Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Infectious Disorders) - Volume 20, Issue 4, 2020

Acinetobacter species are widely distributed in soil, water and hospital environment. In addition to A. calcoaceticus-baumannii complex, the clinically most relevant species, there are other genomospecies which are less frequently identified, mostly due to lack of accurate methods for routine identification. We describe the first case of post-traumatic endophthalmitis caused by otherwise non-pathogenic A. radioresistens, in India. Gram-negative coccobacilli were observed on Gram stain and culture of vitreous fluid specimen, and identified biochemically as Acinetobacter spp. The species was identified by Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization- Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). The pathogenic potential of ‘commensal’ A. radioresistens and its role in dissemination of carbapenem resistance genes underlines the importance of species-level identification in Acinetobacter infections.

After the initial outbreak of the new Coronavirus in Wuhan at the end of December 2019, many new cases were reported in other provinces of China and also many other countries over the world, including South Korea, Italy, Iran, Japan, and 68 other countries. We present a case report of a 61-year-old woman with a history of diabetes mellitus who was referred to the emergency department of a referral hospital in Tehran, Iran. The patient presented with fever, chills, and myalgia within three days. Laboratory analysis showed increased levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and mild leukopenia. SARS-CoV-2 PCR test –under the Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MoH&ME) guidelines– was conducted and the result was positive. The chest X-ray showed bilateral ground-glass opacity. O2 saturation was 87% (without O2 therapy). The patient was hospitalized and treated with Oseltamivir 75 mg every 12 hours, Lopinavir/Ritonavir (Kaletra) 400/100 mg every 12 hours and hydroxychloroquine 400 mg stat. The patient's last O2 saturation measured was 93% and she had no fever on the 10th day of hospitalization. Therefore, she was discharged from hospital and quarantined at home according to the Iran Ministry of Health protocol.