How about a pentavalent flu vaccine? Read the week’s top stories in infectious disease
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Healio spoke with several experts about the feasibility of developing a pentavalent influenza vaccine to offer greater protection against H3N2. This was the top story in infectious disease last week.
Another top story was about a study that found antibiotic stewardship programs in small hospitals often lack infectious disease expertise — likely because these hospitals do not have an expert on staff, a researcher said.
‘Worthwhile to consider’: Does the world need a pentavalent flu vaccine?
Study findings showed that last season’s influenza vaccine “offered no substantial protection” against H3N2 viruses that moved through the United States late in the season, highlighting the ongoing challenge of producing a vaccine that works against this influenza A subtype and leading two experts to wonder if an additional H3N2 strain should be added to the seasonal vaccine. Read more.
Study finds high rates of STIs among new and persistent pre-exposure prophylaxis users
Almost one-quarter of patients who initiate pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, for HIV prevention have at least one STI, and nearly three-quarters of those who continue to use it are diagnosed with chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis within 1 year of using it, according to results from a systematic review and meta-analysis published in JAMA Network Open. Read more.
Antibiotic stewardship programs in small hospitals often lack infectious disease expertise
While most U.S. hospitals have an antibiotic stewardship program, many smaller hospitals lack infectious disease expertise on their stewardship teams, and only about half of all hospitals use frontline workers in their programs, a nationwide survey showed. Read more.
Bedaquiline-based treatment associated with favorable outcomes in patients with multidrug-resistant-TB
Bedaquiline-based regimens for treating patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, MDR-TB, were associated with favorable outcomes and a lower rate of acquired drug resistance compared with delamanid-based regimens, according to a study conducted in the country of Georgia. Read more.
Q&A: Infection prevention programs as a model for antimicrobial stewardship programs
Healio spoke with George E. Nelson, MD, assistant professor of medicine, director of the antimicrobial stewardship program and associate hospital epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, about a review of the existing literature that showed there are few streamlined recommendations for appropriate staffing when it comes antimicrobial stewardship programs. Read more.