Infectious Disease Topics
RSSArticles
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Infectious Disease Updates
Post-COVID Cryptococcosis — Even in Those Without Immunosuppression; Think Tularemia
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RSV Vaccination in Severely Immunocompromised Individuals
The antibody response to respiratory syncytial virus vaccination is significantly impaired in many severely immunocompromised individuals.
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Agreeing to Care for Unvaccinated Children
Many primary care clinicians choose not to enroll pediatric patients in their practices when the parents disagree with standard childhood immunization. However, such refusal to provide primary care raises significant controversy and ethical concerns.
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A Plasma Cell-Free DNA PCR Panel Test for Invasive Mold Disease
Lieu and colleagues performed a retrospective study of patients with suspected invasive mold disease that showed a high degree of concordance between noninvasive plasma cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing and invasive specimen fungal test results.
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Clostridioides difficile Toxin Vaccine Failed to Prevent Primary Infection in Trial
A Phase III randomized clinical trial on adults 50 years of age and older found that a detoxified toxin A/B vaccine failed to reach its primary endpoint of preventing Clostridioides difficile infection. The vaccine was safe and well tolerated.
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Uncomplicated Pediatric Appendicitis: Antibiotics or Appendectomy?
Some patients with acute uncomplicated appendicitis do well with initial antibiotic treatment and do not require surgical appendectomy. However, as with adults, approximately one-third of antibiotic-treated children eventually will require surgical removal of the appendix despite the initial short-term success of medical management.
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Infectious Disease Updates
Clostridioides difficile: Reduced Susceptibility to Vancomycin? Antibiotics Reduce Culture Yield in Joint Infection
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Unhurried Patient Care
Unhurried conversations during patient encounters can improve outcomes for patients and enhance career satisfaction of physicians. Specific communication strategies can foster unhurried conversations without adding undue time to clinical care.
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Procalcitonin-Guided Care Leads to Shorter Duration of Antibiotics in Sepsis Patients
In this multicenter, intervention-concealed, randomized clinical trial of 2,760 critically ill patients hospitalized with sepsis, the use of a daily procalcitonin-guided protocol resulted in shorter antibiotic duration as compared with standard care, without a significant difference in 28-day all-cause mortality. There was no significant difference in antibiotic duration between patients managed with a daily C-reactive protein-guided protocol and standard care, and the difference in all-cause mortality between these two groups was inconclusive.
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Aeromonas Infections — Do Not Go Near the Water
Infection with Aeromonas mostly involves skin and soft tissue and traumatic wounds occurring with exposure to water contaminated by the organism. The organism often is resistant to carbapenems because of the presence of a chromosomal carbapenemase, while often remaining susceptible to third-generation cephalosporins.