Infectious Disease Alert – June 1, 2021
June 1, 2021
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Extensive Loss of Health at Six Months in Survivors of COVID-19
A cohort study from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found many survivors of COVID-19 had significant loss of health six months after their acute illness, with greater risk associated with severity of the acute infection. -
Bacteremic Urinary Tract Infection in the Elderly — Sometimes It’s a Guessing Game
In elderly patients with bacteremic urinary tract infection (UTI), symptoms of UTI were present in only one-third of patients, only four-fifths had fever, and just three-fifths had an early diagnosis of UTI. -
Staphylococcal Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis: Drop the Rifampin? And the Gentamicin?
In a retrospective study, the investigators failed to find evidence of benefit of adjunctive rifampin therapy in patients with staphylococcal prosthetic valve endocarditis. -
Childhood Diarrhea — Judicious Use of Diagnostic Tests
In the United States, rapid diagnostic testing for panels of potential gastrointestinal pathogens in children increases the yield of identifying rare pathogens, but, overall, does not change length of stay for hospitalized patients or reduce hospital charges. -
Blood Culture Contamination — Risks and Adverse Effects
In addition to identifying several patient risk factors for contamination of blood culture specimens, the authors also highlighted various adverse clinical and financial adverse effects. -
Nocardia Brain Abscess
A review of 24 cases of Nocardia brain abscess, two-fifths of which occurred in apparently non-immunocompromised hosts, had variable outcomes, but antibiotic therapy was effective in most. -
Cytomegalovirus Viremia in Liver Transplant Recipients
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia emerges in the majority of CMV seronegative recipients of liver transplants from CMV seropositive donors, most often within the first post-transplant month. The only independent risk factor identified was increasing donor age. -
Infectious Disease Alert Updates
Party Affiliation and Social Distancing; Ethnicity and Occupation as Risk Factors for COVID Infection