Gastrointestinal Infections News

An outbreak of Escherichia coli in romaine lettuce that led to a nationwide disposal of the leafy greens just days before Thanksgiving has been linked to a growing region in California. Officials said companies will begin voluntarily labeling romaine to make it easier to identify the source of future outbreaks.

Clostridium difficile infection is associated with increased risk for short- and long-term adverse outcomes in elderly patients, including transfer to short- and long-term care facilities, according to recently published findings in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

Probiotics did not provide beneficial effects in children with gastroenteritis in EDs in the United States and Canada, according to a pair of studies recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The CDC warned consumers this week not to eat romaine lettuce in any form amid another multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli linked to the leafy greens — the second this year. As Thanksgiving approaches, it is one of several foodborne disease outbreaks being investigated by health officials in the United States, including two separate multistate outbreaks of Salmonella linked to raw turkey products and cake mix.

The CDC announced another multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli linked to romaine lettuce and said people should not eat the leafy greens in any form.

The emergence of a multidrug-resistant strain of Salmonella in the United States is cause for concern and health care providers should be aware of the risks it poses to their patients, including the possibility of treatment failure, researchers wrote in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

The FDA announced that it has approved Aemcolo for the treatment of travelers’ diarrhea caused by noninvasive Escherichia coli strains in adults.

SAN FRANCISCO — Preemptive administration of pangenotypic direct-acting antiviral therapy resulted in rapid viral suppression of hepatitis C in patients without HCV who received a heart transplantation with an HCV-positive organ, according to data presented at The Liver Meeting 2018.

The efficacy of prophylactic antibiotics in preventing surgical site infections following colorectal surgery has declined, according to results from a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

In New York City, Salmonella infections declined after the city health department mandated that restaurants post inspection letter grades in their windows, according to findings published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.