bowel and gain access to the lymphatics and/or bloodstream remain incompletely understood.

Several vertebrate, worm, and insect models have been developed to study the role of possible pathogenic determinants in both E. faecalis and E. faecium. Three main groups of virulence factors may increase the ability of enterococci to colonize the gastrointestinal tract and/or cause disease. The first group, enterococcal secreted factors, are molecules released outside the bacterial cell that contribute to the process of infection. The best-studied of these molecules include enterococcal hemolysin/cytolysin and two enterococcal proteases (gelatinase and serine protease). Enterococcal cytolysin is a heterodimeric toxin produced by some strains of E. faecalis that is capable of lysing human RBCs as well as polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophages. E. faecalis gelatinase and serine protease are thought to mediate virulence by several mechanisms, including the degradation of host tissues and the modification of critical components of the immune system. Mutants lacking the genes corresponding to these proteins are highly attenuated in experimental peritonitis, endocarditis, and endophthalmitis.

A second group of virulence factors, enterococcal surface components, are thought to contribute to bacterial attachment to extracellular matrix molecules in the human host. Several molecules on the surface of enterococci have been characterized and shown to play a role in the pathogenesis of enterococcal infections. Among the characterized adhesins is aggregation substance of E. faecalis, which mediates the attachment of bacterial cells to each other, thereby facilitating conjugative plasmid exchange. Several lines of evidence indicate that aggregation substance and enterococcal cytolysin act synergistically to increase the virulence potential of E. faecalis strains in experimental endocarditis. The surface protein adhesin of collagen of E. faecalis (Ace) and its E. faecium homologue (Acm) recognize adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs) involved in bacterial attachment to host proteins such as collagen, fibronectin, and fibrinogen; both Ace and Acm are important in the pathogenesis of experimental endocarditis. Pili of gram-positive bacteria have been shown to be important mediators of attachment to and invasion of host tissues and are considered potential targets for immunotherapy. Both E. faecalis and E. faecium have surface pili. Mutants of E. faecalis lacking pili are attenuated in biofilm production, experimental endocarditis, and urinary tract infections (UTIs). Other surface proteins that share structural homology with MSCRAMMs and appear to play a role in enterococcal attachment to the host and in virulence include the E. faecalis surface protein Esp and its E. faecium homologue Esp_fm, the second collagen adhesin of E. faecium (Scm), the surface proteins of E. faecium (Fms), SgrA (which binds to components of the basal lamina), and EcbA (which binds to collagen type V). Additional surface components apparently associated with pathogenicity include the Elr protein (a protein from the WxL family) and polysaccharides, which are thought to interfere with phagocytosis of the organism by host immune cells. Some E. faecalis strains appear to harbor at least three distinct classes of capsular polysaccharide; some of these polysaccharides play a role in virulence and are potential targets for immunotherapy.

The third group of virulence factors has not been well characterized but consists of the E. faecalis stress protein Gls24, which has been associated with enterococcal resistance to bile salts and appears to be important in the pathogenesis of endocarditis, and the hyl_Efm-containing plasmids of E. faecium, which are transferable between strains and increase gastrointestinal colonization by E. faecium. In mouse peritonitis, acquisition of these plasmids increased the lethality of a commensal strain of E. faecium. Recently, a gene encoding a regulator of oxidative stress (AsrR) has been identified as an important virulence factor of E. faecium.

The ability to sequence bacterial genomes has increased our understanding of bacterial diversity, evolution, pathogenesis, and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. The genome sequences of more than 560 enterococcal strains are currently available, and some have been entirely closed and annotated. Sequence analysis has shown that the genetic diversity of enterococci is related in large part to the acquisition of exogenous DNA and the mobilization of large chromosomal regions, resulting in recombination of the “core” genomes. In addition, analyses indicate that E. faecium harbors a malleable accessory genome incorporating a substantial content of exogenous elements, including DNA from phages. Indeed, a hospital-associated E. faecium clade that contains most clinical and outbreak-associated strains is the predominant genetic lineage circulating in hospitals around the world. This clade appears to be evolving rapidly, and genomic comparisons suggest that this lineage emerged 75 years ago—a time point that coincides with the introduction of antimicrobial drugs—and evolved from animal strains, not from human commensal isolates. An initial genomic separation within E. faecium appears to have occurred ~3000 years ago, simultaneous with urbanization and domestication of animals. This genomic information provides new clues with regard to the evolution of enterococci from commensal organisms to important nosocomial pathogens.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

According to the National Healthcare Safety Network of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, enterococci are the second most common organisms (after staphylococci) isolated from hospital-associated infections in the United States. Although E. faecalis remains the predominant species recovered from nosocomial infections, the isolation of E. faecium has increased substantially in the past 20 years. In fact, E. faecium is now almost as common as E. faecalis as an etiologic agent of hospital-associated infections. This point is important, because E. faecium is by far the most resistant and challenging enterococcal species to treat; indeed, more than 80% of E. faecium isolates recovered in U.S. hospitals are resistant to vancomycin, and more than 90% are resistant to ampicillin (historically the most effective β-lactam agent against enterococci). Resistance to vancomycin and ampicillin in E. faecalis isolates is much less common (~7% and ~4%, respectively).

The dynamics of enterococcal transmission and dissemination in the hospital environment have been extensively studied, with a focus on vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). These studies have revealed that VRE colonization of the gastrointestinal tract is a critical step in the natural history of enterococcal disease and that a substantial proportion of patients colonized with VRE remain colonized for prolonged periods (sometimes >1 year) and are more likely to develop an Enterococcus-related illness (e.g., bacteremia). The most important factors associated with VRE colonization and persistence in the gut include prolonged hospitalization; long courses of antibiotic therapy; hospitalization in long-term-care facilities, surgical units, and/or intensive care units; organ transplantation; renal failure (particularly in patients undergoing hemodialysis) and/or diabetes; high Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) scores; and physical proximity to patients infected or colonized with VRE or these patients’ rooms. Once a patient becomes colonized with VRE, several key factors are involved in the organisms’ dissemination in the hospital environment. VRE can survive exposure to heat and certain disinfectants and have been found on numerous inanimate objects in the hospital, including bed rails, medical equipment, doorknobs, gloves, telephones, and computer keyboards. Thus health care workers and the environment play pivotal roles in enterococcal transmission from patient to patient, and infection control measures are crucial in breaking the chain of transmission. Moreover, two meta-analyses have found that, independent of the patient’s clinical status, VRE infection increases the risk of death over that among individuals infected with a glycopeptide-susceptible enterococcal strain.

The epidemiology of enterococcal disease and the emergence of VRE have followed slightly different trends in other parts of the world than in the United States. In Europe, the emergence of VRE in the mid-1980s was seen primarily in isolates recovered from animals and healthy humans rather than from hospitalized patients. The presence of VRE was associated with the use of the glycopeptide avoparcin as a growth promoter in animal feeds; this association prompted the European Union to ban the use of this compound in animal husbandry in 1996. However, after an initial decrease in the isolation of VRE from animals and humans, the prevalence of hospital-associated VRE infections has slowly increased in certain European countries, with important regional differences. For example, rates of vancomycin resistance among E. faecium clinical isolates in Europe are highest in Greece, the United Kingdom, and Portugal (10–30%), whereas rates in the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands are <1%. These regional differences have been attributed in part to the implementation of aggressive “search-and-destroy” policies of infection control in countries such as the Netherlands; these policies have kept the frequency of nosocomial methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and VRE very low. Despite regional differences, rates of VRE continue to be much lower in Europe than in the United States. The reasons are not totally understood, although it has been postulated that this difference is related to the higher levels of human antibiotic use in the United States. Rates of enterococcal resistance to vancomycin in some Latin American countries are also lower (~4%) than those in the United States. Conversely, in Asia, rates of vancomycin resistance among enterococci appear to be similar to those in U.S. hospitals.

As mentioned above, genomic analyses of vancomycin-resistant E. faecium in different parts of the world suggest that the ­emergence and dissemination of these organisms in the hospital environment worldwide are due to the success of a unique hospital-associated genetic clade that acquired the genes responsible for ­vancomycin resistance as well as other antibiotic resistance determinants.

CLINICAL SYNDROMES

URINARY TRACT INFECTION AND PROSTATITIS

Enterococci are well-known causes of nosocomial UTI—the most common infection caused by these organisms (Chap. 162). Enterococcal UTIs are usually associated with indwelling catheters, instrumentation, or anatomic abnormalities of the genitourinary tract, and it is often challenging to differentiate between true infection and colonization (particularly in patients with chronic indwelling catheters). The presence of leukocytes in the urine in conjunction with systemic manifestations (e.g., fever) or local signs and symptoms of infection with no other explanation and a positive urine culture (≥10⁵ colony-forming units [CFU]/mL) suggests the diagnosis. Moreover, enterococcal UTIs often occur in critically ill patients whose comorbidities may obscure the diagnosis. In many cases, removal of the indwelling catheter may suffice to eradicate the organism without specific antimicrobial therapy. In rare circumstances, UTIs caused by enterococci may run a complicated course, with the development of pyelonephritis and perinephric abscesses that may be a portal of entry for bloodstream infections (see below). Enterococci are also known causes of chronic prostatitis, particularly in patients whose urinary tract has been manipulated surgically or endoscopically. These infections can be difficult to treat because the agents most potent against enterococci (i.e., aminopenicillins and glycopeptides) penetrate prostatic tissue poorly. Chronic prostatic infection can be a source of recurrent enterococcal bacteremia.

BACTEREMIA AND ENDOCARDITIS

Bacteremia without endocarditis is one of the most common presentations of enterococcal disease. Intravascular catheters and other devices are commonly associated with these bacteremic episodes (Chap. 168). Other well-known sources of enterococcal bacteremia include the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary tracts; pelvic and intraabdominal foci; and, less frequently, wound infections, UTIs, and bone infections. In the United States, enterococci are ranked second (after coagulase-negative staphylococci) as etiologic agents of central line–associated bacteremia. Patients with enterococcal bacteremia usually have comorbidities and have been in the hospital for prolonged periods; they commonly have received several courses of antibiotics. Several studies indicate that the isolation of E. faecium from the blood may lead to worse outcomes and higher mortality rates than when other enterococcal species are isolated; this finding may be related to the higher prevalence of vancomycin and ampicillin resistance in E. faecium than in other enterococcal species, with the consequent reduction of therapeutic options. In many cases (usually when the gastrointestinal tract is the source), enterococcal bacteremia may be polymicrobial, with gram-negative organisms isolated at the same time. In addition, several cases have now been documented in which enterococcal bacteremia was associated with Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinfection syndrome in immunocompromised patients.

Enterococci are important causes of community- and health care–associated endocarditis, ranking second after staphylococci in the latter infections. The presumed initial source of bacteremia leading to endocarditis is the gastrointestinal or genitourinary tract—e.g., in patients who have malignant and inflammatory conditions of the gut or have undergone procedures in which these tracts are manipulated. The affected patients tend to be male and elderly and to have other debilitating diseases and heart conditions. Both prosthetic and native valves can be involved; mitral and aortic valves are affected most often. Community-associated endocarditis (usually caused by E. faecalis) also occurs in patients with no apparent risk factors or cardiac abnormalities. Endocarditis in women of childbearing age has been well described. The typical presentation of enterococcal endocarditis is a subacute course of fever, weight loss, malaise, and cardiac murmur; typical stigmata of endocarditis (e.g., petechiae, Osler’s nodes, Roth’s spots) are found in only a minority of patients. Atypical manifestations include arthralgias and manifestations of metastatic disease (splenic abscesses, hiccups, pain in the left flank, pleural effusion, and spondylodiscitis). Embolic complications are variable and can affect the brain. Heart failure is a common complication of enterococcal endocarditis, and valve replacement may be critical in curing this infection, particularly when multidrug-resistant organisms or major complications are involved. The duration of therapy is usually 4–6 weeks, with more prolonged courses suggested for multidrug-resistant isolates in the absence of valvular replacement.

MENINGITIS

Enterococcal meningitis is an uncommon disease (accounting for only ~4% of meningitis cases) that is usually associated with neurosurgical interventions and conditions such as shunts, central nervous system (CNS) trauma, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. In some instances—usually in patients with a debilitating condition, such as cardiovascular or congenital heart disease, chronic renal failure, malignancy, receipt of immunosuppressive therapy, or HIV/AIDS—presumed hematogenous seeding of the meninges is seen in infections such as endocarditis or bacteremia. Fever and changes in mental status are common, whereas overt meningeal signs are less so. CSF findings are consistent with bacterial infection—i.e., pleocytosis with a predominance of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (average, ~500/μL), an elevated serum protein level (usually >100 mg/dL), and a decreased glucose concentration (average, 28 mg/dL). Gram’s staining yields a positive result in about half of cases, with a high rate of organism recovery from CSF cultures; the most common species isolated are E. faecalis and E. faecium. Complications include hydrocephalus, brain abscesses, and stroke. As mentioned before for bacteremia, an association with Strongyloides hyperinfection has also been documented.

