Optimal Treatment of Vivax Malaria

In glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase-sufficient individuals in Southeast Asia, combined treatment with chloroquine and primaquine provides much more lasting relief from vivax malaria than either chloroquine alone or artesunate.

Blastomycosis (But Not That Blastomycosis) in the Western United States

Blastomycosis occurs in western Canada and in the United States well outside the known endemic area, but it is due to Blastomyces helicus, not Blastomyces dermatitidis.

Factors Associated With Urinary Tract Infections Caused by Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative Bacteria

A multicenter, retrospective, cohort study from southern and eastern Europe identified predictive factors for multidrug-resistant complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), which included male sex, cUTI acquisition in a healthcare facility, presence of a Foley catheter, having a UTI in the previous year, and receiving an antibiotic in the preceding 30 days.

Oral Linezolid for Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

Investigators evaluated 135 patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) in a prospective cohort study comparing early switch to oral linezolid to continued treatment with standard parenteral therapy (SPT). Patients with complicated SAB and osteoarticular infection were excluded. Early switch to oral therapy yielded similar outcomes to continued SPT and allowed earlier hospital discharge.

Healthcare-associated Infections — Better, But Not There Yet

One-day prevalence studies demonstrated that there has been a 16% reduction in the risk of healthcare-associated infections from 2011 to 2015.

Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management Bundle

When the Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Early Management Bundle was used to identify patients with severe sepsis or patients in septic shock, delays in lactate measurements for patients with abnormal lactate levels were associated with delayed initiation of antibiotic therapy and increased mortality.