Gastrointestinal Infections News

Humans are the only definitive host for the tapeworms Taenia saginata and Taenia solium. T. saginata, or the beef tapeworm, is very long (up to 15 feet or more), but generally poses little danger when it develops in humans and will not be discussed further.

In the United States, more than 80% of privately insured people with chronic hepatitis B infection remain undiagnosed, according to a recent study.

Botulism is a rare, life-threatening toxemia caused by the toxin of Clostridium botulinum and rarely Clostridium butyricum and Clostridium baratii. Botulinum toxin is listed as a Class A biological weapon and is toxic when ingested or inhaled. The CDC lists five types of botulism: foodborne, wound, infant and iatrogenic botulism and the very rare disease called infant-type botulism in adults (adult intestinal botulism).

SVR, which has been challenged in regard to its association with clinical outcomes, has been confirmed as a prognosis-altering endpoint in patients with hepatitis C virus, according to findings published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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.

I knew from the earliest stages that if I pursued medicine as a career, infectious disease was the only choice for me. As a child, my favorite storybook was The Value of Believing in Yourself: The Story of Louis Pasteur, which recounts the discovery of the rabies vaccine. The idea that there were these mysterious entities called viruses and the human immune system had ways to combat them was completely captivating. As I grew older and learned about infectious diseases such as HIV, this fascination only increased. By the time I decided to go to medical school, I had already consumed scores of books on Ebola, Lassa fever, antimicrobial resistance and anything else I could get my hands on. In residency, I was mocked for carrying C.J. Peters’ Virus Hunter in my lab coat pocket, whereas the pockets of my fellow residents were teaming with reference books that allowed them to function on the wards.

An electronic medical record “nudge” minimized the ordering of inappropriate tests for hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection, or CDI, according to a study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

Fecal microbiota transplantation appears to be a cost-effective treatment for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, or CDI, but not for the initial incidence of CDI, according to findings from a systematic review published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

Bioaerosols produced by toilet flushing may help spread bacteria like Clostridioides difficile in hospitals, according to a pilot study conducted in the rooms of patients with C. difficile infection.

Pet ownership and close interactions with these pets may protect against the recurrence of community-acquired Clostridioides difficile infection, according to a study published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.