INTRAABDOMINAL, PELVIC, AND SOFT TISSUE INFECTIONS

As mentioned earlier, enterococci are part of the commensal flora of the gastrointestinal tract and can produce spontaneous peritonitis in cirrhotic individuals and in patients undergoing chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (Chap. 159). These organisms are commonly found (usually along with other bacteria, including enteric gram-negative species and anaerobes) in clinical samples from intraabdominal and pelvic collections. The presence of enterococci in intraabdominal infections is sometimes considered to be of little clinical relevance. Several studies have shown that the role of enterococci in intraabdominal infections originating in the community and involving previously healthy patients is minor, because surgery and broad-spectrum antimicrobial drugs that do not target enterococci are often sufficient to treat these infections successfully. In the last few decades, however, these organisms have become prominent as a cause of intraabdominal infections in hospitalized patients because of the emergence and spread of vancomycin resistance among enterococci and the increase in rates of nosocomial infections due to multidrug-resistant E. faecium isolates. In fact, several studies have now documented treatment failures due to enterococci, with consequently increased rates of postoperative complications and death among patients with intraabdominal infections. Thus, anti-enterococcal therapy is recommended for nosocomial peritonitis in immunocompromised and severely ill patients who have had a prolonged hospital stay, have undergone multiple procedures, have persistent abdominal sepsis and collections, or have risk factors for the development of endocarditis (e.g., prosthetic or damaged heart valves). Conversely, specific treatment for enterococci in the first episode of intraabdominal infections originating in the community and affecting previously healthy patients with no important cardiac risk factors for endocarditis does not appear to be beneficial.

Enterococci are commonly isolated from soft tissue infections (Chap. 156), particularly those involving surgical wounds (Chap. 168). In fact, these organisms rank third as agents of nosocomial surgical-site infections, with E. faecalis the most frequently isolated species. The clinical relevance of enterococci in some of these infections—as in intraabdominal infections—is a matter of debate; differentiating between colonization and true infection is sometimes challenging, although in some cases enterococci have been recovered from lung, liver, and skin abscesses. Diabetic foot and decubitus ulcers are often colonized with enterococci and may be the portal of entry for bone infections.

OTHER INFECTIONS

Enterococci are well-known causes of neonatal infections, including sepsis (mostly late-onset), bacteremia, meningitis, pneumonia, and UTI. Outbreaks of enterococcal sepsis in neonatal units have been well documented. Risk factors for enterococcal disease in newborns include prematurity, low birth weight, indwelling devices, and abdominal surgery. Enterococci have also been described as etiologic agents of bone and joint infections, including vertebral osteomyelitis, usually in patients with underlying conditions such as diabetes or endocarditis. Similarly, enterococci have been isolated from bone infections in patients who have undergone arthroplasty or reconstruction of fractures with the placement of hardware. Because enterococci can produce a biofilm that is likely to alter the efficacy of otherwise active anti-enterococcal agents, treatment of infections that involve foreign material is challenging, and removal of the hardware may be necessary to eradicate the infection. Rare cases of enterococcal pneumonia, lung abscess, and spontaneous empyema have been described.

TREATMENT

DIPHTHERIA

Diphtheria is a nasopharyngeal and skin infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Toxigenic strains of C. diphtheriae produce a protein toxin that causes systemic toxicity, myocarditis, and polyneuropathy. The toxin is associated with the formation of pseudomembranes in the pharynx during respiratory diphtheria. While toxigenic strains most frequently cause pharyngeal diphtheria, nontoxigenic strains commonly cause cutaneous disease.

ETIOLOGY

C. diphtheriae is a gram-positive bacillus that is unencapsulated, nonmotile, and nonsporulating. The organism was first identified microscopically in 1883 by Klebs and a year later was isolated in pure culture by Löffler in Robert Koch’s laboratory. The bacteria have a characteristic club-shaped bacillary appearance and typically form clusters of parallel rays, or palisades, that are referred to as “Chinese characters.” The specific laboratory media recommended for the cultivation of C. diphtheriae rely upon tellurite, colistin, or nalidixic acid for the organism’s selective isolation from other autochthonous pharyngeal microbes. C. diphtheriae may be isolated from individuals with both nontoxigenic (tox^–) and toxigenic (tox⁺) phenotypes. Uchida and Pappenheimer demonstrated that corynebacteriophage beta carries the structural gene tox, which encodes diphtheria toxin, and that a family of closely related corynebacteriophages are responsible for toxigenic conversion of tox^– C. diphtheriae to the tox⁺ phenotype. Moreover, lysogenic conversion from a nontoxigenic to a toxigenic phenotype has been shown to occur in situ. Growth of toxigenic strains of C. diphtheriae under iron-limiting conditions leads to the optimal expression of diphtheria toxin and is believed to be a pathogenic mechanism during human infection.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

While in many regions diphtheria has been controlled in recent years with effective vaccination, there have been sporadic outbreaks in the United States and Europe. Diphtheria is still common in the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Indian subcontinent, where mass immunization programs are not enforced. Large-scale epidemics of diphtheria have occurred in the post-Soviet ­independent states. Additional outbreaks have been reported in Algeria, China, and Ecuador.

C. diphtheriae is transmitted via the aerosol route, usually during close contact with an infected person. There are no significant reservoirs other than humans. The incubation period for respiratory diphtheria is 2–5 days, but disease onset has occurred as late as 10 days after exposure. Prior to the vaccination era, most individuals over the age of 10 were immune to C. diphtheriae; infants were protected by maternal IgG antibodies but became susceptible after ~6 months of age. Thus, the disease primarily affected children and nonimmune young adults. In temperate regions, respiratory diphtheria occurs year-round but is most common during winter months.

The development of diphtheria antitoxin in 1898 by von Behring and of the diphtheria toxoid vaccine in 1924 by Ramon led to the near-elimination of diphtheria in Western countries. The annual incidence rate in the United States peaked in 1921 at 191 cases per 100,000 population. In contrast, since 1980, the annual figure in the United States has been <5 cases per 100,000. Nevertheless, pockets of colonization persist in North America, particularly in South Dakota, Ontario, and recently the state of Washington. Immunity to diphtheria induced by childhood vaccination gradually decreases in adulthood. An estimated 30% of men 60–69 years old have antitoxin titers below the ­protective level. In addition to older age and lack of vaccination, risk factors for diphtheria outbreaks include alcoholism, low socioeconomic status, crowded living conditions, and Native American ethnic background. An outbreak of diphtheria in Seattle, Washington, between 1972 and 1982 comprised 1100 cases, most of which were cutaneous. During the 1990s in the states of the former Soviet Union, a much larger diphtheria epidemic included more than 150,000 cases and more than 5000 deaths. Clonally related toxigenic C. diphtheriae strains of the ET8 complex were associated with this outbreak. Given that the ET8 complex expressed a toxin against which the prevalent diphtheria toxoid vaccine was effective, the epidemic was attributed to failure of the public health infrastructure to effectively vaccinate the population. Beginning in 1998, this epidemic was controlled by mass vaccination programs. During the epidemic, the incidence rate was high among individuals between 16 and 50 years of age. Socioeconomic instability, migration, deteriorating public health programs, frequent vaccine shortages, delayed implementation of vaccination and treatment in response to cases, and lack of public education and awareness were contributing factors.

Significant outbreaks of diphtheria and diphtheria-related mortality continue to be reported from many developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia. Statistics collected by the World Health Organization indicated the occurrence of ~7000 reported diphtheria cases in 2008 and ~5000 diphtheria deaths in 2004. Although ~82% of the global population has been adequately vaccinated, only 26% of countries have successfully vaccinated >80% of individuals in all districts.

Cutaneous diphtheria is usually a secondary infection that follows a primary skin lesion due to trauma, allergy, or autoimmunity. Most often, these isolates lack the tox gene and thus do not express diphtheria toxin. In tropical latitudes, cutaneous diphtheria is more common than respiratory diphtheria. In contrast to respiratory disease, cutaneous diphtheria is not reportable in the United States. Nontoxigenic strains of C. diphtheriae have also been associated with pharyngitis in Europe, causing outbreaks among men who have sex with men and persons who use illicit IV drugs.

PATHOGENESIS AND IMMUNOLOGY

Diphtheria toxin produced by tox⁺ strains of C. diphtheriae is the primary virulence factor in clinical disease. The toxin is synthesized in precursor form; is released as a 535-amino-acid, single-chain protein; and, in sensitive species (e.g., guinea pigs and humans, but not mice or rats), has a 50% lethal dose of ~100 ng/kg of body weight. The toxin is produced in the pseudomembranous lesion and is taken up in the bloodstream, from which it is distributed to all organ systems in the body. Once bound to its cell surface receptor (a heparin-binding epidermal growth factor–like precursor), the toxin is internalized by receptor-mediated endocytosis and enters the cytosol from an acidified early endosomal compartment. In vitro, the toxin may be separated into two chains by digestion with serine proteases: the N-terminal A fragment and the C-terminal B fragment. Delivery of the A fragment into the eukaryotic cell cytosol results in irreversible inhibition of protein synthesis by NAD⁺-dependent ADP-ribosylation of elongation factor 2. The eventual result is the death of the cell.

In 1926, Ramon at the Institut Pasteur found that formalinization of diphtheria toxin resulted in the production of a nontoxic but highly immunogenic diphtheria toxoid. Subsequent studies showed that immunization with diphtheria toxoid elicited antibodies that neutralized the toxin and prevented most disease manifestations. In the 1930s, mass immunization of children and susceptible adults with diphtheria toxoid commenced in the United States and Europe.

Individuals with a diphtheria antitoxin titer of >0.01 U/mL are at low risk of disease. In populations where a majority of individuals have protective antitoxin titers, the carrier rate for toxigenic strains of C. diphtheriae decreases and the overall risk of diphtheria among susceptible individuals is reduced. Nevertheless, individuals with nonprotective titers may contract diphtheria through either travel or exposure to individuals who have recently returned from regions where the disease is endemic.

Characteristic pathologic findings of diphtheria include mucosal ulcers with a pseudomembranous coating composed of an inner band of fibrin and a luminal band of neutrophils. Initially white and firmly adherent, in advanced diphtheria the pseudomembranes turn gray or even green or black as necrosis progresses. Mucosal ulcers result from toxin-induced necrosis of the epithelium accompanied by edema, hyperemia, and vascular congestion of the submucosal base. A significant fibrinosuppurative exudate from the ulcer develops into the pseudomembrane. Ulcers and pseudomembranes in severe respiratory diphtheria may extend from the pharynx into medium-sized bronchial airways. Expanding and sloughing membranes may result in fatal airway obstruction.

APPROACH TO PATIENT

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

Respiratory Diphtheria

The clinical diagnosis of diphtheria is based on the constellation of sore throat; adherent tonsillar, pharyngeal, or nasal pseudomembranous lesions; and low-grade fever. In addition, diagnosis requires the isolation of C. diphtheriae or histopathologic isolation of compatible gram-positive organisms. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes confirmed respiratory diphtheria (laboratory proven or epidemiologically linked to a culture-confirmed case) and probable respiratory diphtheria (clinically compatible but not laboratory proven or epidemiologically linked). Carriers are defined as individuals who have positive cultures for C. diphtheriae and who either are asymptomatic or have symptoms but lack pseudomembranes. Most patients seek medical care for sore throat and fever several days into the illness. Occasionally, weakness, dysphagia, headache, and voice change are the initial manifestations. Neck edema and difficulty breathing are evident in more advanced cases and carry a poor prognosis.

The systemic manifestations of diphtheria stem from the effects of diphtheria toxin and include weakness as a result of neurotoxicity and cardiac arrhythmias or congestive heart failure due to myocarditis. Most commonly, the pseudomembranous lesion is located in the tonsillopharyngeal region. Less commonly, the lesions are located in the larynx, nares, and trachea or bronchial passages. Large pseudomembranes are associated with severe disease and a poor prognosis. A few patients develop massive swelling of the tonsils and present with “bull-neck” diphtheria, which results from massive edema of the submandibular and paratracheal region and is further characterized by foul breath, thick speech, and stridorous breathing. The diphtheritic pseudomembrane is gray or whitish and sharply demarcated. Unlike the exudative lesion associated with streptococcal pharyngitis, the pseudomembrane in diphtheria is tightly adherent to the underlying tissues. Attempts to dislodge the membrane may cause bleeding. Hoarseness suggests laryngeal diphtheria, in which laryngoscopy may be diagnostically helpful.

Cutaneous Diphtheria

This dermatosis is characterized by punched-out ulcerative lesions with necrotic sloughing or pseudomembrane formation (Figure 175-2). The diagnosis requires cultivation of C. diphtheriae from lesions, which most commonly occur on the lower and upper extremities, head, and trunk.

Infections Due to Non-diphtheriae Corynebacterium Species and Nontoxigenic C. diphtheriae

Non-diphtheriae species of Corynebacterium and related genera (discussed below) as well as nontoxigenic strains of C. diphtheriae itself have been found in bloodstream and respiratory infections, often in individuals with immunosuppression or chronic respiratory disease. These organisms can cause disease manifestations and should not necessarily be dismissed as colonizers.

Other Clinical Manifestations

C. diphtheriae causes rare cases of endocarditis and septic arthritis, most often in patients with preexisting risk factors, such as abnormal cardiac valves, injection drug use, or cirrhosis.

COMPLICATIONS

Airway obstruction poses a significant early risk in patients presenting with advanced diphtheria. Pseudomembranes may slough and obstruct the airway or may advance to the larynx or into the tracheobronchial tree. Children are particularly prone to obstruction because of their small airways.

Polyneuropathy and myocarditis are late toxic manifestations of diphtheria. During a diphtheria outbreak in the Kyrgyz Republic in 1999, myocarditis was found in 22% and neuropathy in 5% of 656 hospitalized patients. The mortality rate was 7% among patients with myocarditis as opposed to 2% among those without myocardial manifestations. The median time to death in hospitalized patients was 4.5 days. Myocarditis is typically associated with dysrhythmia of the conduction tract and dilated ­cardiomyopathy.

Polyneuropathy is seen 3–5 weeks after the onset of diphtheria and has a slow indolent course. However, patients may develop severe and prolonged neurologic abnormalities. The disorders typically occur in the mouth and neck, with lingual or facial numbness as well as dysphonia, dysphagia, and cranial nerve paresthesias. More ominous signs include weakness of respiratory and abdominal muscles and paresis of the extremities. Sensory manifestations and sensory ataxia also are observed. Cranial nerve dysfunction typically precedes disturbances of the trunk and extremities because of proximity to the site of infection. Autonomic dysfunction also is associated with polyneuropathy and can lead to hypotension. Polyneuropathy is typically reversible in patients who survive the acute phase.

