An ongoing dialogue on HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases,
September 29th, 2008
Required Reading: The Value of ID Specialists
In the most recent issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, there’s a comprehensive review of the value of an ID specialist from the perspective of non-patient care activities. Covered in particular are: Antibiotic stewardship Infection control Monitoring rates of nosocomial infections Managing health care worker “well-being and exposures” Also included are tables listing dozens of studies quantifying the value […]
September 27th, 2008
Crunchy Frog?
One of the ID fellows just received this curbside consult: A primary care doctor paged me because a patient of his just discovered a dead frog in the salad she was eating, and wanted to know what to do. How about, “Don’t eat it!” But there are definitely some things in our field you just can’t look up […]
September 18th, 2008
C. diff: The cure for antibiotic abuse
Even with market doom-and-gloom dominating the news, there’s a good article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal on Clostridium difficile (C. diff). It gives an accurate summary (in lay language) of the problem, several pertinent clinical anecdotes, and quotations from national experts. But this part in particular caught my eye: She says that among other measures, the hospital has […]
September 10th, 2008
Yes, TNF blockers increase infection risk. Now what?
So the FDA has issued (another) warning about TNF (tumor necrosis factor) blockers and increased infection risk, this time focusing on fungal infections, in particular histoplasmosis. TNF blockers are used for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s Disease, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and a wide range of other autoimmune diseases, both in approved and in off-label use. ID/HIV specialists […]
September 5th, 2008
West Nile Virus and Friday Night Lights
The town of Braintree, just south of Boston, has cancelled Friday night high school football games until the first frost of the year due to concerns about West Nile. Apparently the campus has a lake and wetlands, good breeding grounds for mosquitoes. “This is all in the name of safety,” says the school headmaster. (If someone […]