Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
-
The tragedy of the ongoing epidemic of meningitis caused by Exserohilum rostratum brings into focus the epidemiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of a multitude of opportunistic mold infections of the central nervous system. Herein we provide our perspective regarding the translational research objectives of this infection that are needed to make an impact on this important healthcare crisis.
-
The test-negative control study design is the basis for observational studies of influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE). Recent studies have suggested that influenza vaccination increases the risk of noninfluenza respiratory virus infection. Such an effect could create bias in VE studies using influenza-negative controls. We investigated the association between influenza infection, vaccination, and detection of other respiratory viruses among children <5 years old and adults ≥50 years old with acute respiratory illness who participated in seasonal studies of influenza vaccine effectiveness. ⋯ Influenza vaccination was not associated with detection of noninfluenza respiratory viruses. Use of influenza-negative controls did not generate a biased estimate of vaccine effectiveness due to an effect of vaccination on other respiratory virus infections.