Volume 11, Issue 9, September 2024

A growing number of individuals suffer from Long COVID. This article describes the objective physiological and biochemical abnormalities seen in these individuals and the different clinical phenotypes of Long COVID. This article shares the evidence-based interventions available for Long COVID.

This review discusses the role of the gut, urine and vaginal microbiome on recurrent urinary tract infection pathogenesis, as well as how live biotherapeutic products such as fecal microbiota transplantation can influence the microbiome and affect clinical outcomes

Human Herpesvirus-6 Encephalitis is exceedingly rare amongst the immunocompetent population. This review article identifies the available records of HHV-6 encephalitis in this demographic to better understand and evaluate the variable diagnostic methods and management of this condition.

The major missing links to optimize treatment outcomes among patients with cryptococcal meningitis involve troubleshooting the limitations of fungal culture, addressing delayed diagnosis, and developing more versatile diagnostics, as well as improving access to the cryptococcal antigen lateral flow assay, antifungal susceptibility testing, and therapeutic drug monitoring. Improved human resource capacity is still key. Procurement issues, cost of tests, and competing diseases and health systems of these settings also hinder access to essential diagnostics for cryptococcal meningitis.

At-risk substance use among people with HIV (PWH) increased over 2 years following COVID-19 shelter-in-place (SIP), with increased fentanyl and methamphetamine use. PWH successfully accessing substance use treatment services decreased post-SIP, highlighting the need for integrated substance use and HIV treatment.

Multivariable analyses were undertaken using Phase 3 study data from TBP-PI-HBr- and ertapenem-treated patients with cUTI/AP. Reductions of overall and microbiologic response were associated with anatomical or functional genitourinary disorders, but not with plasma drug exposure within a PK-PD-optimized range

In the phase 3 BRIGHTE study, heavily treatment-experienced adults with multidrug-resistant HIV-1 had robust improvements in immune parameters and markers of monocyte activation and coagulopathy through 96 weeks of fostemsavir-based therapy, regardless of baseline disease characteristics and virologic response.

Rates of clinical failure were no different when comparing short antibiotic courses (5–10 days) versus long antibiotic courses (11–16 days) for Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteremia. Most patients in this cohort had pneumonia as the source of bacteremia.

We tested whether oral cannabidiol-rich medication could significantly improve health-related quality of life of people living with HIV. In this randomized trial, we found no treatment effect on primary outcomes.

Tuberculosis and chronic hepatitis B virus infection can have significant morbidity and mortality, but little is known about screening among non-U.S.–born persons from high burden countries. This study highlights the need to prioritize these persons and consider combined testing

Liver steatosis is common in people with HIV. Fatty liver index and hepatic steatosis index are valid scores based on clinical and laboratory variables to detect liver steatosis in people with HIV and allow a targeted approach to screening.

There was an association between protease inhibitor– or integrase inhibitor–based regimens use, and risk of cardiovascular events in people with HIV who were newly initiating antiretroviral therapy compared to those who initiate nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors–based regimens.

Not only Streptococcus pyogenes but also Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus dysgalactiae can cause streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). We identified 43 STSS and 285 non-STSS cases and found that S pyogenes caused STSS more frequently (odds ratio = 3.28).

Pre-reinfection nucleocapsid antibody titers correlated with protection against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection during the Omicron XBB1.16/EG.5–predominant wave. High titers in nucleocapsid and spike conferred robust protection (>90%). If nucleocapsid antibodies were low, vaccine-boosted spike antibodies enhanced the reinfection protection (>80%).

In the era when the Omicron XBB vaccine was unavailable, the Omicron bivalent vaccine did not confer neutralizing activity and protection against Omicron XBB.1.16/EG.5.1 symptomatic infection. The previous infection afforded neutralizing titers and protection against symptomatic infection with these variants.

Adolescents with human immunodeficiency virus in urban Zimbabwe and Zambia have bone mineral density deficit, associated with low levels of both reported dietary vitamin D intake and measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃. Supplementation may improve musculoskeletal health in this group.

