Infection News

Four major gastroenterological societies joined together to provide some clinical insights about COVID-19 as the United States responds to the epidemic.

Two patients died and four were hospitalized after receiving fecal microbiota transplantations from OpenBiome stool donors, according to a safety alert from the FDA and a press release from the company.

Storing endoscopes in a cabinet with an automated drying system reduced the time needed to dry the external surfaces and internal channels of the scopes while reducing bacterial growth, according to a study published in the American Journal of Infection Control. V. Raman Muthusamy, MD, from the University of California, Los Angeles, told Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease that these automated drying cabinets (ENDODRY Cabinet, Medivators) were developed to address residual moisture present on endoscopes after reprocessing, which could potentially allow environmental contamination to take hold on the scopes. 

Acid-suppression medication may increase the odds for colonization by multidrug-resistant microorganisms, according to a meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Clinical decision support tools, such as alert-based interventions for diagnostic stewardship, are associated with reductions in Clostridioides difficile testing and rates of C. difficile infection, or CDI, in hospitalized adults, a systematic review showed.

MAUI, Hawaii — Certain inflammatory bowel disease therapies may further increase malignancies in patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, according to an expert at the GUILD Conference 2020.

Investigators have completed enrollment in a phase 3 trial set to investigate RBX2660, a therapy that uses the gut microbiota to treat Clostridioides difficile infection, according to a press release issued by Rebiotix, the manufacturer.

Treatment to eradicate Helicobacter pylori infection decreased the risk for gastric cancer among first-degree relatives of individuals with the malignancy, according to results of a randomized study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The FDA has approved Dificid tablets and oral suspension for the treatment of Clostridioides difficile-associated diarrhea in pediatric patients aged older than 6 months, according to a news release.

Investigation into the epidemiology of hepatitis D in Cameroon revealed intrahousehold infection and large differences in prevalence between regions, with cases concentrated in forested areas close to the equator, which has been seen in other tropical areas.