Clinical Infectious Diseases

BACKGROUND: Several clinical trials of tuberculosis preventive treatment (TPT) for household contacts of patients with multidrug- or rifampin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) are nearing completion. The potential benefits of delivering TPT to MDR/RR-TB contacts extend beyond the outcomes that clinical trials can measure. METHODS: We developed an agent-based, household-structured TB and MDR/RR-TB transmission model, calibrated to an illustrative setting in India...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Native vertebral osteomyelitis (NVO) caused by Staphylococcus aureus is associated with high risk of treatment failure and increased morbidity. The role of rifampin-based therapy for the treatment of this condition is controversial. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to explore the efficacy and safety of rifampin-based therapy for the treatment of S. aureus NVO. METHODS: We searched Cochrane, Embase, Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science databases for studies published up to May 2023, focusing on adults with NVO treated with or without rifampin containing regimens...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Invasive fungal infections have been described throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Cryptococcal disease has been reported in several isolated case reports and one larger case series after infection with COVID-19. We sought to describe cryptococcal infections following SARs-CoV-2 through establishing a database to investigate underlying risk factors, disease manifestations, and outcomes. METHODS: We created a crowdsourced call for cases solicited through the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium, CDC Emerging Infectious Disease Network, and Infectious Diseases Twitter groups...

BACKGROUND: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant recipients (allo-HCTR) with positive CMV serology may have false positive results due to blood product transfusions associated passive immunity. METHODS: This is a single-center cohort study including consecutive adult allo-HCTR (01.01.2018-31.12.2022) with negative baseline (at hematologic malignancy diagnosis) and indeterminate or low-positive (CMV-IgG-titer: ≥ 0.6-<50 U/mL) pretransplant CMV-serology with negative pretransplant plasma CMV DNAemia...

BACKGROUND: Older adults with chronic cardiorespiratory or endocrine/metabolic conditions are at increased risk of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-related acute respiratory illness (RSV-ARI) and severe respiratory disease. In an ongoing, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicountry, phase 3 trial in ≥60-year-old participants, an AS01E-adjuvanted RSV prefusion F protein-based vaccine (RSVPreF3 OA) was efficacious against RSV-related lower respiratory tract disease (RSV-LRTD), severe RSV-LRTD, and RSV-ARI...

BACKGROUND: Weight gain following initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is common. We assessed the impact of changes in weight in the year following ART initiation with subsequent cardiometabolic disease among AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) participants. METHODS: Linear regression models were fit to examine the association between change in weight/waist circumference (WC) in weeks 0-48 and change in metabolic parameters in weeks 0-48 and 48-96. Cox proportional hazard models were fit to examine the association between changes in weight/WC in weeks 0-48 and diabetes mellitus (DM), metabolic syndrome or cardiometabolic and cardiovascular events after week 48...

BACKGROUND: COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is a frequent superinfection in critically ill COVID-19 patients and is associated with increased mortality. The increasing proportion of severely immunocompromised patients among COVID-19 patients who require mechanical ventilation warrants research into the incidence and impact of CAPA during the vaccination era. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, monocentric, observational study. We collected data from adult patients with severe COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation admitted to the ICU of University Hospitals Leuven, a tertiary referral center, between March 1st, 2020 and November 14th, 2022...

We describe a case of congenital tuberculosis in an extremely premature baby, with rapid molecular detection of a pre-XDR pattern of drug resistance. The baby was treated successfully with a regimen including bedaquline and delamanid, drugs not previously described in the treatment of congenital TB.

BACKGROUND: There is a need to understand the duration of infectivity of primary and recurrent COVID-19 and identify predictors of loss of infectivity. METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study with serial viral culture, rapid antigen detection test (RADT) and RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal specimens of healthcare workers with COVID-19. The primary outcome was viral culture positivity as indicative of infectivity. Predictors of loss of infectivity were determined using multivariate regression model...

Glucocorticoids are widespread anti-inflammatory medications used in medical practice. The immunosuppressive effects of systemic glucocorticoids and increased susceptibility to infections are widely appreciated. However, the dose-dependent model frequently used may not accurately predict the risk of infection in all patients treated with long-term glucocorticoids. In this review, we examine the risks of opportunistic infections (OIs) in patients requiring glucocorticoid therapy by evaluating the influence of the glucocorticoid dose, duration, and potency, combined with biological and host clinical factors and concomitant immunosuppressive therapy...

BACKGROUND: HPTN 083/084 trials showed up to 88% increased efficacy of long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) versus continuous oral tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC). However, CAB-LA's high price limits the number who can be treated within fixed prevention budgets. Global HIV prevention budgets are highly limited, with TDF/FTC widely available as a low-cost generic. In randomised clinical trials, event-driven TDF/FTC has shown similar preventative efficacy to continuous TDF/FTC. METHODS: A systematic review of global HIV incidence studies was conducted...

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BACKGROUND: Aspirational targets to end AIDS by 2030 include 95% of PWH diagnosed, 95% treated, and 95% with controlled viral load (VL). Our objective was to describe, using a large French prospective cohort, the median transition times through the cascade of care, between 2009 and 2019, taking into account patients' characteristics. METHODS: We analyzed patients whose first HIV diagnosis was made between 2009/01/01 and 2019/12/31. Using Kaplan-Meier method we estimated time to linkage to care (from HIV diagnosis to first biological assessment), to treatment (using the date of first ART prescription), and to controlled VL (first value below 200 copies/ml)...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Many people who have a positive hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody (Ab) test never receive a confirmatory HCV RNA viral load (VL) test. Reflex VL testing may help address this problem. We undertook a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of reflex VL testing compared with standard nonreflex approaches on outcomes across the HCV care cascade. METHODS: We searched 4 databases for studies that examined laboratory-based reflex or clinic-based reflex VL testing approaches, with or without a nonreflex comparator, and had data on the uptake of HCV RNA VL test and treatment initiation and turnaround time between Ab and VL testing...