Infectious Disease
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SHEA: Avoid Routine Testing for C. diff in the NICU
In contrast to adult patients, infants under 12 months rarely develop C. diff infection but can be frequently colonized. A positive test may reveal colonization that poses little threat of disease or subsequent transmission, possibly triggering unnecessary treatment and unneeded isolation measures, warns the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America in a new whitepaper.
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Staffing Woes: IP-Hospital Beds Ratio Outdated
Infection prevention staffing needs can vary widely by facilities, but in the absence of an analysis of the actual duties and labor required, many hospitals still rely on outdated IP-patient bed ratios. -
Outcasts: HAIs Stigmatize Discharged Patients
Some patients infected or colonized with MRSA and other multidrug-resistant organisms report feeling stigmatized, comparing their plight to historical outcasts like lepers and plague victims. -
Infectious Disease Alert Updates
Pet Snake Snacks: A Salmonella Treat; Linking HIV-positive Inmates to Outpatient Care
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Prophylactic Antibiotics for Acute Aspiration
Researchers compared outcomes in patients with aspiration pneumonitis who received prophylactic antibiotics during the first two days after macro-aspiration to patients who received only supportive care during this time. Among the 200 patients meeting the acute aspiration pneumonitis case definition, antimicrobial prophylaxis was not associated with improvement in mortality. However, patients receiving prophylactic antibiotics required more frequent escalation of antibiotics and received more days of antibiotics than those who were managed initially with supportive care alone.
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Oral Vancomycin Is the Most Cost-effective Treatment for the First Recurrence of Clostridium Difficile Infection
The authors of a pharmacoeconomic study comparing bezlotoxumab plus oral vancomycin, oral vancomycin alone, and fidaxomicin found that oral vancomycin alone was the most cost-effective regimen to treat the first recurrence of Clostridium difficile infection.
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Infections Associated With Travel to the United States
Infectious illness is common in travelers from other countries visiting the United States. Skin and soft tissue infections, respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal illness are most likely, but specific geographic illnesses such as Lyme disease also occur.
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IV to Oral Antibiotic Switch for Selected Cases of Endocarditis
Completion of therapy of selected patients with infective endocarditis with orally administered antibiotics is feasible, safe, and effective.
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Meropenem vs. Piperacillin-tazobactam for Bacteremia Due to ESBL-Producers: The MERINO Trial
In an open-label, randomized, noninferiority trial evaluating the efficacy of piperacillin-tazobactam vs. meropenem for definitive therapy in treating bacteremia caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, piperacillin-tazobactam therapy did not result in noninferior 30-day, all-cause mortality compared to meropenem. Investigators stopped the trial early due to futility.
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Elagolix (Orilissa)
Elagolix is indicated for the management of moderate to severe pain associated with endometriosis.