Browse Infectious Disease General Articles by Topic

Disseminated Infection Due to Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Only 0.24% of patients with gonorrhea had disseminated infection, with septic arthritis occurring in approximately one-half.

Multi-State Tuberculosis Outbreak Due to Transmission from an Infected Bone Graft Product

An 80-year-old man with undiagnosed tuberculosis (TB) became a bone tissue donor after his death from a cardiac arrest. Bone graft product was given to 113 recipients in 20 states, of whom three died of TB. All living recipients were started on treatment for TB at a median of 69 days after bone product implementation.

Limiting Testing in Febrile Young Infants with Abnormal Urinalyses

According to a 26-site study, febrile infants younger than 2 months of age who have abnormal urinalyses are at very low risk of having meningitis and might not necessarily need to be subjected to lumbar puncture.

The Great Imitator Imitates Again

This case report serves as a reminder that even though pancolitis from secondary syphilis is rare, syphilitic proctitis is a not-uncommon manifestation of syphilis — and that syphilis can present as almost anything — even long COVID.

Doxycycline Plus a Beta-Lactam to Treat Inpatients with Community-Acquired Pneumonia

In this retrospective study of an elderly male population hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia, the combination of doxycycline with a beta-lactam was at least as effective as a respiratory fluoroquinolone or a combination of a beta-lactam with azithromycin.

Better Diagnostics Equals Fewer Unnecessary Antibiotic Prescriptions

Researchers credit diagnostic stewardship as the top reason for an impressive reduction in needless antibiotic prescriptions.

Infectious Disease Alert Updates

Screening for Chagas in HIV; It’s Not All About the Cough; Linezolid and Cycloserine in CSF Adequate

Can Maternal COVID-19 Vaccination Protect Newborns?

In this case control study, 537 case infants younger than 6 months of age who were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 were compared to 512 control infants who were hospitalized for other reasons; 16% of the case infants and 29% of the control infants had been born to mothers who had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 during the pregnancy. The effectiveness of maternal vaccination against infant hospitalization for COVID-19 was 52% overall, 80% during the Delta variant period, and 38% during the Omicron variant period. Effectiveness increased when the vaccine was received after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Outbreak of a Potentially More Lethal Ebola Virus

A new outbreak of a more lethal Ebola virus is occurring in Uganda with concern about its exportation.

Antibiotic Prophylaxis Is Not Beneficial for Patients Undergoing Transperineal Prostate Biopsy

A randomized clinical trial found a similar rate of infection between patients given antibiotics for transperineal prostate biopsy compared to those not given antibiotics. It may be possible to omit antibiotics in certain patients undergoing transperineal prostate biopsy.