Infectious Diseases (all articles)

Management of severe community-acquired pneumonia: @EuroRespSoc @ESICM @ESCMID @ALATorax international guidelines
➡️ evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis, empirical treatment, ABTs
➡️ current knowledge gaps
➡️ recommendations for future research
🖇️ https://t.co/qhe1wlgN9t pic.twitter.com/LMNCbauYfs

— Intensive Care Medicine (@yourICM) April 4, 2023

M-A | Vaginal swab outperforms urine for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis

5 Apr, 2023 | 13:23h | UTC

Vaginal Swab vs Urine for Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis: A Meta-Analysis – Annals of Family Medicine

Contrary to prior studies, new research finds no heightened postoperative risk after a recent covid-19 infection

4 Apr, 2023 | 13:54h | UTC

Estimated Risk of Adverse Surgical Outcomes Among Patients With Recent COVID-19 Infection Using Target Trial Emulation Methods – JAMA Network Open

Commentaries:

COVID infection within 60 days not tied to adverse postsurgical outcomes – CIDRAP

Adverse Postoperative Outcomes Not Increased With Recent COVID-19 – HealthDay

ASA and APSF statement on perioperative testing for the COVID-19 virus.

Surgical Triage and Timing for Patients with COVID: A Guidance Statement from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons – Annals of Thoracic Surgery

When to operate after SARS-CoV-2 infection? A review on the recent consensus recommendation of the DGC/BDC and the DGAI/BDA – Langenbeck’s Archives of Surgery

Guideline Update: Timing of elective surgery and risk assessment after SARS-CoV-2 infection – “The guidance remains that patients should avoid elective surgery within 7 weeks of infection, unless the benefits of doing so exceed the risk of waiting”.

Perioperative cardiovascular considerations prior to elective noncardiac surgery in patients with a history of Covid-19.

Guideline: SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, COVID‐19 and timing of elective surgery

Study from 116 countries suggests surgery should be delayed for at least seven weeks following a COVID-19 diagnosis to reduce mortality risk

BJS commission on surgery and perioperative care post-COVID-19.

The risk of postoperative complications following major elective surgery in active or resolved COVID-19 in the United States – Major, elective surgery 0–4 weeks after Covid-19 is associated with greatly increased risk of postoperative complications; surgery performed 4–8 weeks after infection is still associated with an increased risk of pneumonia.

ASA Guidance: Preoperative testing for COVID-19 is essential, regardless of vaccination.

Position statement: Perioperative management of post-COVID-19 surgical patients.

Cohort study: Postoperative in-hospital mortality of patients with COVID-19 infection was more than double that in patients without COVID-19

Bivalent Booster | Observational data suggests no increased cardiovascular risks compared to monovalent vaccine

4 Apr, 2023 | 13:55h | UTC

Stroke, Myocardial Infarction, and Pulmonary Embolism after Bivalent Booster – New England Journal of Medicine

Commentary: Similarly Low Risk of CV Events With Bivalent and Monovalent mRNA Boosters – TCTMD

Commentary on Twitter

In this French study, the risk of cardiovascular events was similar among recipients of the bivalent Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine and the original monovalent vaccine 21 days after the booster dose. https://t.co/FUZbbsn82I pic.twitter.com/ki0FPeutNm

— NEJM (@NEJM) March 29, 2023

M-A | Rapid antigen-based and rapid molecular tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2

4 Apr, 2023 | 13:52h | UTC

Rapid antigen-based and rapid molecular tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2: a rapid review with network meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies – BMC Medicine

Accuracy of rapid point-of-care antigen-based diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression analyzing influencing factors – PLOS Medicine

Interpreting a lateral flow SARS-CoV-2 antigen test – The BMJ

Rapid, point‐of‐care antigen and molecular‐based tests for diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection – Cochrane Library

RCT | Comparable efficacy of cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin in treating spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

3 Apr, 2023 | 14:01h | UTC

Summary: This multicenter, prospective, open-label, randomized controlled trial compared the efficacy of cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin as initial treatments for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in patients with cirrhosis and ascites. The study included 261 patients aged 16 to 75, with liver cirrhosis, ascites, and a polymorphonuclear cell count of >250/mm3. Researchers performed follow-up paracentesis at 48 hours to evaluate the assigned antibiotics, and assessed resolution rates at 120 and 168 hours of treatment.

