Infectious Disease Alert – August 1, 2003
August 1, 2003
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EIA Test for Aspergillus galactomannan Officially Here — But How Good Is It?
The Platelia Aspergillus EIA for detecting Aspergillus galactomannan in blood has been recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States. -
Treatment Of Early Lyme Disease — More Is Not Better
Neither adding a single dose of ceftriaxone to a 10-day course of doxycycline nor extending the duration of doxycycline therapy to 20 days is better than a straightforward 10-day course of oral doxycycline in the treatment of patients with erythema migrans. -
Amoeba-Associated Bacteria: Novel Causes of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia?
Organisms that may only be isolated by using coculture with amoeba and that are present in hospital water supplies may be implicated in some cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia. -
PZA — The Most Likely Culprit
Pyrazinamide was the most frequent cause of drug-related adverse events, especially hepatitis, among patients with tuberculosis receiving first-line drugs. -
Monkey Fever — Kyasanur Forest Disease
Kyasanur Forest disease, also known as monkey fever, is a cause of hemorrhagic fever with late CNS manifestations in a geographically delimited area of India. -
Japanese Encephalitis
Guangdong province in China, having brought SARS under control, is now facing its seasonal epidemic of Japanese encephalitis. -
Viruses Down Under
Ross River and Barmah viruses are causes of febrile illness often associated with severe joint symptoms, which may persist for months. -
Aspiration Pneumonia: Where Have All The Anaerobes Gone?
Anaerobes were not found to play an important role in the etiology of pneumonia in nursing home residents with an increased risk of aspiration. -
Updates
Cidofovir (CDV), which was licensed in the United States in 1996 for the treatment of cytomegalovirus retinitis, has been used successfully in a number of other viral infections, including those due to drug-resistant herpes simplex, varicella-zoster, and adenovirus. -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care Supplement