福地 貴彦

Few studies have investigated the appropriateness of antibiotic use in postdisaster settings. We retrospectively evaluated clinical databases on health care delivered at clinics near shelters set up after the Great East Japan Earthquake, 2011. We defined appropriate, acceptable, and inappropriate antibiotic use for each diagnostic category, by applying and adopting precedent studies and clinical guidelines. From March to July, 2011, a total of 23,704 clinic visits occurred at 98 shelters with 7934 residents. Oral antibiotics were prescribed a total of 2253 times. The median age of the patients was 48.5 years old (range 0-97), and 43.7% were male. Of 2253 antibiotic prescriptions, 1944 were judged to be inappropriate (86.3% 95% CI 84.8%-87.7%). The most prescribed antibiotic was clarithromycin (646 times, 28.7%), followed by cefcapene pivoxil (644 times, 28.6%), levofloxacin (380, 16.9%), cefdinir (194, 8.6%), and cefditren pivoxil (98, 4.4%). The most frequent diagnosis for which antibiotics were prescribed was upper respiratory infection (URI, 1040 visits, 46.2%), followed by acute bronchitis (369, 16.4%), pharyngitis (298, 13.2%), traumatic injuries (194, 8.6%), acute gastroenteritis (136, 6.0%), urinary tract infections (UTIs, 123, 5.5%), and allergic rhinitis (5.1%). The majority of antibiotics prescribed at clinics after the Great East Japan Earthquake was inappropriate. Significant improvement of the use of antibiotics in postdisaster settings should be sought immediately in Japan.

BACKGROUND: ESBL (Extended spectrum beta-lactamase) producing enterobacteriaceae are challenging organisms with little treatment options. Carbapenems are frequently used, but the emergence of carbapenem resistant enterobacteriaceae is a concerning issue, which may hinder the use of carbapenems. Although cephamycins such as cefoxitin, cefmetazole or cefotetan are effective against ESBL-producers in vitro, there are few clinical data demonstrating effects against bacteremia caused by these organisms. METHODS: We performed a retrospective observational study on cases of bacteremia caused by ESBL-producers to investigate the efficacy of cefmetazole compared with carbapenems. We also evaluated whether the trend of antibiotic choice changed over years. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients (male 34, age 69.2 ± 14.4), including two relapse cases, were reviewed for this analysis. The most common causative organisms were Escherichia coli (64, 93 %), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae and K. oxytoca (2 each, 4 %). The group that received carbapenem therapy (43, 62 %) had increased severity in the Pittsburgh Bacteremic score than the group that received cefmetazole therapy, (1.5 ± 1.5 vs 2.5 ± 2.1, p = 0.048), while analysis of other factors didn't reveal any statistical differences. Five patients in the carbapenem group and one patient in the cefmetazole group died during the observation period (p = 0.24). CTX-M-9 were predominant in this series (59 %). Infectious disease physicians initially recommended carbapenems at the beginning of the current research period, which gradually changed over time favoring the use of cefmetazole instead (p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: Cefmetazole may be safely given to patients with bacteremia caused by ESBL-producers as a definitive therapy, if one can select out relatively stable patients.

