Infectious Diseases This is an OPML file. It can be used to export all the MedWorm RSS feeds on this topic into your personal RSS reader (usually you have to save this file to your own computer before clicking on an Import OPML command in your own feed reader to upload the file which will then import all the feeds) or it can be used by webmasters to integrate MedWorm feeds with their own website. This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader, such as GoogleReader, or to display this data on your own website or blog. Subscribe to this data using MyMedWorm.Subscribe to this data using GoogleReader.Subscribe to this data using Bloglines.Subscribe to this data using MyYahoo.

This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory.

H7 G228S Raises H7N9 Pandemic Concerns NOT
The commentary discusses H7 G228S absence in the sequences described in NEJM. (05/23/13 13:30) (Source: Recombinomics)
Source: Recombinomics - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news

H7 G228S Raises H7N9 Pandemic Concerns
The commentary discusses H7 G228S detection and pandemic concernsr. (05/22/13 23:45) (Source: Recombinomics)
Source: Recombinomics - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news

Fatal MERS-CoV Confirmed In Tunisia ex-KSA/Qatar
The commentary discusses the confirmed fatal MERS-CoV case in Tunisia ex-KSA/Qatar. (05/20/13 18:15) (Source: Recombinomics)
Source: Recombinomics - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news

MERS-CoV Fatal Infections In Children In Eastern KSA
The commentary discusses the failure to confirm MERS-CoV deaths in children in eastern Saudi Arabia. (05/16/13 23:00) (Source: Recombinomics)
Source: Recombinomics - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news

Health Care Workers MERS-CoV Confirmed In KSA
The commentary discusses MERS-CoV confirmed health caee workers in Saudi Arabia. (05/15/13 14:30) (Source: Recombinomics)
Source: Recombinomics - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news

[Newsdesk] Challenges and targets for measles elimination
As evidence mounts that the elimination of measles is faltering, Talha Burki looks at the scale of the problem worldwide, and what is being done to fight back against the disease. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Talha Burki Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research

[Newsdesk] Highlights from the 23rd ECCMID
Clinical microbiologists and infectious diseases experts from across Europe and further afield gathered in Berlin, April 27–30. Peter Hayward reports from a conference dominated by resistance. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Peter Hayward Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research

[Newsdesk] Infectious disease surveillance update
15 confirmed cases of hepatitis A and 89 suspected cases have been reported between November, 2012, and April, 2013, in 14 European countries. All patients had subgenotype IB virus and had travelled to Egypt. Symptoms usually begin 2–6 weeks after exposure to the hepatitis A virus and include dark urine, vomiting, and fatigue. The European Commission, WHO, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and the affected countries are cooperating to monitor the outbreak. Vaccination of contacts of patients should be considered in accordance with national guidance, and hepatitis A vaccination recommendations should be ...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Nawsheen Boodhun Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research

[Newsdesk] Research brief
During chronic infection, pathogen-specific CD8 T cells gradually lose effector functions and upregulate the expression of inhibitory surface receptors. But are “exhausted” T cells completely dysfunctional? A study shows that T cells transferred from mice chronically infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus into mice acutely infected with the virus proliferate and control the infection but retain the exhausted phenotype acquired during chronic infection. Thus, T-cell exhaustion might be a stable stage of T-cell differentiation that limits viral replication during chronic infection without causing overwhelming i...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Jane Bradbury Tags: Newsdesk Source Type: research

[Media Watch] The unfinished history of tuberculosis
Spitting Blood: The History of Tuberculosis begins with George Orwell. The writer of 1984 “drowned in his own blood after a severe lung haemorrhage on 21 January 1950”. Author Helen Bynum contends that “Orwell died on the cusp of a new, more positive era in the history of tuberculosis”. The first two curative drugs had just gone on the market—“only some two thousand-plus years in the offing”—and isoniazid was soon to follow. The newly formed WHO had identified the disease as a key priority; across the Atlantic the US Government ploughed money into control efforts. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Talha Burki Tags: Media Watch Source Type: research

