Top in ID: Emerging C. auris threat; hydrocortisone for pneumonia
In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of U.S. cases of Candida auris, which has been deemed a pathogen of concern, according to experts.
In the wake of this increase, Kati Shihadeh, PharmD, BCIDP, a clinical pharmacy specialist in infectious diseases at Denver Health Medical Center, and Elisa Worledge, PharmD, a PGY1 pharmacy practice resident at Denver Health Medical Center, reviewed evidence on transmission and identification of C. auris as well as treatment recommendations. It was the top story in infectious disease last week.
Another top story was about a study that found hydrocortisone reduced the risk for death in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia.
Read these and more top stories in infectious disease below:
C. auris: An urgent threat to US hospitals
C. auris is an emerging multidrug-resistant yeast causing nosocomial infections. First identified in 2009 in Japan, C. auris has now also been isolated in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and East Asia. Read more.
Hydrocortisone lowers risk from severe pneumonia, study finds
People with severe community-acquired pneumonia who were treated with hydrocortisone had a lower risk for death 28 days after diagnosis compared with those who received placebo, a phase 3 trial found. Read more.
Most health care facilities have no plans to discontinue universal masking, survey shows
A survey assessing universal masking showed nearly all facilities represented planned to continue doing so, with the most common reasons being prevention of respiratory viruses and limiting the impact on staff. Read more.
LinkUP intervention improves COVID-19 testing, vaccination referral rates among PWID
An intervention called LinkUP improved rates of COVID-19 testing and vaccination referral acceptance among people who inject drugs, with increased impact among those experiencing homeless, researchers found. Read more.
Metformin reduces SARS-CoV-2 viral load, study finds
SARS-CoV-2 viral loads were more than four times lower among participants in a phase 3 trial who received the diabetes drug metformin than among those who received placebo, according to findings presented at a medical conference. Read more.