Infectious Disease Alert – April 1, 2008
April 1, 2008
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Angiostrongylus cantonensis in Hawaii: A Parasite to Consider in Meningitis Patients
Eosinophilic meningitis is a distinct clinical syndrome characterized, in part, by an eosinophilic pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). -
CCR5 Deficiency/Susceptibility to Symptomatic CNS Infection with Flaviviruses
It was recently reported that the prevalence of homozygosity for CCR5 delta 32, a nonfunctional variant of the chemokine receptor CCR5, is markedly increased among symptomatic WNV-seropositive patients from Arizona and Colorado. -
Mercury Levels after Vaccination with Thimerosal-containing Vaccines
A prospective, observational study was conducted in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during 2003-2004 among 216 healthy infants > 32 weeks gestation who received age-appropriate immunizations, as routinely administered in Argentina. -
Maintaining Patients on a Failing Antiretroviral Regimen Reduces the Risk of AIDS-defining Events
In this study, 12,765 patients from the large French Hospital Database on HIV with CD4+ lymphocyte counts < 200 cells/uL who received cART during 2000-2005 were selected. -
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
The etiology of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains conjectural. There are broad-based immune deficiencies in some patients with CFS. -
It's the Flu Season! Honey is Sweeter for Cough
Folk remedies for various medical conditions are commonly used throughout the world, many of which probably have a biological basis for their efficacy not recognized by "Western" doctors. -
Tamiflu-resistance Emerging
World health authorities and the European equivalent of the CDC alerted doctors and the public that Influenza A strains circulating in Europe this winter appear to be increasing resistance to oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Previously, oseltamivir-resistant strains occurred with less than 1% frequency. -
Long-Term Persistence of Low-level Viremia in Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy
A cohort of 40 patients being treated with lpv/r, d4T, and 3TC, who had plasma HIV RNA < 50 copies/mL by 96 weeks of treatment, were followed with serial plasma HIV RNA determinations (a total of 293 samples). -
Waning Vaccine-Induced Immunity to Varicella
The incidence of chicken pox has decreased dramatically in the United States since implementation of a universal vaccination program in 1995. -
Updates by Carol A. Kemper, MD, FACP
Researchers from Harvard Medical School examined antibiotic use in a group of elderly, demented patients residing in 21 nursing homes in the Boston Area, focusing on the weeks prior to death. -
Pharmacology Watch: Erythropoietin and Cancer Death Rates
In this issue: Does erythropoietin worsen cancer death rates? Most hypothyroid patients can be replaced with levothyroxine alone without additional T3. Does aggressive control in type 2 diabetes save lives? -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care supplement