Infectious Disease Alert articles from September 2004

Infectious Disease Alert archives from September 2004

Penicillin vs cephalosporin for strep throat--which is better?(Abstract & Commentary)
September 1, 2004... Synopsis: Bacteriologic and clinical failures in adults with Streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis are twice as likely with oral penicillin therapy as with cephalosporin treatment. But, what is the significance of this finding? ********** ...

Time to get cereus!(Abstract & Commentary)
September 1, 2004... Synopsis: A patient with a disease resembling anthrax led to the identification of anthrax-like virulence factors in an isolate of Bacillus cereus. ********** A PREVIOUSLY HEALTHY PATIENT PRESENTED WITH A 2-day history of nausea,...

Blood cultures 2004.(Abstract & Commentary)
September 1, 2004... Synopsis: A retrospective review has resulted in revision of recommendations for optimal methods of blood culturing in adults. ********** COCKERILL AND COLLEAGUES EXAMINED THE EFFECTS of the volume of blood, the number of consecutive...

Pneumococcal pneumonia--bring back the microbiology laboratory!(Abstract & Commentary)
September 1, 2004... Synopsis: When it is possible to obtain an adequate sputum specimen in a timely fashion, the sensitivities of Gram stain and culture in the diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia in bacteremic patients are high. ********** MUSHER AND...

Telithromycin tablets (Ketek).
September 1, 2004... THE FDA HAS APPROVED TELITHROMYCIN, THE FIRST ketolide antibiotic. Ketolides are semisynthetic derivatives of the macrolide erythromycin that have activity against a wide spectrum of respiratory bacterial pathogens including multi-drug...

Prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.
September 1, 2004... VENTILATOR-ASSOCIATED PNEUMONIA (VAP) IS nosocomial pneumonia occurring in a mechanically ventilated patient > 48 hours after intubation. It is categorized as early-onset (defined by most experts as 48-96 hours after intubation) and late-onset...

CME questions.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... 7. Which of the following is correct? a. The most frequent manifestation of inhalational B. cereus infection is hemorrhagic mediastinitis. b. The major toxins of B. anthracis are plasmid-encoded. c. B. anthracis affects only...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2004... The August 2004 Infectious Disease Alert from "Find the VRSA in the MRSA: Get an Etest!" article: 1st and 2nd paragraphs, measurements should be [micro]/mL instead of mg/mL.

Bed bugs are back.(Updates)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... ProMED-mail Post, April 15, 2004; www.promedmail.org SINCE THE MID-1990S, PUBLIC health officials have been noticing a steady resurgence in the United States, the United Kingdom, and in Europe of an age-old pest--bed bugs, all countries...

Can you guess the pathogen?(Updates)
September 1, 2004... I RECENTLY SAW A 38-YEAR OLD, otherwise healthy woman, referred to my office with a 2.5 cm necrotic anterior shin wound. The problem started about 3 months earlier, when she noticed a small non-tender papule, initially thought to be a small...

If it was a bear, it would have ...(Updates)
September 1, 2004... Kunimoto D, et al J Clin Micro. 2004; 42:3374-3376. I REMEMBER AS A KID, STANDING IN awe, in front of a nearby lake home in northern Minnesota, from which the siding had been literally ripped off, right down to the plywood, by a hungry bear...

More bites ...(Updates)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... ProMED-mail post, July 15, 2004; www.promedmail.org FELINE IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS is spreading rapidly through the lion population in Kruger National Park in South Africa. The Harare Herald recently reported in mid-July that up to 60-80% of...