No abstract

Background Disseminated Mycobacterium chimaera infection is an emerging disease in people undergone to cardiothoracic surgery, which need to be suspected also with atypical presentations. Case presentation We report the case of a 74-year-old man with fever of unknown origin, purple nodules on both feet and a history of open-heart surgery. Imaging investigations showed an abscess near aortic bioprosthesis but screening for endocarditis resulted negative and pyrexia did not respond to antibiotic therapy. A biopsy of cutaneous lesions showed HHV8-related Kaposi’s sarcoma, so bone marrow biopsy was executed with evidence of HHV8 localization. Bone marrow and urine mycobacterial cultures resulted positive for M. chimaera and a specific antimicrobial therapy was started, with apyrexia after 7 weeks. Conclusions M. chimaera infection should be always investigated as a possible etiology of fever of unknow origin in people with a history of open-heart surgical intervention, even with negative mycobacterial blood cultures. The possible role of disseminated infection in inducing immunodepression with the occurrence of other opportunistic diseases (such as Kaposi’s sarcoma) cannot be excluded.

The rise of HIV‐1 drug resistance to nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) threatens the long‐term success of NNRTI‐based therapies. Our study aims to describe the circulation of major resistance‐associated mutations (RAMs) for NNRTIs in people living with HIV (PLWH) in Italy from 2000 to 2020. We included 5982 naïves and 28 505 genotypes from 9387 treatment‐experienced PLWH from the Antiviral Response Cohort Analysis (ARCA) cohort. Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) was found in 12.5% and declined from 17.3% in 2000–2003 to 10.9% in 2016–2020 (p = 0.003). Predictors of TDR were viral subtype B [vs. non‐B, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.94, p < 0.001], zenith viral load (VL) (per 1 log10 higher, aOR = 0.86, p = 0.013), nadir CD4 cell count (per 100 cells/μL increase aOR = 0.95, p = 0.013). At least one RAM for NNRTIs among treatment experienced PLWH was detected in 33.2% and pre‐treatment drug resistance (PDR) declined from 43.4% in 2000–2003 to 20.9% in 2016–2020 (p < 0.001). Predictors of PDR were sexual transmission route (vs. others, aOR = 0.78, p < 0.001), time since HIV diagnosis (per 1 month longer, aOR = 1.002, p < 0.001), viral subtype B (vs. non B, aOR = 1.37, p < 0.001), VL (per 1 log10 higher, aOR = 1.12, p < 0.001), nadir CD4 count (per 100 cells/μL increase, aOR = 0.91, p < 0.001), previous exposure to any NNRTI (aOR = 2.31, p < 0.001) and a more recent calendar year sequence (any time span > 2008 vs. 2000–2003, any aOR <1, p < 0.001). Circulation of RAMs to NNRTIs declined during the last 20 years in Italy. NNRTIs remain pivotal drugs for the management of HIV‐1 due to safety concerns and long‐acting options.