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Oral Vancomycin Is the Most Cost-effective Treatment for the First Recurrence of Clostridium Difficile Infection

The authors of a pharmacoeconomic study comparing bezlotoxumab plus oral vancomycin, oral vancomycin alone, and fidaxomicin found that oral vancomycin alone was the most cost-effective regimen to treat the first recurrence of Clostridium difficile infection.

Infections Associated With Travel to the United States

Infectious illness is common in travelers from other countries visiting the United States. Skin and soft tissue infections, respiratory infections, and gastrointestinal illness are most likely, but specific geographic illnesses such as Lyme disease also occur.

IV to Oral Antibiotic Switch for Selected Cases of Endocarditis

Completion of therapy of selected patients with infective endocarditis with orally administered antibiotics is feasible, safe, and effective.

Meropenem vs. Piperacillin-tazobactam for Bacteremia Due to ESBL-Producers: The MERINO Trial

In an open-label, randomized, noninferiority trial evaluating the efficacy of piperacillin-tazobactam vs. meropenem for definitive therapy in treating bacteremia caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, piperacillin-tazobactam therapy did not result in noninferior 30-day, all-cause mortality compared to meropenem. Investigators stopped the trial early due to futility.

Infectious Disease Alert Updates

Risk Behavior and Toxoplasma; Embolic Risk and Vegetation Size; Recertification: Is There a Better Way?

Eosinophilic Meningitis Caused by Angiostrongylus cantonensis in the United States

Excluding Hawaii, eosinophilic meningitis due to the rat lungworm rarely is encountered in the United States. Ordinarily, the infection is acquired in Asia and the South Pacific, but it also may be acquired in the southern United States.

Inappropriate Outpatient Antibiotic Prescribing: The Need to Target Urgent Care Centers

Urgent care centers, which are part of a growth industry, are responsible for a large proportion of antibiotic prescriptions, including inappropriate prescriptions for acute respiratory diagnoses.

Probiotics for the Primary Prevention of Clostridium difficile Infection

The authors of a before-and-after intervention study and a meta-analysis found that probiotics reduce the incidence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). The strategy seems to work best in hospital settings where the incidence of CDI is ≥ 5% and for patients receiving two or more antibiotics.

Clinicians Prescribe Antibiotics for Excessive Duration in Patients With a Diagnosis of Acute Sinusitis

Clinicians inappropriately prescribe antibiotics most often to patients with a diagnosis of acute sinusitis for durations much longer than recommended.

A Grossly Inadequate Global Response to Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Only 1.5% of all individuals in the world with chronic hepatitis B virus infection are receiving treatment.