[Articles] AS03-adjuvanted versus non-adjuvanted inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine against seasonal influenza in elderly people: a phase 3 randomised trial
AS03-adjuvanted TIV has a higher efficacy for prevention of some subtypes of influenza than does a non-adjuvanted TIV. Future influenza vaccine studies in elderly people should be based on subtype or lineage-specific endpoints. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Janet E McElhaney, Jiri Beran, Jeanne-Marie Devaster, Meral Esen, Odile Launay, Geert Leroux-Roels, Guillermo M Ruiz-Palacios, Gerrit A van Essen, Adrian Caplanusi, Carine Claeys, Christelle Durand, Xavier Duval, Mohamed El Idrissi, Ann R Falsey, Gregory Tags: Articles Source Type: research

[Articles] Delayed versus immediate treatment for patients with acute hepatitis C: a randomised controlled non-inferiority trial
Delayed treatment is effective although not of equal efficacy to immediate treatment; coupled with the rate of spontaneous clearance it can reduce unnecessary treatment in closely monitored populations. Immediate treatment seems preferable in populations where loss to follow-up is great. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Katja Deterding, Norbert Grüner, Peter Buggisch, Johannes Wiegand, Peter R Galle, Ulrich Spengler, Holger Hinrichsen, Thomas Berg, Andrej Potthoff, Nisar Malek, Anika Großhennig, Armin Koch, Helmut Diepolder, Stefan Lüth, Sandra Feyerabend, Maria Chris Tags: Articles Source Type: research

[Articles] Soil-transmitted helminth infection in South America: a systematic review and geostatistical meta-analysis
Our findings offer important baseline support for spatial targeting of soil-transmitted helminthiasis control, and suggest that more information about the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infection is needed, especially in countries in which we estimate prevalence of infection to be high but for which current data are scarce. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Frédérique Chammartin, Ronaldo GC Scholte, Luiz H Guimarães, Marcel Tanner, Jürg Utzinger, Penelope Vounatsou Tags: Articles Source Type: research

[Articles] Galactomannan and PCR versus culture and histology for directing use of antifungal treatment for invasive aspergillosis in high-risk haematology patients: a randomised controlled trial
Use of aspergillus galactomannan and PCR to direct treatment reduced use of empirical antifungal treatment. This approach is an effective strategy for the management of invasive aspergillosis in high-risk haematology patients. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: C Orla Morrissey, Sharon C-A Chen, Tania C Sorrell, Samuel Milliken, Peter G Bardy, Kenneth F Bradstock, Jeffrey Szer, Catriona L Halliday, Nicole M Gilroy, John Moore, Anthony P Schwarer, Stephen Guy, Ashish Bajel, Adrian R Tramontana, Timothy Spelman, M Tags: Articles Source Type: research

[Series] Drug-resistant tuberculosis: time for visionary political leadership
Two decades ago, WHO declared tuberculosis a global emergency, and invested in the highly cost-effective directly observed treatment short-course programme to control the epidemic. At that time, most strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were susceptible to first-line tuberculosis drugs, and drug resistance was not a major issue. However, in 2013, tuberculosis remains a major public health concern worldwide, with prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis rising. WHO estimates roughly 630 000 cases of MDR tuberculosis worldwide, with great variation in the frequency of MDR tuberculosis between countries. (Sourc...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Ibrahim Abubakar, Matteo Zignol, Dennis Falzon, Mario Raviglione, Lucica Ditiu, Susan Masham, Ifedayo Adetifa, Nathan Ford, Helen Cox, Stephen D Lawn, Ben J Marais, Timothy D McHugh, Peter Mwaba, Matthew Bates, Marc Lipman, Lynn Zijenah, Simon Logan, Ruth Tags: Series Source Type: research

