Respiratory Infections News

Study findings showed that antibodies against the influenza surface protein neuraminidase are associated with a significantly shortened period of viral shedding in children and adults, and with shortened influenza symptom duration in adults, researchers reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Researchers estimated that nearly 1,500 cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, or MERS-CoV, and around 500 related deaths may have been averted since 2016 through global efforts to detect infections and reduce transmission.

Palivizumab — a monoclonal antibody that prevents respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, in high-risk infants — did not improve long-term outcomes like respiratory function in children with cystic fibrosis.

Although subspecialization training encompassing two fellowships is almost unheard of, this experience is where I began my journey in infectious disease clinical practice. As a fourth-year medical student rotating on the pediatric infectious disease service, getting the opportunity to observe the breadth of disease in the category, gain a deeper understanding of “bugs and drugs” and hone my diagnostic skills from truly gifted physicians was awe-inspiring. What impressed me most was that all of the attendings I met were both excellent diagnosticians and had excellent general practitioner skills.

A new skin test for detecting bovine tuberculosis has shown equal or better sensitivity in diagnosing TB in cattle than the widely used standard assay, according to a recent study.

Patients with cystic fibrosis saw a greater increase in FEV1 when given oral azithromycin in combination with certain IV antibiotics for the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as well as an increased overall improvement of FEV1, according to a study published in Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

An analysis of 17 years of national surveillance data showed that all forms of rifampin resistance in patients with tuberculosis were positively associated with HIV infection, delayed culture conversion and increased mortality, researchers reported.

Researchers estimated that, globally, three in every 1,000 people carry latent multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, or MDR-TB, with the prevalence being 10 times higher among children younger than 15 years of age, according to a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Children of parents who received a simple educational handout with information about influenza were more likely to get vaccinated by the end of the influenza season, according to the results of a randomized clinical trial published in Pediatrics.

The use of point-of-care testing for C-reactive protein to guide treatment lessened the use of antibiotics for COPD exacerbations without worsening clinical outcomes, according to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.