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The World Bank is funding a novel project to train 30 giant pouched rats to sniff out tuberculosis (TB) in respiratory specimens in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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The following summary of selected abstracts from 3 meetings will be published in multiple parts. The 43rd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) met in Chicago September 14-17, 2003. The Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) met in San Diego October 9-12, 2003. The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene met in Philadelphia December 3-7, 2003.
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Synopsis: Volatile organic compounds from fecal samples appear to have good sensitivity and specificity for many enteric pathogens and could lead to rapid diagnostic testing.
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Synopsis: Shortly after patronizing a restaurant, 117 individuals developed an illness characterized by fever, myalgia, chills, and headache. Respiratory symptoms were present in fewer than half. Legionella anisa was found to be the cause of this outbreak of Pontiac fever.
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Hypothyroidism and Pregnancy; Anti-Depressants and the Risk of Suicide; FDA Actions; Brief Notes.
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Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is nosocomial pneumonia occurring in a mechanically ventilated patient > 48 hours after intubation. It is categorized as early-onset (defined by most experts as 48-96 hours after intubation) and late-onset (> 2-96 hours after intubation): these differ with respect to responsible bacterial agents as well as outcomes.
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The FDA has approved Telithromycin, the first Ketolide antibiotic. Ketolides are semisynthetic derivatives of the macrolide erythromycin that have activity against a wide spectrum of respiratory bacterial pathogens including multi-drug resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. Telithromycin, which is a once-a-day oral tablet, is marketed by Aventis as Ketek.
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A patient with a disease resembling anthrax led to the identification of anthrax-like virulence factors in an isolate of Bacillus cereus.
