HIV and ID Observations

November 11th, 2019

When TV Gets ID Wrong — Or At Least Not Quite Right

A busy week for Infectious Diseases on television! First, Dr. Aditya Shah, an ID doctor at Mayo Clinic, treated us to several snippets of truly idiotic ID-related drama in a network television show. After seeing them, I commented: Hey, my services to this show to help you talk about infectious diseases without sounding dumb are available at a […]

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August 23rd, 2018

Eye Worm, MALDI-TOF, New Lyme Testing Approach, Dogs Fail as C. diff Testers, Uiyk (?), and More — A Summer Is Getting Shorter ID Link-o-Rama

A recent chilly spell here in Boston recalled a universal truth about aging — that summer seems to get shorter every year. As far as I can tell in my unscientific poll of everyone who will engage with me on this topic, there are no exceptions to this rule. Everyone thinks summer is shorter than when […]

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February 12th, 2018

Shingles Vaccine Video, New Name for C. diff, Flu B Rising, and More — A Pre-Valentine’s Day ID Link-o-Rama

With Valentine’s Day and early spring training baseball both on the horizon this week, it’s obviously time for an extra special ID Link-o-Rama. On to the links, with a bonus non-ID section and a highly recommended video at the end: The ACIP issued its official recommendations for herpes zoster (shingles) immunization. Preferred: the new recombinant zoster vaccine, […]

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June 19th, 2013

FDA, IND, FMT: Nine Letters, Some Common Sense, and a Real Video Link

Good news here — the FDA has reconsidered their requirement for an IND for fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for C diff: Some health care providers have stated that applying IND requirements will make FMT unavailable and have suggested that an alternative regulatory approach is needed to ensure the widespread availability of FMT for individuals with C. […]

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May 31st, 2013

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation — Try This At Home?

As noted before, the FDA says that an investigational new drug (IND) application is required for therapeutic use of fecal microbiota transplantation. The practical effect of this decision, at least at our institution, is to stop providing this service — it’s on hold pending those “internal discussions” planned by the FDA on the regulatory issues surrounding the procedure. Which […]

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May 12th, 2013

FDA: Fecal Transplants Need Investigational New Drug Application

Gastroenterologists, ID doctors, C diff-sufferers, and microbiome-obsessed humanoids everywhere were treated to this surprising news recently — a decision by the FDA about fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). From an email sent by the IDSA: Because fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is not approved for any therapeutic purposes, an investigational new drug (IND) application is needed for the […]

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January 17th, 2013

Why the Results of the C Diff Study (You Know Which One) Were No Surprise

In cased you missed it, fecal transplant — use of poop from a healthy donor, which is then infused into the colon either from above (nasogastric tube) or below (colonoscope) — is unquestionably the most effective treatment for people who have multiple recurrences of C. difficile colitis (C diff). We know this because of a randomized […]

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June 6th, 2012

A Fun Internet Poll for ID Nerds

Over on Medscape, one of my ID heroes, John Bartlett, has a new series called, “The Medscape Awards in Infectious Diseases” and it looks like a winner. Here’s how it works: The Medscape Awards in Infectious Diseases is a new series that will honor the greatest achievements in the field of infectious diseases during 1980-2012. John G. […]

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May 7th, 2012

Difficulties and Differences on C difficile

Some things in our field — diseases, treatments, generalizations, cliches, fads — have really changed since back in the early 1990s, when I started in this business. Here are a few that quickly come to mind: “Double coverage” of pseudomonas with a beta lactam plus an aminoglycoside was de rigueur MRSA was an inpatient concern only You […]

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March 31st, 2010

C diff Guidelines: Metronidazole Still Preferred?

IDSA and The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) have published Clinical Practice Guidelines for Clostridium difficile infection. Not surprisingly, it’s a comprehensive, extensively-referenced document that will be an invaluable resource, especially since the previous version is approximately 15 years old. But with the caveat that I’m not an expert in this area, these particular treatment recommendations […]

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