[Series] Engaging communities in tuberculosis research
This article aims to draw attention to some existing community engagement initiatives in tuberculosis research and to resources that might help tuberculosis researchers to establish and implement community engagement programmes for their trials. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Renaud F Boulanger, Stephanie Seidel, Erica Lessem, Lee Pyne-Mercier, Sharon D Williams, Laia Ruiz Mingote, Cherise Scott, Alicia Y Chou, James V Lavery, on behalf of the Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens' Stakeholder and Community Engagement Workgroup Tags: Series Source Type: research

[Review] Rapid diagnostic tests for neurological infections in central Africa
Infections are a leading cause of life-threatening neuropathology worldwide. In central African countries affected by endemic diseases such as human African trypanosomiasis, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and schistosomiasis, delayed diagnosis and treatment often lead to avoidable death or severe sequelae. Confirmatory microbiological and parasitological tests are essential because clinical features of most neurological infections are not specific, brain imaging is seldom feasible, and treatment regimens are often prolonged or toxic. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Cedric P Yansouni, Emmanuel Bottieau, Pascal Lutumba, Andrea S Winkler, Lut Lynen, Philippe Büscher, Jan Jacobs, Philippe Gillet, Veerle Lejon, Emilie Alirol, Katja Polman, Jürg Utzinger, Michael A Miles, Rosanna W Peeling, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, Franço Tags: Review Source Type: research

[Editorial] A proportionate response to H7N9
Since Chinese authorities first reported on March 31, 2013, the emergence of a new form of influenza A virus—H7N9—causing human disease, there has been speculation as to whether this virus will be the agent of the next influenza pandemic. The H1N1 pandemic of 2009–10 was milder and caused far fewer deaths than were predicted when that virus first emerged. As a consequence, there is understandable scepticism when health authorities warn that the next pandemic might be just around the corner. However, given the severity of illness caused by H7N9 and its high case-fatality rate, a way must be found between vigilance and...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: The Lancet Infectious Diseases Tags: Editorial Source Type: research

[Comment] AS03-adjuvanted influenza vaccine in elderly people
The best available method for prevention of influenza is vaccination. However, the effectiveness of inactivated trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) is variable, generally reaching 60% in the overall population when vaccine strains and outbreak strains are well matched. Even with available licensed vaccines, up to 15% of the world's population become infected with influenza every year, with as many as 5 million cases of severe illness and 500 000 deaths. In developed countries, most influenza deaths occur in elderly people, and, depending on the endpoint assessed, TIV effectiveness is as low as 9% in this population. (Sourc...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Julie E Ledgerwood Tags: Comment Source Type: research

[Comment] Acute hepatitis C: to treat or not to treat
Individuals recently infected with the hepatitis C virus are regarded as having acute disease. When such an infection lasts more than 6 months, the disease is considered chronic. This distinction, although arbitrary, was chosen because most patients who are destined to clear the infection do so within this timeframe. Most new cases of hepatitis C occur in injecting drug users, men who have sex with men, and patients exposed during medical procedures. Patients with chronic hepatitis C are at risk of progression to cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Niharika R Samala, Marc G Ghany Tags: Comment Source Type: research

[Comment] Landscape of neglected tropical diseases: getting it right
Neglected tropical diseases, a group of 17 parasitic and bacterial infections, after being almost absent from global health or political agendas, are now receiving much attention. Seven groups of these neglected diseases are caused by parasitic helminths, which affect more than 1 billion people worldwide, the most prevalent being soil-transmitted helminths. Major plans and efforts are underway for the control and even elimination of neglected tropical diseases. Different strategies will need to be developed to help achieve this ambitious aim. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Lisette van Lieshout, Maria Yazdanbakhsh Tags: Comment Source Type: research

[Comment] The end of the road for empirical antifungal treatment?
Pizzo and colleagues first reported in 1982 that empirical antifungal treatment can be used to prevent fungal infection in neutropenic patients. 2 years later, the topic was already highlighted in a report that explained why—namely, there was a lack of diagnostic tests for invasive fungal disease, leaving empirical treatment as the only realistic option for the management of neutropenic patients with persistent, unexplained fever. 30 years on, the landscape has changed substantially. Indirect tests for the detection of fungi are available, including the galactomannan ELISA and Aspergillus-genus-specific PCR; definitions ...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: J Peter Donnelly, Johan Maertens Tags: Comment Source Type: research

