Infectious Disease Puscast #76: A Summary of Key Topics
1:52 Respiratory Pathogen Testing Trends: A study in JAMA Network Open reviewed trends in respiratory pathogen testing in US children's hospitals, finding increased testing rates during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with a shift from COVID-only testing to broader panel testing.
5:30 Commentary on Testing: An accompanying commentary expressed a potential desire to return to times when not every viral illness was identified, but the podcast hosts disagreed, emphasizing the importance of knowing the specific virus for patient care.
7:53 Expanding Measles Outbreak: The CDC issued a health advisory about the expanding measles outbreak in the US, with over 250 cases reported, exceeding the CDC's officially posted numbers.
9:14 Measles Vaccine Myths There is an opportunity to dispel myths about the effectiveness and safety of the Measles vaccine.
10:32 Shingles Vaccine and Antiviral Therapy: A JID study highlighted the protective effects of the recombinant zoster vaccine and antiviral therapy against cardiovascular events following a shingles infection.
12:31 Chikungunya Vaccines: The CDC is investigating potential adverse cardiac and neurological events following vaccination with the Ixchiq (chikungunya) vaccine in older adults, emphasizing shared decision-making with patients regarding vaccination.
14:49 Anaerobic Coverage in Pneumonia: The hosts stress that adding anaerobic coverage to antibiotics for community-acquired pneumonia, even in cases with suspected aspiration, is harmful and not helpful, citing multiple studies.
16:51 Gut Microbiome and CAR T-cell Therapy: A Blood study showed that broad-spectrum antibiotics with anti-anaerobic coverage negatively impacted gut microbiome metabolic output, correlating with worse outcomes in CAR T-cell therapy for large B-cell lymphomas.
20:12 Ampicillin/Sulbactam vs. Ceftriaxone: An OFID study found higher mortality associated with ampicillin/sulbactam compared to ceftriaxone for initial treatment of community-acquired pneumonia in older adults, re-emphasizing not to add unnecessary anaerobic coverage.
21:25 Male Partner Treatment for Bacterial Vaginosis: A NEJM trial showed that treating male partners of women with bacterial vaginosis (BV) with oral metronidazole and topical clindamycin significantly reduced BV recurrence.
25:45 Rezafungin Activity Against Candida glabrata: An OFID study evaluated the activity of rezafungin against echinocandin non-wild type Candida glabrata isolates, finding good activity overall, but with variations based on specific mutations.
28:47 Antifungal Dosing in Critically Ill Patients: An Intensive Care Medicine study found that a significant proportion of critically ill patients receiving antifungals did not achieve target drug exposures, highlighting the potential need for therapeutic drug monitoring.
32:17 Human Alveolar Echinococcosis: A CMI review (behind a paywall) summarized the global, regional, and national incidence and prevalence of human alveolar echinococcosis, a parasitic disease caused by a fox tapeworm.
33:50 Fasciola gigantica Clinical Picture: An OFID study analyzed the clinical presentation of Fasciola gigantica infection in 3,250 patients in Vietnam, finding similarities to Fasciola hepatica.
37:07 Call to Action for ID Community: A CMI editorial called on the global infectious diseases and clinical microbiology community to resist misinformation and actively engage with the public and journalists to provide accurate information.
40:03 Climate-Focused ID Fellowship Track: An OFID article described a pilot climate change training pathway within an infectious disease fellowship program.
41:35 Sustainability in Infectious Disease Group There is a community focused group that deals with climate change and ID.
41:44 Corporate Jargon and Gaslighting: A CID paper discussed how corporate jargon in healthcare can be a form of gaslighting, undermining the confidence and autonomy of infectious disease professionals, providing a "beware list" of corporate terms.