Browse Infectious Disease Articles by Topic

Treatment of Pulmonary Mycobacterium avium Infection: Failure Is Common

Current treatment regimens for pulmonary Mycobacterium avium infection leave a great deal to be desired.

Immunohistochemistry and Diagnosis of Viral Diseases

Researchers reviewed five years of cases at an academic medical center’s pathology department for the use of immunohistochemistry to detect CMV, HSV-1, HSV-2, varicella zoster virus, adenovirus, or polyomavirus. Of 957 cases, 134 were positive. Viral cytopathic effect (CPE) was present on hematoxylin and eosin staining in 75% of the IHC+ cases. No changes in clinical care occurred in any of the IHC+ cases in which viral CPE was absent.

Mice, Mutations, and Microcephaly: The Evolving Pathogenesis of Congenital Zika Syndrome

Approximately five years ago, a single gene mutation altered Zika virus, making it able to target neuronal progenitor cells and cause what we now know as congenital Zika syndrome with microcephaly and ocular abnormalities.

Antibiotics and Adverse Events: Doctors, Do No Harm

A retrospective study found that among 1,488 hospitalized patients who received an antibiotic, 298 (20%) experienced at least one antibiotic-associated adverse drug event. Furthermore, 287 (19%) of the antibiotic regimens were not clinically indicated, and 56 (20%) of these were associated with an adverse drug event.

Clinical Briefs

In this section: A better definition for celiac disease; shedding light on a vaccine; and treating asthma.

Meropenem and Vaborbactam Injection (Vabomere)

The FDA has approved a new combination antibacterial for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections.

Is a Dabigatran Reversal Agent Effective?

A pragmatic clinical study of idarucizumab for counteracting the effects of the oral anticoagulant dabigatran showed rapid and complete reversal of its effects in patients with major bleeding or urgent surgery, without any adverse safety concerns.

Mother Was Right: You Are What You Eat

In a study of simplified enterotypes as prognostic markers for successful body fat loss on two different diets, participants with a greater ratio of Prevotella to Bacteroides appeared more susceptible to lose body fat on diets high in fiber and whole grains.

Diet High in Carbohydrates, Not Fats, Drives Mortality

A prospective epidemiological cohort study of people 35-70 years of age in 18 countries showed that a higher intake of carbohydrates increased total mortality, while the intake of fats of all kinds did not. A higher intake of saturated fat reduced stroke mortality.

Aberrant Conduction or Ventricular Bigeminy?

How would you interpret the tracing? Are these multifocal (multiform) premature ventricular contractions?