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41ST INTERSCIENCE CONFERENCE ON ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/507?srcmp=id-032202

39TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE INFECTIOUS DISEASES SOCIETY OF AMERICA http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/208?srcmp=id-032202

ANTHRAX: CDC WEBCAST AND OUR CURRENT KNOWLEDGE http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/980?srcmp=id-032202

MEASLES, HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE TYPE B, VARICELLA: PRE- AND POSTVACCINE EPIDEMIOLOGY IN THE UNITED STATES http://www.medscape.com/viewprogram/596?srcmp=id-032202

In our rush to effectively diagnose and treat patients, it's important to remember to listen as well. Medscape Infectious Diseases 4(1) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430383?srcmp=id-032902

Highlights include: Staph aureus vaccine in hemodialysis patients, anthrax cases, and untreated STDs in Baltimore. Medscape Infectious Diseases 4(1) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430548?srcmp=id-032902

PCR and high-dose acyclovir promise better outcomes in CNS infection. Medscape Infectious Diseases 4(1) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430261?srcmp=id-032902

THE HEALTH OF NATIONS: INFECTIOUS DISEASE, ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, AND THEIR EFFECTS ON NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT A political scientist looks at emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Medscape General Medicine 4(1) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430193?srcmp=id-032902

TUBERCULOSIS OUTBREAK ON AN AMERICAN INDIAN RESERVATION -- MONTANA, 2000-2001 This report demonstrates how rapid expansion of local capacity for TB control is critical to eliminate TB in the US. MMWR 51(11) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430533?srcmp=id-032902

Every year, approximately 2 million persons in India develop TB, accounting for one fourth of the world's new cases. MMWR 51(11) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430532?srcmp=id-032902

PROGRESS TOWARD ELIMINATION OF HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE TYPE B INVASIVE DISEASE AMONG INFANTS AND CHILDREN -- UNITED STATES, 1998-2000 The incidence of reported Hib invasive disease remains low, but more is needed to eliminate the disease. MMWR 51(11) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430535?srcmp=id-032902

Dr. Schmeckman, back from his sabbatical, is confronted by the case of an acutely ill young woman previously in good health. Infect Med 19(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429657?srcmp=id-032902

MUSINGS RE ICAAC: NUCLEOSIDES, RESISTANCE TESTING, AND PIS Discussions and posters at the meeting put some interesting concepts in better perspective regarding HIV therapy. Infect Med 19(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429656?srcmp=id-032902

EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS TESTING AMONG PATIENTS WITH TUBERCULOSIS IN NORTH CAROLINA Should healthcare providers offer HIV testing to all individuals with tuberculosis? South Med J 95(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429543?srcmp=id-032902

EVALUATION OF STATE-PROVIDED POSTEXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS AGAINST RABIES IN FLORIDA What improvements can be made to the present system in order to improve efficiency and save money? South Med J 95(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429542?srcmp=id-032902

Review recent findings in HIV-HCV coinfection, antiretroviral therapy in early pregnancy, and drug resistance. AIDS Read 12(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429881?srcmp=id-032902

Therapy for HIV infection is going to get simpler: fewer doses, fewer pills. AIDS Read 12(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429883?srcmp=id-032902

MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO IMPROVING TREATMENT OF COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA This approach improves antimicrobial selection and timely administration, and decreases patients' length of stay. Am J Health-Syst Pharm 59(4) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429780?srcmp=id-032902

PITFALLS ASSOCIATED WITH COMMONLY USED METHODS FOR PHARMACOECONOMIC ANALYSES The current methods used to determine the costs associated with infectious episodes have limitations. Pharmacotherapy 22(2s) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/427478?srcmp=id-032902

APPROACHES TO ANALYSIS OF LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY RELATED TO ANTIBIOTIC THERAPY IN A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL Healthcare decision makers have started to recognize the importance of controlling total cost in antibiotic treatment. Pharmacotherapy 22(2s) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/427497?srcmp=id-032902

USE OF INSURANCE CLAIMS DATA TO ASSESS OUTPATIENT ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY FOR GRAM-POSITIVE INFECTIONS Vancomycin home therapy costs appear to be considerably higher than drug acquisition costs. Pharmacotherapy 22(2s) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/427502?srcmp=id-032902

COST PERSPECTIVES FOR OUTPATIENT INTRAVENOUS ANTIMICROBIAL THERAPY The cost of outpatient therapy was substantial, although nonuniform, across payer types. Pharmacotherapy 22(2s) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/427518?srcmp=id-032902

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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is reporting an increasing prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection of meat. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430660?srcmp=id-032902