Other complications of diphtheria include pneumonia, renal failure, encephalitis, cerebral infarction, pulmonary embolism, and serum sickness from antitoxin therapy.

DIAGNOSIS

The diagnosis of diphtheria is based on clinical signs and symptoms plus laboratory confirmation. Respiratory diphtheria should be considered in patients with sore throat, pharyngeal exudates, and fever. Other symptoms may include hoarseness, stridor, or palatal paralysis. The presence of a pseudomembrane should prompt strong consideration of diphtheria. Once a clinical diagnosis of diphtheria is made, diphtheria antitoxin should be obtained and administered as rapidly as possible.

Laboratory diagnosis of diphtheria is based either on cultivation of C. diphtheriae or toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans from the site of infection or on the demonstration of local lesions with characteristic histopathology. Corynebacterium pseudodiphtheriticum, a nontoxigenic organism, is a common component of the normal throat flora and does not pose a significant risk. Throat samples should be submitted to the laboratory for culture with the notation that diphtheria is being considered. This information should prompt cultivation on special selective medium and subsequent biochemical testing to differentiate C. diphtheriae from other nasopharyngeal commensal corynebacteria. All laboratory isolates of C. diphtheriae, including nontoxigenic strains, should be submitted to the CDC.

A diagnosis of cutaneous diphtheria requires laboratory confirmation since the lesions are not characteristic and are indistinguishable from other dermatoses. Diphtheritic ulcers occasionally—but not consistently—have a punched-out appearance (Fig. 175-2). Patients in whom cutaneous diphtheria is identified should have the nasopharynx cultured for C. diphtheriae. The laboratory medium for cutaneous diphtheria specimens is the same as that used for respiratory diphtheria: Löffler’s or Tinsdale’s selective medium in addition to nonselective medium such as blood agar. As has been mentioned, respiratory diphtheria remains a notifiable disease in the United States, whereas cutaneous diphtheria is not.

TREATMENT

PROGNOSIS

Fatal pseudomembranous diphtheria typically occurs in patients with nonprotective antibody titers and in unimmunized patients. The pseudomembrane may actually increase in size from the time it is first noted. Risk factors for death include bullneck diphtheria; myocarditis with ventricular tachycardia; atrial fibrillation; complete heart block; an age of >60 years or <6 months; alcoholism; extensive pseudomembrane elongation; and laryngeal, tracheal, or bronchial involvement. Another important predictor of fatal outcome is the interval between the onset of local disease and the administration of antitoxin. Cutaneous diphtheria has a low mortality rate and is rarely associated with myocarditis or peripheral neuropathy.

PREVENTION

Vaccination

Sustained campaigns for vaccination of children and adequate boosting vaccination of adults are responsible for the exceedingly low incidence of diphtheria in most developed nations. Currently, diphtheria toxoid vaccine is coadministered with tetanus vaccine (with or without acellular pertussis). DTaP (a full-level diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis vaccine) is currently recommended for children up to the age of 7; DTaP replaced the earlier whole-cell pertussis vaccine DTP in 1997. Tdap is a tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine formulated for adolescents and adults. Tdap was licensed for use in the United States in 2005 and is the recommended booster vaccine for children 11–12 years old and the recommended catch-up vaccine for children 7–10 and 13–18 years of age. It is recommended that all adults (i.e., persons >19 years old) receive a single dose of Tdap if they have not received it previously, regardless of the interval since the last dose of Td (tetanus and reduced-dose diphtheria toxoids, adsorbed). Tdap vaccination is a priority for health care workers, pregnant women, adults anticipating contact with infants, and adults not previously vaccinated for pertussis. Adults who have received acellular pertussis vaccine should continue to receive decennial Td booster vaccinations. The vaccine schedule is detailed in Chap. 148.

Prophylaxis Administration to Contacts

Close contacts of diphtheria patients should undergo throat culture to determine whether they are carriers. After samples for throat culture are obtained, antimicrobial prophylaxis should be considered for all contacts, even those whose cultures are negative. The options are 7–10 days of oral erythromycin or one dose of IM benzathine penicillin G (1.2 million units for persons ≥6 years of age or 600,000 units for children <6 years of age).

Contacts of diphtheria patients whose immunization status is uncertain should receive the appropriate diphtheria toxoid–containing vaccine. The Tdap vaccine (rather than Td) is now the booster vaccine of choice for adults who have not recently received an acellular pertussis–­containing vaccine. Carriers of C. diphtheriae in the ­community should be treated and vaccinated when identified.

OTHER CORYNEBACTERIAL AND RHODOCOCCUS INFECTIONS

Nondiphtherial corynebacteria, referred to as diphtheroids or coryneforms, are frequently considered colonizers or contaminants; however, they have been associated with invasive disease, particularly in immunocompromised patients. These organisms have been isolated from the bloodstream, particularly in association with catheter infection, endocarditis, prosthetic valve infection, meningitis, neurosurgical shunt infection, brain abscess, and peritonitis and often in the setting of chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, urinary tract infection, empyema, and pneumonia, among other infections. Patients infected with these organisms usually have significant medical comorbidity or are immunosuppressed. The nondiphtherial coryneforms are a diverse collection of bacteria that are taxonomically grouped together in the genus Corynebacterium on the basis of their 16S rDNA signature nucleotides. Despite the shared rDNA signatures, these isolates are quite diverse. For example, their guanine-cytosine content ranges from 45% to 70%. Several nondiphtheroid corynebacteria, including Corynebacterium jeikeium and Corynebacterium urealyticum, are associated with resistance to multiple antibiotics. Rhodococcus equi is associated with necrotizing pneumonia and granulomatous infection, particularly in immunocompromised individuals.

MICROBIOLOGY AND LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS

These organisms are non-acid-fast, catalase-positive, aerobic or facultatively anaerobic rods. Their colonial morphologies vary widely; some species are small and α-hemolytic (similar to lactobacilli), whereas others form large white colonies (similar to yeasts). Many nondiphtherial coryneforms require special media, such as Löffler’s, Tinsdale’s, or telluride medium. These cultivation idiosyncrasies have led to a complex taxonomic categorization of the organisms.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Humans are the natural reservoirs for several nondiphtherial coryneforms, including C. xerosis, C. pseudodiphtheriticum, C. striatum, C. minutissimum, C. jeikeium, C. urealyticum, and Arcanobacterium haemolyticum. Animal reservoirs are responsible for carriage of Arcanobacterium pyogenes, C. ulcerans, and C. pseudotuberculosis. Soil is the natural reservoir for R. equi.

C. pseudodiphtheriticum is a component of the normal flora of the human pharynx and skin. C. xerosis is found on the skin, nasopharynx, and conjunctiva; C. auris in the external auditory canal; and C. striatum in the anterior nares and on the skin. C. jeikeium and C. urealyticum are found in the axilla, groin, and perineum, particularly in hospitalized patients. Infections with C. ulcerans and C. pseudotuberculosis have been associated with the consumption of raw milk from infected cattle.

C. ulcerans

This organism causes a diphtheria-like illness and produces both diphtheria toxin and a dermonecrotic toxin. The organism is a commensal in horses and cattle and has been isolated from cow’s milk. C. ulcerans causes exudative pharyngitis, primarily during summer months, in rural areas, and among individuals exposed to cattle. In contrast to diphtheria, this infection is considered a zoonosis whose person-to-person transmission has not been documented. Nevertheless, treatment with antitoxin and antibiotics should be initiated when respiratory C. ulcerans is identified, and a contact investigation (including throat cultures to determine the need for antimicrobial prophylaxis and, in unimmunized contacts, administration of the appropriate diphtheria toxoid–containing vaccine) should be conducted. The organism grows on Löffler’s, Tinsdale’s, and telluride agars as well as blood agar. In addition to exudative pharyngitis, cutaneous disease due to C. ulcerans has been reported. C. ulcerans is susceptible to a wide panel of antibiotics. Erythromycin and macrolides appear to be the first-line agents.

C. pseudotuberculosis (ovis)

Infection caused by C. pseudotuberculosis is rare and is reported almost exclusively from Australia. C. pseudotuberculosis causes suppurative granulomatous lymphadenitis and an eosinophilic pneumonia syndrome among individuals who handle horses, cattle, goats, and deer or who drink raw milk. The organism is an important veterinary pathogen, causing suppurative lymphadenitis, abscesses, and pneumonia, but is rarely a human pathogen. Successful treatment with erythromycin or tetracycline has been reported, with surgery also performed when indicated.

C. jeikeium (Group JK)

Originally described in American hospitals, C. jeikeium infection was subsequently reported in Europe. After a 1976 survey of diseases caused by nondiphtherial corynebacteria, CDC group JK emerged as an important opportunistic pathogen among neutropenic and HIV-infected patients. The organism has now been designated a separate species. C. jeikeium forms small, gray to white, glistening, nonhemolytic colonies on blood agar. It lacks urease and nitrate reductase and does not ferment most ­carbohydrates. The ­predominant syndrome associated with C. jeikeium is sepsis with pneumonia, endocarditis, meningitis, osteomyelitis, and epidural abscess. Risk factors for C. jeikeium infection include hematologic malignancy, neutropenia from comorbid conditions, prolonged ­hospitalization, exposure to multiple antibiotics, and skin disruption. There is evidence that C. jeikeium is part of the inguinal, axillary, genital, and perirectal flora of hospitalized patients.

Broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy appears to select for colonization. Gram’s staining shows gram-positive coccobacillary forms slightly resembling streptococci. Moreover, C. jeikeium is resistant to all antibiotics tested except vancomycin. Effective therapy involves removal of the infectious source, whether a catheter, prosthetic joint, or prosthetic valve. Efforts have been made to prevent C. jeikeium infection by improving hygienic conditions for high-risk patients in intensive care settings with antibacterial soap.

C. urealyticum (Group D2)

Identified as a urease-positive nondiphtherial Corynebacterium in 1972, C. urealyticum is an opportunistic pathogen causing sepsis and urinary tract infection. C. urealyticum appears to be the etiologic agent of a severe urinary tract syndrome known as alkaline-encrusted cystitis, a chronic inflammatory bladder infection associated with deposition of ammonium magnesium phosphate on the surface and walls of ulcerating lesions in the bladder. In addition, C. urealyticum has been associated with pneumonia, peritonitis, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, and wound infection. It is similar to C. jeikeium in its resistance to most antibiotics except vancomycin. Vancomycin therapy has been used successfully in severe infections.

C. minutissimum (Erythrasma)

Erythrasma is a cutaneous infection producing reddish-brown, macular, scaly, pruritic intertriginous patches. The dermatologic presentation under the Wood’s lamp is of coral red fluorescence. C. minutissimum appears to be a common cause of erythrasma, although there is evidence for a polymicrobial etiology in certain settings. This microbe has also been associated with bacteremia in patients with hematologic malignancy. Erythrasma responds to topical erythromycin, clarithromycin, clindamycin, or fusidic acid, although more severe infections may require oral macrolide therapy.

Other Nondiphtherial Corynebacterial Infections

C. xerosis is a human commensal found in the conjunctiva, nasopharynx, and skin. This nontoxigenic organism is occasionally identified as a source of invasive infection in immunocompromised or postoperative patients and prosthetic joint recipients. C. striatum is found in the anterior nares, skin, face, and upper torso of healthy individuals. Also nontoxigenic, this organism has been associated with invasive opportunistic infections in severely ill or immunocompromised patients. C. amycolatum is isolated from human skin and is identified on the basis of a unique 16S ribosomal RNA sequence associated with opportunistic infection. C. glucuronolyticum is a nonlipophilic species that causes male genitourinary tract infections such as prostatitis and urethritis. These infections may be successfully treated with a wide variety of antibacterial agents, including β-lactams, rifampin, aminoglycosides, or vancomycin; however, the organism appears to be resistant to fluoroquinolones, macrolides, and tetracyclines. C. imitans has been identified in eastern Europe as a nontoxigenic cause of pharyngitis. C. auris has been identified in children with otitis media; it is susceptible to fluoroquinolones, rifampin, tetracycline, and vancomycin but resistant to penicillin G and variably susceptible to macrolides. C. pseudodiphtheriticum (C. hoffmanii) is a nontoxigenic species that is part of the normal human flora. Human infections—particularly endocarditis of either prosthetic or natural valves and invasive pneumonia—have been reported only rarely. Although C. pseudodiphtheriticum may be isolated from the nasopharynx of patients with suspected diphtheria, it is part of the normal flora and does not produce diphtheria toxin. C. propinquum, a close relative of C. pseudodiphtheriticum, is part of CDC group ANF-3 and is isolated from the human respiratory tract and blood. C. afermentans subspecies lipophilum belongs to CDC group ANF-1 and has been isolated from human blood and abscesses. C. accolens has been isolated from wound drainage, throat swabs, and sputum and is typically identified as a satellite of staphylococcal organisms; this species has been associated with endocarditis. C. bovis is a veterinary commensal that has not been clearly associated with human disease. C. aquaticum is a water-dwelling organism that is occasionally isolated from patients using medical devices (e.g., for chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis or venous access).

Rhodococcus

Rhodococcus species are phylogenetically related to the corynebacteria. These gram-positive coccobacilli have been associated with tuberculosis-like infections in humans with granulomatous pathology. While R. equi is best known, other species have been identified, including R. (Gordonia) bronchialis, R. (Tsukamurella) aurantiacus, R. luteus, R. erythropolis, R. rhodochrous, and R. rubropertinctus.

