Addressing the Global Fungal Infection Crisis
Candida auris Image credits: Unsplash In 2025, fungal infections were affecting over 1 billion people globally each year, leading to an estimated 11.5 million life-threatening infections and more than 1.5 million deaths annually. Despite this significant burden, fungal diseases have historically been under-recognized and underfunded in global health. In response, initiatives focused on improving diagnosis, […]
Case Report of Ceftaroline Therapy in Preterm Infant With Ventriculosubgaleal Shunt
Final diagnosis Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis shunt-associated ventriculitis in a male neonate. Clinical Course A male neonate, born prematurely at 26 weeks’ gestation at hospital 1, experienced significant complications early in life. By day 8, a head ultrasound revealed a grade 3 intraventricular hemorrhage. On day 19, he developed bacteremia caused by group B Streptococcus agalactiae, […]
Top 5 Infectious Disease News Stories Week of January 11-18
Looking at the Slow Adoption of AUC-Based Monitoring for Vancomycin Abdulwhab Shremo, PharmD, discusses the complexities of AUC-based vancomycin dosing, highlighting why its adoption has been slow despite the 2020 guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. While progress is being made, he points out that implementing AUC monitoring requires significant coordination, such as […]
A chain reaction: HIV vaccines can lead to antibodies against antibodies
Many vaccines work by introducing a protein to the body that resembles part of a virus. Ideally, the immune system will produce long-lasting antibodies recognizing that specific virus, thereby providing protection. But Scripps Research scientists have now discovered that for some HIV vaccines, something else happens: after a few immunizations the immune system begins to […]
NACCHO’s Efforts to Combat Healthcare-Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance
Lori Tremmel Freeman, CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), shared insights into the organization’s efforts to combat healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial resistance (AR), particularly in light of the ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. NACCHO has been providing capacity-building programs designed to address local health departments’ needs, […]
How Are We Doing Right Now?
The seasonal respiratory virus season in the northern hemisphere runs from October through April. As we are at about the halfway point of the season, we wanted to identify incidence rates and get some guidance from Robert H. Hopkins, Jr, MD, medical director, NFID, on the current state of the virus season focusing on COVID-19, […]
Improving Antibiotic Stewardship and Infection Control
Dr treating patient at the hospital. Image credits: Unsplash Clinical Decision Support (CDS) tools play a crucial role in healthcare, particularly in optimizing antibiotic prescribing and reducing infections. These tools are essential to Antimicrobial Stewardship (ASP) and Infection Prevention (IP) programs. A recent study highlights the application of established CDS evaluation frameworks, such as the […]
Human Milk Sugar Shows Potential For Norovirus Treatment
Number of cases. Image credits: CDC A recent study has shown that 2′-fucosyllactose (2′FL), a sugar found in human milk, can reduce the replication of human norovirus (HuNoV) in lab-grown human intestinal cells, suggesting it could become a treatment for norovirus infections. The research, published in Journal of Virology, focused on the GII.4 Sydney [P16] […]
Decoding HIV's tactics
Scientists have unveiled insights into how HIV-1, the virus responsible for AIDS, skillfully hijacks cellular machinery for its own survival. By dissecting the molecular interplay between the virus and its host, the researchers identified novel strategies that HIV-1 employs to ensure its replication while suppressing the host’s cellular defenses. Source link
Child undernutrition may be contributing to global measles outbreaks, researchers find
Amid a global surge in measles cases, new research suggests that undernutrition may be exacerbating outbreaks in areas suffering from food insecurity. A study involving over 600 fully vaccinated children in South Africa found those who were undernourished had substantially lower levels of antibodies against measles. Researchers from McGill University, UC Berkeley School of Public […]
