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Nygren D, Torisson G, Happonen L, Mellhammar L, Linder A, Elf J, Yan H, Welinder C, Holm K. Proteomic Characterization of Plasma in Lemierre's Syndrome. Thromb Haemost 2024; 124:432-440. [PMID: 37857346 PMCID: PMC11038868 DOI: 10.1055/a-2195-3927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The underlying mechanisms of thrombosis in Lemierre's syndrome and other septic thrombophlebitis are incompletely understood. Therefore, in this case control study we aimed to generate hypotheses on its pathogenesis by studying the plasma proteome in patients with these conditions. METHODS All patients with Lemierre's syndrome in the Skåne Region, Sweden, were enrolled prospectively during 2017 to 2021 as cases. Age-matched patients with other severe infections were enrolled as controls. Patient plasma samples were analyzed using label-free data-independent acquisition liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Differentially expressed proteins in Lemierre's syndrome versus other severe infections were highlighted. Functions of differentially expressed proteins were defined based on a literature search focused on previous associations with thrombosis. RESULTS Eight patients with Lemierre's syndrome and 15 with other severe infections were compared. Here, 20/449 identified proteins were differentially expressed between the groups. Of these, 14/20 had functions previously associated with thrombosis. Twelve of 14 had a suggested prothrombotic effect in Lemierre's syndrome, whereas 2/14 had a suggested antithrombotic effect. CONCLUSION Proteins involved in several thrombogenic pathways were differentially expressed in Lemierre's syndrome compared to other severe infections. Among identified proteins, several were associated with endothelial damage, platelet activation, and degranulation, and warrant further targeted studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Nygren
- Division of Infection Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden
| | - Gustav Torisson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden
- Department of Translational Medicine, Clinical Infection Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Lotta Happonen
- Division of Infection Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lisa Mellhammar
- Division of Infection Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden
| | - Adam Linder
- Division of Infection Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden
| | - Johan Elf
- Center of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Hong Yan
- The Swedish National Infrastructure for Biological Mass Spectrometry (BioMS), Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Charlotte Welinder
- The Swedish National Infrastructure for Biological Mass Spectrometry (BioMS), Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Karin Holm
- Division of Infection Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden
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Pagels J, Torisson G, Wasserstrom L, Hedin K, Holm K, Nygren D. Symptoms predictive of Fusobacterium necrophorum pharyngotonsillitis - an observational study of cases presenting to hospitals in Southern Sweden. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2024:10.1007/s10096-024-04827-6. [PMID: 38609699 DOI: 10.1007/s10096-024-04827-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Fusobacterium necrophorum is a common cause of pharyngotonsillitis. However, no guidelines exist on when to diagnose or treat it. We aimed to investigate associations between clinical criteria and F. necrophorum-positivity in pharyngotonsillitis and assess the predictive potential of a simple scoring system. METHODS Pharyngotonsillitis patients who were tested for F. necrophorum (PCR) and presented to hospitals in the Skåne Region, Sweden, between 2013-2020 were eligible. Data were retrieved from electronic chart reviews and registries. By logistic regression we investigated associations between F. necrophorum-positivity and pre-specified criteria: age 13-30 years, symptom duration ≤ 3 days, absence of viral symptoms (e.g. cough, coryza), fever, tonsillar swelling/exudate, lymphadenopathy and CRP ≥ 50 mg/L. In secondary analyses, associated variables were weighted by strength of association into a score and its predictive accuracy of F. necrophorum was assessed. RESULTS Among 561 cases included, 184 (33%) had F. necrophorum, which was associated with the following criteria: age 13-30, symptom duration ≤ 3 days, absence of viral symptoms, tonsillar swelling/exudate and CRP ≥ 50 mg/L. Age 13-30 had the strongest association (OR5.7 95%CI 3.7-8.8). After weighting, these five variables had a sensitivity and specificity of 68% and 71% respectively to predict F. necrophorum-positivity at the proposed cut-off. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that F. necrophorum cases presenting to hospitals might be better distinguished from other pharyngotonsillitis cases by a simple scoring system presented, with age 13-30 being the strongest predictor for F. necrophorum. Prospective studies, involving primary care settings, are needed to evaluate generalisability of findings beyond cases presenting to hospitals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefina Pagels
- Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden.
