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The following is a list of online articles and charts appearing in Infectious Disease News. Hyperlinks for the online articles and charts are provided below. The charts are
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| AROUND THE WORLD | |
|---|---|
| WHO reaffirms commitment to poliovirus eradication | September 2003: WHO officials still believe no job is more important than the completion of eradication efforts. |
| BREAKING NEWS AND COMMENTARY | |
|---|---|
| Advisory panel: consider CJD agent removal claims on plasma products | March 2003: Committee does not back label saying theoretical risk of transmission of CJD or vCJD is “extremely remote.” |
| CDC cautious after two deaths among smallpox vaccine recipients | April 2003: Health officials could not definitively link the death of a Maryland woman to receipt of the vaccinia vaccine. |
| CDC issues guidelines for prairie dogs | August 2003: Monkeypox virus was detected in several animals that were part of an African rodent shipment in April. |
| CDC unsure of future influenza vaccine supply | March 2003: The recent withdrawal of an influenza vaccine manufacturer could affect supply for 2003 to 2004. |
| Epidemiology of a killer coronavirus | December 2003: SARS had a sudden onset and a quick departure from the public stage, but it left behind a lasting impression. |
| FDA approves intranasal influenza vaccine | July 2003: Vaccine should be available for upcoming flu season. |
| FDA approves once-daily protease inhibitor | July 2003: Atazanavir sulfate was approved as part of antiretroviral drug combination therapy for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. |
| First ketolide drug approved by FDA | February 2003: Telithromycin has been approved for the treatment of chronic bronchitis, acute bacterial sinusitis and CAP. |
| First relapsing fever outbreak in Montana identified | September 2003: Ticks in the attic of a vacation cabin at Flathead Lake were to blame. |
| From The Reader | |
| Genetic blueprint for Q fever bacterium unveiled | May 2003: Coxiella burnetii is a potential terrorist agent. |
| Getting the pharmaceutical industry to develop antimicrobial medications | December 2003: IDSA is writing a white paper to find ways to help industry develop new antibiotics. |
| Human death associated with raccoon rabies | December 2003: Failure to recall an exposure to an infected animal can complicate treatment efforts. |
| Key step in the genetic activity of the malaria parasite’s cycle revealed | September 2003: Researchers speculate changing this step could leave it vulnerable to vaccines. |
| Lessons learned on 9-11 | February 2003: Antonia Novello, MD, MPH, PhD, talks about the public health response of New York City. |
| Marines in Liberia contract malaria | October 2003: Military doctors speculate that failed chemoprophylaxis might be to blame for an outbreak of malaria.. |
| Monkeypox detected in the Americas | July 2003: Smallpox vaccination was recommended for those who are involved in the investigation or caring for patients. |
| New IOM report on microbial threats borne out by current events | April 2003: The outbreak of SARS buoys the IOM report’s concerns of preparedness in battling infectious diseases. |
| One piece of the SARS puzzle has been identified, but many remain | May 2003: China’s handling of the outbreak has health officials more than a little concerned. |
| Public health officials working feverishly to stop SARS spread | April 2003: With jet airplane travel, the earth has become a global village — what better ingredient could there be for an atypical pneumonia to become pandemic. |
| SARS-CoV may follow the path of influenza | June 2003: Now that the world is getting a handle on the epidemic, do we dare think about next year’s season? |
| The SARS epidemic: the metaphor of blight | June 2003: From the impact on global health to the economy, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has taken its toll. |
| Schering-Plough’s Redipen approved for marketing | November 2003: The first pen-delivery system approved for administering pegylated interferon therapy is expected to debut in the United States early next year. |
| Smallpox plans hit one final snag: how many jabs to give? | February 2003: The ACIP suggested 15 jabs for all vaccinees, but the package insert recommends three jabs for first time recipients |
| Smallpox vaccine should be delivered only under ‘stringent conditions’ | September 2003: Report urges the CDC to consider hypothetical scenarios in the event of a smallpox outbreak. |
| Still much to be learned about SARS-CoV and pediatric patients | August 2003: The most notable difference from adult cases is that there seems to be no mortality in children.. |
| Syphilis rates up for second straight year | December 2003 |
