Dermatology News

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.

Study findings suggest that patients being treated for Buruli ulcer benefit from delaying the decision of whether to undergo excision surgery, once the main treatment option for the often debilitating neglected tropical disease, researchers said.

Performing radiologic imaging and blood cultures in patients with suspected cellulitis does not meaningfully aid in the diagnosis or treatment of the condition and is rather costly, according to findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Theodore C. (Ted) Eickhoff, MD, professor emeritus in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and longtime Chief Medical Editor of Infectious Disease News, died March 24 at age 86.

A 15-mg/kg dose of AmBisome given over 15 days in five biweekly infusions was safe and effective against post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, or PKDL, a condition in which Leishmania parasites persist despite successful visceral leishmaniasis treatment, according to researchers.

The Trump administration’s selection of longtime AIDS researcher Robert R. Redfield, MD, to be the next CDC director drew mixed reactions from experts and officials, including some who question his conduct on a research project several decades ago.

To address the underlying opioid addiction that so often leads to injection-related infections, experts have suggested that directly treating the addiction should be a priority for ID specialists. We asked Peter Chin-Hong, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and Infectious Disease News Editorial Board member, if he agrees that ID specialists should treat opioid use disorder with medicine.

The opioid epidemic in the United States has affected millions, exposing them to health risks that include a range of infectious diseases.

Outpatient antibiotic prescribing in the United States remained unchanged over a 3-year period despite efforts to limit inappropriate antimicrobial use, according to researchers.