| | - Gustav Torisson
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden
- Clinical Infection Medicine, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Lisa Wasserstrom
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Infection Control and Prevention, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
- Clinical Microbiology, Department of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Katarina Hedin
- Futurum, Jönköping, Region Jönköping County, Sweden
- Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Family Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Karin Holm
- Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden
| | - David Nygren
- Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden
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Andersen C, Greve T, Reinholdt KB, Kjaerulff AMG, Udholm N, Khalid V, Madzak A, Duez C, Münch H, Pauli S, Danstrup CS, Petersen NK, Klug TE. Bacterial findings in patients referred to hospital for the treatment of acute tonsillitis with or without peritonsillar phlegmon. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:439. [PMID: 37386401 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08420-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The vast majority of patients with acute tonsillitis (AT) are managed in general practice. However, occasionally patients are referred to hospital for specialized management because of aggravated symptoms and/or findings suggestive of peritonsillar involvement. No prospective studies have been conducted aiming to investigate the prevalent and significant microorganisms in this highly selected group of patients. We aimed to describe the microbiological findings of acute tonsillitis with or without peritonsillar phlegmon (PP) in patients referred for hospital treatment and to point out potential pathogens using the following principles to suggest pathogenic significance: (1) higher prevalence in patients compared to healthy controls, (2) higher abundance in patients compared to controls, and (3) higher prevalence at time of infection compared to time of follow up. METHODS Meticulous and comprehensive cultures were performed on tonsillar swabs from 64 patients with AT with (n = 25) or without (n = 39) PP and 55 healthy controls, who were prospectively enrolled at two Danish Ear-Nose-Throat Departments between June 2016 and December 2019. RESULTS Streptococcus pyogenes was significantly more prevalent in patients (27%) compared to controls (4%) (p < 0.001). Higher abundance was found in patients compared to controls for Fusobacterium necrophorum (mean 2.4 vs. 1.4, p = 0.017) and S. pyogenes (mean 3.1 vs. 2.0, p = 0.045) in semi-quantitative cultures. S. pyogenes, Streptococcus dysgalactiae, and Prevotella species were significantly more prevalent at time of infection compared to follow up (p = 0.016, p = 0.016, and p = 0.039, respectively). A number of species were detected significantly less frequently in patients compared to controls and the mean number of species was significantly lower in patients compared to controls (6.5 vs. 8.3, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Disregarding Prevotella spp. because of the prevalence in healthy controls (100%), our findings suggest that S. pyogenes, F. necrophorum, and S. dysgalactiae are significant pathogens in severe AT with or without PP. In addition, infections were associated with reduced diversity (dysbacteriosis). TRIAL REGISTRATION The study is registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov protocol database (# 52,683). The study was approved by the Ethical Committee at Aarhus County (# 1-10-72-71-16) and by the Danish Data Protection Agency (# 1-16-02-65-16).
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Andersen
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99 Aarhus N, Aarhus, DK-8200, Denmark.