R. equi has been recognized as a cause of pneumonia in horses since the 1920s and as a cause of related infections in cattle, sheep, and swine. It is found in soil as an environmental microbe. The organisms vary in length; appear as spherical to long, curved, clubbed rods; and produce large irregular mucoid colonies. R. equi cannot ferment carbohydrates or liquefy gelatin and is often acid fast. An intracellular pathogen of macrophages, R. equi can cause granulomatous necrosis and caseation. This organism has most commonly been identified in pulmonary infection, but infections of brain, bone, and skin also have been reported. Most commonly, R. equi disease manifests as nodular cavitary pneumonia of the upper lobe—a picture similar to that seen in tuberculosis or nocardiosis. Most patients are immunocompromised, often by HIV infection. Subcutaneous nodular lesions have also been identified. The involvement of R. equi should be considered when any patient presents with a tuberculosis-like syndrome.

Infection due to R. equi has been treated successfully with antibiotics that penetrate intracellularly, including macrolides, clindamycin, rifampin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. β-Lactam antibiotics have not been useful. The organism is routinely susceptible to vancomycin, which is considered the drug of choice.

Other Related Species

ACTINOMYCES PYOGENES

This organism, a well-known pathogen of cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs, causes seasonal leg ulcers in rural Thailand. A few human cases of sepsis, endocarditis, septic arthritis, pneumonia, meningitis, and empyema have been reported. This species is susceptible to β-lactams, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones.

ARCANOBACTERIUM HAEMOLYTICUM

A. haemolyticum was identified as an agent of wound infections in U.S. soldiers in the South Pacific during World War II. It appears to be a human commensal of the nasopharynx and skin, but has also been implicated in pharyngitis and chronic skin ulcers. In contrast to the much more common pharyngitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, A. haemolyticum pharyngitis is associated with a scarlatiniform rash on the trunk and proximal extremities in about half of cases; this illness is occasionally confused with toxic shock syndrome. Because A. haemolyticum pharyngitis primarily affects teenagers, it has been postulated that the rash-pharyngitis syndrome may represent copathogenicity, synergy, or opportunistic secondary infection with Epstein-Barr virus. A. haemolyticum has also been reported as a cause of bacteremia, soft tissue infections, osteomyelitis, and cavitary pneumonia, predominantly in the setting of underlying diabetes mellitus. The organism is susceptible to β-lactams, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, clindamycin, vancomycin, and doxycycline. Penicillin resistance has been reported.

INTRODUCTION

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen that can cause serious infections, particularly in pregnant women and immunocompromised individuals. A ubiquitous saprophytic environmental bacterium, L. monocytogenes is also a facultative intracellular pathogen with a broad host range. Humans are probably accidental hosts for this microorganism. L. monocytogenes is of interest not only to clinicians but also to basic scientists as a model intracellular pathogen that is used to study basic mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis and host immunity.

MICROBIOLOGY

L. monocytogenes is a facultatively anaerobic, nonsporulating, gram-positive rod that grows over a broad temperature range, including refrigeration temperatures. This organism is motile during growth at low temperatures but much less so at 37°C. The vast majority of cases of human listerial disease can be traced to serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4. L. monocytogenes is weakly β-hemolytic on blood agar, and (as detailed below) its β-hemolysin is an essential determinant of its pathogenicity.

PATHOGENESIS

Infections with L. monocytogenes follow ingestion of contaminated food that contains the bacteria at high concentrations. The conversion from environmental saprophyte to pathogen involves the coordinate regulation of bacterial determinants of pathogenesis that mediate entry into cells, intracellular growth, and cell-to-cell spread. Many of the organism’s pathogenic strategies can be examined experimentally in tissue culture models of infection (Fig. 176-1). Like other enteric pathogens, L. monocytogenes induces its own internalization by cells that are not normally phagocytic. Its entry into cells is mediated by host surface proteins classified as internalins. Internalin-mediated entry is important in the crossing of intestinal, blood-brain, and fetoplacental barriers, although how L. monocytogenes traffics from the intestine to the brain or fetus is only beginning to be investigated. In a pregnant guinea pig model of infection, L. monocytogenes was shown to traffic from maternal organs to the placenta; surprisingly, however, it also trafficked from the placenta back to maternal organs. These data are consistent with a model in which miscarriage can be viewed as a host defense strategy to eliminate a nidus of infection.

An essential determinant of the pathogenesis of L. monocytogenes is its β-hemolysin, listeriolysin O (LLO). LLO is a pore-forming, cholesterol-dependent cytolysin. (Related cytolysins include streptolysin O, pneumolysin, and perfringolysin O, all of which are produced by extracellular pathogens.) LLO is largely responsible for mediating the rupture of the phagosomal membrane that forms after phagocytosis of L. monocytogenes. LLO probably acts by insertion into an acidifying phagosome, which prevents the vesicle’s maturation. In addition, LLO acts as a translocation pore for one or both of the L. monocytogenes phospholipases that also contribute to vacuolar lysis. LLO synthesis and activity are controlled at multiple levels to ensure that its lytic activity is limited to acidic vacuoles and does not affect the cytosol. Mutations in LLO that influence its synthesis, cytosolic half-life, or pH optimum cause premature toxicity to infected cells. There is an inverse relationship between toxicity and virulence—i.e., the more cytotoxic the strain, the less virulent it is in animals. This relationship may seem paradoxical, but, as an intracellular pathogen, L. monocytogenes benefits from leaving its host cell unharmed.

Shortly after exposure to the mammalian-cell cytosol, L. monocytogenes expresses a surface protein, ActA, that mediates the nucleation of host actin filaments to propel the bacteria intra- and intercellularly. ActA mimics host proteins of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) family by promoting the actin nucleation properties of the Arp2/3 complex. Thus, L. monocytogenes can enter the cytosol of almost any eukaryotic cell or cell extract and can exploit a conserved and essential actin-based motility system. Other pathogens as diverse as certain Shigella, Mycobacterium, Rickettsia, and Burkholderia species use a related pathogenic strategy that allows cell-to-cell spread without exposure to the extracellular milieu.

IMMUNE RESPONSE

The innate and acquired immune responses to L. monocytogenes have been studied extensively in mice. Shortly after IV injection, most bacteria are found in Kupffer cells in the liver, with some organisms in splenic dendritic cells and macrophages. Listeriae that survive the bactericidal activity of initially infected macrophages grow in the cytosol and spread from cell to cell. L. monocytogenes triggers three innate immune pathways: a MyD88-dependent pathway leading to inflammatory cytokines, a STING/IRF3 pathway leading to a type I interferon response; and low-level inflammasome activation. Neutrophils are crucial to host defense during the first 24 h of infection, whereas an influx of activated macrophages from the bone marrow is critical subsequently. Mice that survive sublethal infection clear the organisms within a week, with consequent sterile immunity. Studies with knockout mice have been instrumental in dissecting the roles played by chemokines and cytokines during infection. For example, interferon γ, tumor necrosis factor, and CCR2 are essential in controlling infection. While innate immunity is sufficient to control infection, the acquired immune response is required for sterile immunity. Immunity is cell mediated; antibody plays no measurable role. The critical effector cells are cytotoxic (CD8+) T cells that recognize and lyse infected cells; the resulting extracellular bacteria are killed by circulating activated phagocytes.

A hallmark of the L. monocytogenes model is that killed vaccines do not provide protective immunity. The explanation for this fundamental observation is multifactorial, involving the generation of appropriate cytokines and the compartmentalization of bacterial proteins for antigen processing and presentation. Because the organism has the capacity to induce a robust cell-mediated immune response, attenuated strains have been engineered to express foreign antigens and are undergoing clinical studies as therapeutic vaccines for cancer.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

L. monocytogenes usually enters the body via the gastrointestinal tract in foods. Listeriosis is most often sporadic, although outbreaks do occur. No epidemiologic or clinical evidence supports person-to-person transmission (other than vertical transmission from mother to fetus) or waterborne infection. In line with its survival and multiplication at refrigeration temperatures, L. monocytogenes is commonly found in processed and unprocessed foods of animal and plant origin, especially soft cheeses, delicatessen meats, hot dogs, milk, and cold salads; fresh fruits and vegetables can also transmit the organism. Because food supplies are increasingly centralized and normal hosts tolerate the organism well, outbreaks may not be immediately apparent. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a zero-tolerance policy for L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods.

DIAGNOSIS

Symptoms of listerial infection overlap greatly with those of other infectious diseases. Timely diagnosis requires that the illness be considered in groups at risk: pregnant women; elderly persons; neonates; individuals immunocompromised by organ transplantation, cancer, or treatment with tumor necrosis factor antagonists or glucocorticoids; and patients with a variety of chronic medical conditions, including alcoholism, diabetes, renal disease, and rheumatologic and hepatic illnesses. Meningitis in older adults (especially with parenchymal brain involvement or subcortical brain abscess) should trigger consideration of L. monocytogenes infection and treatment. Listeriosis occasionally affects healthy, young, nonpregnant individuals. HIV-infected patients are at risk; however, listeriosis seems to be prevented by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) prophylaxis targeting other AIDS-related infections. The diagnosis is typically made by culture of blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), or amniotic fluid. L. monocytogenes may be confused with “diphtheroids” or pneumococci in Gram-stained CSF or may be gram-variable and confused with Haemophilus species. Polymerase chain reaction diagnostics have been described but are not widely available, and serology is not ­clinically useful.

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

Listerial infections present as several clinical syndromes, of which meningitis and septicemia are most common. Monocytosis is seen in infected rabbits but is not a hallmark of human infection.

Gastroenteritis

Appreciated only since the outbreaks of the late 1980s, listerial gastroenteritis typically develops within 48 h of ingestion of a large inoculum of bacteria in contaminated foods. Attack rates are high (50–100%). L. monocytogenes is neither sought nor found in routine fecal cultures, but its involvement should be considered in outbreaks when cultures for other likely pathogens are negative. Sporadic intestinal illness appears to be uncommon. Manifestations include fever, diarrhea, headache, and constitutional symptoms. The largest reported outbreak occurred in an Italian school system and included 1566 individuals; ~20% of patients were hospitalized, but only one person had a positive blood culture. Isolated gastrointestinal illness does not require antibiotic treatment. Surveillance studies show that 0.1–5% of healthy asymptomatic adults may have stool cultures positive for the organism.

Bacteremia

L. monocytogenes septicemia presents with fever, chills, and myalgias/arthralgias and cannot be differentiated from septicemia involving other organisms. Meningeal symptoms, focal neurologic findings, or mental status changes may suggest the diagnosis. Bacteremia is documented in 70–90% of cancer patients with listeriosis. A nonspecific flulike illness with fever is a common presentation in pregnant women. Endocarditis of prosthetic and native valves is an uncommon complication, with reported fatality rates of 35–50% in case series. A lumbar puncture is often prudent, although not necessary, in pregnant women without central nervous system (CNS) symptoms.

Meningitis

L. monocytogenes causes ~5–10% of all cases of community-acquired bacterial meningitis in adults in the United States. Case-fatality rates are reported to be 15–26% and do not appear to have changed over time. This diagnosis should be considered in all older or chronically ill adults with “aseptic” meningitis. The presentation is more frequently subacute (with illness developing over several days) than in meningitis of other bacterial etiologies, and nuchal rigidity and meningeal signs are less common. Photophobia is infrequent. Focal findings and seizures are common in some but not all series. The CSF profile in listerial meningitis most often shows white blood cell counts in the range of 100–5000/μL (rarely higher); 75% of patients have counts below 1000/μL, usually with a neutrophil predominance more modest than that in other bacterial meningitides. Low glucose levels and positive results on Gram’s staining are found ~30–40% of the time. Hydrocephalus can occur.

Meningoencephalitis and Focal CNS Infection

L. monocytogenes can directly invade the brain parenchyma, producing either cerebritis or focal abscess. Approximately 10% of cases of CNS infection are macroscopic abscesses resulting from bacteremic seeding; the affected patients often have positive blood cultures. Concurrent meningitis can exist, but the CSF may appear normal. Abscesses can be misdiagnosed as metastatic or primary tumors and, in rare instances, occur in the cerebellum and the spinal cord. Invasion of the brainstem results in a characteristic severe rhombencephalitis, usually in otherwise healthy older adults (although there are numerous other infectious and noninfectious causes of this syndrome). The presentation may be biphasic, with a prodrome of fever and headache followed by asymmetric cranial nerve deficits, cerebellar signs, and hemiparetic and hemisensory deficits. Respiratory failure can occur. The subacute course and the often minimally abnormal CSF findings may delay the diagnosis, which may be suggested by MRI showing ring-enhancing lesions after gadolinium contrast and hyperintense lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging. MRI is superior to CT for the diagnosis of these infections.

Infection in Pregnant Women and Neonates

Listeriosis in pregnancy is a severe and important infection. The usual presentation is a nonspecific acute or subacute febrile illness with myalgias, arthralgias, backache, and headache. Pregnant women with listeriosis are usually bacteremic. This syndrome should prompt blood cultures, especially if there is no other reasonable explanation. Involvement of the CNS is rare in the absence of other risk factors. Preterm delivery is a common complication, and the diagnosis may be made only post-partum. As many as 70–90% of fetuses from infected women can become infected. Prepartum treatment of bacteremic women enhances the chances of delivery of a healthy infant. Women usually do well after delivery: maternal deaths are very rare, even when the diagnosis is made late in pregnancy or post-partum. Overall mortality rates for fetuses infected in utero approach 50% in some series; among live-born neonates treated with antibiotics, mortality rates are much lower (~20%). Granulomatosis infantiseptica is an overwhelming listerial fetal infection with miliary microabscesses and granulomas, most often in the skin, liver, and spleen. Less severe neonatal infection acquired in utero presents at birth. “Late-onset” neonatal illness typically develops ~10–30 days post-partum. Mothers of infants with late-onset disease are not ill.

