Infectious Disease Alert
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A Short Course of Antibiotics for Acute Otitis Media in Children Leads to Worse Outcomes Compared to Standard Course Therapy
A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial determined that in children 6-23 months of age with acute otitis media, five days of amoxicillin-clavulanate resulted in more clinical failure compared to a 10-day course of therapy.
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Intrauterine Zika Virus Infection — Not Just Microcephaly at Birth
Manifestations of intrauterine Zika infection may not be clinically apparent at birth, warranting the use of early neuroimaging and careful follow-up.
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Zika Virus and Risk of Congenital Abnormalities
Two recent studies clarify the substantial risk of congenital abnormalities following maternal Zika virus infection. The risk is highest in the first trimester of pregnancy, and appears similar following symptomatic and asymptomatic maternal infection.
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Infectious Disease Alert Updates
Dental Care May Reduce Risk of Pneumonia; Stop Kissing Your Chickens; Blood Safety and Global Infections
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Cefpodoxime proxetil (Vantin®)
Cefpodoxime is an oral third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic that was FDA-approved in 1998 for the treatment of various mild to moderate susceptible infections.
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Diabetes and Vitamin C Deficiency May Be Common
Low levels of vitamin C were noted in seven of 11 patients with diabetes, including six of seven with lower extremity ulcers. Vitamin C repletion appeared to help heal these ulcers.
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Cryptosporidiosis in India — and in Your Community Swimming Pool?
Almost all children in some parts of India have at least one Cryptosporidium infection during the first three years of life.
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Antibiotic Stewardship in Outpatient Settings
The implementation of antibiotic stewardship principles in all outpatient settings is crucial to the struggle against growing antimicrobial resistance and to optimal patient outcomes.
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No Significant Association Between Autism Risk and Maternal Influenza and Vaccination
A very large cohort study over 11 years failed to find an association between autism risk and maternal influenza infection or influenza vaccination during pregnancy. A low risk of autism was associated on initial analysis with first-trimester vaccination, but adjusting statistically for the multiplicity of hypotheses tested in the study showed that this association could be due to chance (P = 0.10).
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Fecal Transplant vs. Oral Vancomycin Taper for Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection
In a small randomized, controlled trial that compared fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) administered by enema to a six-week oral vancomycin taper, FMT was not more effective for patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection.