Infectious Disease Alert – February 1, 2004

February 1, 2004

• Adjunct Dexamethasone Therapy for Hematogenous Suppurative Arthritis 

  A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of short-course dexamethasone therapy as an adjunct to antimicrobial therapy was conducted among children 3 months to 11 years of age with hematogenous suppurative arthritis in Costa Rica from 1998 to 2000.

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• Treatment of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: Longer Is Not Better

  Antibiotic administration for only 8 days to patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia was not inferior to 15 days of therapy.

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• Do Isolation Precautions for MRSA Compromise Patient Care?

  As determined by process of care measurement, adverse event occurrence, and patient satisfaction, quality of care is compromised by infection control procedures.

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• A Comeback for Colistin?

  The 50-year-old drug colistin was used successfully in 14 of 23 cases of serious infections caused by multiply resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa .

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• ICAAC/IDSA/ASTMH 2003

  The following summary of selected abstracts from 3 meetings will be published in multiple parts. The 43rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) met in Chicago September 14-17, 2003. The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) met in San Diego October 9-12, 2003. The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene met in Philadelphia December 3-7, 2003.

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• Updates

  The Softer Side of Fluoroquinolones; Cycloserine for Phobics?; 115-Year-Old Smallpox Scabs A Literary Find; Positive PPDs Due to M marinum Infection; Cost-Effectiveness of Influenza Treatment

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• Pharmacology Watch: Valacyclovir Reduces Genital Herpes Transmission

  A once-a-day dose of a valacyclovir reduces the rate of transmission of genital herpes (HSV-2) from an infected partner to an uninfected susceptible partner, according to a new study. The study group included 1484 immunocompetent, heterosexual, monogamous couples in which 1 partner had symptomatic genital HSV-2 and the other was susceptible to HSV-2.

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• Clinical Briefs in Primary Care Supplement

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