| Treatment interruption shows no benefit in drug-resistant HIV | September 2003: Research shows it is better to continue therapy guided by HIV drug-resistance testing in patients with multidrug-resistant HIV. |
| Vaccine guidelines revised, include cochlear implant recipients | September 2003: An implant device that helps people hear may increase their risk of acquiring bacterial meningitis. |
| West Nile season gets off to busy start; new antibody test may help | August 2003: One day after the season’s first case of West Nile is confirmed, the FDA approved an aid in the clinical laboratory diagnosis of the virus. |
| West Nile season hits hard in new areas this year; cases keep rising | September 2003: At least 21 deaths have been linked with West Nile virus this year. Especially disturbing are the new cases in Colorado. |
| What's Your Diagnosis? | |
| CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM INFECTIONS | |
|---|---|
| Two patients have unusual forms of VZV vasculopathy | March 2003: They were treated with IV acyclovir. |
| Wild brain from wild game? | March 2003: Three men who participated in wild game feasts later died of degenerative neurologic illnesses. |
| DERMATOLOGY | |
|---|---|
| How safe is that antifungal you are writing for the female patient? | September 2003: Given in large doses, certain antifungals may cause congenital defects. |
| EMERGING DISEASES | |
|---|---|
| Antibiotic use in animals should be curtailed | November 2003 |
| Ebola confirmed in Congo outbreak | March 2003: Eighty cases reported with 64 deaths. |
| Health groups unite to battle resistance | November 2003: New “Get Smart” campaign promotes awareness for the public and gives doctors tools to say no when patients demand antibiotics. |
| Health officials bracing for another season of West Nile virus | May 2003: Cold weather may not be enough to kill off the mosquitoes carrying the virus. |
| Peginterferon plus ribavirin best therapy for HCV | February 2003: The regimen is particularly beneficial for patients infected with genotype 1 virus. |
| Resistance is complicating malaria treatment | October 2003: Artemisinin derivatives may offer the best hope for treating resistant malaria. |
| Treatment reduces liver damage resulting from hepatitis B virus | February 2003: Treatment reduces signs of disease progression in patients with chronic disease. |
| U.S. patients not immune to hMPV | November 2003: The emergence of human metapneumovirus may complicate management of respiratory infections this winter. |
| Vigorous CD4-cell response is key to clearing hepatitis C infection | January 2003: CD8 cells are also important to the immune response; the role of cytotoxic T lymphocytes is unclear. |
| West Nile strain circulating in U.S. is virulent | October 2003: Central nervous disease is commonly associated with the strain that has been circulating locally since 1999. |
| GASTROINTESTINAL INFECTIONS | |
|---|---|
| Kansas health officials investigate outbreak of cryptosporidiosis | October 2003: In Kansas, more than 100 people have become ill from the parasite. |
| Most diarrheal illness is caused by newer bugs | June 2003: Bugs like Campylobacter jejuni and Clostridium difficile are taking prominence as the cause for clinical diarrhea in patients. |
| Multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to unpasteurized milk | August 2003: Some consumers believe that raw milk is better than pasteurized milk. |
| Peginterferon plus ribavirin best therapy for HCV | February 2003: The regimen is particularly beneficial for patients infected with genotype 1 virus. |
| Treatment reduces liver damage resulting from hepatitis B virus | March 2003: Treatment reduces signs of disease progression in patients with chronic disease. |
| Vaginal laceration is a risk factor for HCV transmission in childbirth | July 2003: Vaginal delivery itself did not increase the risk for transmission. |
| Vigorous CD4-cell response is key to clearing hepatitis C infection | January 2003: CD8 cells are also important to the immune response; the role of cytotoxic T lymphocytes is unclear. |
| HIV/AIDS & STDS | |
|---|---|
| Antiretroviral therapy needed in developing countries | April 2003: Gap is growing between rich nations and poor nations. |
| As patients live longer with HIV, other health problems can emerge | April 2003: Physicians urged to treat HIV patients like any other patients at risk for heart problems. |
| Can lipoatrophy be reversed? | November 2003: Switching from one antiretroviral to one of two others could reverse the effects of lipoatrophy. |
| Circumcision may reduce risk of contracting HIV | November 2003: Study suggests removal of foreskin is biologically protective against HIV, but not as protective against other sexually transmitted diseases. |
| Debate continues on the merits of interrupting HIV treatment | January 2003: Cost savings vs. the potential for virus to rebound remain the central issues in the ongoing controversy. |
