Infectious Disease

SHANGHAI, China -- More than 80% of drug resistance among treated tuberculosis patients here is the result of a new infection with the resistant strain, called reinfection, rather than inadequate therapy, according to researchers here.

LONDON -- Treating herpes simplex with valacylovir (Valtrex) reduces the levels of HIV in women who are infected with both viruses, according to researchers here.

ORLANDO -- Swabbing the oral cavity with chlorhexidine (Peridex) reduces the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia in some intubated intensive care patients, a Richmond, Va., researcher said here.

HOUSTON -- For establishing the tumor status of women with breast cancer, a gene-expression microarray appears to have accuracy approaching standard tests, researchers found here.

BETHESDA, Md. -- An atomic-level snapshot of a key HIV protein as it binds to a neutralizing antibody, a feat accomplished here, may be a step toward an effective vaccine, the researchers said.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- For children with intermittent asthma, a short course of Singulair (montelukast), a leukotriene antagonist, given at the first sign of an episode may reduce acute care visits, reported Australian investigators.

BOSTON -- For children with Kawasaki's disease, a single pulsed dose of intravenous methylprednisolone added to conventional therapy drew a therapeutic blank, researchers reported.

ST. LOUIS -- A live attenuated flu vaccine -- administered in a nasal spray -- outperformed the traditional inactivated vaccine in a large study of children from six months to five years old.

MEMPHIS -- Some people may have at least a partial immunity to the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus, according to researchers here, but while that might limit the virulence of the disease, it would probably not prevent infection.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Smoking marijuana significantly reduces nerve pain associated with HIV infection, according to researchers here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA announced today that concerns about toxicity had led it to rescind two indications for the antibiotic Ketek (telithromycin).

CINCINNATI -- Antimicrobial functions of neutrophils are impaired in patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, a rare condition, because of the auto-antibodies to growth factors that are associated with the disease, according to researchers here.

SAN FRANCISCO -- The season of conception may be a factor in the risk for preterm delivery, researchers will report here this weekend.

ATLANTA -- Teen and childhood suicides rose sharply in 2004, for the first time in more than 10 years, and some are linking this to a reduced use of antidepressants that year because of black box label warnings mandated by the FDA.

TOTTORI, Japan -- A third of patients with hepatitis C infections and hepatic fibrosis could be spared liver biopsies by the use of a new index that predicts significant fibrosis with three blood tests, according to researchers here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved Alphanate (antihemophilic factor/von Willebrand factor complex) for von Willebrand's disease in surgery.

WASHINGTON -- A 12-week course of Raptiva (efalizumab) significantly improved chronic severe plaque psoriasis of the hands and feet, researchers here reported today.

This polymicrobial infection, characterized by rapidly advancing deep tissue necrosis, is caused by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and anaerobes such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Furunculosis is a deeper infection of the hair follicle generally attributable to S aureus.

Declining cardiovascular function, poor circulation, diabetes, obesity, cancer, immunodeficiency, renal disease, and thinned, xerotic skin provide the setting for a host of bacterial infections in elderly persons that can involve any level or structure of the skin.

This vesiculopustular eruption manifests with honey-colored crusted erosions. As it resolves, the crusts can turn brown; hyperpigmentation and scale may be evident.

ATLANTA -- Much like the power of hurricanes, future influenza pandemics will be rated on a demonstrated case fatality rate as they spread to shore, with a scale of increasingly drastic recommended defenses, the CDC said today.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- For the second time, efforts to create a topical microbicide that would protect against HIV transmission during sex have ended in failure.

Herpes zoster occurs in 10% to 20% of the general population as a result of reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and is generally benign. It occurs more frequently in persons with cellular immunodeficiency and older age. The association between herpes zoster and HIV was confirmed early in the course of the HIV epidemic by numerous studies. Zoster was noted to precede AIDS in high-risk groups. Both the incidence and complication rate of herpes zoster are increased in HIVinfected patients.

The CDC estimates that more than 850,000 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the United States today,1 with African Americans and Latinos being disproportionately affected.2 Over the past decade, the Latino population in the United States has been growing. In fact, in 2002 for the first time, Latinos surpassed African Americans as the largest US minority group. However, the term "Latino" is applied to a very heterogeneous group from different countries and different cultures.3 In addition, a large proportion of Latinos is undocumented in the United States and thus marginalized from the health care system.