TREATMENT

COMPLICATIONS AND PROGNOSIS

Many individuals who are promptly diagnosed and treated recover fully, but permanent neurologic sequelae are common in patients with brain abscess or rhombencephalitis. Focal infections of visceral organs; the eye; the pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial spaces; the bones; and both native and prosthetic joints have all been reported. Of 100 live-born, treated neonates in one series, 60% recovered fully, 24% died, and 13% had long-term neurologic or other complications.

PREVENTION

Healthy persons should take standard precautions to prevent food-borne illness: fully cooking meats, washing fresh vegetables, carefully cleaning utensils, and avoiding unpasteurized dairy products. In addition, persons at risk for listeriosis, including pregnant women, should avoid soft cheeses (hard cheeses and yogurt are not problematic) and should avoid or thoroughly reheat ready-to-eat and delicatessen foods.

INTRODUCTION

Tetanus is an acute disease manifested by skeletal muscle spasm and autonomic nervous system disturbance. It is caused by a powerful neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium tetani and is completely preventable by vaccination. C. tetani is found throughout the world, and tetanus commonly occurs where the vaccination coverage rate is low. In developed countries, the disease is seen occasionally in individuals who are incompletely vaccinated. In any setting, established tetanus is a severe disease with a high mortality rate.

DEFINITION

Tetanus is diagnosed on clinical grounds (sometimes with supportive laboratory confirmation of the presence of C. tetani; see “Diagnosis,” below), and case definitions are often used to facilitate clinical and epidemiologic assessments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines tetanus as “the acute onset of hypertonia or … painful muscular contractions (usually of the muscles of the jaw and neck) and generalized muscle spasms without other apparent medical cause.” Neonatal tetanus is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “an illness occurring in a child who has the normal ability to suck and cry in the first 2 days of life but who loses this ability between days 3 and 28 of life and becomes rigid and has spasms.” Given the unique presentation of neonatal tetanus, the history generally permits accurate classification of the illness with a high degree of probability. Maternal tetanus is defined by the WHO as tetanus occurring during pregnancy or within 6 weeks after the conclusion of pregnancy (whether with birth, miscarriage, or abortion).

ETIOLOGY

C. tetani is an anaerobic, gram-positive, spore-forming rod whose spores are highly resilient and can survive readily in the environment throughout the world. Spores resist boiling and many disinfectants. In addition, C. tetani spores and bacilli survive in the intestinal systems of many animals, and fecal carriage is common. The spores or bacteria enter the body through abrasions, wounds, or (in the case of neonates) the umbilical stump. Once in a suitable anaerobic environment, the organisms grow, multiply, and release tetanus toxin, an exotoxin that enters the nervous system and causes disease. Very low concentrations of this highly potent toxin can result in tetanus (minimum lethal human dose, 2.5 ng/kg).

In 20–30% of cases of tetanus, no puncture entry wound is found. Superficial abrasions to the limbs are the commonest infection sites in adults. Deeper infections (e.g., attributable to open fracture, abortion, or drug injection) are associated with more severe disease and worse outcomes. In neonates, infection of the umbilical stump can result from inadequate umbilical cord care; in some cultures, for example, the cord is cut with grass or animal dung is applied to the stump. Circumcision or ear-piercing also can result in neonatal tetanus.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Tetanus is a rare disease in the developed world. Two cases of neonatal tetanus have occurred in the United States since 1989. Between 2001 and 2008, a total of 231 cases of tetanus were reported to the U.S. national surveillance system. Most cases occur in incompletely vaccinated or unvaccinated individuals. Vaccination status is known in 50% of cases reported in the United States between 1972 and 2009; among these cases, only 16% of patients had had three or more doses of tetanus toxoid.

Persons >60 years of age are at greater risk of tetanus because antibody levels decrease over time. One-third of recent cases in the United States were in persons >65 years old. Injection drug users—particularly those injecting heroin subcutaneously (“skin-popping”)—are increasingly recognized as a high-risk group (15% of all cases in 2001–2008). In 2004, an outbreak of tetanus occurred in the United Kingdom, which had previously reported low rates among drug users. The reasons for this outbreak remain unclear but are thought to involve a combination of heroin contamination, skin-popping, and incomplete vaccination. Since then, only seven sporadic cases have been reported in the United Kingdom.

PATHOGENESIS

Genome sequencing of C. tetani has allowed identification of several exotoxins and virulence factors. Only those bacteria producing tetanus toxin (tetanospasmin) can cause tetanus. Although closely related to the botulinum toxins in structure and mode of action, tetanus toxin undergoes retrograde transport into the central nervous system and thus produces clinical effects different from those caused by the botulinum toxins, which remain at the neuromuscular junction.

Toxin is transported by intra-axonal transport to motor nuclei of the cranial nerves or ventral horns of the spinal cord. Tetanus toxin is produced as a single 150-kDa protein that is cleaved to produce heavy (100-kDa) and light (50-kDa) chains linked by a disulfide bond and noncovalent forces. The carboxy terminal of the heavy chain binds to specific membrane components in presynaptic α-motor nerve terminals; evidence suggests binding to both polysialogangliosides and membrane proteins. This binding results in toxin internalization and uptake into the nerves. Once inside the neuron, the toxin enters a retrograde transport pathway, whereby it is transported proximally to the motor neuron body in what appears to be a highly specific process. Unlike other components of the endosomal contents, which undergo acidification following internalization, tetanus toxin is transported in a carefully regulated pH-neutral environment that prevents an acid-induced conformational change that would result in light-chain expulsion into the surrounding cytosol.

The next stage in toxin trafficking is less clearly understood but involves tetanus toxin’s escaping normal lysosomal degradation processes and undergoing translocation across the synapse to the GABA-ergic presynaptic inhibitory interneuron terminals. Here the light chain, which is a zinc-dependent endopeptidase, cleaves vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (VAMP2, also known as synaptobrevin). This molecule is necessary for presynaptic binding and release of neurotransmitter; thus tetanus toxin prevents transmitter release and effectively blocks inhibitory interneuron discharge. The result is unregulated activity in the motor nervous system. Similar activity in the autonomic system accounts for the characteristic features of skeletal muscle spasm and autonomic system disturbance. The increased circulating catecholamine levels in severe tetanus are associated with cardiovascular complications.

Relatively little is known about the processes of recovery from tetanus. Recovery can take several weeks. Peripheral nerve sprouting is involved in recovery from botulism, and similar central nervous system sprouting may occur in tetanus. Other evidence suggests toxin degradation as a mechanism of recovery.

APPROACH TO PATIENT

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

Tetanus produces a wide spectrum of clinical features that are broadly divided into generalized (including neonatal) and local. In the usually mild form of local tetanus, only isolated areas of the body are affected and only small areas of local muscle spasm may be apparent. If the cranial nerves are involved in localized cephalic tetanus, the pharyngeal or laryngeal muscles may spasm, with consequent aspiration or airway obstruction, and the prognosis may be poor. In the typical progression of generalized tetanus (Fig. 177-1), muscles of the face and jaw often are affected first, presumably because of the shorter distances toxin must travel up motor nerves to reach presynaptic terminals. Neonates typically present with inability to suck.

In assessing prognosis, the speed at which tetanus develops is important. The incubation period (time from wound to first symptom) and the period of onset (time from first symptom to first generalized spasm) are of particular significance; shorter times are associated with worse outcome. In neonatal tetanus, the younger the infant is when symptoms occur, the worse the prognosis.

The commonest initial symptoms are trismus (lockjaw), muscle pain and stiffness, back pain, and difficulty swallowing. In neonates, difficulty in feeding is the usual presentation. As the disease progresses, muscle spasm develops. Generalized muscle spasm can be very painful. Commonly, the laryngeal muscles are involved early or even in isolation. This is a life-threatening event as complete airway obstruction may ensue. Spasm of the respiratory muscles results in respiratory failure. Without ventilatory support, respiratory failure is the commonest cause of death in tetanus. Spasms strong enough to produce tendon avulsions and crush fractures have been reported, but this outcome is rare.

Autonomic disturbance is maximal during the second week of severe tetanus, and death due to cardiovascular events becomes the major risk. Blood pressure is usually labile, with rapid fluctuations from high to low accompanied by tachycardia. Episodes of bradycardia and heart block can also occur. Autonomic involvement is evidenced by gastrointestinal stasis, sweating, increased tracheal secretions, and acute (often high-output) renal failure.

DIAGNOSIS

The diagnosis of tetanus is based on clinical findings. As stated above, treatment should not be delayed while laboratory tests are conducted. Culture of C. tetani from a wound provides supportive evidence. Serum anti-tetanus immunoglobulin G may also be measured in a sample taken before the administration of antitoxin or immunoglobulin. Serum levels >0.1 IU/mL are deemed protective and do not support the diagnosis of tetanus. If levels are below this threshold, a bioassay for serum tetanus toxin may be helpful, but a negative result does not exclude the diagnosis. Polymerase chain reaction also has been used for detection of tetanus toxin, but its sensitivity is unknown.

The few conditions that mimic generalized tetanus include strychnine poisoning and dystonic reactions to antidopaminergic drugs. Abdominal muscle rigidity is characteristically continuous in tetanus but is episodic in the latter two conditions. Cephalic tetanus can be confused with other causes of trismus, such as oropharyngeal infection. Hypocalcemia and meningoencephalitis are included in the differential diagnosis of neonatal tetanus.

TREATMENT

PROGNOSIS

Rapid development of tetanus is associated with more severe disease and poorer outcome; it is important to note time of onset and length of incubation period. More sophisticated modeling has revealed other important predictors of prognosis (Table 177-1). Few studies have formally addressed long-term outcomes of tetanus. However, it is generally accepted that recovery is typically complete unless periods of hypoventilation have been prolonged or other complications have ensued. Studies of children and neonates have suggested a higher incidence of neurologic sequelae. Neonates may be at increased risk of learning disabilities, behavioral problems, cerebral palsy, and deafness.

PREVENTION

Tetanus is prevented by good wound care and immunization (Chap. 148). In neonates, use of safe, clean delivery and cord-care practices as well as maternal vaccination are essential. The WHO guidelines for tetanus vaccination consist of a primary course of three doses in infancy, boosters at 4–7 and 12–15 years of age, and one booster in adulthood. In the United States, the CDC suggests an additional dose at 14–16 months and boosters every 10 years. “Catch-up” schedules recommend a three-dose primary course for unimmunized adolescents followed by two further doses. For persons who have received a complete primary course in childhood but no further boosters, two doses at least 4 weeks apart are recommended.

Standard WHO recommendations for prevention of maternal and neonatal tetanus call for administration of two doses of tetanus toxoid at least 4 weeks apart to previously unimmunized pregnant women. However, in high-risk areas, a more intensive approach has been successful, with all women of childbearing age receiving a primary course along with education on safe delivery and postnatal practices.

Individuals sustaining tetanus-prone wounds should be immunized if their vaccination status is incomplete or unknown or if their last booster was given >10 years earlier. Patients sustaining wounds not classified as clean or minor should also undergo passive immunization with TIG. It is recommended that tetanus toxoid be given in conjunction with diphtheria toxoid in a preparation with or without acellular pertussis: DTaP for children <7 years old, Td for 7- to 9-year olds, and Tdap for children >9 years old and adults.

In the early 1980s, tetanus caused more than 1 million deaths a year, accounting for an estimated 5% of maternal deaths and 14% of all neonatal deaths. In 1989, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to eliminate neonatal tetanus by the year 2000; elimination was defined as <1 case/1000 live births in every district in every country. By 1999, elimination was still to be achieved in 57 countries and the deadline was extended until 2005, with the additional target of eliminating maternal tetanus (tetanus occurring during pregnancy or within 6 weeks of its end). Ratification of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular goal 4 (achieving a two-thirds reduction in the mortality rate among children under 5 by 2015), has further focused attention on reducing deaths from vaccine-preventable disease, particularly in the first 4 weeks of life.

Because vaccination reduces the incidence of neonatal tetanus by an estimated 94%, immunization of pregnant women with two doses of tetanus toxoid at least 4 weeks apart has been the primary method of maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination. In some areas, all women of childbearing age have been targeted as a means of increasing vaccination coverage. In addition, educational programs have focused on improving hygiene during the birth process, an intervention that in itself is estimated to reduce neonatal tetanus deaths by up to 40%.

The latest available data show that 34 countries have yet to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus, although incidence has declined significantly. Worldwide, deaths from neonatal tetanus fell by 92% between 1990 and 2008; in the latter year, with 84% of newborns protected from the disease by maternal vaccination, there were an estimated 59,000 neonatal tetanus deaths. Despite this relative success, immunization programs need to be ongoing as there is no tetanus herd immunity effect and C. tetani contamination of soil and feces is widespread.

INTRODUCTION

Botulism, recognized at least since the eighteenth century, is a neuroparalytic disease caused by botulinum toxin, one of the most toxic substances known. While initially thought to be caused only by the ingestion of botulinum toxin in contaminated food (food-borne botulism), three additional forms caused by in situ toxin production after germination of spores in either a wound or the intestine are now recognized worldwide: wound botulism, infant botulism, and adult intestinal colonization botulism. In addition to occurring in these recognized natural forms of the disease, botulism symptoms have been reported in patients receiving injections of botulinum toxin for cosmetic or therapeutic purposes (iatrogenic botulism). Moreover, botulism was reported after inhalation of botulinum toxin in a laboratory setting. All forms of botulism manifest as a relatively distinct clinical syndrome of symmetric cranial-nerve palsies followed by descending bilateral flaccid paralysis of voluntary muscles, which may progress to respiratory compromise and death. The mainstays of therapy are meticulous intensive care and treatment with antitoxin as soon as botulism is suspected and before other illnesses have been ruled out.

ETIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS

Seven serologically distinct confirmed serotypes of botulinum toxin (A through G) have been confirmed. Botulinum toxin is produced by four recognized species of clostridia: Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium argentinense, Clostridium baratii, and Clostridium butyricum. Certain strains may produce more than one serotype. All are anaerobic gram-positive organisms that form subterminal spores; C. botulinum and C. argentinense spores have been recovered from the environment. The spores survive environmental conditions and ordinary cooking procedures. Toxin production, however, requires a rare confluence of product storage conditions: an anaerobic environment, a pH of >4.6, low salt and sugar concentrations, and temperatures of >4°C. Although commonly ingested, spores do not normally germinate and produce toxin in the adult human intestine.

Food-borne botulism is caused by consumption of foods contaminated with botulinum toxin; no confirmed host-specific factors are involved in the disease. Wound botulism is caused by contamination of wounds with C. botulinum spores, subsequent spore germination, and toxin production in the anaerobic milieu of an abscess or a wound. Infant botulism results from absorption of toxin produced in situ by toxigenic clostridia colonizing the intestine of children ≤1 year of age. Colonization is thought to occur because the normal bowel microbiota is not yet fully established; this theory is supported by studies in animals. Adult intestinal colonization botulism, a very rare form that is poorly understood, has a pathology similar to that of infant botulism but occurs in adults; typically, patients have some anatomic or functional bowel abnormality or have recently used antibiotics that may help toxigenic clostridia compete more successfully against the normal bowel microbiota. Despite antitoxin treatment, relapse due to intermittent intraluminal production of toxin may be observed in patients with adult intestinal colonization botulism.

Regardless of how exposure occurs, botulinum neurotoxin enters the vascular system and is transported to peripheral cholinergic nerve terminals, including neuromuscular junctions, postganglionic parasympathetic nerve endings, and peripheral ganglia. Botulinum toxin is a zinc-endopeptidase protein of ~150 kDa, consisting of a 100-kDa heavy chain and a 50-kDa light chain. Steps in neurotoxin activity include (1) heavy-chain binding to nerve terminals, (2) internalization in endocytic vesicles, (3) translocation of the light chain to cytosol, and (4) light-chain serotype-specific cleavage of one of several proteins involved in the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Inhibition of acetylcholine release by any of the seven toxin serotypes results in characteristic flaccid paralysis. Recovery follows sprouting of new nerve terminals.

All botulinum toxin serotypes have been demonstrated to cause botulism in nonhuman primates. Human cases associated with serotypes A, B, E, and F are reported each year. Serotype A produces the most severe syndrome, with the greatest proportion of patients requiring mechanical ventilation. Serotype B appears to cause milder disease than type A in both food-borne and infant botulism. Serotype E, most often associated with foods of aquatic origin, produces a syndrome of variable severity. The rare cases of illness caused by toxin serotype F, whether in infants or adults, are characterized by rapid progression to quadriplegia and respiratory failure but also by relatively rapid recovery. Recent studies have shown that at least some serotypes can be differentiated into subtypes through neurotoxin gene sequencing; however, the impact of these subtype differences on clinical illness is not yet known.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Botulism occurs worldwide, but the number of cases reported varies among countries and regions. The variation may be due not only to actual differences in incidence but also to (1) availability of resources to identify botulism, a rare disease; (2) differences in reporting requirements; and (3) limited external access to data collections. There is no universal surveillance system to capture worldwide botulism incidence. However, 30 countries currently participate in voluntary reporting of botulism cases to the European Union through an established surveillance system that includes standardized case definitions similar to those used in the United States and Canada. Other countries (e.g., Argentina, China, Thailand, Japan) maintain independent botulism surveillance.

Food-Borne Botulism

From 1899 to 2011, 1225 food-borne botulism events (single cases or outbreaks) were reported in the United States; from 1990 to 2000, a median of 23 cases were reported annually. Most such events (~80%) involve vegetables or fish/aquatic animals, usually home-preserved (canned, jarred). Native communities in both the United States (Alaska) and Canada have a high incidence of food-borne botulism due to traditional food-preparation practices; 85% of all cases in Canada occur in Native communities. Outbreaks typically involve two or three cases; however, one restaurant-associated outbreak in 1977 affected 59 persons. Worldwide, the highest incidence rate is reported from Georgia and Armenia in the southern Caucasus region, where illness is also associated with home-canning practices. Outbreaks in Asia are attributable to consumption of home-preserved fish or vegetable products such as bean curd and bamboo shoots. In parts of Europe, including Poland, France, and Germany, illness is often associated with home-preserved meat such as ham or sausage. Since 1950, commercial products have rarely been implicated in botulism in the United States, and botulism from commercial products is most often attributed to consumer error in storage or cooking. However, manufacturer deficiencies do occur. In 2007, botulism developed in eight persons in the United States who consumed a commercially canned hot-dog chili sauce. Significant deficiencies discovered by regulatory authorities involved 91 different products and resulted in the recall of 111 million cans of food.

Wound Botulism

This form of disease was first recognized in 1951 as a result of a review of the clinical records on an accidental injury in 1943. Between 1943 and 2011, 491 cases of wound botulism were reported in the United States; 97% of cases reported after 1990 were associated with injection drug use. The typical patient was a 30- to 50-year-old resident of the western United States with a long history of black-tar heroin injection. In the early 2000s, wound botulism associated with drug use emerged in Europe, and at least two case clusters have been reported.

Infant Botulism

More than 3900 infant botulism cases have been reported worldwide (84% in the United States alone) since this form of the disease was first recognized in 1976; ~80–100 cases (commonly caused by serotypes A and B) are reported annually in the United States.

Adult Intestinal Colonization Botulism

This form of botulism is difficult to confirm because it is poorly understood and because no clear guidelines are available to help differentiate it from other adult botulism cases. Often these cases are caused by C. baratii type F, but the involvement of both C. botulinum type A and C. butyricum type E has been reported.

Iatrogenic Botulism

Paralysis of variable severity has followed injection of licensed botulinum toxin products for treatment of conditions involving hypertonicity of large muscle groups. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration received 658 reports of adverse events related to botulinum toxin use—some very serious—between 1997 and 2006. Although some patients had symptoms consistent with botulism, no cases were laboratory confirmed. Injection of approved doses of licensed products for cosmetic purposes has not been associated with botulism. However, four cases of laboratory-confirmed botulism resulted from illegal injection of research-grade toxin for cosmetic purposes in a U.S. medical facility in 2004.

Inhalational Botulism

Inhalational botulism does not occur naturally. One report from Germany has described botulism resulting from possible inhalational exposure to botulinum toxin in a laboratory incident.

Intentional Botulism

Botulinum toxin has been “weaponized” by governments and terrorist organizations. An attack might use aerosolization of toxin or contamination of foods or beverages ranging in scope from small-scale tampering to contamination of a widely distributed food item. An unnatural event may be suggested by unusual relationships between patients (e.g., a visit to the same building), atypical exposure vehicles, or atypical toxin serotypes.

CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS

The distinctive clinical syndrome of botulism consists of symmetric cranial-nerve palsies followed by bilateral descending flaccid paralysis that may progress to respiratory failure and death. The incubation period from ingestion of contaminated food to onset of symptoms in food-borne botulism is usually 8–36 h but can be as long as 10 days and is dose dependent. Incubation periods of 4–17 days have been documented in wound botulism associated with accidental injury. However, estimation is difficult in cases involving injection drug users because most of these patients inject drugs several times daily. Similarly, the incubation period for infant botulism has not been established, but the fact that the illness has affected infants <3 days old suggests that this interval may be very short.

Cranial nerve deficits may include some of the following: diplopia, dysarthria, dysphonia, ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, facial paralysis, and impaired gag reflex. Pupillary reflexes may be depressed, and fixed or dilated pupils are sometimes noted. Autonomic symptoms such as dizziness, dry mouth, and very dry, occasionally sore throat are common. Constipation due to paralytic ileus is nearly universal, and urinary retention is also common. Patients are afebrile and remain alert and oriented. Respiratory failure may occur due to either paralysis of the diaphragm and accessory breathing muscles or pharyngeal collapse secondary to cranial nerve paralysis. Weakness descends, often rapidly, from the head to involve the neck, arms, thorax, and legs; occasionally, weakness is asymmetric. Deep tendon reflexes may be normal or may progressively disappear. Paresthesias, while rare, have been reported and may represent secondary nerve compression from immobility due to paralysis. Absence of cranial nerve palsies or their onset after the appearance of other true neurologic symptoms makes botulism highly unlikely. Nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain may precede or follow the onset of paralysis in food-borne botulism. Infants with botulism typically present with reduced ability to suck and swallow, constipation, weakened voice, ptosis, sluggish pupils, hypotonia, and floppy neck; as in adults, illness can progress to generalized flaccidity and respiratory compromise.

Even when intubated, patients can respond to questions by moving their fingers or toes unless paralysis has affected the digits. In some instances, unfortunately, the severe ptosis, expressionless face, and weak phonation of patients with botulism have been interpreted as signs of mental status changes due to alcohol intoxication, drug overdose, encephalitis, or meningitis—a conclusion that delays an accurate diagnosis. Because of skeletal muscle paralysis, patients experiencing respiratory distress may appear placid and detached even as they near respiratory arrest. Death in untreated botulism is usually due to airway obstruction from pharyngeal muscle paralysis and inadequate tidal volume resulting from paralysis of diaphragmatic and accessory respiratory muscles. Death can also result from hospital-associated infections and other sequelae of long-term paralysis, hospitalization, and mechanical ventilation.

A history of preparing home-canned foods may assist with the diagnosis. Patients with wound botulism may or may not have a discernible wound or abscess. A history of injection drug use or the presence of track marks may raise suspicion of the diagnosis. Clinical improvement follows sprouting of new nerve terminals and may take weeks to months. Patients often require outpatient rehabilitation therapy and may experience residual deficits.

DIAGNOSIS

Botulism is diagnosed primarily on clinical grounds, with laboratory confirmation by specific tests that identify botulinum toxin in clinical and food samples. In the setting of an outbreak with multiple patients presenting to the same treatment facility, the diagnosis is apparent as long as physicians recognize that cases within a cluster may have varied signs and symptoms. The temporal occurrence of two or more cases with symptoms compatible with botulism is essentially pathognomonic because other illnesses that resemble botulism do not usually occur in clusters. In lone (sporadic) cases, the diagnosis is often missed. The rarity of this disease prevents many physicians from gaining experience with its clinical diagnosis, and some patients present with signs and symptoms that do not fit the classic pattern. Assessing clinical characteristics of other paralytic illnesses in single cases is sometimes critical to rule in or rule out the diagnosis of botulism.

In adults, a food history and the names of contacts who may have shared foods should be obtained before illness progresses to respiratory failure; specific questions should include information about the consumption of home-preserved and/or exotic foods and of products requiring refrigeration that have been left at room temperature in sealed plastic containers or bags. A history of recent consumption of home-canned food substantially enhances the probability of food-borne botulism.

Ascertainment of the patient’s behavioral history related to injection drug use is critical to the diagnosis of wound botulism unless an accidental wound is evident. Caretakers’ observations up to and including the onset of symptoms are vital to the diagnosis of infant botulism. A history of recent abdominal surgery or antibiotic use may be important in the diagnosis of adult intestinal colonization botulism.

Differential Diagnosis

The illnesses most commonly considered in the differential diagnosis of adult botulism cases include Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), myasthenia gravis, stroke syndromes, Eaton-Lambert syndrome, and tick paralysis. Less likely possibilities are poisoning by tetrodotoxin, shellfish, or a host of rarer agents and antimicrobial drug–associated paralysis. A thorough history and a meticulous physical examination can effectively eliminate most alternative diagnoses, but a workup for other diagnoses should not delay treatment with botulinum antitoxin.

GBS, a rare autoimmune demyelinating polyneuropathy that often follows an acute infection, presents most often as an ascending paralysis. Case clusters are rare. Occasional GBS cases present as the Miller Fisher variant, whose characteristic triad of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia is easily mistaken for the early descending paralysis of botulism. Protein levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are elevated in GBS; because this increase may be delayed until several days after symptom onset, an early lumbar puncture with a negative result may need to be repeated. In contrast, CSF findings are generally normal in botulism, although marginally elevated CSF protein concentrations have been reported. In experienced hands, electromyography may differentiate GBS from botulism.

The edrophonium (Tensilon) test is sometimes of value in distinguishing botulism (usually a negative result) from myasthenia gravis (usually a positive result).

In most cerebrovascular accidents, physical examination reveals asymmetry of paralysis and upper motor neuron signs. Brain imaging can reveal the rare basilar stroke that produces symmetric bulbar palsies. Eaton-Lambert syndrome usually manifests as proximal limb weakness in a patient already debilitated by cancer. Tick paralysis is a rare flaccid condition closely resembling botulism and caused by neurotoxins of certain ticks.

Botulism-Specific Laboratory Tests

Botulism is confirmed in the laboratory by demonstration of toxin in clinical specimens (e.g., serum, stool, gastric aspirate, and sterile-water enema samples) or in samples of ingested foods. Isolation of toxigenic clostridia from stool also provides evidence of botulism. Wound cultures yielding the organism are highly suggestive in symptomatic cases. The universally accepted method for confirmation of botulism is the mouse bioassay, which is available only in specialized laboratories. Specific guidance about what specimens to collect should be obtained from the testing laboratory because the requirements vary with the form of botulism suspected. Clinical specimens collected early in the hospital admission process should be submitted for testing; toxin results may be negative if specimens are collected >7 days after symptom onset. Because of the extreme potency of botulinum toxin, a test may yield a negative result even when a patient has botulism; thus, a negative result does not exclude this diagnosis. In suspected wound botulism, material from abscesses should be collected in anaerobic culture tubes. New laboratory tests for botulism are being developed but remain experimental. Nerve conduction studies showing reduced amplitude of motor potentials—with or without potentiation by rapid repetitive stimulation in weak muscles—and needle electromyography showing small-motor-unit action potentials are consistent with botulism; these results and those that make alternative diagnoses more likely may be useful. Standard blood work and radiologic studies are not useful in diagnosing botulism.

TREATMENT

NOTIFICATION, EXPERT CONSULTATION, AND ANTITOXIN PROVISION

Every botulism case is a public health emergency. Antitoxin is not universally available. Some countries maintain stockpiles of antitoxin for immediate response, whereas others must access supplies from other nations when an outbreak occurs.

In the United States, clinicians must report every suspected case, regardless of form, on an emergency basis to their state health department. The state health department may put the physician in contact with the 24/7 botulism consultation service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the CDC Emergency Operations Center (770-488-7100) or a locally available service. The botulism consultant will review the case and determine whether botulism is likely. If indicated, the consultant will coordinate laboratory confirmation at appropriate testing facilities and facilitate emergency shipment of antitoxin for all adult cases and for infant cases not involving serotypes A and B. In this country, botulinum antitoxin for noninfant cases is available exclusively from the CDC. Physicians who see suspected infant botulism cases should contact the California Department of Public Health Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program (510-231-7600), which provides 24-h consultation and distributes antitoxin (BabyBIG) for the treatment of infant botulism nationwide. Except in cases involving infants who reside in California, laboratory testing requests must still be authorized by the state health department where the infant is located or by the CDC.

PREVENTION

No prophylaxis or licensed vaccine is available against botulism. Home-canning instructions and equipment have changed over the years. Up-to-date canning instructions from reliable sources (e.g., the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) should be followed to ensure food safety. Processed food should be stored properly and heated thoroughly prior to consumption. Because of the possible presence of spores, honey should not be given to infants (≤12 months of age). Injection of illicit drugs should be avoided. All wounds should be meticulously cleaned to eliminate possible contamination with bacterial spores. Clinicians should educate individuals or family members of at-risk individuals, including infants, illegal drug users, and preparers of home-preserved foods.

Acknowledgment

The authors thank Dr. Jeremy Sobel for his valued contributions to the previous version of this chapter.

INTRODUCTION

The genus Clostridium encompasses more than 60 species that may be commensals of the gut microflora or may cause a variety of infections in humans and animals through the production of a plethora of proteinaceous exotoxins. C. tetani and C. botulinum, for example, cause specific clinical disease by elaborating single but highly potent toxins. In contrast, C. perfringens and C. septicum cause aggressive necrotizing infections that are attributable to multiple toxins, including bacterial proteases, phospholipases, and cytotoxins.

ETIOLOGIC AGENT

Vegetative cells of Clostridium species are pleomorphic, rod-shaped, and arranged singly or in short chains (Fig. 179-1); the cells have rounded or sometimes pointed ends. Although clostridia stain gram-positive in the early stages of growth, they may appear to be gram-negative or gram-variable later in the growth cycle or in infected tissue specimens. Most strains are motile by means of peritrichous flagella; C. septicum swarms on solid media. Nonmotile species include C. perfringens, C. ramosum, and C. innocuum. Most species are obligately anaerobic, although clostridial tolerance to oxygen varies widely; some species (e.g., C. septicum, C. tertium) will grow but will not sporulate in air.

Clostridia produce more protein toxins than any other bacterial genus, and more than 25 clostridial toxins lethal to mice have been identified. These proteins include neurotoxins, enterotoxins, cytotoxins, collagenases, permeases, necrotizing toxins, lipases, lecithinases, hemolysins, proteinases, hyaluronidases, DNases, ADP-ribosyltransferases, and neuraminidases. Botulinum and tetanus neurotoxins are the most potent toxins known, with lethal doses of 0.2–10 ng/kg for humans. Epsilon toxin, a 33-kDa protein produced by C. perfringens types B and D, causes edema and hemorrhage in the brain, heart, spinal cord, and kidneys of animals. It is among the most lethal of the clostridial toxins and is considered a potential agent of bioterrorism (Chap. 261e). The genomic sequences of some pathogenic clostridia are now available and are likely to facilitate a comprehensive approach to understanding the virulence factors involved in clostridial pathogenesis.

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND TRANSMISSION

Clostridium species are widespread in nature, forming endospores that are commonly found in soil, feces, sewage, and marine sediments. The ecology of C. perfringens in soil is greatly influenced by the degree and duration of animal husbandry in a given location and is relevant to the incidence of gas gangrene caused by contamination of war wounds with soil. For example, the incidence of clostridial gas gangrene is higher in agricultural regions of Europe than in the Sahara Desert of Africa. Similarly, the incidences of tetanus and food-borne botulism are clearly related to the presence of clostridial spores in soil, water, and many foods. Clostridia are present in large numbers in the indigenous microbiota of the intestinal tract of humans and animals, in the female genital tract, and on the oral mucosa. It should be noted that not all commensal clostridia are toxigenic.

Clostridial infections remain a serious public health concern worldwide. In developing nations, food poisoning, necrotizing enterocolitis, and gas gangrene are common because large portions of the population are poor and have little or no immediate access to health care. These infections remain prevalent in developed countries as well. Gas gangrene commonly follows knife or gunshot wounds or vehicular accidents or develops as a complication of surgery or gastrointestinal carcinoma. Severe clostridial infections have emerged as a health threat to injection drug users and to women undergoing childbirth or abortion. Historically, clostridial gas gangrene has been the scourge of the battlefield. The global political situation portends another possible scenario involving mass casualties of war or terrorism, with extensive injuries conducive to gas gangrene. Thus there is an ongoing need to develop novel strategies to prevent or attenuate the course of clostridial infections in both civilians and military personnel. Vaccination against exotoxins important in pathogenesis would be of great benefit in developing nations and could also be used safely in at-risk populations such as the elderly, patients with diabetes who may require lower-limb surgery due to trauma or poor circulation, and those undergoing intestinal surgery. Moreover, a hyperimmune globulin would be a valuable tool for prophylaxis in victims of acute traumatic injury or for attenuation of the spread of infection in patients with established gas gangrene.

CLINICAL SYNDROMES

Life-threatening clostridial infections range from intoxications (e.g., food poisoning, tetanus) to necrotizing enteritis/colitis, bacteremia, myonecrosis, and toxic shock syndrome (TSS). Tetanus and botulism are discussed in Chaps. 177 and 178, respectively. Colitis due to C. difficile is discussed in Chap. 161.

CLOSTRIDIAL WOUND CONTAMINATION

Of open traumatic wounds, 30–80% reportedly are contaminated with clostridial species. In the absence of devitalized tissue, the presence of clostridia does not necessarily lead to infection. In traumatic injuries, clostridia are isolated with equal frequency from both suppurative and well-healing wounds. Thus, diagnosis and treatment of clostridial infection should be based on clinical signs and symptoms and not solely on bacteriologic findings.

POLYMICROBIAL INFECTIONS INVOLVING CLOSTRIDIA

Clostridial species may be found in polymicrobial infections also involving microbial components of the indigenous flora. In these infections, clostridia often appear in association with non-spore-forming anaerobes and facultative or aerobic organisms. Head and neck infections, conjunctivitis, brain abscess, sinusitis, otitis, aspiration pneumonia, lung abscess, pleural empyema, cholecystitis, septic arthritis, and bone infections all may involve clostridia. These conditions are often associated with severe local inflammation but may lack the characteristic systemic signs of toxicity and rapid progression seen in other clostridial infections. In addition, clostridia are isolated from ~66% of intraabdominal infections in which the mucosal integrity of the bowel or respiratory system has been compromised. In this setting, C. ramosum, C. perfringens, and C. bifermentans are the most commonly isolated species. Their presence does not invariably lead to a poor outcome. Clostridia have been isolated from suppurative infections of the female genital tract (e.g., ovarian or pelvic abscess) and from diseased gallbladders. Although the most frequently isolated species is C. perfringens, gangrene is not typically observed; however, gas formation in the biliary system can lead to emphysematous cholecystitis, especially in diabetic patients. C. perfringens in association with mixed aerobic and anaerobic microbes can cause aggressive life-threatening type I necrotizing fasciitis or Fournier’s gangrene.

The treatment of mixed aerobic/anaerobic infection of the abdomen, perineum, or gynecologic organs should be based on Gram’s staining, culture, and antibiotic sensitivity information. Reasonable empirical treatment consists of ampicillin or ampicillin/sulbactam combined with either clindamycin or metronidazole (Table 179-1). Broader gram-negative coverage may be necessary if the patient has recently been hospitalized or treated with antibiotics. Such coverage can be obtained by substituting ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, piperacillin/sulbactam, or a penem antibiotic for ampicillin or by adding a fluoroquinolone or an aminoglycoside to the regimen. Empirical treatment should be given for 10–14 days or until the patient’s clinical condition improves.

ENTERIC CLOSTRIDIAL INFECTIONS

C. perfringens type A is one of the most common bacterial causes of food-borne illness in the United States and Canada. The foods typically implicated include improperly cooked meat and meat products (e.g., gravy) in which residual spores germinate and proliferate during slow cooling or insufficient reheating. Illness results from the ingestion of food containing at least ~10⁸ viable vegetative cells, which sporulate in the alkaline environment of the small intestine, producing C. perfringens enterotoxin in the process. The diarrhea that develops within 7–30 h of ingestion of contaminated food is generally mild and self-limiting; however, in the very young, the elderly, and the immunocompromised, symptoms are more severe and occasionally fatal. Enterotoxin-producing C. perfringens has been implicated as an etiologic agent of persistent diarrhea in elderly patients in nursing homes and tertiary-care institutions and has been considered to play a role in antibiotic-associated diarrhea without pseudomembranous colitis.

C. perfringens strains associated with food poisoning possess the gene (cpe) coding for enterotoxin, which acts by forming pores in host cell membranes. C. perfringens strains isolated from non-food-borne diseases, such as antibiotic-associated and sporadic diarrhea, carry cpe on a plasmid that may be transmitted to other strains. Several methods have been described for the detection of C. perfringens enterotoxin in feces, including cell culture assay (Vero cells), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, reversed-phase latex agglutination, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of cpe. Each method has its advantages and limitations.

Enteritis necroticans (gas gangrene of the bowel) is a fulminating clinical illness characterized by extensive necrosis of the intestinal mucosa and wall. Cases can occur sporadically in adults or as epidemics in people of all ages. Enteritis necroticans is caused by α toxin– and β toxin–producing strains of C. perfringens type C; β toxin is located on a plasmid and is mainly responsible for pathogenesis. This life-threatening infection causes ischemic necrosis of the jejunum. In Papua New Guinea during the 1960s, enteritis necroticans (known in that locale as pigbel) was found to be the most common cause of death in childhood; it was associated with pig feasts and occurred both sporadically and in outbreaks. Intramuscular immunization against the β toxin resulted in a decreased incidence of the disease in Papua New Guinea, although the condition remains common. Enteritis necroticans has also been recognized in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany (where it is known as darmbrand), and other developed nations; especially affected are adults who are malnourished or who have diabetes, alcoholic liver disease, or neutropenia.

Necrotizing enterocolitis, a disease resembling enteritis necroticans but associated with C. perfringens type A, has been found in North America in previously healthy adults. It is also a serious gastrointestinal disease of low-birth-weight (premature) infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units. The etiology and pathogenesis of this disease have remained enigmatic for more than four decades. Pathologic similarities between necrotizing enterocolitis and enteritis necroticans include the pattern of small-bowel necrosis involving the submucosa, mucosa, and muscularis; the presence of gas dissecting the tissue planes; and the degree of inflammation. In contrast to enteritis necroticans, which most commonly involves the jejunum, necrotizing enterocolitis affects the ileum and frequently the ileocecal valve. Both diseases may manifest as intestinal gas cysts, although this feature is more common in necrotizing enterocolitis. The sources of the gas, which contains hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide, are probably the fermentative activities of intestinal bacteria, including clostridia. Epidemiologic data support an important role for C. perfringens or other gas-producing microorganisms (e.g., C. neonatale, certain other clostridia, or Klebsiella species) in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis.

Patients with suspected clostridial enteric infection should undergo nasogastric suction and receive IV fluids. Pyrantel is given by mouth, and the bowel is rested by fasting. Benzylpenicillin (1 mU) is given IV every 4 h, and the patient is observed for complications requiring surgery. Patients with mild cases recover without surgical intervention. If surgical indications are present (gas in the peritoneal cavity, absent bowel sounds, rebound tenderness, abdominal rigidity), however, the mortality rate ranges from 35% to 100%; a fatal outcome is due in part to perforation of the intestine.

As pigbel continues to be a common disease in Papua New Guinea, consideration should be given to the use of a C. perfringens type C β toxoid vaccine in local areas. Two doses given 3–4 months apart are preventive.

CLOSTRIDIAL BACTEREMIA

Clostridium species are important causes of bloodstream infections. Molecular epidemiologic studies of anaerobic bacteremia have identified C. perfringens and C. tertium as the two most frequently isolated species; these organisms cause up to 79% and 5%, respectively, of clostridial bacteremias. Occasionally, C. perfringens bacteremia occurs in the absence of an identifiable infection at another site. When associated with myonecrosis, bacteremia has a grave prognosis.

C. septicum is also commonly associated with bacteremia. This species is isolated only rarely from the feces of healthy individuals but may be found in the normal appendix. More than 50% of patients whose blood cultures are positive for this organism have some gastrointestinal anomaly (e.g., diverticular disease) or underlying malignancy (e.g., carcinoma of the colon). In addition, a clinically important association of C. septicum bacteremia with neutropenia of any origin—and, more specifically, with neutropenic enterocolitis involving the terminal ileum or cecum—has been observed. Patients with diabetes mellitus, severe atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or anaerobic myonecrosis (gas gangrene) also may develop C. septicum bacteremia. C. septicum has been recovered from the bloodstream of cirrhotic patients, as have C. perfringens, C. bifermentans, and other clostridia. Infections of the bloodstream by C. sordellii and C. perfringens have been associated with TSS.

