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General Infectious Disease

News, opinions and meeting coverage in infectious disease.

Frozen or Powdered: Fecal Transplant Works in C. Diff

Donor stool need not be fresh for treating C. diff.

Shingles Risks Similar for the RA Biologics

The risk of developing herpes zoster was similar among older patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with the various different biologic agents, a retrospective study found.

Ebola Response: Slowed by a 'Perfect Storm' of Setbacks

WASHINGTON -- The world was taken by surprise by the West Africa Ebola outbreak and has been scrambling ever since to catch up, with many setbacks and only a few bright spots in the picture, international experts said at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Vancomycin May Protect Against C. Diff Recurrence

WASHINGTON -- Prophylaxis with oral vancomycin (Vancocin) appeared to protect at-risk patients from experiencing a recurrence of Clostridium difficile infection, researchers reported here.

ESC: Mixed Results with Steroids in TB Pericarditis

BARCELONA -- Adding steroids to anti-tuberculosis treatment for patients with tuberculous pericarditis can reduce the risk of complication and the resulting hospital admission, but adding prednisolone to tuberculosis treatment did not reduce the risk of death, researchers said here.

HIV Drug Cleared of Cognition Hit

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Although it has well-known psychiatric side effects, the HIV drug efavirenz (Sustiva) does not affect cognition, a researcher said here.

Three-Drug Cocktail Has Promise in TB

MELBOURNE, Australia -- An experimental, three-drug tuberculosis treatment regimen demonstrated bactericidal activity in patients with drug-sensitive or multidrug-resistant disease, researchers reported here.

Morning Break: The B.O. Talk, No Love for Niacin

Health news and commentary from around the Web, gathered by the 麻豆传媒 staff.

Antibiotics No Help After Gallbladder Surgery

Postoperative antibiotics after gallbladder removal do not reduce the risk of infection, researchers reported.

HIV Prophylaxis May Cut Herpes Risk

Drug therapy to prevent HIV infection also appeared to reduce the risk of catching another virus, herpes simplex 2, among heterosexual men and women, researchers reported.

AMA Clamps Down on MOC, But Punts on Gun Regs

CHICAGO -- The AMA鈥檚 House of Delegates drew the line on this year's hot button topic -- maintenance of certification (MOC), saying it should not be mandatory, nor should it be a condition of licensure.

Vaccines and Biologics: Questions Remain

Vaccinations for patients with autoimmune diseases -- specifically patients being treated with biologics -- bring with them a variety of issues, including disease-specific, medication-related, and vaccine-associated factors, researchers suggested.

Simple, Short HCV Regimen Has High Cure Rate

LONDON -- A single pill once a day for 8 weeks is enough to cure more than 90% of hepatitis C virus patients with relatively uncomplicated disease, a researcher said.

ACC: Gout Drug Tames the Heart

WASHINGTON -- Colchicine may be as effective at reducing multiple recurrences of pericarditis as it is in treating acute episodes and first recurrences.

HIV Case Linked to Lesbian Sex

In an uncommon occurrence, a Texas woman appears to have acquired HIV through sex with another woman, the CDC reported.

Can Antibiotics Trigger Arrhythmias?

Azithromycin and levofloxacin were both associated with elevated risks of death and serious cardiac arrhythmias during standard lengths of prescription, a study of mostly male military veterans showed.

A Cure for Chlamydia Arthritis?

Increased understanding of the biology and survival tactics of Chlamydia trachomatis is suggesting that the post-infectious chronic arthritis experienced by many patients may actually be curable.

Treating HCV -- Is the Price Right?

New drugs on the horizon hold out the promise of being able to cure up to 90% of people with chronic hepatitis C (HCV). They are also promising to be expensive.

New Herpes Drug Blocks Viral Shedding

An investigational drug with a novel mechanism of action reduced the rate of viral shedding in patients with genital herpes simplex-2 (HSV-2) infection, researchers reported.

Testosterone Level Affects Flu Shot Response

Men with high testosterone and a certain genetic cluster may not experience an antibody response after a flu shot, researchers suggested -- a finding that could affect men taking prescription testosterone.