FLUCONAZOLE USEFUL AS TREATMENT FOR CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS Among patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major, fluconazole therapy is safe and effective, according to a report in The New England Journal of Medicine for March 21. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430498?srcmp=id-032902

POPULATION-BASED AUTOPSY FINDINGS CONFIRM VARIANT CJD IS A NEW DISEASE A systematic review of Welsh death records and autopsy samples confirms the description of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) as a new disease entity, rather than a result of better case ascertainment. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430581?srcmp=id-032902

The agent that causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was not detected in tests on the muscle of cattle infected with the deadly illness, France's food safety agency AFSSA said on Wednesday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430768?srcmp=id-032902

British inspectors have discovered that some beef imported from Poland breached rules designed to fight the spread of mad cow disease, officials said on Thursday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430467?srcmp=id-032902

The European Medicines Evaluation Agency has announced that an expert workshop will review human transmissible spongiform encephalopathies in relation to plasma-derived products. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430776?srcmp=id-032902

TB DROPS IN US BUT SITUATION COULD BE INFLUENCED BY INTERNATIONAL HOT-SPOTS Despite the decreasing rates of tuberculosis in the US, experts from the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia warned this week that continued vigilance is needed both here and abroad to combat the illness. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430568?srcmp=id-032902

The addition of the quinolone ofloxacin to chemotherapy for pulmonary tuberculosis can reduce the duration of treatment from the currently recommended 6 months to 4-5 months, Indian researchers report. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430562?srcmp=id-032902

British doctors and charities have called on the government to boost resources for controlling tuberculosis, warning that the UK may be 'dropping its guard' against the lung disease that kills 2 million people a year worldwide. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430501?srcmp=id-032902

Congo's worst cholera outbreak in four years has killed at least 586 people in the central African country and the death toll is expected to rise, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430570?srcmp=id-032902

P. AERUGINOSA ADAPTATION TO CYSTIC FIBROSIS AIRWAYS TRIGGERS INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE In contrast to murine Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), the human form recognizes changes in the outer envelope of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and initiate a strong inflammatory response, according to a recent report. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430749?srcmp=id-032902

SINGLE DOSE OF DIMERIZED ZANAMIVIR SHOWS EFFICACY AGAINST INFLUENZA Multimeric zanamivir shows efficacy in mice for the treatment of human influenza after administration of a single dose, researchers reported at the International Conference on Antiviral Research in Prague, Czech Republic. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430488?srcmp=id-032902

PASSIVE IMMUNIZATION VIA NASAL MUCOSA PROTECTS SCID MICE FROM PNEUMONIA Intranasal administration of a variety of monoclonal antibodies protected SCID mice against an airborne challenge with Pneumocystis carinii, Dr. Francis Gigliotti, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Rochester in New York, and colleagues report in the March issue of Infection and Immunity. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430682?srcmp=id-032902

At least 148 people in the impoverished West African country of Niger have died from meningitis so far this year, the government said on Tuesday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430731?srcmp=id-032902

Recovery followed drug discontinuation, and rechallenge led to relapse. MedscapeWire 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430613?srcmp=id-032902

ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES RAISE CERVICAL CANCER RISK IN HPV-INFECTED WOMEN Long-term use of oral contraceptives increases the risk of cancer of the cervix up to four-fold in women infected with the human papillomavirus (HPV), according to study findings released by The Lancet on Tuesday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430744?srcmp=id-032902

HPV 16 AND 18 INVOLVED IN DEVELOPMENT OF CONJUNCTIVAL INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA Human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18 mRNA and DNA are detectable in conjunctival intraepithelial neoplasia but not in nondysplastic tissues. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430687?srcmp=id-032902

The drug may reduce reinfection in onychomycosis and dermatophytosis. MedscapeWire 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430607?srcmp=id-032902

MOST HEPATITIS B CASES PREVENTABLE WITH ROUTINE VACCINATION More than half the cases of hepatitis B between 1987 and 1998 could have been prevented by vaccine programs in sexual disease treatment clinics and correctional health care programs, according to a report in the March 15th issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430730?srcmp=id-032902

PREGNANCY NOT AFFECTED BY ANTHRAX VACCINATION IN US ARMY WOMEN Anthrax vaccination does not appear to adversely affect pregnancy, birth rate, or birth outcome. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430782?srcmp=id-032902

HIV-POSITIVE WOMEN HAVE INCREASED COMPLICATION RISK AFTER GYNECOLOGIC SURGERY Women who are HIV-positive have significantly higher complication rates after undergoing obstetric and gynecological surgery compared with HIV-negative women, German researchers report. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430796?srcmp=id-032902

