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•In vitro activities of rifamycins against planktonic and biofilm Staphylococcusspp. isolates from PJIs.•rpoBgene mutations were analysed and clinical outcomes of rifampicin-resistant isolates were characterised.•Isolates comprised 85 S. aureus(55% methicillin-resistant) and 25 S. epidermidis(100% methicillin-resistant).•Seven S. aureusisolates and two S. epidermidisisolates were rifampicin-resistant and these exhibited rpoBgene mutations.•Rifamycins other than rifampicin showed promising antistaphylococcal activity, including antibiofilm activity.•Rifampicin-resistant isolates had poor clinical outcomes.

Since the first report of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in China, diagnostic methods have evolved. Despite definitive diagnoses, SFTS management has focused on prevention and supportive care. Although conservative treatment is effective for mild cases, there is an urgent need for an effective therapeutic modality to treat severe cases because of the high mortality associated with these. In this study, we report two cases of SFTS with neurological manifestations that fully recovered after a combination treatment consisting of intravenous immunoglobulin and corticosteroid.

Since the first report of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012 in Saudi Arabia, no standard treatment guideline has been set despite the virulence of MERS-coronavirus (CoV) and the high case-fatality rate. The outbreak in South Korea in 2015 demonstrates that MERS outbreaks can occur outside of the Middle East. The combination of ribavirin and interferon-a has been the most widely used therapy for this infection. However, due to the varying results of treatment with these drugs, a new antiviral combination regimen is urgently needed. This is a case report of use of lopinavir/ritonavir-based combination antiviral therapy for a patient with MERS-CoV infection.

ABSTRACTThere are no well-matched, controlled studies comparing azithromycin with doxycycline for the treatment of complicated scrub typhus. A retrospective propensity score-matched case-control study was performed for patients who presented with complicated scrub typhus and were treated with doxycycline or azithromycin between 2001 and 2011. Data on comorbidities, clinical manifestations, laboratory studies, treatments, and outcomes were extracted for analysis. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of the azithromycin-treated group (n= 73) were compared to those of the doxycycline-treated group (n= 108). Of 181 patients, 73 from each group were matched by propensity scores. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the matched groups. The treatment success and survival rates were not significantly different (89% [65/73 patients] versus 96% [70/73 patients] and 96% [70/73 patients] versus 96% [70/73 patients], respectively [P> 0.05]). No difference was observed in the time to defervescence or length of hospital stay between the two groups (P> 0.05). In complicated scrub typhus patients (n= 181), multivariate analysis showed that only APACHE II score was an independent risk factor for mortality (95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 1.56; P< 0.001). Our data suggest that outcomes of azithromycin therapy are comparable to those of doxycycline therapy in patients with complicated scrub typhus.

The mortality rate associated with Vibrio vulnificussepsis remains high. An in vitrotime-kill assay revealed synergism between tigecycline and ciprofloxacin. The survival rate was significantly higher in mice treated with tigecycline plus ciprofloxacin than in mice treated with cefotaxime plus minocycline. Thus, combination treatment with tigecycline-ciprofloxacin may be an effective novel antibiotic regimen for V. vulnificussepsis.