>>> MEDSCAPE’s Infectious Diseases MedPulse® <<<

MedPulse is a weekly index of key news and features on Medscape’s specialty sites compiled by Medscape’s Editors.

___________________ NEW FEATURE ARTICLES THIS WEEK ____________________

· EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES—

OUTBREAK OF INFLUENZA IN HIGHLY VACCINATED CREW OF U.S. NAVY SHIP

The USS Arkansas is a nuclear-powered, guided missile cruiser with a complement of >500 men. It was in its home port of Bremerton, Washington, in January 1996.

Emerging Infectious Diseases (7)3, 2001

http://id.medscape.com/40553.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

· OTHER JOURNALS—

FIRST REPORTS OF ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS (ADRS) IN RECENT WEEKS

The following table contains an overview of first published case reports of adverse drug reactions identified in the international literature in recent weeks.

Drug and Ther Perspect 17(12):15, 2001

http://id.medscape.com/40647.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

_________________ NEW EJOURNAL FOR TECHNOLOGY IN MEDICINE _____________

TECHMED eJOURNAL LAUNCHES

Medscape editors are pleased to announce the debut of TechMed, a new Medscape eJournal covering Technology in Medicine. This interactive publication for physicians and healthcare professionals is the premier source covering a broad range of issues and technology’s impact on the practice of medicine and healthcare delivery.

http://www.medscape.com/Medscape/TechMed/journal/public/TechMed.journal.html

___________________________________ NEWS ______________________________

· IMMUNIZATION—

IOM SCRUTINIZES LINK BETWEEN VACCINES, NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS

Mercury content in common childhood immunizations has prompted concerns.

http://id.medscape.com/40651.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

INTRADERMAL RABIES VACCINE CAN CUT COSTS BY 60%

According to the results of a study conducted in Bangalore in Karnataka, India, rabies vaccine given intradermally—rather than by the widely followed intramuscular route—uses less vaccine, provides protective titers and can decrease vaccine costs by nearly 60%.

http://id.medscape.com/40419.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

INFLUENZA VACCINE EFFECTIVE IN NURSING HOME POPULATIONS

Influenza vaccination prevents respiratory illness in a significant number of elderly nursing home residents, justifying the longstanding recommendation that all nursing home residents be vaccinated, according to a report in the July 17^th issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

http://id.medscape.com/40479.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

· HEPATITIS—

JOHNSON & JOHNSON AFFILIATE EARNS FDA CLEARANCE FOR RAPID HBV ANTIGEN ASSAY

Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics has received clearance from the US Food and Drug

Administration (FDA) to market a hepatitis B surface antigen assay for the laboratory diagnosis of individuals with acute or chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), the Johnson & Johnson affiliate announced on Friday.

http://id.medscape.com/40436.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

· ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE—

SPREAD OF ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT E. COLI FROM ANIMALS TO PEOPLE MAY BE COMMON

Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli is commonly spread from animals to people in the Netherlands, according to a report in the June issue of the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

http://id.medscape.com/40531.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

FIRST CASE OF LINEZOLID RESISTANCE TO STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS IDENTIFIED

An 85-year-old man undergoing peritoneal dialysis appears to be the first reported case of S aureus resistance to linezolid, researchers report in The Lancet for July 21. ‘This is the first clinical isolate of Staphylococcus aureus we found that is resistant to a new antimicrobial agent linezolid,’ Dr. Mary Jane Ferraro told Reuters Health.

http://id.medscape.com/40668.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

· RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS—

PERTUSSIS A COMMON CAUSE OF PROLONGED COUGH

Pertussis is a common cause of prolonged cough illness in adults and adolescents and is often associated with other whooping cough symptoms, study findings show.

http://id.medscape.com/40468.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

COMPLETE GENOME OF S PNEUMONIAE SEQUENCED

The genome of a virulent strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae consists of a single circular chromosome of more than 2 million base pairs, Dr. Herve Tettelin, of The Institute for Genomic Research, Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues report.

http://id.medscape.com/40694.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

· OTHER ID NEWS—

NOVEL THEORY PROPOSED TO EXPLAIN SEASONAL VARIATION IN DISEASE OUTBREAKS

Seasonal variation in infectious disease outbreaks may be related to changes in host susceptibility mediated by the annual light/dark cycle and patterns of melatonin secretion, according to a novel theory proposed by Dr. Scott F. Dowell.http://id.medscape.com/40533.rhtml?srcmp=id-072001

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