Infectious Disease Alert – May 1, 2018
May 1, 2018
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Planes, Pathogens, and Passengers: Infection Risk During Commercial Air Travel
Although air travel has been linked to transmission of respiratory infections, the actual risk of becoming infected during air travel is low. The risk is greatest, though, when seated within about two seats/rows of a contagious individual. Walking around the cabin increases risk.
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Dealing With Multidrug-resistant Organisms on a National Level: CDC Successes and Problems on the Horizon
CDC efforts, implemented at the local level, have been associated with a modest reduction in the incidences of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae with an ESBL phenotype and a more dramatic reduction in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.
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Extended-pulsed Dosing of Fidaxomicin vs. Standard-dose Vancomycin for Clostridium difficile Infection
A randomized, controlled, open-label clinical trial conducted at 86 European hospitals that included adults aged 60 years or older found that extended-pulsed dosing of fidaxomicin was superior to standard-dose vancomycin for sustained cure of Clostridium difficile infection and resulted in fewer disease recurrences.
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Tuberculosis in the United States in 2017
While the incidence of tuberculosis in the United States in 2017 was the lowest ever recorded, the current rate of decline would be required to almost double to reach the goal of elimination of the disease in this country by the year 2100.
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HANDOC: Some Guidance on When to Order Echocardiograms in Patients With Streptococcal Bacteremia
Non-β-hemolytic streptococci (NBHS) are the most common cause of infective endocarditis. In this retrospective study of 399 patients with NBHS bacteremia, 26 patients had endocarditis. HANDOC score (heart murmur, aetiology by specific species of NBHS, number of positive blood cultures, duration of symptoms, only one species in blood culture, and community-acquired infection) was predictive of endocarditis vs. non-endocarditis bacteremia.
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Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis Due to Candida
Prosthetic valve endocarditis due to Candida spp. is associated with high mortality, but is curable — or at least controllable.
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Infectious Disease Alert Updates
Probiotics and Lactobacillemia; The Last Poliovirus Challenge