| Do not wait to manage hepatitis C virus in HIV-positive patients | February 2003: Some coinfected patients will die from liver failure before succumbing to AIDS-related opportunistic infections. |
| A drop in total lymphocyte count, hemoglobin noted as HIV progresses | November 2003: Tracking the decline is an inexpensive way to test for disease onset. |
| Drug receives approval for treating AIDS wasting | October 2003: Study examined increase in lean body mass and improving physical endurance. |
| FDA approves emtricitabine for HIV treatment | August 2003: The 200 mg one-capsule, once-daily NRTI is indicated for both treatment naive and experienced patients. |
| FDA approves HIV protease inhibitor | November 2003: Fosamprenavir, the drug without food and water restrictions, received approval late last month. |
| Genital ulcers increase during and after acquiring HIV infection | December 2003: Findings suggest treatment of herpes important in treating HIV and preventing transmission. |
| HIV vaccine candidate fails in Thailand trials | December 2003: VaxGen’s vaccine candidate was not effective in preventing HIV or slowing the progress of HIV. |
| HPV: does it reside in tumors? Mounting evidence says yes | June 2003: Warts contain the DNA for human papillomavirus. |
| Medical care providers urged to take prevention role when dealing with HIV | March 2003: New statistics should give physicians pause and remind them to caution patients about risky behaviors. |
| Most resistance to antiretrovirals caused by those who follow regimens | October 2003: Resistance mutations were twice as likely to occur in patients who followed their antiretroviral regimen. |
| New antiretroviral therapies offering options for treating HIV patients | March 2003: New spins on some old mainstays, like protease inhibitors, and some new options like entry inhibitors are expanding physicians’ treatment options. |
| New CDC guidelines aim to help prevent HIV transmission | August 2003: Strategies outlined in the HIV guidelines focus on increased testing for HIV, and referrals for proper counseling about HIV. |
| New studies show efficacy of once-daily abacavir | October 2003: Researchers said once-daily abacavir shows promise. |
| Resistance testing can be a useful tool in adjusting HIV regimens | January 2003: Physicians warn there is no substitute for a thorough medical history when designing HIV therapy. |
| Safely treating lipoatrophy is major concern for HIV patients | May 2003: A dermatologist talks about the safety, efficacy and effectiveness of different HIV lipoatrophy treatments. |
| South African government to provide antiretrovirals to public sector | September 2003: Recent report gives recommendation for integrating therapy into government’s HIV/AIDS efforts. |
| Topical microbicides are promising HIV intervention | June 2003: A handful of microbicides developed to interrupt sexual transmission of HIV are close to clinical trials. |
| Treating OIs may hinge on immune reconstitution | July 2003: HAART therapy rebuilds the immune system, allowing the host to generate responses against OIs. |
| Treatment decisions in co-infected patients depend on CD4 count | February 2003 |
| Treatment options for gonorrhea are dwindling | May 2003: Ceftriaxone is the only treatment option for certain strains of gonorrhea, the CDC reports. |
| We have only just begun to fight the war against AIDS | December 2003: However, AIDS is a problem with a solution, said the UNAIDS executive director. |
| INFECTIONS OF THE SKIN | |
|---|---|
| HPV: does it reside in tumors? Mounting evidence says yes | June 2003: Warts contain the DNA for human papillomavirus. |
| Ivermectin: treatment of choice for scabies and maybe lice, too | June 2003: As these parasites become resistant to topical treatment, more physicians are choosing oral ivermectin. |
| Know the signs of Lyme disease to avoid unnecessary treatment | June 2003: In 2000, there were 2,256 reported cases of meningococcal disease, which was much higher than the 183 reported cases for streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. |
| Skin rashes can reveal much information about infectious diseases | June 2003: Children between the ages of 5 and 9 years old have the highest rate of reported Lyme incidence. |
| KIDNEY AND UTIs | |
|---|---|
| Asymptomatic bacteriuria more common in diabetic women | January 2003: The reasons are unclear, but a researcher suggests that one cause could be the presence of a neurogenic bladder. |
| FDA approves drug for urinary tract infections | January 2003 |
| NOSOCOMIAL/INFECTION CONTROL | |
|---|---|
| Consider cross resistance when choosing a new formulary drug | May 2003: Committees must predict resistance because new drug introduction will change patterns in a hospital. |
