Hepacivirus

As a young medical student, I learned how tiny organisms could wreak great havoc in this world — which exposed me to the world of ID early in my medical career. I attended medical school with the goal of understanding and conquering them. During my ID rotation, I cared for a patient who had fever, vague symptoms and a rash that was biopsied. They called us, the ID service, hoping that we could offer answers. This role of a detective, collaborator, thinker and doctor is what still appeals to me the most about the practice of ID. I was in awe of the ID specialists who ascertained the etiology as secondary syphilis and treated this patient with penicillin — and I hoped someday to emulate them. Intriguing cases like this sparked my interest in this field, which only grew stronger in the years to come.

Among the top stories in infectious disease last week were a study that found establishing an endocarditis team improved care at a hospital in France and findings that suggested injection drug use and risk behaviors decreased or remained stable during and following treatment for hepatitis C virus infection.

The direct-acting antivirals for hepatitis C virus represent an advance in the treatment of individuals coinfected with hepatitis C virus and HIV, but access to these antivirals can sometimes be a challenge, according to Stacey Trooskin, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of infectious Disease & HIV Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.

There are several principles to keep in mind when choosing treatment regimens for patients coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C virus, according to Carlos Malvestutto, MD, MPH, assistant clinical professor in the division of infectious diseases at The Ohio State University and medical director of the Family AIDS Clinic and Education Services at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.