Respiratory Infections News

The endemic range of Histoplasma capsulatum in the United States has spread into the upper Missouri River basin, with cases of histoplasmosis occurring as far north as Montana, researchers reported recently in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

From 2008 to 2015, there was a significant shift from ED use to use of non-ED venues, such as urgent care, for the treatment of low-acuity conditions, mainly driven by the high costs of ED visits, according to findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

With dozens of respiratory syncytial virus vaccines and monoclonal antibodies in development, many experts agree that the next decade may finally bring new tools to prevent this major global respiratory pathogen.

No vaccine is currently approved for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. However, for the first time in decades, numerous vaccines are in the pipeline — particulary in the past 5 years. The increase in activity followed a long delay after a catastrophic vaccine failure in the 1960s killed two infants.

SAN DIEGO – Participation in a collaborative quality improvement program appears to be associated with a significant reduction in pneumonia following isolated coronary artery bypass grafting surgery, according to findings presented at the 38th Annual Cardiothoracic Surgery Symposium.

Researchers used bioaerosol samplers to detect influenza A viruses at a large live poultry market in Vietnam and said the method could be deployed as a noninvasive early warning system for novel influenza viruses, such those that have emerged recently in China and threaten to spread to other countries.

Data from seven recent influenza seasons in Canada showed the influenza vaccine may be more effective in females than males, according to study findings published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Findings from a recent study support substituting bedaquiline for second-line injectables in treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, with researchers reporting improved outcomes at 12 months compared with patients who remained on second-line injectables.

Security trays at a Helsinki airport contained numerous respiratory viruses, researchers reported in BMC Infectious Diseases. Airport toilets, on the other hand, showed no evidence of the viruses, they said.

The AAP’s Committee on Infectious Diseases has suggested immunization with an inactivated influenza vaccine as a first line of defense against illness for the 2018-2019 flu season. Although the AAP did not fully endorse the live-attenuated influenza vaccine because of its inferiority during past seasons against H1N1, it may be used in certain pediatric populations.