Infectious Disease Puscast Episode 64: A Summary of Recent Literature
1:37 IVIG and Viral Respiratory Infections: A retrospective study suggests that IVIG administered within 48 hours of hospitalization may shorten ICU and hospital stays for immunocompromised patients with viral respiratory infections, though it didn't impact readmission or death rates.
4:47 CMV Drug Resistance: A study comparing maribavir and valganciclovir for CMV infection found that maribavir resistance emerged earlier and more frequently (10% vs. 2.5%) after about 3-8 weeks of therapy.
7:13 Chickenpox Vaccine - Long-Term Protection: A phase 3B study showed that the live attenuated chickenpox vaccine (VAA-1553) provides persistent antibody protection for up to two years after a single dose in adults, with no serious long-term side effects.
9:23 Legionella Mortality: A review of cancer patients with Legionella pneumophila infection found a high 30-day mortality rate (23%), with hyponatremia, bilateral lung involvement, and high SOFA scores as independent predictors of death. Lung co-infections, while common, did not significantly increase mortality.
11:57 Donor-Derived Bartonellosis: A cluster of Bartonella quintana infections in transplant recipients highlighted the risk of donor-derived infection, particularly from unhoused donors. The study found a 12.5% attack rate for clinical disease in recipients who received organs from Bartonella-positive donors.
14:46 Syphilis Screening in the ED: An opt-out syphilis screening program in a Chicago emergency department dramatically increased syphilis screening rates (from 3.6% to 24.4%) and diagnoses, particularly among pregnant women and racial/ethnic minorities.
18:16 Candida auris and Antifungal Prophylaxis: A study of lung transplant recipients suggested that bridging with echinocandins while awaiting therapeutic azole levels did not reduce the risk of invasive candidiasis.
21:05 Wastewater Surveillance for C. auris: A study in Utah demonstrated the potential of wastewater surveillance for early detection of Candida auris in a community, even before clinical cases are identified.
23:11 Toxoplasma and Alzheimer's Disease: A study in mice found that Toxoplasma gondii infection reduced amyloid-beta burden in the brain, potentially suggesting a link between the parasite and Alzheimer's disease.
25:14 Snow Days and Influenza: An analysis of influenza incidence in Japan found that heavy snowfall and school closures led to a temporary suppression of influenza epidemics, suggesting the impact of social distancing on viral transmission.