Infectious Disease
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Differential Time to Positivity Is a Useful Measure in Diagnosing Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections
A systematic review and meta-analysis found differential time to positivity (DTP) was a useful measurement in confirming or excluding central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs). However, DTP was not as accurate for CLABSIs resulting from Staphylococcus aureus (lower sensitivity) or Candida spp. (lower specificity) compared to other organisms.
Duration of Antibiotic Therapy for Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales Bacteremia
This multicenter, observational study provides the first focused comparison of short vs. prolonged antibiotic courses for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales bloodstream infections, suggesting that short courses (eight to 10 days) have similar outcomes to prolonged courses.
Proton Pump Inhibitors: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Proton pump inhibitor use in infants is associated with a 34% increase in the risk of subsequent infection-related hospitalization. These medications should be used only when the benefits clearly outweigh the risks.
Oral Penicillin Challenge vs. Skin Testing: Diagnosing Low-Risk Patients with Reported Penicillin Allergy
In a comparison of direct oral penicillin challenge in low-risk patients to skin testing followed by oral challenge, researchers reported no significant differences. Direct oral penicillin challenge appears to be a safe and effective way to delabel a penicillin allergy.
The Degree of Pyuria Can Help Determine Urinary Tract Infection in Elderly Women
Elderly women with a urinary tract infection recorded a higher median number of urinary leukocytes compared to uninfected controls, including those with asymptomatic bacteriuria. For 264 leukocytes/µL, the sensitivity and specificity of microscopy were 88%. Using the standard pyuria threshold of 10 leukocytes/µL gave a specificity of 36% and a sensitivity of 100%.
Comparing Sequelae After Hospitalization with COVID-19, Influenza, or Sepsis
The incidence of most selected new-onset medical conditions did not significantly differ among those who had been hospitalized with COVID-19, influenza, or sepsis.
U.S. Public Health Officials Warn Frontline Providers to Watch for Malaria Cases
Clinicians should raise their suspicion levels for the mosquito-borne illness when patients present with fever with an unknown etiology, even if the patients have not traveled recently to a country where malaria is endemic.
Major Cardiovascular Event Risk Reduction with Pitavastatin in People Living with HIV
A large randomized, controlled trial (REPRIEVE) conducted by Grinspoon and colleagues showed that in participants living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who are at low-to-moderate risk for cardiovascular disease, those who received pitavastatin had a 35% lower risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiovascular event over a follow-up of approximately five years than those who received placebo.
Fatal Flea-Borne Typhus in California
Three fatal cases of flea-borne typhus, which is endemic in Southern California as well as in Texas and Hawaii, occurred in Los Angeles County in 2022 — the first such fatalities in two decades.
Increasing Reports of Severe Group A Streptococcal Infection
Around the world, rates of severe illness due to group A Streptococcus are increasing. Possible explanations for the increase include immunity-altering, post-pandemic changes in exposure to respiratory pathogens, as well as the emergence of new pathogenic M strains of Streptococcus.