| | - Thomas Greve
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Palle Juul-Jensens Boulevard 99 Aarhus N, Aarhus, DK-8200, Denmark
| | - Kasper Basse Reinholdt
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Nichlas Udholm
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Vesal Khalid
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Adnan Madzak
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Christophe Duez
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Henrik Münch
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Søren Pauli
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Christian Sander Danstrup
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Niels Krintel Petersen
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Tejs Ehlers Klug
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
- Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Nygren D, Wasserstrom L, Holm K, Torisson G. Associations Between Findings of Fusobacterium necrophorum or β-Hemolytic Streptococci and Complications in Pharyngotonsillitis-A Registry-Based Study in Southern Sweden. Clin Infect Dis 2022; 76:e1428-e1435. [PMID: 36069108 PMCID: PMC9907503 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most pharyngotonsillitis guidelines focus on the identification of group A streptococci (GAS), guided by clinical scores determining whom to test with a rapid antigen detection test. Nevertheless, many patients testing negative with this test are evaluated for group C/G streptococci (GCS/GGS) and Fusobacterium necrophorum, yet their importance remains debated. Our primary aim was to evaluate associations between complications and findings of F. necrophorum, GAS, or GCS/GGS in pharyngotonsillitis. METHODS This was a retrospective, registry-based study of pharyngotonsillitis cases tested for F. necrophorum (polymerase chain reaction) and β-hemolytic streptococci (culture) in the Skåne Region, Sweden, in 2013-2020. Patients with prior complications or antibiotics (within 30 days) were excluded. Data were retrieved from registries and electronic charts. Logistic regression analyses were performed with a dichotomous composite outcome of complications as primary outcome, based on International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, codes. Cases with negative results (polymerase chain reaction and culture) were set as reference category. Complications within 30 days were defined as peritonsillar or pharyngeal abscess, otitis, sinusitis, sepsis or septic complications, recurrence of pharyngotonsillitis (after 15-30 days) or hospitalization. RESULTS Of 3700 registered cases, 28% had F. necrophorum, 13% had GCS/GGS, 10% had GAS, and 54% had negative results. The 30-day complication rates were high (20%). F. necrophorum (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-2.1) and GAS (1.9; 1.5-2.5) were positively associated with complications, whereas GCS/GGS were negatively associated (0.7; 0.4-0.98). CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that F. necrophorum is a relevant pathogen in pharyngotonsillitis, whereas the relevance of testing for GCS/GGS is questioned. However, which patient to test and treat for F. necrophorum remains to be defined.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Nygren
- Correspondence: D. Nygren, Division of Infection Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, BMC, B14, Sölvegatan 19, 22362 Lund, Sweden ()
| | - Lisa Wasserstrom
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Infection Control and Prevention, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Karin Holm
- Division of Infection Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden,Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund/Malmö, Sweden
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Agerhäll M, Henrikson M, Johansson Söderberg J, Sellin M, Tano K, Gylfe Å, Berggren D. High prevalence of pharyngeal bacterial pathogens among healthy adolescents and young adults. APMIS 2021; 129:711-716. [PMID: 34580908 DOI: 10.1111/apm.13179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The pharyngeal mucosa can be colonized with bacteria that have potential to cause pharyngotonsillitis. By the use of culturing techniques and PCR, we aimed to assess the prevalence of bacterial pharyngeal pathogens among healthy adolescents and young adults. We performed a cross-sectional study in a community-based cohort of 217 healthy individuals between 16 and 25 years of age. Samples were analyzed for Group A streptococci (GAS), Group C/G streptococci (SDSE), Fusobacterium necrophorum, and Arcanobacterium haemolyticum. Compared to culturing, the PCR method resulted in more frequent detection, albeit in most cases with low levels of DNA, of GAS (20/217 vs. 5/217; p < 0.01) and F. necrophorum (20/217 vs. 8/217; p < 0.01). Culturing and PCR yielded similar rates of SDSE detection (14/217 vs. 12/217; p = 0.73). Arcanobacterium haemolyticum was rarely detected (3/217), and only by PCR. Overall, in 25.3% (55/217) of these healthy adolescents and young adults at least one of these pathogens was detected, a rate that is higher than previously described. Further studies are needed before clinical adoption of PCR-based detection methods for pharyngeal bacterial pathogens, as our findings suggest a high incidence of asymptomatic carriage among adolescents and young adults without throat infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Agerhäll
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Martin Henrikson
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Mats Sellin
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Krister Tano
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Åsa Gylfe
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Diana Berggren
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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