The primary endpoint, resolution rates at 120 hours, showed no statistically significant difference between the groups: 67.8% for cefotaxime, 77.0% for ceftriaxone, and 73.6% for ciprofloxacin. One-month mortality rates were also similar. The study concluded that these antibiotics are equally effective as initial treatments for SBP, particularly for community-acquired infections, when administered based on response-guided therapy.

Article: Response-Guided Therapy With Cefotaxime, Ceftriaxone, or Ciprofloxacin for Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis: A Randomized Trial: A Validation Study of 2021 AASLD Practice Guidance for SBP – American Journal of Gastroenterology (free for a limited period)

Cohort Study | Infections requiring hospitalization linked to increased short- and long-term cardiovascular risks

3 Apr, 2023 | 13:57h | UTC

Summary: The study examined the association between severe infections and the risk of cardiovascular disease in people without prior cardiovascular issues. Data from 331,683 UK Biobank participants and 271,533 Finnish participants were analyzed. Cardiovascular risk factors were measured at baseline, and infectious diseases and subsequent cardiovascular events were diagnosed through the linkage of participants to hospital and mortality registers.

Results showed that hospitalization for infection was associated with an increased risk of major cardiovascular events, regardless of the type of infection. The risk was highest during the first month after infection, with hazard ratios of 7.87 and 7.64 in the UK Biobank and Finnish cohorts, respectively. However, the risk remained elevated throughout the follow-up period, with hazard ratios of 1.47 in the UK Biobank and 1.41 in the Finnish cohort.

The study suggests that severe infections requiring hospital treatment are associated with increased risks for major cardiovascular disease events both immediately after hospitalization and in the long-term. However, it is important to note that residual confounding cannot be excluded, and further research is needed to establish causality.

Article: Severe Infection and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Multicohort Study – Circulation

Commentary: Severe Infections Linked to a Variety of CV Events, Both Acute and Long-term – TCTMD

Commentary on Twitter

#OriginalResearch: In this multicohort study, hospital-treated infections associated w/ significant increase in short-term risk and modest long-term risk of major CVD events. @MikaKivimaki @nellimarikki@PyrySipila #AHAJournals https://t.co/51JSJkS6l4 pic.twitter.com/U21U2IgYCO

— Circulation (@CircAHA) March 29, 2023

Lateral flow devices maintain detection sensitivity across Alpha, Delta, and Omicron waves

3 Apr, 2023 | 13:53h | UTC

Summary: The study assessed the performance of antigen lateral flow devices (LFDs) during the alpha, delta, and omicron waves of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in the UK. Researchers aimed to understand LFD performance concerning changes in variant infections, vaccination, viral load, and LFD use, as well as the devices’ ability to detect infectious individuals. Paired LFD and RT-PCR test results were collected from both asymptomatic and symptomatic participants between November 2020 and March 2022.

When compared to RT-PCR testing, the overall LFD sensitivity was 63.2%, and specificity was 99.71%. The sensitivity was higher in symptomatic participants (68.7%) than in asymptomatic participants (52.8%). The study found that increased viral load was independently associated with a higher likelihood of being LFD positive. There was no evidence of a significant difference in LFD sensitivity between the alpha and delta variants, but sensitivity increased during the omicron wave. Vaccination status did not show an independent association with LFD sensitivity.

The study concluded that LFDs can detect most SARS-CoV-2 infections across different viral variants and during vaccine roll-out, contributing to reduced transmission risk. However, LFD performance is lower in asymptomatic individuals, which should be taken into account when designing testing programs.