BACKGROUND: Sushi is a traditional Japanese cuisine enjoyed worldwide. However, using raw fish to make sushi may pose risk of certain parasitic infections, such as anisakidosis, which is most reported in Japan. This risk of infection can be eliminated by freezing fish; however, Japanese people are hesitant to freeze fish because it is believed that freezing ruins sushi's taste. METHODS: A randomized double-blind trial with discrimination testing was conducted to examine the ability of Japanese individuals to distinguish between frozen and unfrozen sushi. A pair of mackerel and squid sushi, one once frozen and the other not, was provided to the participants, and they were asked to answer which one tasted better. RESULTS: Among 120 rounds of discrimination testing involving the consumption of 240 pieces of mackerel sushi, unfrozen sushi was believed to taste better in 42.5% (51 dishes) of cases, frozen sushi was thought to taste better in 49.2% (59 dishes), and the participants felt the taste was the same in 8.3% (10 dishes). The odds ratio for selecting unfrozen sushi as "tastes better" over frozen sushi was 0.86 (95% confidence interval [CI], .59-1.26; P = .45). For squid, unfrozen sushi was believed to be superior 48.3% of the time (58 dishes), and frozen sushi, 35.0% of the time (42 dishes). They were felt to be the same in 16.7% (20 dishes) (odds ratio, 1.38; 95% CI, .93-2.05; P = .11). CONCLUSIONS: Freezing raw fish did not ruin sushi's taste. These findings may encourage the practice of freezing fish before using it in sushi, helping to decrease the incidence of anisakidosis.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a severe disease with high morbidity and mortality, and these can be exacerbated by delay in diagnosis. We investigated IE diagnosis in Japan with the emphasis on the delay in diagnosis and its cause and implications. We conducted a retrospective study on 82 definite IE patients at Kobe University Hospital from April 1, 2008, through March 31, 2013. We reviewed charts of the patients for data such as causative pathogens, prescription of inappropriate antibiotic use prior to the diagnosis, existence of risk factors of IE, previous doctor's subspecialty, or duration until the diagnosis, with the primary outcome of 180-day mortality. We also qualitatively, as well as quantitatively, analyzed those cases with delay in diagnosis, and hypothesized its causes and implications. Eighty-two patients were reviewed for this analysis. The average age was 61 ± 14.5-year-old. Fifty percent of patients had known underlying risk factors for IEs, such as prosthetic heart valve (10), valvular heart disease (21), congenital heart disease (3), or cardiomyopathy (2). The median days until the diagnosis was 14 days (range 2 days to 1 year). Sixty-five percent of patients received inappropriate antibiotic before the diagnosis (53). Forty percent of causative organisms were Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA 20, MRSA 13), 32% were viridans streptococci and Streptococcus bovis, 28% were others or unknown (CNS 5, Corynebacterium 3, Cardiobacterium 1, Candida 1). Subspecialties such as General Internal Medicine (15), and Orthopedics (13) were associated with delay in diagnosis. Ten patients (12%) died during follow up, and 8 of them had been received prior inappropriate antibiotics. Significant delay in the diagnosis of IE was observed in Japan. Inappropriate antibiotics were prescribed frequently and may be associated with poor prognosis. Further improvement for earlier diagnosis of IE is needed.

BACKGROUND: Although it has received a degree of notoriety as a cause for antibiotic-associated enterocolitis (AAE), the role of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the pathogenesis of this disease remains enigmatic despite a multitude of efforts, and previous studies have failed to conclude whether MRSA can cause AAE. Numerous cases of AAE caused by MRSA have been reported from Japan; however, due to the fact that these reports were written in the Japanese language and a good portion lacked scientific rigor, many of these reports went unnoticed. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of pertinent literatures to verify the existence of AAE caused by MRSA. We modified and applied methods in common use today and used a total of 9 criteria to prove the existence of AAE caused by Klebsiella oxytoca. MEDLINE/Pubmed, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and the Japan Medical Abstract Society database were searched for studies published prior to March 2013. RESULTS: A total of 1,999 articles were retrieved for evaluation. Forty-five case reports/series and 9 basic studies were reviewed in detail. We successfully identified articles reporting AAE with pathological and microscopic findings supporting MRSA as the etiological agent. We also found comparative studies involving the use of healthy subjects, and studies detecting probable toxins. In addition, we found animal models in which enteritis was induced by introducing MRSA from patients. Although we were unable to identify a single study that encompasses all of the defined criteria, we were able to fulfill all 9 elements of the criteria by collectively analyzing multiple studies. CONCLUSIONS: AAE caused by MRSA-although likely to be rarer than previous Japanese literatures have suggested-most likely does exist.