[Comment] HIV epidemic in men who have sex with men in Philippines
From 1984 to 2012, 11 125 people were diagnosed with HIV infection in the Philippines. Most (86%) are male, with a peak incidence in people aged 25–29 years and a trend towards a younger age of diagnosis over time. 92% of people with HIV are believed to have been infected through sexual contact (32% of whom are people who identify as heterosexual, 42% as homosexual, and 26% as bisexual), 4% through needle sharing among injecting drug users, 1% through mother-to-child transmission, and less than 1% through blood transfusion or needle-stick injury (). (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Allen GP Ross, Rossana A Ditangco, Jose Gerard Belimac, Remigio M Olveda, Edelwisa Segubre Mercado, Gary D Rogers, Allan W Cripps, Alfred Lam, Suzanne M Crowe Tags: Comment Source Type: research

[Corrections] Corrections
Boulanger RF, Seidel S, Lessem E, et al, for the Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens' Stakeholder and Community Engagement Workgroup. Engaging communities in tuberculosis research. Lancet Infect Dis 2013; published online March 24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(13)70042-2—In this Series paper, Stacey Hannah's name was missing from the list of members of the Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens' Stakeholder and Community Engagement Workgroup. This correction has been made to the online version as of May 22, 2013, and the printed Series paper is correct. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: The Lancet Infectious Diseases Tags: Corrections Source Type: research

[Correspondence] Congenital neurosyphilis
Sónia Silva and colleagues describe a case of a Portuguese pregnant mother whose syphilis serology became positive during pregnancy. She was treated during the second trimester with 2·4 million IU of benzathine benzylpenicillin, given intramuscularly, three times at weekly intervals. The mother's serology became negative during treatment, but the newborn child was discovered to have neurosyphilis on the basis of clinical and sonographic findings, with treponemal sequences detected in the cerebrospinal fluid by PCR. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: David JM Wright Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research

[Correspondence] Congenital neurosyphilis
In their Clinical Picture of treatment failure for syphilis in pregnancy, Sónia Silva and colleagues posed the question of whether or not every newborn baby whose mother has been treated appropriately should be investigated by transfontanellar ultrasound and lumbar puncture for Treponema pallidum-specific PCR. In view of the Brazilian guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of maternal and congenital syphilis, we would like to raise some points that are discordant with the proposal made by Silva and colleagues. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Regina Célia de Souza Campos Fernandes, Enrique Medina-Acosta Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research

[Correspondence] Congenital neurosyphilis – Authors' reply
We agree with Fernandes and Medina-Acosta's comments regarding the lack of specificity of CNS imaging in neurosyphilis diagnosis. Nevertheless, our case study has an interesting feature: because the results of the baby's serological tests did not suggest congenital syphilis, if the neurological signs—probably due to traumatic subdural bleeding—that prompted the ultrasound had not been apparent, the diagnosis of neurosyphilis would have been missed. Therefore, we emphasise the importance of transfontanellar ultrasound, even when results show non-specific changes, to help to diagnose cases of neurosyphilis. (Source: The ...
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Sónia Silva, Raquel Henriques, Maria José Borrego, João Paulo Gomes, Eulália Afonso Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research

[Correspondence] Pretreatment HIV-1 drug resistance in Africa
We recently showed that pretreatment antiretroviral resistance more than doubled the risk of virological failure and further acquisition of drug-resistance mutations in patients receiving standard first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) from a large sub-Saharan African cohort of people infected with HIV. Debate about what the public health response should be to high levels of pretreatment resistance in any given setting is ongoing, and a level at which a policy change would be appropriate has not yet been defined. (Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases)
Source: The Lancet Infectious Diseases - May 24, 2013 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Raph L Hamers, Cissy Kityo, Kim CE Sigaloff, Tobias F Rinke de Wit Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research