Infectious Disease
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Zika Virus Disease: A Primer for the Primary Care Physician
Zika virus disease is a global issue, but with the recent hurricanes and flooding in Texas and Florida, mosquito-borne illnesses may become more prevalent. This article discusses the latest recommendations for the prevention of Zika viral disease, the populations and regions still at increased risk, and the latest and most promising research being conducted to develop a Zika virus vaccine and treatment.
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Virulent, Drug-resistant Pneumonia Bug Emerges in China ICU
In particularly unwelcome news from China, researchers report they have isolated a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae that is both hypervirulent and highly drug-resistant. A worse combination is difficult to imagine. Usually, hypervirulent K. pneumoniae remains susceptible to drugs, but acquiring resistance apparently through genetic transfer in nature means this is a bug that could possibly infect heathy people in the community, let alone frail hospital patients.
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Poor Oral Care During Hospitalization May Lead to Pneumonia
Ventilator-associated pneumonia is a commonly tracked healthcare-associated infection, and frequently the target of interventions to protect patients. On the other hand, non-ventilator healthcare-associated pneumonia falls into a gray area, where it often remains unreported in surveillance systems.
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CMS, Joint Commission Are Citing for ‘Flash’ Sterilization
The abiding principle is that if you must rapidly sterilize an instrument — usually in an effort to return it to the sterile field — you must immediately use it.
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SSIs: A Common and Costly Infection
The CDC has issued new guidelines for the prevention of the most common and costly healthcare-associated infection: surgical site infections.
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Highly Drug-resistant C. auris Continues to Emerge in U.S.
The CDC is urging infection preventionists and their clinical colleagues to have a high index of suspicion for emerging Candida auris, a fungus that spreads more like bacteria, can be highly drug-resistant, and survives on skin and environmental surfaces for prolonged periods.
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Clinical Briefs
In this section: diagnosing pulmonary embolism; tackling early prostate cancer; and treating urinary tract symptoms.
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Glecaprevir and Pibrentasvir Tablets (Mavyret)
The FDA has approved a dual fixed-dose combination of glecaprevir, a NS3/4A protease inhibitor, and pibrentasvir, a NS5A inhibitor, for the treatment of all major genotypes (1-6) of chronic hepatitis C infections.
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Genital HPV in Men: How Common Is It?
In this U.S. cross-sectional survey, the prevalence of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in adult men was 45%, of which 25% were high-risk subtypes. The overall rate of HPV vaccination among those who were eligible was 11%.
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Dual Antibiotic Therapy Is Not Routinely Necessary for Uncomplicated Cellulitis
A randomized, multicenter, placebo-controlled clinical trial that enrolled patients presenting to emergency departments with uncomplicated cellulitis found the addition of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole to cephalexin did not lead to better outcomes.