Infectious Disease Alert articles from July 2003

Infectious Disease Alert archives from July 2003

Monkeypox virus in the United States: beware the prairie dog (and the Gambian giant rat). (Abstract & Commentary).
July 1, 2003... Synopsis: The first outbreak of human monkeypox infection in North America has resulted from exposure to infected prairie dogs. Source: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/monkeypox/report060903.htm. IN EARLY MAY, A NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS IN THE...

Fatal interaction between linezolid and an SSRI. (Abstract & Commentary).(citalopram)
July 1, 2003... Synopsis: A patient receiving the SSRJ citalopram developed fatal serotonin syndrome after beginning therapy with linezolid for MRSA infection. Source: Bernard L, et al. Serotonin syndrome after concomitant treatment with linezolid and...

Catheter-related infection and ultrasound detection of central venous catheter thrombosis. (Abstract & Commentary).
July 1, 2003... Synopsis: Detection of central venous catheter thrombosis by ultrasound may provide an early warning system for the presence of catheter-related infection. Source: Lordick F, et al. Ultrasound screening for internal jugular vein thrombosis...

Pleconaril in infants with enterovirus meningitis. (Abstract & Commentary).
July 1, 2003... Synopsis: A study of pleconaril in infants with enterovirus meningitis showed good oral availability, but the limited virus shedding and benign course of enterovirus meningitis in infants precluded identifying virological or clinical benefit....

Are PDAs the way? (Abstract & Commentary).(personal digital assistants)
July 1, 2003... Synopsis: PDAs may soon become indispensable to ID physicians. Source: Miller SM, et al. Personal digital assistant infectious diseases applications for health care professionals. Clin Infect Dis. 2003;36:1018-1029. FROM THE SECTION OF...

Sternal puncture for diagnosis of mediastinitis after median sternotomy. (Abstract & Commentary).
July 1, 2003... Synopsis: Consistent with the notion that sternitis always accompanies poststernotomy mediastinitia, microbiologic examination of sternal puncture specimens was highly accurate in the diagnosis of deep infection in that setting. Source:...

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them *. (Abstract & Commentary).
July 1, 2003... Synopsis: Ring wearing by health care workers increases the frequency of hand contamination with nosocomial pathogens and decreases the efficacy of all types of hand hygiene studied, included alcohol-based hand rub. Source: Trick WE, et...

HHV-8 (KSHV): another risk for health care workers? (Abstract & Commentary).
July 1, 2003... Synopsis: Health care workers who care for HIV-infected, hemodialysis, or transplant patients are at increased risk of HHV-8 infection. Source: Gartner BC, et al. Risk of occupational human herpesvirus 8 infection for health care workers....

Treatment of pulmonary M xenopi infection. (Abstract & Commentary).(Mycobacterium)
July 1, 2003... Synopsis: Treatment of pulmonary M xenopi infection with isoniazid and rifampin, with or without ethambutol, appeared to be only modestly effective. Source: Jenkins PA, Campbell 1A Research Committee of the British Thoracic Society....

CME questions.
July 1, 2003... Effective with this testing period, Infectious Disease Alert is changing its testing procedure. You will no longer need to return a Scantron answer sheet to earn credit for the activity. Please review the text, answer the following questions,...

Diagnostic testing for SARS. (Updates).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Source: ProMEDmail, June 4, 2003; the WHO WER and Epidemiological Bulletin, http://www.who.int/csr/don. AS OF JUNE 2, THE Weekly Epidemiological Record is reporting a cumulative total of 8384 probable cases of SARS and 770 deaths from 29...

Itraconazole prophylaxis in CGD. (Updates).(chronic granulomatous disease)
July 1, 2003... Source: Gallin JI, et al. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:2416-2422. PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC GRANUlomatous disease are especially vulnerable to bacterial and fungal infections. Although the administration of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and...

HRT, estrogen, and postmenopausal women: year-old WHI study continues to raise questions. (Pharmacology Watch).(hormone replacement therapy, Women's Health Initiative)
July 1, 2003... The Women's Health Initiatives (WHI) was halted 1 year ago, but fallout from this landmark study continues. The study was designed to identify the risks or benefits of estrogen plus progesterone vs placebo in healthy postmenopausal women. More...

Influenza vaccination and reduction in hospitalizations.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Source: Nichol KL, et al. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1322-1332. DESPITE THE FACT THAT INFLUENZA and its consequences are well recognized, the number of at-risk individuals for serious sequelae to an influenza infection 'who receive vaccination...

Screening men for prostate and colorectal cancer.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Source: Sirovich BE, et al JAMA. 2003;289:1414-1420. PROSTATE CANCER (P-CA) AND COLorectal cancer (C-CA) do not share the same evidence base for potential efficacy in reducing mortality. For P-CA, there remain no data to confirm whether...

Weight loss in CHF and treatment with ACE-I.(congestive heart failure, ACE inhibitors)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Source: Anker S, et al. Lancet. 2003;361:1077-1083. WEIGHT LOSS TO THE DEGREE OF cachexia complicates cancer, some infectious diseases (eg, HIV, thyrotoxicosis), and less obviously, perhaps, heart failure (CHF). It has been previously noted...

Impaired fasting glucose vs impaired glucose tolerance.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Source: Schianca GPC, et al. Diabetes Care. 2003;26:1333-1337. IN THE ABSENCE OF POSTGLUCOSE load measurements, most clinicians diagnose diabetes mellitus (DM) on the basis of an elevated fasting blood glucose (FBG), most recently...

Risk stratification in long-QT syndrome.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Source: Priori SG, et al. N Eng J Med. 2003;348:1866-1874. ON EKG, PROLONGATION OF THE QT interval (QTI) may be a marker for increased susceptibility to life-threatening arrhythmias. With normal heart rates (60-100), the QTI (from the...

EBCT, motivation, behavioral change, and cardiovascular risk profile.(electron beam coronary tomography)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Source: O'Malley PG, et al. JAMA. 2003;289:2215-2223. IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT AS MUCH As 75% of clinical CHD can be predicted on the basis of traditionally recognized risk factors (eg, lipids, BP, smoking). Because of the ponderous...