Volume 10, Issue 5, May 2023

The opt-out approach to infectious diseases testing is a recommended strategy to increase diagnosis and prevention of disease. We engaged stakeholders within jail healthcare to understand barriers and facilitators to the implementation of opt-out for vaccination in jails.

In a post hoc analysis of hospitalized patients with COVID-19, immunocompromised patients were more frequently seronegative and had higher baseline viral loads. In both immunocompromised and overall study patients, casirivimab plus imdevimab reduced viral load and mechanical ventilation or death without new safety findings.

Tuberculosis-specific skin tests have been shown to be similar in accuracy to interferon γ release assays. Our systematic review found that tuberculosis-specific skin tests are similar in safety to tuberculin skin tests and are mostly associated with mild injection site reactions.

Among 79,302 adults with a positive latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) test from 2009-2018, only 33% were prescribed treatment and 19% completed treatment. Additional efforts are needed to increase treatment prescription and completion for patients with LTBI

A 78-year old man presented one month after a tick bite with fever and lab findings consistent with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Morulae were visualized in the bone marrow biopsy and serum PCR confirmed Anaplasma phagocytophilum. He improved on doxycycline and steroids.

In this viewpoint article we define terminology to describe the bidirectional interactions between the microbiome and medical interventions. Pharmacomicrobiomics describes the unidirectional effects of microbiomes on bioavailability and bioactivity of drugs. Here we define pharmacoecology as the effects of medical interventions on microbiome composition and function.

Clostridioides difficile (CD) is commonly detected in a gastrointestinal multiplex molecular panel. Alternative testing yielded discordant results in a significant proportion, yet treatment was common. CD results in molecular panels should be interpreted with caution in the setting of low pretest probability.

The overall age-standardized SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence against spike and nucleocapsid proteins was 71.57% in Guinea and 74.71% in Cameroon after successive COVID-19 waves, including the Omicron wave from early 2022. Seroprevalence increased with age categories reaching 84% among persons >40 years.

COVID-19 mRNA vaccination was associated with lower risk of COVID-19, including in those with prior COVID-19. Vaccination should be encouraged for those with remote prior infection, especially as new variants emerge and variant-specific booster vaccines become available.

C/T was successfully used in patients with a variety of serious infections, significant comorbidities, and a high prevalence of resistant pathogens in the outpatient setting.

The modified Dundee classification has recently been validated as the first scoring tool for non-purulent skin and soft tissue infections. This descriptive study uniquely applies this classification scheme toward optimizing antimicrobial stewardship and ultimately patient care.

Among 736 US children and young adults with sepsis, 83% had community-onset sepsis. Most patients had underlying conditions, recent healthcare interactions were common, and age group–related differences were observed, suggesting opportunities to improve early recognition and clinical intervention.

Outbreaks of multidrug-resistant organisms linked to environmental reservoirs can be difficult to detect, which can result in persistent transmission for years. We describe an outbreak linked to intensive care unit sink drains in an acute care hospital.

In this study, we report differences in the willingness to enroll into inpatient COVID-19 clinical trials when invited among various patient populations. Our findings underscore the need for tailored and inclusive recruitment strategies to achieve diverse clinical trial enrollment.

Individuals with 1 or 2 monovalent mRNA COVID-19 booster doses were less likely to have symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to those without booster doses, during the BA.2/BA.2.12.1 and BA.4/BA.5 predominant subvariant periods.

In this real-world study, nearly half of Medicare beneficiaries experienced a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)–related complication within 1 month of RSV diagnosis. Presence of complications/comorbidities of interest pre–RSV diagnosis predicted a higher risk of having a different complication following diagnosis.

In people with HIV and toxoplasmic encephalitis who demonstrate immune reconstitution while receiving antiretroviral therapy, contrast enhancement of magnetic resonance imaging lesions can persist for years following clinical improvement. Such persistence may not indicate active disease requiring therapy.

In our study, pregnancy, low vaccine confidence, and government mistrust were associated with a lower likelihood of COVID-19 vaccination among reproductive-aged women in Jamaica.

Oral miltefosine is the first-line treatment for post–kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in South Asia. This study assessed safety and effectiveness of miltefosine. The cure rate was 76%; however, a significant number of patients developed ocular complications.

Prenatal Neisseria gonorrhoeae may increase the odds of preterm preeclampsia and preterm delivery. Even with screening and treatment, our study and the work of others show that gonorrhea may still negatively impact pregnancy health.

Posttreatment Plasmodium 18S ribosomal RNA molecular diagnostic data were assessed from multiple controlled human malaria infection studies to ascertain the clearance kinetics of this increasingly used biomarker. All participants showed complete clearance by 7 days after treatment initiation.

Blood culture contamination is associated with unnecessary antibiotic use and hospital cost. Blood culture diversion techniques have been implemented with varying methods and results. This literature review highlights the need for a meta-analysis to inform providers about the optimal technique.

In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we found no difference in treatment failure for prosthetic joint infections with shorter compared to longer antibiotic treatment, irrespective of the type of surgical procedure (debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention vs 1- or 2-stage exchange arthroplasty).

Since October 2022, an increase in invasive Group A streptococcal (iGAS) infections has been reported. In this 15-year study we showed that this increase was concomitant with intense respiratory viruses' outbreak. Physicians should be aware of this increased risk of pediatric iGAS infections.

Patients clinically suspected of community-acquired pneumonia were randomized between ultra-low-dose chest computed tomography (ULDCT, 261 patients) and chest radiograph (CXR, 231 patients). We did not find evidence that performing ULDCT instead of CXR affects antibiotic treatment policy or patient outcomes.