Bloodstream infection by C. tertium, either alone or in combination with C. septicum or C. perfringens, can be found in patients with serious underlying disease such as malignancy or acute pancreatitis, with or without neutropenic enterocolitis; the frequency has not been systematically studied. C. tertium may present special problems in terms of both identification and treatment. This organism may stain gram-negative; is aerotolerant; and is resistant to metronidazole, clindamycin, and cephalosporins.

Other clostridia from the C. clostridioforme group (including C. clostridioforme, C. hathewayi, and C. bolteae) can cause bacteremia.

The clinical importance of recognizing clostridial bacteremia—especially that due to C. septicum—and starting appropriate treatment immediately (Table 179-1) cannot be overemphasized. Patients with this condition usually are gravely ill, and infection may metastasize to distant anatomic sites, resulting in spontaneous myonecrosis (see next section). Alternative methods to identify bacteremia-causing clostridial species, such as PCR or other rapid diagnostic tests, are not currently available. Anaerobic blood cultures and Gram’s stain interpretation remain the best diagnostic tests at this point.

CLOSTRIDIAL SKIN AND SOFT-TISSUE INFECTIONS

Histotoxic clostridial species such as C. perfringens, C. histolyticum, C. septicum, C. novyi, and C. sordellii cause aggressive necrotizing infections of the skin and soft tissues. These infections are attributable in part to the elaboration of bacterial proteases, phospholipases, and cytotoxins. Necrotizing clostridial soft-tissue infections are rapidly progressive and are characterized by marked tissue destruction, gas in the tissues, and shock; they frequently end in death. Severe pain, crepitus, brawny induration with rapid progression to skin sloughing, violaceous bullae, and marked tachycardia are characteristics found in the majority of patients.

Clostridial Myonecrosis (Gas Gangrene)

TRAUMATIC GAS GANGRENE

C. perfringens myonecrosis (gas gangrene) is one of the most fulminant gram-positive bacterial infections of humans. Even with appropriate antibiotic therapy and management in an intensive care unit, tissue destruction can progress rapidly. Gas gangrene is accompanied by bacteremia, hypotension, and multiorgan failure and is invariably fatal if untreated. Gas gangrene is a true emergency and requires immediate surgical debridement.

The development of gas gangrene requires an anaerobic environment and contamination of a wound with spores or vegetative organisms. Devitalized tissue, foreign bodies, and ischemia reduce locally available oxygen levels and favor outgrowth of vegetative cells and spores. Thus conditions predisposing to traumatic gas gangrene include crush-type injury, laceration of large or medium-sized arteries, and open fractures of long bones that are contaminated with soil or bits of clothing containing the bacterial spores. Gas gangrene of the abdominal wall and flanks follows penetrating injuries such as knife or gunshot wounds that are sufficient to compromise intestinal integrity, with resultant leakage of the bowel contents into the soft tissues. Proximity to fecal sources of bacteria is a risk factor for cases following hip surgery, adrenaline injections into the buttocks, or amputation of the leg for ischemic vascular disease. In the last decade, cutaneous gas gangrene caused by C. perfringens, C. novyi, and C. sordellii has been described in the United States and northern Europe among persons injecting black-tar heroin subcutaneously.

The incubation period for traumatic gas gangrene can be as short as 6 h and is usually <4 days. The infection is characterized by the sudden onset of excruciating pain at the affected site and the rapid development of a foul-smelling wound containing a thin serosanguineous discharge and gas bubbles. Brawny edema and induration develop and give way to cutaneous blisters containing bluish to maroon-colored fluid. Such tissue later may become liquefied and slough. The margin between healthy and necrotic tissue often advances several inches per hour despite appropriate antibiotic therapy, and radical amputation remains the single best life-saving intervention. Shock and organ failure frequently accompany gas gangrene; when patients become bacteremic, the mortality rate exceeds 50%.

Diagnosis of traumatic gas gangrene is not difficult because the infection always begins at the site of significant trauma, is associated with gas in the tissue, and is rapidly progressive. Gram’s staining of drainage or tissue biopsy is usually definitive, demonstrating large gram-positive (or gram-variable) rods, an absence of inflammatory cells, and widespread soft-tissue necrosis.

SPONTANEOUS (NONTRAUMATIC) GAS GANGRENE

Spontaneous gas gangrene generally occurs via hematogenous seeding of normal muscle with histotoxic clostridia—principally C. perfringens, C. septicum, and C. novyi and occasionally C. tertium—from a gastrointestinal tract portal of entry (as in colonic malignancy, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, necrotizing enterocolitis, cecitis, or distal ileitis or after gastrointestinal surgery). These gastrointestinal pathologies permit bacterial access to the bloodstream; consequently, aerotolerant C. septicum can proliferate in normal tissues. Patients surviving bacteremia or spontaneous gangrene due to C. septicum should undergo aggressive diagnostic studies to rule out gastrointestinal pathology.

Additional predisposing host factors include leukemia, lympho­proliferative disorders, cancer chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and AIDS. Cyclic, congenital, or acquired neutropenia also is strongly associated with an increased incidence of spontaneous gas gangrene due to C. septicum; in such cases, necrotizing enterocolitis, cecitis, or distal ileitis is common, particularly among children.

The first symptom of spontaneous gas gangrene may be confusion followed by the abrupt onset of excruciating pain in the absence of trauma. These findings, along with fever, should heighten suspicion of spontaneous gas gangrene. However, because of the lack of an obvious portal of entry, the correct diagnosis is frequently delayed or missed. The infection is characterized by rapid progression of tissue destruction with demonstrable gas in the tissue (Fig. 179-2). Swelling increases, and bullae filled with clear, cloudy, hemorrhagic, or purplish fluid appear. The surrounding skin has a purple hue, which may reflect vascular compromise resulting from the diffusion of bacterial toxins into surrounding tissues. Invasion of healthy tissue rapidly ensues, with quick progression to shock and multiple-organ failure. Mortality rates in this setting range from 67 to 100% among adults; among children, the mortality rate is 59%, with the majority of deaths occurring within 24 h of onset.

PATHOGENESIS OF GAS GANGRENE

In traumatic gas gangrene, organisms are introduced into devitalized tissue. It is important to recognize that for C. perfringens and C. novyi, trauma must be sufficient to interrupt the blood supply and thereby to establish an optimal anaerobic ­environment for growth of these species. These conditions are not strictly required for the more aerotolerant species such as C. septicum and C. tertium, which can seed normal tissues from gastrointestinal lesions. Once introduced into an appropriate niche, the organisms proliferate locally and elaborate exotoxins.

The major C. perfringens extracellular toxins implicated in gas gangrene are α toxin and θ toxin. A lethal hemolysin that has both phospholipase C and sphingomyelinase activities, α toxin has been implicated as the major virulence factor of C. perfringens: immunization of mice with the C-terminal domain of α toxin provides protection against lethal challenge with C. perfringens, and isogenic α toxin–deficient mutant strains of C. perfringens are not lethal in a murine model of gas gangrene. It has been shown in experimental models that the severe pain, rapid progression, marked tissue destruction, and absence of neutrophils in C. perfringens gas gangrene are attributable in large part to α toxin–induced occlusion of blood vessels by heterotypic aggregates of platelets and neutrophils. The formation of these aggregates, which occurs within minutes, is largely mediated by α toxin’s ability to activate the platelet adhesion molecule gpIIb/IIIa (Fig. 179-3); the implication is that platelet glycoprotein inhibitors (e.g., eptifibatide, abciximab) may be therapeutic for maintaining tissue blood flow.

C. perfringens θ toxin (perfringolysin) is a member of the thiol-activated cytolysin family known as cholesterol-dependent cytolysins, which includes streptolysin O from group A Streptococcus, pneumolysin from Streptococcus pneumoniae, and several other toxins. Cholesterol-dependent cytolysins bind as oligomers to cholesterol in host cell membranes. At high concentrations, these toxins form ring-like pores resulting in cell lysis. At sublytic concentrations, θ toxin hyperactivates phagocytes and vascular endothelial cells.

Cardiovascular collapse and end-organ failure occur late in the course of C. perfringens gas gangrene and are largely attributable to both direct and indirect effects of α and θ toxins. In experimental models, θ toxin causes markedly reduced systemic vascular resistance but increased cardiac output (i.e., “warm shock”), probably via induction of endogenous mediators (e.g., prostacyclin, platelet-activating factor) that cause vasodilation. This effect is similar to that observed in gram-negative sepsis. In sharp contrast, α toxin directly suppresses myocardial contractility; the consequence is profound hypotension due to a sudden reduction in cardiac output. The roles of other endogenous mediators, such as cytokines (e.g., tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 1, interleukin 6) and vasodilators (e.g., bradykinin) have not been fully elucidated.

C. septicum produces four main toxins—α toxin (lethal, hemolytic, necrotizing activity), β toxin (DNase), γ toxin (hyaluronidase), and Δ toxin (septicolysin, an oxygen-labile hemolysin)—as well as a protease and a neuraminidase. Unlike the α toxin of C. perfringens, that of C. septicum does not possess phospholipase activity. The mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated, but it is likely that each of these toxins contributes uniquely to C. septicum gas gangrene.

TREATMENT

PROGNOSIS OF GAS GANGRENE

The prognosis for patients with gas gangrene is more favorable when the infection involves an extremity rather than the trunk or visceral organs, since debridement of the latter sites is more difficult. Gas gangrene is most likely to progress to shock and death in patients with associated bacteremia and intravascular hemolysis. Mortality rates are highest for patients in shock at the time of diagnosis. Mortality rates are relatively high among patients with spontaneous gas gangrene, especially that due to C. septicum. Survivors of gas gangrene may undergo multiple debridements and face long periods of hospitalization and rehabilitation.

PREVENTION OF GAS GANGRENE

Initial aggressive debridement of devitalized tissue can reduce the risk of gas gangrene in contaminated deep wounds. Interventions to be avoided include prolonged application of tourniquets and surgical closure of traumatic wounds; patients with compound fractures are at significant risk for gas gangrene if the wound is closed surgically. Vaccination against α toxin is protective in experimental animal models of C. perfringens gas gangrene but has not been investigated in humans. In addition, as mentioned above, a hyperimmune globulin would represent a significant advance for prophylaxis in victims of acute traumatic injury or for attenuation of the spread of infection in patients with established gas gangrene.

Toxic Shock Syndrome

Clostridial infection of the endometrium, particularly that due to C. sordellii, can develop after gynecologic procedures, childbirth, or abortion (spontaneous or elective, surgical or medical) and, once established, proceeds rapidly to TSS and death. Systemic manifestations, including edema, effusions, profound leukocytosis, and hemoconcentration, are followed by the rapid onset of hypotension and multiple-organ failure. Elevation of the hematocrit to 75–80% and leukocytosis of 50,000–200,000 cells/μL, with a left shift, are characteristic of C. sordellii infection. Pain may not be a prominent feature, and fever is typically absent. In one series, 18% of 45 cases of C. sordellii infection were associated with normal childbirth, 11% with medically induced abortion, and 0.4% with spontaneous abortion; the case-fatality rate was 100% in these groups. Of the infections in this series that were not related to gynecologic procedures or childbirth, 22% occurred in injection drug users, and 50% of these patients died. Other infections followed trauma or surgery (42%), mostly in healthy persons, and 53% of these patients died. Overall, the mortality rate was 69% (31 of 45 cases). Of patients who succumbed, 85% died within 2–6 days after infection onset or following procedures.

Early diagnosis of C. sordellii infections often proves difficult for several reasons. First, the prevalence of these infections is low. Second, the initial symptoms are nonspecific and frankly misleading. Early in the course, the illness resembles any number of infectious diseases, including viral syndromes. Given these vague symptoms and an absence of fever, physicians usually do not aggressively pursue additional diagnostic tests. The absence of local evidence of infection and the lack of fever make early diagnosis of C. sordellii infection particularly problematic in patients who develop deep-seated infection following childbirth, therapeutic abortion, gastrointestinal surgery, or trauma. Such patients are frequently evaluated for pulmonary embolization, gastrointestinal bleeding, pyelonephritis, or cholecystitis. Unfortunately, such delays in diagnosis increase the risk of death, and, as in most necrotizing soft-tissue infections, patients are hypotensive with evidence of organ dysfunction by the time local signs and symptoms become apparent. In contrast, infection is more readily suspected in injection drug users presenting with local swelling, pain, and redness at injection sites; early recognition probably contributes to the lower mortality rates in this group.

Physicians should suspect C. sordellii infection in patients who present within 2–7 days after injury, surgery, drug injection, childbirth, or abortion and who report pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea but are afebrile. There is little information regarding appropriate treatment for C. sordellii infections. In fact, the interval between onset of symptoms and death is often so short that there is little time to initiate empirical antimicrobial therapy. Indeed, anaerobic cultures of blood and wound aspirates are time-consuming, and many hospital laboratories do not routinely perform antimicrobial sensitivity testing on anaerobes. Antibiotic susceptibility data from older studies suggest that C. sordellii, like most clostridia, is susceptible to β-lactam antibiotics, clindamycin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol but is resistant to aminoglycosides and sulfonamides. Antibiotics that suppress toxin synthesis (e.g., clindamycin) may possibly prove useful as therapeutic adjuncts since they are effective in necrotizing infections due to other toxin-producing gram-positive organisms.

Other Clostridial Skin and Soft-Tissue Infections