Dermatology News

Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus has begun to incur similar hospitalization costs and may ultimately exceed those of MRSA, researchers reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Hotel pools are a frequent source of recreational waterborne disease, causing 32% of all swimming-related disease outbreaks in the United States, according to new research published today by the CDC.

The pediatric population is one that relies primarily on adults for health advocacy and care, and as such, their protection and medical treatment is an ethical as well as a scientific mandate. Yet despite global improvements in research and disease control, the risk, burden and mortality associated with pediatric infectious diseases remain considerable. “Diseases of poverty,” such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS, continue to take a toll on children in the world’s poorest countries.

The pediatric population is one that relies primarily on adults for health advocacy and care, and as such, their protection and medical treatment is an ethical as well as a scientific mandate. Yet despite global improvements in research and disease control, the risk, burden and mortality associated with pediatric infectious diseases remain considerable. “Diseases of poverty,” such as tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS, continue to take a toll on children in the world’s poorest countries.

Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease affecting mainly children. The primary immunization of three doses of the diphtheria toxoid in infancy is routine throughout the world, except where it isn’t. With proper childhood immunization and boosters, there should be little or no diphtheria. Although it is possible for immunized people to develop diphtheria, the disease is much less severe. In the unimmunized population, the mortality rate is 5% to 10%, and deaths occur mainly in the very young and the very old.

Infectious Disease News has won two awards from the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors, which recognizes outstanding editorial and design excellence and achievements in health care publications.

Motif Bio announced additional safety data from its REVIVE-2 trial of the investigational antibiotic iclaprim, showing that the treatment was well-tolerated in patients with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, or ABSSSIs. Other findings, presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, showed that the drug could reduce the cost burden of acute kidney injury normally associated with vancomycin, which is currently the standard of care.

Omadacycline is effective in treating acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, according to topline results presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Antibiotic overuse in the United States has been notable, with prescribing rates far exceeding other developed nations. Prescribing of unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotics in the ICU is estimated to be 30% to 60%.

Seventeen years ago, on Oct. 2, 2001, an astute ID physician in Florida made a diagnosis of probable anthrax meningitis in a man who was admitted to the ED. This was accomplished with his old school policy approach of personally looking at the cerebrospinal fluid Gram’s stain. That diagnosis and its consequences, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers and the Pentagon, created headlines around the world. It was the first diagnosed case in a series of anthrax bioterrorism attacks that sickened 22 Americans, killing five, after anthrax spores had been mailed to members of congress, the media and others. That astute ID clinician was my co-author, Larry M. Bush, MD, FACP.