Bacterial Infections
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A Review of Throat Infections: Low-Acuity Disease
Sore throats are common pediatric chief complaints, with etiologies ranging from thrush to epiglottitis. All clinicians must be familiar with the diversity of causes from benign to life-threatening in order to decrease morbidity and mortality with a timely diagnosis.
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Pediatric Pneumonia, Diagnostic Uncertainty, and Communication
Community-acquired pneumonia is a common cause of hospitalization among children in resourced countries and is the leading cause of childhood death in lower-income countries. However, the diagnosis of pneumonia is fraught with uncertainty, and management practices vary widely. Clinician behaviors and attributes that engender trust in the face of diagnostic uncertainty have been documented.
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Diagnostic Uncertainty in Community-Acquired Pneumonia
A national retrospective cohort study from the Veterans Administration found a high rate of diagnostic discordance for patients admitted and discharged for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Improvement in the diagnosis of CAP is needed.
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Extensively Drug-Resistant Shigella on the Rise
The prevalence of Shigella resistant to azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and ampicillin is increasing.
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H. pylori Infection: A Warning Sign for Alzheimer’s Dementia
A large nested case-control cohort study of subjects aged 50 years and older found that clinically apparent Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with a moderately increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
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Using Doxycycline as Postexposure Prophylaxis to Prevent Bacterial Sexually Transmitted Infections
In an open-label, randomized study involving men who have sex with men and transgender women, using doxycycline within 72 hours of condomless sex was associated with a two-thirds reduction in the incidence of bacterial sexually transmitted infections vs. those who received standard care.
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More Reports of Severe Group A Streptococcal Infection
Around the world, rates of severe illness caused by group A Streptococcus are rising. Possible explanations for the increase include immunity-altering, post-pandemic changes in exposure to respiratory pathogens and the emergence of new pathogenic M strains of Streptococcus.
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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%.
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MRSA Carriers Linked to Outbreaks Can Be Decolonized Successfully
The authors of a new consensus document recommend screening healthcare personnel for infection or colonization if they are epidemiologically linked to a cluster of such infections.
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The Degree of Pyuria Can Help Determine Urinary Tract Infection in Elderly Women
Elderly women with a urinary tract infection had 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%.