| Controversies in nosocomial infection surveillance | May 2003: Physicians discuss procedures for handling patients with nosocomial infections. |
| RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS | |
|---|---|
| CDC: Influenza mortality rates rose in 1990s | March 2003: Influenza vaccination rose among the elderly in the 1990s, but coverage remains around 65%. |
| Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a global problem | October 2003: Tuberculosis kills approximately 2 million people each year. |
| FDA advisory panel decides to give nasal flu vaccine a shot | January 2003: The embattled nasal flu vaccine is one step closer to approval from the FDA. |
| Pro/Con: Fluoroquinolones and Community-Acquired Pneumonia | April 2003: Should fluoroquinolones be used as first-line therapy against community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)? |
| Targeting foreign-born critical to control of TB | April 2003: TB has declined overall, but the decline was less among the foreign-born. |
| Too many viruses, too few ‘cures’ for the common cold | February 2003: Physicians agree that the best way to treat the common cold is symptomatically with targeted medications. |
| SARS: TRACKING AN EMERGING THREAT | |
|---|---|
| No time to rest with abatement of SARS cases | July 2003 |
| Quarantine is difficult issue in dealing with SARS | July 2003 |
| SARS is latest in emerging disease wave | July 2003: Several factors contribute to spread of emerging diseases, not least of which are travel and human behavior. |
| SPECIAL REPORT: HIV DRUGS IN THE PIPELINE | |
|---|---|
| New HIV drugs are in the pipeline | August 2003: The challenges of treatment have changed, from understanding the virus and how to intervene to battling drug resistance and easing pill burden. |
| HIV drugs in the pipeline | August 2003 |
| SPECIAL REPORT: THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT | |
|---|---|
| Genome through history like DNA through time | October 2003: The history of the human genome project has some eerie parallels with the hereditary aspects of life. |
| Human genome project could alter the face of medicine | October 2003: The possibilities are limitless, but many questions remain to be answered before genetic discoveries become clinically relevant. |
| THERAPEUTICS | |
|---|---|
| MRSA shows its true form after discharge | March 2003: A study reveals the growing need for post discharge follow-up to fully evaluate sequelae due to MRSA. |
| TRAVEL MEDICINE | |
|---|---|
| Cruise ship illnesses due to Norwalk-like viruses have passengers on guard | January 2003: The CDC is advising passengers to be vigilant about hand washing to avoid Norwalk-like virus. |
| Wide differential for diagnosing travelers’ diseases | January 2003: Review the patient’s pre-travel preparation, travel history and fever patterns to make an accurate diagnosis. |
| VACCINE-PREVENTABLE DISEASES | |
|---|---|
| The CDC braces for possible virulent influenza this winter | November 2003: Confluence of risk factors increases the risk of a severe influenza season this winter. |
| CDC using VAERS to ensure vaccine safety | April 2003: A recent report highlighted the first 10 years of operation of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. |
| Debunking the thimerosal myth | April 2003: The vaccine community is still facing the backlash from the decision to remove thimerosal from childhood vaccines. |
| Many successes, many challenges with today’s immunization program | April 2003: Most childhood diseases have seen dramatic drops in the last 10 years, but adult immunization needs to increase. |
| New benefits of annual influenza vaccination realized | May 2003: A study of nearly 300,000 elderly patients found that annual flu vaccination might protect against heart disease and stroke. |
| Outbreak calls attention to need for hepatitis A vaccination | December 2003: Extending immunization nationwide could reduce the number of primary cases of hepatitis A by 54% and the number of secondary cases by 76%. |
| Polio outbreak in Nigeria raises red flag | December 2003: A $10 million immunization campaign was recently waged to help stop the outbreak and promote eradication of poliovirus. |
| Scientists remain optimistic in quest for HIV vaccine | August 2003: Although monomeric gp120 failed, there is progress toward a globally effective vaccine against HIV that includes many diverse candidates. |
| States want pause in smallpox vaccination efforts | July 2003: State budgets are overrun and more importantly, health officials say, “the human resources are limited.” |
| Thimerosal was never present at unsafe levels in vaccines | February 2003 |
| U.S. government should shift vaccine views | September 2003: The Institute of Medicine recommends a change in governmental policy toward vaccine financing to safeguard the public. |
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