Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
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The management of respiratory virus infections prior to hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) is difficult. We examined whether respiratory virus detection before HCT influenced the requirement for bronchoscopy, hospitalization, and overall survival following HCT. ⋯ These data support routine testing for respiratory viruses among symptomatic patients before HCT, and delay of transplant with virus detection when feasible, even for detection of rhinovirus alone. Further study is needed to address whether asymptomatic patients should undergo screening for respiratory virus detection before HCT.
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Comparative Study
Comparative effectiveness of high-dose versus standard-dose influenza vaccination in community-dwelling veterans.
Influenza is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults. High-dose (HD) trivalent inactivated vaccine has increased immunogenicity in older adults compared with standard-dose (SD) vaccine. We assessed the relative effectiveness of HD influenza vaccination (vs SD influenza vaccination). ⋯ HD vaccine was not found to be more effective than SD vaccine in protecting against hospitalization for influenza or pneumonia; however, we found a protective effect in the oldest subgroup of patients. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of HD vaccine.
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Invasive Mycobacterium chimaera infections were diagnosed in 2012 in 2 heart surgery patients on extracorporeal circulation. We launched an outbreak investigation to identify the source and extent of the potential outbreak and to implement preventive measures. ⋯ The epidemiological and microbiological features of this prolonged outbreak provided evidence for the airborne transmission of M. chimaera from contaminated heater-cooler unit water tanks to patients during open-heart surgery.
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Observational Study
Clinical predictors of mortality in patients with Ebola virus disease.
In an observational cohort study including 89 Ebola patients, predictive factors of death were analyzed. The crude mortality rate was 43.8%. Myalgia (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 4.04; P = .02), hemorrrhage (adjusted OR, 3.5; P = .02), and difficulty breathing (adjusted OR, 5.75; P = .01) were independently associated with death.
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Antibiotic resistance is increasing worldwide and has become a very important threat to public health. The overconsumption of antibiotics is the most important cause of this problem. ⋯ In June 2014, WAAAR launched a declaration against antibiotic resistance. This article describes the process and the content of this declaration.