Article: Performance of antigen lateral flow devices in the UK during the alpha, delta, and omicron waves of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a diagnostic and observational study – The Lancet Infectious Diseases

Invited Commentary: The performance of rapid antigen tests against SARS-CoV-2 variants – The Lancet Infectious Diseases

Accuracy of rapid point-of-care antigen-based diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression analyzing influencing factors – PLOS Medicine

Interpreting a lateral flow SARS-CoV-2 antigen test – The BMJ

Rapid, point‐of‐care antigen and molecular‐based tests for diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection – Cochrane Library

Updated WHO Guidelines | COVID-19 boosters no longer routinely recommended for low-risk groups

30 Mar, 2023 | 14:33h | UTC

Summary: The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has revised its COVID-19 vaccination roadmap in light of the Omicron variant and widespread population immunity. The revised roadmap prioritizes protecting those at the highest risk of severe disease and death while maintaining resilient health systems. It introduces cost-effectiveness considerations for vaccinating lower-risk individuals, such as healthy children and adolescents, and presents revised booster dose recommendations.

Priority groups are categorized as high, medium, and low, based on factors like risk of severe disease and death. People in the high-priority group, consisting of older adults, individuals with significant comorbidities or immunocompromising conditions, pregnant persons, and frontline health workers, are advised to receive additional boosters 6 or 12 months after the last dose. The medium priority group, which includes healthy adults without comorbidities and children with comorbidities, is recommended to receive primary series and first booster doses. However, SAGE no longer routinely recommends additional boosters for this group due to limited public health gains.

For the low-priority group, encompassing healthy children and adolescents, vaccination decisions should take into account factors such as disease prevalence and cost-effectiveness. It is important to note that the public health benefits of vaccinating healthy children and adolescents are considerably lower compared to established essential vaccines for children, like rotavirus, measles, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.

News Release: SAGE updates COVID-19 vaccination guidance – World Health Organization

Commentaries:

No More COVID-19 Boosters for Healthy People, WHO Experts Recommend – Health Policy Watch

WHO vaccine advisers update COVID vaccine recommendations – CIDRAP

Study suggests no heightened death risk in young people with mRNA vaccines, but ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine linked to female cardiac deaths

30 Mar, 2023 | 14:28h | UTC

Risk of death following COVID-19 vaccination or positive SARS-CoV-2 test in young people in England – Nature Communications

Commentary: Expert reaction to ONS data on risk of death following COVID-19 vaccination or positive SARS-CoV-2 test in young people, England: 8 December 2020 to 25 May 2022 – Science Media Centre

Commentary from the author on Twitter (thread – click for more)

Our latest @NatureComms research: Risk of death following COVID-19 vaccination or positive SARS-CoV-2 test in young people in England. Led by @Vnafilyan @kamleshkhunti @IsobelLWard et al. https://t.co/oxNdgEAflQ (1/3)

— Prof Amitava Banerjee💙 (@amibanerjee1) March 28, 2023

A syndrome-specific antibiotic stewardship intervention reduced antipseudomonal antibiotic use in diabetic foot infections

29 Mar, 2023 | 13:10h | UTC

Impact of a syndrome-specific antibiotic stewardship intervention on antipseudomonal antibiotic use in inpatient diabetic foot infection management – Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology

M-A | Factors associated with post-treatment control of viral load in HIV-infected patients

29 Mar, 2023 | 12:56h | UTC

Factors Associated with Post-treatment Control of Viral Load in HIV-Infected Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – International Journal of Infectious Diseases

Plasma D-Dimer may be useful in the diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection

29 Mar, 2023 | 12:33h | UTC

Plasma D-Dimer Is Noninferior to Serum C-Reactive Protein in the Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infection – The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

News Release: D-dimer blood test shows value in detecting prosthetic joint infections – Wolters Kluwer

CDC report reveals escalating Candida auris transmission and resistance in the US

