HIV and ID Observations

December 30th, 2014

Common Curbsides: The Patient with “Recurrent Zoster”

Just in time for the New Year celebration, here’s a curbside consult I’ve received several times, probably because the answer isn’t in most textbooks. As usual, the actual question is slightly edited, as well as lightly (and affectionately) annotated: Hey Paul — Quick question [of course] — I have a patient with a history of irritable bowel, otherwise […]

---

December 20th, 2014

New HCV Option Effective, Safe, Well-Tolerated — And Use Will Likely Be Driven by Payors

As expected, the FDA approved the next treatment option for HCV on Friday — “Viekira Pak”, a (sometimes complete) regimen consisting of ritonavir-booted parataprevir and ombitasvir given as a two pills once a day, plus one pill of of dasabuvir given twice daily. It is indicated for treatment of HCV genotype 1. For those of you mechanistically inclined, […]

---

December 6th, 2014

Holiday Season 2014 ID/HIV Link-O-Rama

A little spin around the internet brings us these ID/HIV tidbits, all of them designed to go well with holiday music, egg nog, and potato pancakes, plus a can’t-miss video clip: Flu vaccine match with circulating virus doesn’t look so great. This could mean it’s going to be a tough flu season, but estimates of […]

---

November 23rd, 2014

Five ID/HIV Things to be Grateful for this Holiday Season, 2014 Edition

Amidst outbreak hysterias, anti-vaccine imbecility, electronic medical record whining, and slug-related eosinophilia, I bring you this year’s version of the good news — the 2014 edition of Five ID/HIV Things to be Grateful for this Holiday Season, just in time for your holiday turkeys. (Needless to say, the bird will be properly cooked to ensure it’s salmonella-free, with all […]

---

November 10th, 2014

Common Curbsides: The Tuberculin Skin Test and IGRA That Don’t Agree

Here’s one I’ve received twice in the past week, plus my answer. As always, names/some details changed to protect patient confidentiality, plus my annotations in brackets/italics. Hey Paul, Quick question [Need I even comment about the “quick question” phrase, and how this unintentionally devalues what ID docs do? OK, I’ve commented, and yes I’m hypersensitive] — one […]

---

October 30th, 2014

Why the IPERGAY (Yes, That’s Its Name) Study Could Substantially Increase Use of PrEP

Yesterday, the French IPERGAY study of intermittent pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was stopped early by the Data Safety Monitoring Board, and for the best reason — the evidence demonstrating that it prevented HIV was overwhelming. For those who read French, here’s the official announcement. (Scroll down for the English.) And for those who can’t believe the name, it […]

---

October 27th, 2014

IDSA Opposes Mandatory Quarantine of Healthcare Workers, and Andy Borowitz Is A Very Funny Person

From the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA): Strategies to limit the potential for Ebola virus disease transmission from returning healthcare and humanitarian aid workers as well as from other travelers should be based on the best available medical, scientific and epidemiological evidence; be proportional to the risk; balance the rights of individuals and the community; […]

---

October 25th, 2014

What Makes An Ideal Applicant for a Fellowship in Infectious Diseases?

We’re at the tail end of the ID fellowship interview process, and am pleased to report we’ve seen some outstanding applicants. They know that our field is the most interesting in medicine, and they view our recent “Epidemic of Epidemics” — to coin a phrase from John Bartlett to describe all this activity (Ebola, MERS, Enterovirus […]

---

October 19th, 2014

Almost Filovirus-Free (That is, Ebola-Free) ID Link-o-Rama

If you’re an ID doctor right now, the filovirus of the moment Ebola is consuming a big chunk of all of your non-clinical time — and this is particularly true for those heavily involved in Infection Control, who are spending every waking hour responding to public hysteria, to various clinicians who seem to have all the answers, and to ever […]

---

October 15th, 2014

Second U.S. Healthcare Worker with Ebola Further Underscores Urgent Need for Enhanced Preparedness — and Perhaps Designated Care Centers

If you’re like most of us, when you heard that a healthcare worker in Dallas had been diagnosed with Ebola virus disease, you assumed that the exposure occurred during his first visit to the hospital. That is, before he was diagnosed with Ebola, and before infection precautions had been instituted. But no, it happened after […]

---