The study highlights high TB incidence rate and evaluates its risk factors among Georgian PHIV, emphasizing the underuse of preventive treatments and the necessity for integrated HIV/TB care, including early TB preventive treatment and ART administration, to mitigate TB-related morbidity and mortality.

Identification of organisms growing in respiratory cultures (ie, “positive culture”) drives antibiotic treatment even in the absence of clinical findings of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Modifying laboratory reporting based on clinical findings may reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia overdiagnosis and unnecessary antibiotics.

Opt-out emergency department syphilis screening led to major increases in both screening and diagnosis of syphilis among priority populations such as pregnant people and groups disproportionately affected by syphilis, most of whom presented without symptoms of a sexually transmitted infection.

This systematic review and meta-analysis compared intermittent and daily trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole regimens for Pneumocystis pneumonia prophylaxis.

Our study suggests that intermittent administration may reduce adverse events; however, additional randomized controlled trials are needed to apply this to current practice.

This study is a novel prospective quality improvement study for implementation of updated intraamniotic infection guidelines. Updated guidelines successfully replaced ampicillin/gentamicin/clindamycin with piperacillin-tazobactam using a clinical decision support tool. There was no significant change in patient safety outcomes.

In a nationwide Danish cohort of first-time cardiac implantable electronic device recipients, the risk of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia increased with more advanced CIED-systems. The risk was highest within the first 3 months after device implantation.

Preneutropenic fever was very common among those receiving cytarabine, thymoglobulin, or haploidentical transplants. In this context, infections were rare and most fevers were noninfective in nature. Empiric antimicrobial use was prolonged despite a lack of infectious etiology.

Early prolonged secondary amenorrhea is more prevalent in women with HIV than sociodemographically similar women without HIV. Greater odds of amenorrhea are associated with HIV, substance use, older age, being White, and food insecurity.

Campylobacter-related infections are frequent among kidney recipients and occur preferentially shortly after transplantation. The independent risk factors for campylobacteriosis are corticosteroids as maintenance immunosuppressive regimen, low basal estimated glomerular filtration rate, history of acute rejection, and low absolute lymphocyte count.

Evaluation of patients with suspected mpox differed by care site. Coinfection with STI was common among patients tested for mpox and syphilis was the most frequent STI diagnosed. MSM status was associated with completion of guideline concordant care.

A retrospective study of 64 cancer patients with pulmonary legionellosis (73% with Legionella pneumophila) found a 23% 30-day mortality. Hyponatremia, bilateral lung involvement, and SOFA score =5 were independent mortality predictors. Lung co-infections were common (31%), but did not significantly affect mortality.

We analyzed genotypes of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus circulating in South Korea. The majority of analyzed cases was classified as genotype B. There were no genotype-specific differences in factors associated with fatal outcome of SFTS.

We report 2 cases of systemic fungal infection by the novel onygenalean fungal species Emergomyces and Blastomyces percursus in Rwanda.

In this phase 1/2a study, 3 doses of the Ad26.RSV.preF vaccine (2.5 × 10¹⁰ vp) was well tolerated and elicited an immunogenic response in RSV-seronegative toddlers aged 12–14 months through 2 RSV seasons.

• VLA15 is an OspA-based vaccine in currently in clinical studies for prevention of Lyme disease

• Passive transfer of sera from clinical study participants vaccinated with VLA15 imparts functional transmission blocking activity in the mouse model of tick challenge

In this large cohort of patients aged ≥5 years with initial SARS-CoV-2 infection, preinfection vaccination status was not associated with subsequent diagnosis of postacute sequelae of COVID-19.

The current blood culture bottle shortage emphasizes the importance of diagnostic stewardship for blood cultures. We offer strategies for implementing blood culture stewardship using a graded approach based on supply to mitigate impact and reinforce fundamental blood culture stewardship principles.