Respiratory Infections News

Researchers reporting on a deadly outbreak of human adenovirus type 7d, or HAdV-7d, said clinicians and public health authorities should consider adenoviruses as a cause of severe respiratory illness in patients, “including during the influenza season.”

WHO expressed “severe concern” today over the conditions in the Rukban settlement in Syria, located near the border of Jordan, where approximately 40,000 people remain stranded.

An estimated 6 to 7 million Americans have been sickened with influenza during the current flu season, and more than 83,000 may have been hospitalized, the CDC reported today.

Physicians should be mindful of the increased risk for MI in patients during and after acute infections such as influenza and pneumonia, according to a review published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

An orange-peppermint flavored, dispersible levofloxacin tablet was reported to be more palatable and easier to prepare by caregivers of children with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, according to research published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The researchers said the new formulation may be more acceptable for young children and improve adherence.

Patients with and without HIV who were prescribed opioids, particularly those with higher doses and immunosuppressive properties, were at higher risk for community-acquired pneumonia, according to findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

More than 10% of patients with tuberculosis enrolled in a study in eight European countries also had diabetes, including more than 28% of TB patients in England, researchers reported.

Neurologic manifestations of influenza, including seizures and encephalopathy, occurred in nearly 20% of children presenting to a Colorado hospital during the 2016-2016 season, according to research published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. Most of these children were infected with influenza A(H3N2), and they were 10 times more likely to require hospitalization, researchers wrote.

Nearly 20% of Tibetan schoolchildren have latent tuberculosis, according to results of a study that included all Tibetan refugee schoolchildren residing in northern India. Researchers also observed that more than half of school staff had TB infection.

My path to medicine began at age 8 years, after seeking career counsel from my pediatrician. During medical school, clever microorganisms and the diseases they caused fascinated me. How could these miniscule creatures bring entire populations to their knees? Inspired by stories of early pioneers like Dr. Rebecca Lancefield and Sir Alexander Fleming, the field of infectious diseases called to me. I flirted with other specialties throughout my training, but when speaking to family, friends and colleagues, it was obvious to everyone else that I was destined for infectious diseases long before I even knew what that specialty was. For my 5th grade science project, I had no interest in volcanoes or windmills. I launched a full-scale epidemiologic investigation of infectious diseases, including mosquito-borne illnesses on my island of Dominica. I assembled a panel of experts, did research and created an elaborate presentation, which won first place. The experience of learning about how these diseases affect human life and how we as humans can affect disease outcome lit a fire of excitement and passion for infectious diseases that still burns within me. Today, I find myself at the front lines of a battle to preserve our antibiotics for infections of the future. How humbling, to recognize that the work I do today honors what Sir Alexander Fleming recommended when he first discovered penicillin 90 years ago! I am also passionate about health disparities and increasing minority representation in medicine, and I am proud to be a part of a professional society that is committed to creating opportunities for diversity and inclusion among members as a means of providing care to a diverse patient population. I am proud to be a part of this group of esteemed clinicians that saves lives, cures ills and advocates fiercely for our patients.