Infectious Disease Topics
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Well-Appearing Febrile Infants: New Guidelines for Evaluation and Management
New guidelines provide specific recommendations for the use of diagnostic testing, antimicrobial treatment, and ongoing care based on age for children between 8 and 60 days of age.
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Adjuvanted Zoster Vaccine: Persistent Protection
The adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine efficacy is high and persistent, with apparent plateauing at > 84% four to six years after vaccination.
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Environmental Shedding of MRSA Is Far Greater than from Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacilli
An observational cohort study revealed shedding of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus by colonized patients outside hospital rooms or during outpatient clinic visits occurred more often than in those colonized by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli.
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Emerging Options for Malaria Prevention
New data suggest that combining vaccination with chemoprophylaxis is better than either intervention alone, and a small pilot study suggests that a monoclonal antibody infusion is effective in preventing malaria infections.
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Infectious Disease Alert Updates
Sepsis Bundle Erodes Gains in Stewardship; Asymptomatic Transmission of COVID-19 in Households; When Is Hand Hygiene Personally Protective? -
Quinacrine for Refractory Giardiasis
Quinacrine is highly effective in the treatment of giardiasis that is recalcitrant to initial therapy with other agents, but patients must be warned about neuropsychiatric effects. -
The Use of Proton-Pump Inhibitors and the Risk of Acquiring Community-Associated Clostridioides difficile Infection
A nationwide cohort study of adults in Denmark found that proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) use was associated with a moderately increased risk of community-associated Clostridioides difficile infection, and the risk remained elevated up to one year after PPI treatment had stopped. -
Amebic Meningoencephalitis
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis is a rarely diagnosed worldwide disease associated with exposure to fresh water that causes highly lethal, rapidly progressive central nervous system infection but may be treatable in some cases, necessitating maintenance of a high index of suspicion in appropriate cases. -
Clostridioides difficile Infection: Guideline Update
Fidaxomicin is preferred over vancomycin for both initial and recurrent cases. Bezlotoxumab is recommended in many cases of recurrent infection and initial infection in patients at high risk of recurrence. -
COVID-19 Vaccination: The Heart of the Matter
The occurrence of myocarditis after receipt of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines is most frequent in young males and generally is benign, with rapid resolution with only supportive care. Careful analysis indicates that the benefit of vaccination outweighs the risk in all groups for whom the vaccine is recommended — including young males.