Volume 11, Issue 5, May 2024

This report summarizes the genital herpes workshop hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which focused on identifying important challenges and gaps for researchers, patients, and clinicians.

The absence of clear guidance on the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in critical care settings interferes with optimal care for individuals with HIV requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. This review offers strategies for overcoming challenges associated with modern ART in the ICU.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seasons are largely regular in temperate regions but more variable in tropical/subtropical areas. Durations of RSV seasons are not only associated with the meteorological factors but also the methods used in the analysis.

Disengagement from clinical care was common and resulted in higher death rates among people with HIV and hepatitis C. People lost to follow-up were more likely to require hepatitis C virus treatment, highlighting a priority population for elimination strategies.

In this trial, 308 pregnant women with HIV in Cameroon were randomized to standard daily trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole ± monthly azithromycin. Primary outcomes defined as the proportion of women with malaria or bacterial sexually transmitted infections at delivery were similar in both groups.

Reduced coronary flow reserve is present among asymptomatic, chronically infected PWH on ART who demonstrate good immunological control, similar to persons with DM. These data may suggest well-treated HIV infection is a CVD risk-enhancing factor similar to diabetes.

In a cohort study of nearly 2700 prospectively enrolled patients with suspected sepsis in rural Southeast Asia, the National Early Warning Score has superior prediction of imminent clinical deterioration compared with other frequently used screening tools.

A higher incidence of respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization and intensive care unit admission occurred among people who lived in census tracts with greater social vulnerability and used public health insurance. Equitable access to vaccines and monoclonal antibodies might help reduce hospitalizations.

A respiratory illness outbreak investigation at a university identified 90 laboratory-confirmed cases of human adenovirus (HAdV); 7 students were hospitalized. HAdV can cause moderate to critical illness. Many cases likely went undetected. HAdV should be considered in a respiratory outbreak.

This descriptive study evaluated the association of patient characteristics and influenza-related medical encounters and found that a simple measure such as the number of influenza risk factors can be highly informative of an adult's potential for severe influenza outcomes.

Herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia incidence decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2019 to 2021, herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia incidence rates were highest among females, older adults, and individuals who were immunocompromised. Current vaccination against herpes zoster is low among older adults.

Approximately 1% of patients attending an urban emergency department had a high-titer syphilis infection (rapid plasma reagin ≥1:8). Lack of primary care physician, having HIV, and being a woman of reproductive age are suggested risk factors to include in a screening strategy.

Our findings among 1.5 million Medicaid beneficiaries suggest that the lower risk of colon cancer reported among people with human immunodeficiency virus in the United States compared with the general population is not due to differences in colorectal cancer screening.

In a large cohort of presumptive pediatric tuberculosis cases from 2 high-burden tuberculosis settings, the Xpert-Ultra assay in stool samples had high diagnostic accuracy and an added diagnostic yield, while its performance in urine samples was low.

In an analysis of the CAMERA2 trial using a desirability of outcome ranking approach, treatment of Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections with a combination of standard therapy with an antistaphylococcal penicillin likely results in a worse outcome than standard therapy alone.

An international study on suppressive antibiotic therapy after debridement, antibiotics, irrigation, and implant retention for periprosthetic joint infection revealed uncertain benefits, questioning its routine use and emphasizing the need for further research.

Implementing reflex testing for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) diagnosis significantly decreases hospital-onset CDI rates, but antibiotic use reduction was only partially attenuated. Discordant CDI testing patterns are common and additional strategies are needed to make an accurate CDI diagnosis.

Geospatial analysis of community-based harm reduction services for patients hospitalized for a serious injection-related infection in Alabama found an average 16 minute drive time to reach the nearest service site, with few co-located services for infectious diseases and substance use.

The potential impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the spread of Candida auris is seen in the significant increase in incidence at our institution from 2019 - 2022. Targeted admission surveillance serves as a valuable tool to combat the spread of Candida auris.

A pharmacist-driven model for rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy in people newly diagnosed with HIV is successful, sustainable, and effective at reducing time to viral suppression.

A trial emulation study based on real-world data showed similar virologic efficacy of lamivudine + dolutegravir as compared with 3-drug regimens among people with HIV who were virologically suppressed.

In this population-based study in Ontario, the likelihood of access to kidney transplantation in HIV-positive persons was significantly lower than in HIV-negative individuals, considering the competing risk of death. The long-term allograft outcome was not significantly affected by having HIV.

We highlight a novel model utilizing community paramedics to deliver and support hepatitis C virus treatment for rural patients. This intervention addressed access barriers, achieved high rates of sustained virologic response and patient satisfaction, and demonstrated an effective strategy to cure rural populations.

Serum cryptococcal antigen tests potentially prompt the diagnosis and antifungal therapy in liver transplant recipients with compatible clinical manifestations. However, frequent screening in all liver transplant recipients may be of little value given the low prevalence of cryptococcosis.

Implementation of a fully automated antimicrobial time-out at day 5 from starting antibiotics at a comprehensive cancer center was associated with decreased utilization of targeted broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. Such a system is sustainable, low maintenance, and appears to be of high yield.

Human parechovirus infection was a common cause of meningoencephalitis and viral sepsis. The clinical presentation varied with age, with the youngest children more often developing meningoencephalitis while the slightly older children had symptoms of viral sepsis or a nonsevere viral infection.

Scrub typhus is a multifaced, vector-borne, endemic, re-emerging infectious disease that presents atypically, allowing it to go undiagnosed. Thus, a high level of suspicion is warranted when diagnosing this disease to prevent treatment delays.

Cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccines were superior to egg-based ones in the prevention of test-confirmed influenza among children and adults over the 2017–2018, 2018–2019, and 2019–2020 influenza seasons in the United States. These findings corroborate previously published relative effectiveness studies of cell- vs egg-based quadrivalent influenza vaccines.