Top in ID: 1 in 8 pneumonia cases is misdiagnosed; dengue cases spike in Puerto Rico
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One in eight hospitalized adults treated for community-acquired pneumonia were misdiagnosed and given unnecessary antibiotics, according to a study in Michigan.
Typically, patients at high risk for poor outcomes from community-acquired pneumonia are given antibiotics while physicians finish diagnostic testing, with the recommendation to stop antibiotics once it is confirmed the patient does not have an infection. However, the study found few instances of antibiotic cessation, and an estimated 88% of patients who were misdiagnosed still received full courses of antibiotics.
It was the top story in infectious disease last week.
In another top story, Puerto Rico declared a public health emergency due to a significant rise in dengue cases. The total number of cases so far in 2024 is 549, half of all reported infections in 2023.
Read these and more top stories in infectious disease below:
Adults commonly misdiagnosed with pneumonia, study shows
Around one in eight hospitalized adults treated for community-acquired pneumonia in a Michigan study were inappropriately diagnosed, and most of those patients received unneeded antibiotics, according to a study. Read more.
Puerto Rico declares public health emergency after spike in dengue cases
Puerto Rico has declared a public health emergency following a spike in cases of dengue. Read more.
Less than half of surveyed facilities report performing Candida auris screening
Reported rates of Candida auris screening at facilities across the United States were low despite many facilities that conducted screening reporting at least one case of C. auris in the last year, according to survey results. Read more.
NIH picks Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, to lead Fogarty International Center
The NIH has chosen vaccine researcher Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, to be the new director of the Fogarty International Center. Read more.
Q&A: IDSA issues updated diagnostic guidelines for COVID-19
The role of serologic testing for SARS-CoV-2 has evolved during the pandemic, leading the Infectious Diseases Society of America to update its guidance. Read more.