Jakafi Requires Careful Dosing Early: Experts

NEW YORK -- The JAK inhibitor can make a big difference for myelofibrosis patients, but must be monitored.

Delayed Measles Vax May Be More Effective

A first measles vaccine given at 12 or 13 months of age is less likely to provide lasting protection than a shot at 15 months or later, researchers reported.

MERS Knowledge Gaps Troubling to Many

SAN FRANCISCO -- Although much is known about the Middle East coronavirus (MERS-CoV), "unfortunately some issues are still unresolved," according to the man in charge of battling the outbreak.

N.H. Hospital May Have Exposed Patients to CJD

Health officials in New Hampshire said eight neurosurgery patients at one hospital in the state may have been unwittingly exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

FDA Beefs Up Fluoroquinolone Warning

The risk of nerve damage that fluoroquinolone antibiotics carry may come on rapidly and perhaps be permanent, the FDA warned Thursday.

Lab Notes: Meth May Worsen Fungal Infection

Mice injected with methamphetamine and exposed to Cryptococcus fungi showed more extensive and hard-to-eradicate infections. Also this week: an organic pesticide fights parasitic worms.

FDA Warns of Fatal Skin Reactions with Acetaminophen

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Acetaminophen is associated with rare but severe and sometimes fatal skin reactions at usual doses, the FDA said Thursday.

FDA Adds Black Box Warning to Malaria Drug

The FDA has added a boxed warning to the labeling of the antimalarial drug mefloquine, advising of the possibility of neurologic and psychiatric adverse events, the agency announced.

Itching: No Big Deal in Most Cases But ...

Summer usually brings with it plenty of causes for itching, most of which are annoying but not indicative of serious health problems.

A Little Estrogen Goes a Long Way in Preventing UTI

Short-term estrogen therapy induced cellular changes in urothelium consistent with improved ability to fight off urinary tract infection, results from clinical and preclinical studies suggested.

CDC: Cut Back on Doxycycline Use

A continuing shortage of doxycycline means the drug should be used only for conditions that have no alternative treatments, the CDC advised this week.

C. Diff Dangerous in ESRD

ORLANDO -- Kidney dialysis patients who are infected with Clostridium difficile have a greater risk of infection relapse and also have a higher all-cause mortality that patients who do not have kidney disease, researchers said here.

Model Predicts MRSA in Septic Arthritis

CHICAGO -- A model that included easily obtainable values early in treatment successfully ruled out most cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in children with septic arthritis, researchers found.

PML Not Fatal if Caught Early

SAN DIEGO - All multiple sclerosis patients taking natalizumab (Tysabri) who were diagnosed with a serious condition called PML before symptoms appeared were still alive a year later, researchers said.

Infection High in Myeloma, with High Mortality

ATLANTA -- More than a fifth of patients with multiple myeloma died of infection within a year of diagnosis, Swedish investigators reported here.

No Need for Skin Preps to Be Sterile, FDA Told

WASHINGTON -- Requiring that antiseptic skin preparation products be sterile is unnecessary and wouldn't lead to a dramatic drop in infections, speakers told the FDA Wednesday.

C. Difficile Inpatient Stays Long, Costly

LAS VEGAS -- Among the many factors that contribute to the burgeoning costs associated with Clostridium difficile infections are long hospital stays, particularly in intensive care units, and the need for multiple specialist consultations, a chart review determined.

FDA to Look at Tainted Skin Preps

Antiseptic skin preparation products can be contaminated by microbes, a problem the FDA will address at an upcoming public hearing.

Lupus Patients Tend to Skip Pap Tests

WASHINGTON -- Women with systemic lupus erythematosus do not appear undergo timely cervical cancer screening despite being at an increased risk for cervical dysplasia and HPV infection, researchers said here.

Meningitis: FDA Warns of 'Light Therapy' Claims

A Tennessee company made false claims that its "light therapy" has benefits for fungal meningitis, the FDA said.

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