Infectious Disease Alert – June 1, 2023

Pre-Conception Hepatitis B and Congenital Heart Disease

A new study suggests that both women and men who have had hepatitis B infection prior to conceiving offspring are more likely to give birth to children with congenital heart disease.

Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing Is Common for Elective Surgeries

A retrospective cohort study of adults who underwent an elective craniotomy, hip replacement, knee replacement, spinal procedure, or hernia repair revealed only 59% adhered to recommended guidelines on prophylactic antibiotic prescribing. Unnecessary vancomycin use was the most common reason for nonadherence and had 19 times higher risk for acute kidney injury.

CDC Update on Candida auris Epidemiology 2019 to 2021

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discusses the changing epidemiology of Candida auris between 2019 and 2021, including a 200% jump in screening cases from 2020 to 2021.

Blastomycosis Outbreak

The largest reported outbreak of blastomycosis has affected at least 115 employees, contractors, or visitors to a paper mill in the Michigan Upper Peninsula.

Use of 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, the use of doxycycline within 72 hours of condomless sex was associated with a two-thirds reduction in the incidence of bacterial sexually transmitted infections as compared with those who received standard care.

Infectious Disease Alert Updates

Immunocompromised Patients with Persistent COVID-19; Endemic Mycoses Are No Longer ‘-Demic’