Volume 72, Issue 2, 15 January 2021

We describe the incidence and epidemiology of left ventricular assist device (VAD) infections in a large nonregistry cohort of patients. VAD infections continue to be a frequent complication and are a heterogeneous group of entities with variable influence in outcomes.

Hepatitis B Virus-Pegylated Interferon (HBV-RNA) declined early during PEG-IFN treatment among patients achieved response and HBsAg loss. Serum HBV-RNA is a potential negative predictor of clinical response at week 12 of therapy. HBV-RNA may increase response rates to PEG-IFN treatment in HBeAg-negative patients.

The nasopharyngeal microbiota of rural Venezuelan children included several bacteria that thrive in tropical humid climates. Nasopharyngeal microbiota composition not only differed in children with a respiratory infection but also in those with a gastrointestinal infection.

Infections with GII.4 noroviruses demonstrated both homotypic and heterotypic protection. However, increased hazard of subsequent infection following infection with several other common genotypes will require additional studies prior to the inclusion of additional genotypes in a multivalent vaccine.

We examined acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) incidence in men who have sex with men and living with human immunodeficiency virus between 2013 and 2018 in London and Brighton, United Kingdom. Incidence rates peaked in 2015 at 14.57/1000 person-years of follow-up (95% confidence interval, 10.95 to 18.20). Following this there was a 68% reduction in HCV incidence by 2018, coinciding with wider access to direct-acting antivirals.

In a multicenter retrospective cohort study, we show that the real-world clinical impact of plasma metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for the noninvasive diagnosis of infections is limited (positive impact, 7.3%). Further studies are needed to optimize the impact of mNGS.

We initiated real-time nationwide anti–SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence surveying of blood donations as a tool in monitoring the epidemic. The infection fatality rate was estimated to be slightly lower than previously reported from other countries not using seroprevalence data.

Compliance to control measures allowed containment of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in healthcare workers (HCWs). Medical masks in most situations and N95/FFP2 in aerosol-generating procedures largely protect HCWs against SARS-CoV-2. Small-sized childcare facilities may be acceptable to help HCWs stay at work.

Forty-eight cases were involved in a nosocomial outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infections in a pediatric dialysis unit due to person-to-person transmission. Our results outline strategies to trace and monitor SARS-CoV-2–infected healthcare workers including virology testing and infection control measures.

Preterm infants are uniquely susceptible to invasive bacterial infections, and predicting those at risk is currently not possible. The stimulation of peripheral blood with the common sepsis-causing pathogen, live Staphylococcus epidermidis, reveals impaired cytokine responses preceding the onset of sepsis.

In this population-based study, introduction of a publicly funded herpes zoster vaccination program for all adults aged 65–70 reduced the burden of medically attended herpes zoster and herpes zoster–related emergency department visits and hospitalizations at a population level.

We compared incidence rates of tetanus and diphtheria among 31 North American and European countries that do or do not implement adult booster vaccination programs. We found that routine adult booster vaccinations appear unnecessary after completion of the childhood vaccination series.

This prospective study of streptococcal necrotizing soft-tissue infections comprised 126 Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) cases and 27 Streptococcus dysgalactiae cases. Among the GAS cases, several factors were associated with mortality, including age, septic shock and no administration of intravenous immunoglobulin.

In sera (n = 533) from patients with COVID-19 (n = 153), immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G responses, as measured by a quantitative immunoassay, were significantly higher in patients with severe than mild disease. These differences may affect strategies for seroprevalence studies, therapeutics, and vaccine development.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis presents a unique opportunity to align COVID-19 services with those already in place for human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, malaria, and other noncommunicable diseases through mobilization of Africa’s interprofessional healthcare workforce to contain the pandemic.

The first 100 days of China’s response to COVID-19 with specific, simple, and pragmatic strategies used for risk assessment, prioritization, and deployment of resources are critical for its rapid control of the epidemic and restarting of social life and economic activity.

Based on existing data on COVID-19 among immunosuppressed patients, it appears that organ transplant and cancer patients may be at increased risk of severe disease and mortality, whereas the risk among patients with other types of immunocompromise is less clear.

Despite initial reports, SARS-CoV-2 infection in cancer patients is not universally associated with poor outcomes. This viewpoint critically discusses the potential impact of the underlying malignancy and cancer therapies in COVID-19 outcomes, emphasizing the need for improved mechanistic understanding of the many faces of SARS-CoV-2 infection in this heterogeneous group of patients.