28 Mar, 2023 | 15:10h | UTC

Worsening Spread of Candida auris in the United States, 2019 to 2021 – Annals of Internal Medicine

News Release: Increasing Threat of Spread of Antimicrobial-resistant Fungus in Healthcare Facilities – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Commentaries:

CDC reports dramatic increase in US Candida auris cases – CIDRAP

Cases and transmission of highly contagious fungal infections see dramatic increase between 2019 and 2021 – American College of Physicians

An emerging fungal threat spread at an alarming rate in US health care facilities, study says – CNN

Case reports: Multidrug-resistant Candida auris infections in critically ill Covid-19 patients

Candida auris: A Review of Recommendations for Detection and Control in Healthcare Settings

Global Epidemiology of Emerging Candida Auris (reviews and commentaries on the subject)

The superbug Candida auris is giving rise to warnings — and big questions – STAT

Candida Auris – “A Mysterious Infection, Spanning the Globe in a Climate of Secrecy” (reviews and commentaries on the subject)

Commentary on Twitter

New Annals of Internal Medicine study finds cases of deadly fungus, Candida auris, rose drastically between 2019 and 2021. Increase included treatment resistant strains: https://t.co/J3SkmfWDr5 @CDCgov pic.twitter.com/ZJBRqMIOy1

— Annals of Int Med (@AnnalsofIM) March 21, 2023

M-A | Risk factors associated with post−COVID-19 condition

28 Mar, 2023 | 15:07h | UTC

Risk Factors Associated With Post−COVID-19 Condition: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – JAMA Internal Medicine

Editorial: While Waiting for a Randomized Clinical Trial of Nirmatrelvir for Prevention of Post–COVID-19 Condition – JAMA Internal Medicine

Commentary:

Meta-analysis reveals risk, protective factors for long COVID – CIDRAP

Long Covid: University of East Anglia study finds women more likely affected – BBC

People who catch Omicron are less likely to get Long Covid

28 Mar, 2023 | 15:04h | UTC

People who catch Omicron are less likely to get Long Covid – Science

Consensus Paper | Best management of patients with an acute sore throat

Review | Post-COVID syndrome

Infections and cardiovascular disease: JACC focus seminar

Podcast | HIV in primary care

Cohort Study | Barriers to starting direct-acting antiviral treatment despite access for HIV & hepatitis C patients

M-A | Comparison of the diagnostic accuracies of monocyte distribution width, procalcitonin, and C-reactive protein for sepsis

ERS/ESICM/ESCMID/ALAT guidelines for the management of severe community-acquired pneumonia

M-A | Vaginal swab outperforms urine for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Trichomonas vaginalis

Contrary to prior studies, new research finds no heightened postoperative risk after a recent covid-19 infection

Bivalent Booster | Observational data suggests no increased cardiovascular risks compared to monovalent vaccine

M-A | Rapid antigen-based and rapid molecular tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2

RCT | Comparable efficacy of cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin in treating spontaneous bacterial peritonitis

Cohort Study | Infections requiring hospitalization linked to increased short- and long-term cardiovascular risks

Lateral flow devices maintain detection sensitivity across Alpha, Delta, and Omicron waves

Updated WHO Guidelines | COVID-19 boosters no longer routinely recommended for low-risk groups

Study suggests no heightened death risk in young people with mRNA vaccines, but ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine linked to female cardiac deaths

Improving cascade outcomes for active TB | A global systematic review and meta-analysis of TB interventions

Long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy: will it change the future of HIV treatment?

Review | Cerebrovascular manifestations of SARS-CoV-2

A syndrome-specific antibiotic stewardship intervention reduced antipseudomonal antibiotic use in diabetic foot infections

M-A | Factors associated with post-treatment control of viral load in HIV-infected patients

Plasma D-Dimer may be useful in the diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection

CDC report reveals escalating Candida auris transmission and resistance in the US

M-A | Risk factors associated with post−COVID-19 condition

People who catch Omicron are less likely to get Long Covid

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