Volume 65, Issue 6, 15 September 2017

Maternal Zika symptom severity or ZIKA-RNA load at time of infection did not impact birth outcomes in our cohort analysis. Presence of prior maternal dengue antibodies had no effect on Zika infection severity, RNA load, or birth outcomes.

Significant declines in high-grade cervical lesions have occurred among young women since 2008. The age and cohort patterns in declines suggest they are more likely driven by human papillomavirus vaccination than by changes in screening or risk behaviors.

Although new HPV infections and associated precancers can occur throughout a woman’s lifetime, only a small proportion are acquired in mid-adult women and are vaccine-preventable. Our model-based explorations provide insight into causal HPV infections and highlight the potential limitations of using surrogate endpoints for vaccine efficacy studies of mid-adult women to guide policy decisions for implementation.

Vitamin A deficiency was associated with a 10-fold increase in risk of developing TB disease after household exposure. Vitamin A supplementation among high risk individuals might represent an effective means of preventing progression from TB infection to TB disease.

The majority of bacteriuria among inpatient Veterans represents asymptomatic bacteriuria with a large proportion of patients unnecessarily treated with prolonged durations of therapy for both asymptomatic bacteriuria and symptomatic urinary tract infections.

We report on a cluster of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates identified on Oahu, Hawaii, that demonstrate high-level azithromycin resistance and decreased ceftriaxone susceptibility. Continued mutation and widespread emergence of such strains may severely complicate gonorrhea treatment.

About 60% of patients with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease had microbiological persistence >1 year, indicating a 3-fold increased risk for radiographic progression. Low body mass index, nodular-bronchiectatic radiographic pattern, and high acid-fast bacilli smear grade significantly predicted microbiological persistence.

Through major reconstruction of the water and sanitary system, we were able to significantly reduce the burden of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections and colonizations in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients as a high-risk patient group.

Compared to those without cognitive impairment, HIV-infected individuals with syphilis who were cognitively impaired had higher CSF concentrations of mediators associated with HIV-related cognitive impairment.

In this nationwide observational study of 937 adults diagnosed with Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Sweden, Charlson comorbidity score ≥1 as well as diabetes and obesity were significantly associated with severe malaria in both nonimmune travelers and immigrants from endemic countries.

Associations of CD4:CD8 ratio or CD8 count with all-cause and cause-specific mortality were too small for them to be useful as independent prognostic markers in addition to CD4 count in virally suppressed patients on antiretroviral therapy with high CD4 count.

Among infants hospitalized with bronchiolitis, low serum LL-37 levels were independently associated with intensive care use and longer length-of-stay. Low levels of serum LL-37 were also independently associated with respiratory syncytial virus. By contrast, high LL-37 levels were associated with rhinovirus.

This is the first research to evaluate Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization in preterm births, showing it is a frequent occurrence that could be a risk factor until now unknown to develop respiratory distress syndrome among preterm infants.

Overall lack of association between maternal perinatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and preterm delivery or infant birth weight (BW) is reassuring. The higher rates of low BW observed in older women with perinatally acquired HIV may warrant further investigations.

Macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae containing both mef(E)/mel and erm(B) rapidly expanded (2005–2009) but decreased following pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 13 introduction. Macrolide-resistant serotypes not represented in vaccines increased modestly. Selective pressures of macrolide use and vaccine introductions were associated with these changes.

Spontaneous resolution of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a rare event. We describe spontaneous resolution in 26.9% of a cohort of HCV-infected women by 12-months post-partum. Understanding the underlying immunological changes in similar cohorts could inform immune therapies and vaccine development.

In a study of 1473 persons on paritaprevir/ritonavir, ombitasvir, dasabuvir (PrOD), 5497 on ledipasvir/sofosbuvir (LDV/SOF), and 6970 propensity score–matched untreated persons, treatment with LDV/SOF or PrOD was associated with a 57% reduction in mortality. Benefit was apparent within the first 18 months of treatment.

Antiretroviral drugs less likely to induce steatosis progression are needed. In this clinical trial, we found that switching efavirenz by raltegravir was associated with decreases in steatosis among HIV-infected patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

With the development of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and antivirals, unanswered questions regarding RSV epidemiology need to be identified and addressed prior to introduction of vaccines and RSV therapeutics to guide the measurement of impact and future recommendations.

This meta-analysis evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of rapid tests for the detection of respiratory viruses. Sensitivity of tests varied considerably, but specificity was high. Although newly developed tests seem more sensitive, high quality evaluations of these tests are lacking.