Infectious Disease
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Tetracycline for Multiple Sclerosis?
One hundred forty-two patients within 180 days of their first demyelinating event were randomized to minocycline 100 mg BID vs. placebo. The unadjusted risk of conversion to multiple sclerosis within six months after randomization was 61.0% in the placebo group and 33.4% in the minocycline group. At 24 months, the effect of minocycline was not statistically significant.
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Cefazolin Leads to Better Outcomes for Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia Than Nafcillin or Oxacillin
A retrospective study that included patients from 119 Veterans Affairs hospitals found lower mortality and a similar recurrence rate for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia treated with cefazolin compared to nafcillin and oxacillin.
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Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Bacteremia Associated With Placentophagy
Associated with a mother’s ingestion of encapsulated placenta, an otherwise healthy newborn developed and, with antimicrobial treatment, recovered from both early and late onset group B streptococcal bacteremia. This is apparently the first report of a serious negative consequence of maternal consumption of dried placenta.
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Ebola Outbreak Ends; Lessons of 2014 Resonate
The WHO declared the end of the most recent outbreak of Ebola virus on July 2, 2017, saying two 21-day incubation cycles had passed since the last confirmed case in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There were eight cases, four of whom died.
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Why Antibiotic Stewardship Teams Need IPs
Patti Kieffer, BSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC, infection prevention consultant at BJC HealthCare in St. Louis, had a much different talk in mind when she originally thought of addressing her IP colleagues on the antibiotic stewardship.
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Waterborne Outbreaks Go Beyond Legionella
Legionella is not the only bug in hospital water capable of threatening patients with deadly infections. Hospital Infection Control & Prevention recently talked to two investigators in the CDC’s vaunted Epidemic Intelligence Service. Investigating two separate waterborne outbreaks, these medical detectives offered some sage advice in the form of an observation and a caveat.
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APIC 2017: Amid Change, Hold to Core Values
Amid rapid change and new challenges, it is critical for infection preventionists to preserve their core values, including protecting patients and families, APIC President Linda Greene, RN, MPS, CIC, FAPIC, said recently in Portland at the annual conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
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Implementing the CDC Water Management Program
With the recent CMS action1 to begin enforcing Legionella controls in hospitals, infection preventionists can find a wealth of compliance resources in a newly updated CDC Water Management toolkit.2
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Clinical Briefs
In this section: Use caution with a nocturia treatment; an analysis of a cellulitis remedy; and handling influenza patients.
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Sarilumab Injection (Kevzara)
Sarilumab is indicated for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have demonstrated an inadequate response or intolerance to one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.