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Latest news in infectious disease
Among the top stories in infectious disease is the Trump administration’s selection of longtime AIDS researcher Robert R. Redfield, MD, to be the next CDC director, a decision that resurfaced questions about research from earlier in his career. A doctor in New Orleans has developed protocols that allow most patients to begin ART within 24 hours of their HIV diagnosis, cutting the median time to viral suppression by more than half. Other stories include findings that nasal surveillance swabs that test patients for MRSA could reduce unnecessary vancomycin therapy in the ICU, the incidence of tuberculosis is decreasing in the United States, although progress toward elimination of the disease remains slow, and 1-week courses of amphotericin B plus flucytosine in resource-limited settings were found to be an effective option for induction therapy in patients with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis. – by Jake Scott
Controversial CDC pick draws mixed reactions
The Trump administration’s selection of longtime AIDS researcher Robert R. Redfield, MD, to be the next CDC director drew mixed reactions from experts and officials, including some who question his conduct on a research project several decades ago. Read More.
Rapid HIV care cuts time to viral suppression in half
With the help of his local health department in New Orleans, Jason Halperin, MD, and colleagues are starting patients on ART within 72 hours of their HIV diagnosis — most of them within 24 hours. A recent study showed that the intervention cut the median time to viral suppression by more than half, and he believes its success can be replicated in other clinics around the country. Read More.
Nasal swabs could reduce needless vancomycin therapy in ICU
Recent study findings suggest that using nasal surveillance swabs to test patients for MRSA could reduce unnecessary vancomycin therapy in the ICU, improving antibiotic stewardship. Read More.
World TB Day: Current rate of progress not enough to eliminate TB
Although the incidence of tuberculosis is decreasing in the United States, the CDC recently warned that progress toward the elimination of the disease in the country remains slow, and it is unlikely that TB will be eradicated in this century. Read More.
New regimens better for HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis
In resource-limited settings, a shorter 1-week course of amphotericin B plus flucytosine is the most effective option for induction therapy in patients with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis, according to findings from a phase 3 trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine.