Volume 65, Issue 12, 15 December 2017

Tdap vaccine administered to a mother during the third trimester of pregnancy is 77.7% effective at preventing pertussis in infants <2 months of age.

Low alpha diversity in stool microbiota at neutrophil recovery associates with increased severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), greater abundance of oral Actinobacteria or Firmicutes, and decreased abundance of intestinal Lachnospiraceae in stool microbiota at neutrophil recovery associated with increased severe GVHD.

This stewardship program based on a bundle of noncompulsory measures, including structured educational interviews as a main innovation, has effectively reduced the incidence of MDR bacteria and associated mortality rates through sustained reduction in antibiotic pressure over a 5-year period.

In a retrospective cohort study of 170 heart, liver, and kidney transplant recipients, secondary prophylaxis with valganciclovir following treatment of cytomegalovirus disease was not shown to have any sustained benefit on the likelihood of relapse.

The findings demonstrate the efficacy and safety of 3 single-dose loperamide-adjuncted antibiotic therapies. Comparable effectiveness of single-dose rifaximin was shown. Colonization with extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing Escherichia coli was reported, but at a lesser rate compared with other observational studies.

Surveys of human immunodeficiency virus drug resistance in children aged <18 months in 5 African countries show high levels of nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor resistance. Results support use of non-nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in first-line antiretroviral therapy in this population.

We use a mathematical model fit to clinical trial data to estimate the efficacy of multiple-dose ivermectin regimens against onchocerciasis. We found marked macrofilaricidal activity of regimens used in routine mass drug administration, calling for revised projections on elimination timeframes.

Targeted panfungal sequencing was highly sensitive (96.6%) and specific (98.2%) in known cases of invasive fungal disease. The diagnostic yield (62.9%) in suspected cases was dependent on the amount of input tissue. Fungal sequencing had an impact on patient management.

Although statins and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers demonstrated modest negative neurocognitive effects on single cognitive domains, these effects were overwhelmed by lack of effect on the primary outcome of global neurocognitive function and by the well-established cardiovascular benefits.

Heavy alcohol use accelerates liver fibrosis progression in people with HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV); the impact of light use is not clear. In this prospective longitudinal study, we found no evidence that light alcohol use influences liver fibrosis progression in HIV/HCV-coinfected women.

There have been no studies to investigate whether glycemic control is related to tuberculosis infection. In a population-based study with more than 4000 participants and 700 diabetics, several biomarkers for glycemic control modified the relationship between tuberculosis infection and diabetes.

This study identifies a community cluster of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus transmission missed by routine practice and provides genomic evidence for transmission of a typically nosocomial lineage within community rather than hospital settings. Systematic whole-genome sequencing may increase detection of such outbreaks.

For 94.3% of migrant injectors, the origin of their HIV-1 infection was assumed to be in Greece (postmigration). For injectors infected in Greece, transmissions for subtype A and CRF14_BG occurred more frequently among migrants than would be expected by chance.

Haemophilus ducreyi is the cause of a high proportion of cutaneous ulcers in the tropical yaws-endemic areas. Cutaneous ulcers caused by H. ducreyi heal at 14 days after treatment with single-dose oral azithromycin.

We assessed the prevalence of prediabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, and risk factors associated with undiagnosed diabetes among patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Undiagnosed diabetes and prediabetes were prevalent. Long-term mortality among patients with undiagnosed diabetes was high compared to patients without diabetes.

Bordetella pertussis infection is thought to result in 4–20 years of immunity against subsequent symptomatic pertussis infection. We report 27 cases of recurrent pertussis in children in which the second infection occurred 0–4 years after the first.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) historically have low acceptance and completion rates for treatment of latent tuberculosis infection. This retrospective study of HCWs demonstrates that shorter treatment regimens (rifampin or rifapentine/isoniazid) result in higher completion rates than with a traditional isoniazid regimen.

The results of the DUAL trial support that a dual-therapy regimen of boosted darunavir and lamivudine for maintenance of virological suppression is as efficacious and as tolerable as triple therapy with boosted darunavir and 2 nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors.

Patients with burn injuries are at high risk for infections with multidrug-resistant organisms. The risk of infection with multidrug-resistant organisms increases with burn center length of stay. A multidisciplinary approach that includes an infectious diseases specialist is recommended.

Sepsis represents a major threat to human health worldwide. The multiple decision points in optimizing empiric antibiotic therapy in sepsis indicate a need for intense surveillance by antimicrobial stewardship programs in optimizing patient outcomes.

A public health crisis in Israel caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae exposed major gaps in infection control. In response, Israel established a national infection control infrastructure. The steps taken in building this infrastructure and benefits realized from its creation are described.