Infectious Disease Alert – September 1, 2003
September 1, 2003
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A Urinary Test for Pneumonia
The rapid immunochromatographic urine test Binax NOW was found to be a valuable, sensitive, and rapid test for diagnosing pneumococcal pneumonia even after antibiotic therapy had been started. -
Immunoglobulin Therapy for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients
Prophylactic administration of immunoglobin failed to demonstrate any benefit among recipients of an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant from HLA-identical sibling donors. -
Olive Oil and Fungemia: What’s Cooking?
The yeast Candida versatilis was isolated from 10 blood cultures from neonates drawn over a period of 10 days. -
New Targets For Staphylococcal Antibiotics
Drug discovery activities have yielded agents effective against a novel target in staphylococci. -
Prognosis of Perinatally Acquired Hepatitis C Virus Infection
A study of children with perinatally acquired hepatitis C infection followed for an average of 4.8 years showed persistent HCV infection in 81%, with liver disease that was mild. HCV genotype 3 was associated with a higher rate of loss of HCV RNA and normalization of ALT by 30 months of age. -
HIV: If Only Chimps Were Strict Vegetarians!
The chimpanzee simian immunodeficiency virus, the virus from which HIV-1 originated, arose as the result of recombination between retroviruses of 2 smaller primates that may serve as a food source for the chimp. -
UTI and Bacterial Pods: The Invasion of the Bladder Snatchers*
Experiments suggest that bacteria may persist within bladder epithelial cells in a biofilm contained within pods, thus accounting for bacterial persistence manifested as chronic or recurrent urinary tract infection. -
Linezolid Superior to Vancomycin?
Randomized trial data suggest that linezolid is superior to vancomycin in the treatment of nosocomial MRSA pneumonia. -
Relapse of Pneumococcal Pneumonia and Emergence of Quinolone Resistance
Four patients treated with levofloxacin for pneumococcal pneumonia had one or more relapses with levofloxacin-resistant isolates. In 5 of 6 relapses, the infecting strain was identical to the initial levofloxacin-susceptible strain by DNA typing. -
Updates
Difficulties in Diagnosing Intestinal TB; Can Human Betaretroviruses Trigger Autoimmune Disease?; Rifampin and Pyrazinamide No Longer Recommended for Latent TB; Meningitis in Children with Cochlear Implants -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care Supplement
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Pharmacology Watch: Study Shows Oral IIb/IIIa Receptors Increase Mortality
Another study has shown an increase in mortality associated with the use of an oral IIb/IIIa receptor antagonist.