TRANSIENT INCREASES IN VIRAL LOAD COMMON IN HIV-POSITIVE PATIENTS ON HAART Among HIV-positive patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), whose viral level is < 50 copies/mL, transient increases in viral load are common and do not necessarily indicate treatment failure. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430496?srcmp=id-032902

HIV-POSITIVE PATIENTS REPORT FEWER RISK BEHAVIORS BUT HAVE MORE STDS Although HIV-positive patients attending a public STD clinic are likely to report less sexual activity and more condom use than non-HIV-infected controls, they have a higher incidence of STDs. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430502?srcmp=id-032902

Use of heteroduplex mobility assays (HMAs) helped confirm self-reports of HIV transmission in most tested couples, researchers report in the March 1st issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430753?srcmp=id-032902

RESISTANCE MUTATIONS OCCUR IN SUBSET OF HIV PATIENTS AFTER FLU VACCINATION In a small subset of HIV-infected patients with viral load elevations secondary to influenza vaccination, resistance-bearing mutations in the viral reverse transcriptase region can develop over periods greater than 1 year, even at low and undetectable viral loads, study results show. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430727?srcmp=id-032902

SOME ASPECTS OF HIV TREATMENT MAY BE BETTER WITH EFAVIRENZ- THAN PI-CONTAINING REGIMEN A second-line efavirenz-containing regimen for HIV infection provides a better quality of life (QOL) than does a second-line protease inhibitor (PI)-containing regimen, according to a report in the March 1st Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430692?srcmp=id-032902

SOME STATINS MAY BE CONTRAINDICATED IN PATIENTS USING HIV PROTEASE INHIBITORS Simvastatin, and probably lovastatin, should be avoided in patients who use protease inhibitors (PIs), because of significant drug-drug interactions observed in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) study A5047. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430566?srcmp=id-032902

Thailand plans to launch what it says is the world's cheapest anti-AIDS drug combination therapy next month, health officials said on Friday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430569?srcmp=id-032902

A senior United Nations official said Thursday that the HIV/AIDS epidemic was worsening in Ethiopia and urged authorities to take preventive measures. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430466?srcmp=id-032902

A high court judge ruled on Monday that South Africa must provide women with the antiretroviral drug nevirapine to help cut the risk they will pass the virus to their babies, an anti-AIDS group said. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430678?srcmp=id-032902

South Africa's government will appeal for a second time a court ruling stating that it must provide a key antiretroviral agent that cuts the risk of mother-to-child infection, according to the country's health minister. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430767?srcmp=id-032902

Former Zambian leader and revered African statesman Kenneth Kaunda took a public HIV test on Tuesday and challenged the country's top politicians to follow his example to help stem the spread of HIV/AIDS. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430734?srcmp=id-032902

Developing countries are seeking $1.15 billion this year from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, some 50% more than the international venture has available, the Fund said on Monday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430659?srcmp=id-032902

Expressing regret for being a latecomer to the global fight against AIDS, Senator Jesse Helms, a frequent critic of foreign aid, will press for more money to stem the pandemic in his last year in Congress. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430774?srcmp=id-032902

US AGENCY LAUNCHES 'GLOBAL STRATEGY' TO COMBAT EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday launched a new international plan aimed at reducing the global threat of infectious disease. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430572?srcmp=id-032902

A series of food health scares and increased resistance to antibiotics has prompted the European Commission to ban all antibiotics from being used as livestock growth enhancers and to make all animal feed additive producers re-submit all their products for licensing. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430669?srcmp=id-032902

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS LINKED TO LOW LEVELS OF ANAEROBIC BACTERIA IN GUT The population of anaerobic bacteria in the gastrointestinal system of patients with early-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) differs significantly from that of people without the disease, Finnish researchers reported here Monday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430741?srcmp=id-032902

VIRUSES ASSOCIATED WITH ARRHYTHMOGENIC RIGHT VENTRICULAR DYSPLASIA In a recent study, researchers detected cardiotropic viruses significantly more often in the myocardium of patients with sporadic arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia/cardiomyopathy (ARVD/C) than in control subjects. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430587?srcmp=id-032902

President Bush on Tuesday nominated an Arizona trauma surgeon to be Surgeon General and a university administrator to head the National Institutes of Health. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430720?srcmp=id-032902

GENOME SEQUENCE OF GROUP A STREP SHOWS PHAGE INSERTIONS AFFECT VIRULENCE Phage-like elements encode virulence factors in an M18 strain of group A Streptococcus (GAS) associated with rheumatic fever, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences for April 2. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430684?srcmp=id-032902

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