MRSA

HOUSTON — The risks for certain hospital-associated infections differ between urban and rural health care facilities, suggesting a nuanced relationship between health equity and the risk for infection, a study found.

SAN FRANCISCO — Among patients with fracture-related infections, smoking was associated with increased incidence of MRSA infection, fistulas and draining sinus tracts at fracture sites, according to recently presented data.

Three pediatric hospitals that discontinued contact precautions for MRSA did not see an associated increase in MRSA over the course of the next 4 years, according to researchers published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

Hospital-associated infections declined significantly at acute-care hospitals in 2022, although rates at other health care facilities remained relatively stagnant, according to a CDC report.

A 5-year-old boy is referred from an Army hospital in Panama in the mid-1980s to Brooke Army Medical Center for evaluation of an unrelated problem when his parent asked about a case of several “impetiginous lesions” that will not heal.

An intranasal COVID-19 vaccine candidate, CoviLiv, induced a robust immune response, according to a presentation at IDWeek. Researchers plan to test multiple dose levels and observe participants for 2 months after its administration.

Updated recommendations for MRSA prevention in acute-care facilities suggest contact precautions for patients known to be infected are “essential,” although researchers argue data do not justify the recommendation.

Novavax said its protein-based vaccine induced neutralizing antibodies against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, becoming the third company to publicize preliminary findings for updated monovalent COVID-19 vaccines expected this fall.

Through the first experimental evidence of its kind, researchers determined that bed bugs can contract MRSA through contact with or feeding through a surface contaminated with the bacteria, although this does not necessarily mean they can spread the infection to humans.

ORLANDO — A children’s hospital used decolonization protocols to drive down rates of MRSA in three intensive care units by more than 40%, according to data reported at a medical conference.