Volume 66, Issue 12, 15 June 2018

Fosmidomycin–piperaquine is being developed as nonartemisinin-based combination therapy to meet the challenge of emerging artemisinin resistance. The combination appeared to have high efficacy and be safe and well tolerated despite observed transient changes in electrocardiogram with prolongation of the QT interval.

We analyzed national surveillance data on influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE) cases reported in Japan from 2010 through 2015. We found differences in the clinical features of IAE between adults and children. Fatal outcomes were higher in patients aged ≥40 years.

In malaria patients admitted to the study hospital, the likelihood of a co-diagnosis decreased with an increasing parasite count. In malaria-endemic settings, parasite densities provide important information for patient management, in particular for antimicrobial medication.

In sub-Saharan Africa, second-line ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor–based antiretroviral therapy led to virological suppression in 69.3% of participants at week 48 and 61.5% at week 96, based on an intention-to-treat meta-analysis of 4558 participants (14 studies) and 2145 participants (8 studies), respectively.

This was the first birth cohort study with active surveillance of sapovirus infection in a developing country. High incidences of sapovirus infection and associated diarrhea during the first 2 years of life were reported. Sapovirus reinfection is common but rare with the same genotype.

Broad molecular surveillance for Borrelia species in patients suspected of tickborne illness followed by next-generation sequence typing provides insight into the different Borrelia species causing human illness and geographical distribution of Borrelia infections and sequence types throughout the United States.

We assessed whether cannabis use was associated with altered immune activation in antiretroviral-treated, HIV-infected individuals. Heavy cannabis use was associated with decreased frequencies of activated T cells and inflammatory monocytes, providing evidence of a potential immunological benefit of cannabinoids.

Microscopically detectable asymptomatic Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum infections form the most important source of onward mosquito infections in a low-endemic setting in Ethiopia. Plasmodium vivax symptomatic infections are highly infectious but less prevalent and thereby contribute less to transmission.

Culture-independent diagnostic test (CIDTs) are increasingly used to diagnose enteric infections; however, public health surveillance of foodborne illnesses has historically depended on isolates. This study found that CIDT-positive specimens yielded a pathogen in only 61% of reported cases compared to culture-derived isolates.

Longitudinal neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessments were used to study aging-related brain changes in people living with HIV on successful antiretroviral therapy. No differences in brain structure or cognitive function were seen over 2 years, compared to closely matched HIV-negative controls.

In antiretroviral-treated HIV-1/hepatitis C virus–coinfected patients, IFN-α treatment decreases cell-associated HIV-1 DNA levels, changes the natural killer (NK) cell subset distribution, and activates NK cells. Frequency and activation of NK cells are associated with lower cell-associated HIV-1 DNA.

Concurrent characterization of skeletal muscle, physical function, and immune profile in middle-aged HIV-infected adults revealed atypical skeletal muscle with increased internalized myonuclei and decreased PGC-1α, in the context of fatigue, physical function deficits, and persistent inflammation and immune activation.

This first-in-humans, exploratory phase 1b/2a study of an active Candida vaccine containing the N-terminus of the Als3 adhesin/invasin found it was safe, well-tolerated, and immunogenic and significantly reduced episodes of symptoms in patients aged <40 years with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis.

Individuals residing in areas of high neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) demonstrated lower rates of infection and sepsis relative to those in low-nSES neighborhoods. Individual income and physical function mediate the association, highlighting pathways through which nSES could impact infection risk.

In this cross-sectional study, concomitant chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection significantly increases the risk of colorectal liver metastasis; for hepatitis B surface antigen–positive colorectal cancer patients, elevated FIB-4/APRI may be antimetastatic; whether active HBV replication is prometastatic needs further study.

Current immunologic and clinical data suggest that protection conferred by a single dose of killed oral cholera vaccine may be sufficient to reduce short-term risk in outbreaks or other high-risk settings, which may be especially useful when vaccine supply is limited.