Infectious Disease Alert articles from June 2003

Infectious Disease Alert archives from June 2003

It's time for West Nile Virus again! (Special Update).
June 1, 2003... WEST NILE VIRUS (WNV) WAS ALIEN TO NORTH AMERICA before the summer of 1999. That year, WNV infection invaded New York City, establishing a beachhead that has now led to invasion of much of the United States, as well as intrusions into Mexico,...

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America meeting coverage.
June 1, 2003... The following is an overview of some presentations at the 2003 annual meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America. Clostridium difficile Diarrhea (COD) -- Robert Muder, MD In January 2002, a major university...

How HCV manages to stick around. (Abstract & Commentary).
June 1, 2003... Synopsis: Persistence of hepatitis C virus after acute infection is the result of the ability of the viral serine protease to interfere with the production of antiviral proteins, including type 1 interferons. Source: Foy E, et al....

Continuous amphotericin infusion. (Abstract & Commentary).
June 1, 2003... Synopsis: Amphotericin. B deoxycholate was administered by continuous infusion in doses as high as 2 Mg/kg/d with acceptable toxicity. But is this the right approach? Source: Imhof A, et al. Continuous infusion of escalated doses of...

Fire and alcohol: hand-hygiene plans getting hosed down by safety officials.
June 1, 2003... THE NATIONWIDE SWITCH TO ALCOHOL HAND RUBS is running afoul of fire marshals who fear the flammable products might accelerate a hospital blaze. Loretta Fauerbach, MS, CIC, director of infection control at Shands Hospital at the University...

JCAHO addresses issue of fire, alcohol rubs. (Readers Write).(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2003... Dear Editor: There has been a lot of discussion going on in recent weeks in regards to the use of alcohol-based hand-hygiene products in health care settings. We feel that the spotlight has now been shined upon the judicious use of these...

CME questions.
June 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,...

Osteopenia in HIV. (Updates).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Sources: Mondy K, Tehas P. Clin Infect Dis. 2003;36(S2):S101-105; Mondy K, et al. Clin Infect Dis. 2003;36(4):482-490. HIV-INFECTED INDIVIDUALS MAY be at significantly increased risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis. Problems such as...

SARS creates a marketing dream. (Updates).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Sources: New York Times. Section A, Page 1, May 10, 2003; www.hwdistllc.com/mwsubscribe. THE SARS OUTBREAK IS CREATING a frenzy for homeopathic remedies and disinfectants, especially in China, where a growing middle class with cash to...

Baboons & STDs. (Updates).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Source: ProMED-mail post. May 1, 2003; www.promedmail.org. PRELIMINARY REPORTS FROM THIS and another web site describe an outbreak of a possible new strain of venereal disease affecting baboons in the Manyara National Park in Tanzania....

Oral Vitamin D3 supplementation on fractures and mortality.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Source: Trivedi DP, et al. BMJ. 2003;326:469-472. DESPITE RECENT ENHANCED CLINIcian and public awareness, prevention and treatment goals for osteoporosis (OSPS) remain inadequately fulfilled. A variety of lifestyle and pharmacologic tools...

Oral opioid therapy for chronic peripheral and central Neuropathic Pain.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Source: Rowbotham M, et al. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:1223-1232. NEUROPATHIC PAIN (NPP) Is OFTEN described as "opioid resistant," based upon some limited human and animal studies. On the other hand, parenteral opioid analgesia has produced...

Tacrolimus ointment vs. topical corticosteroids in atopic dermatitis.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2003... Source: Ellis C, et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2003;48:553-563. FOR SEVERAL DECADES THE MAINSTAY of management of atopic dermatitis (AD) has been corticosteroids (CSD), usually administered topically. When AD is mild-moderate, low, and...

Pneumococcal vaccine ineffective at CAP prevention.
June 1, 2003... Pneumococcal vaccine protects older adults from developing pneumococcal bacteremia but does not prevent community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), according to a new study from Group Health Cooperative in Seattle. The study reviewed records of more...

SARS: a prospective analysis of an Amoy Gardens cohort.
June 15, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY Synopsis: Hong Kong investigators report that SARS is a triphasic illness, at least in patients given corticosteroids and ribavirin. Source: Peiris JS, et al. Clinical progression and viral load in a community...

Human coronaviruses before SARS.
June 15, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY Synopsis: Human coronavirus OC43 accounted for 6% of respiratory illnesses studied in Normandy during a single season. Source: Vabret A, et. Al. An outbreak of coronavirus OC43 respiratory infection in Normandy,...

A standard of care for invasive fungal infections for the United Kingdom.
June 15, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY Synopsis: A standard of care for dealing with invasive fungal infections based on the best available evidence was proposed by organizations in the United Kingdom. Source: Denning DW, et al. British Society for...

HIV and cardiac risk. (Updates).(Brief Article)
June 15, 2003... Source: Hadigan C, et al. Clin Infect Dis. 2003;36(7):909-916. HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS ARE AT increased risk of cardiovascular disease, although longitudinal data are limited. Hadigan and associates compared the 10-year coronary heart disease...

New FDA-approved agent for cryptosporidiosis. (Updates).
June 15, 2003... Sources: The Medical Letter. 2003 ;45:29-3 1; Leav BA, et al. Clin Infect Dis. 2003;36:903-908. CRYPTOSPORIDIUM ARE PROTOZOAL parasites that cause spectacular and sometimes life-threatening diarrhea in immunosuppressed patients, as well as...