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Outbreaks of pneumonic tularemia, particularly in low-incidence areas, should prompt consideration of bioterrorism. MMWR 51(9) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429736?srcmp=id-031502

MANUFACTURER'S RECALL OF RAPID ASSAY KITS BASED ON FALSE POSITIVE CRYPTOSPORIDIUM ANTIGEN TESTS -- WISCONSIN, 2001-2002 A recent cluster of cases in southeastern Wisconsin was the result of false-positive tests. MMWR 51(9) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429760?srcmp=id-031502

PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA INFECTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH DEFECTIVE BRONCHOSCOPES The source of bacteria is believed to be a loose port on certain Olympus bronchoscopes. MMWR 50(9) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429763?srcmp=id-031502

SHORTAGE OF VARICELLA AND MMR VACCINES AND INTERIM RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ACIP Vaccine providers should delay routine childhood varicella vaccination from 12-18 months until 18-24 months. MMWR 50(9) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429764?srcmp=id-031502

BROAD-RANGE BACTERIAL DETECTION AND THE ANALYSIS OF UNEXPLAINED DEATH AND CRITICAL ILLNESS Known bacterial pathogens cause some critical illnesses that fail to be explained with traditional methods. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424798?srcmp=id-031502

PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL BIOLOGICAL TERRORISM AGENTS Category A agents are being given the highest priority for preparedness. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424808?srcmp=id-031502

AN OUTBREAK OF RIFT VALLEY FEVER IN NORTHEASTERN KENYA, 1997-98 Direct contact with animals, particularly with sheep body fluids, was the most important modifiable risk factor. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424739?srcmp=id-031502

No serologic evidence of H9N2 infection was found in close contacts of H9N2-infected children. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424741?srcmp=id-031502

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND EPIDEMIOLOGY OF NO-1, AN UNUSUAL BACTERIUM ASSOCIATED WITH DOG AND CAT BITES All patients recovered following antibiotic treatment. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424784?srcmp=id-031502

ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE PATTERNS OF BACTERIAL ISOLATES FROM BLOOD IN SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, 1996-1999 Substantial hospital-to-hospital variability in resistance in multiple organisms was found. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424799?srcmp=id-031502

RICKETTSIA FELIS INFECTION ACQUIRED IN EUROPE AND DOCUMENTED BY PCR No endemic tick-borne rickettsiosis had previously been identified in Germany. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424802?srcmp=id-031502

HEMORRHAGIC FEVER WITH RENAL SYNDROME PRESENTING WITH HEMOPHAGOCYTIC LYMPHOHISTIOCYTOSIS Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is an uncommon syndrome with a rapidly fatal outcome. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424803?srcmp=id-031502

COMPARATIVE ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE OF DIARRHEAL PATHOGENS FROM VIETNAM AND THAILAND, 1996-1999 These data illustrate the growing magnitude of antibiotic resistance in Southeast Asia. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424785?srcmp=id-031502

The first case of B quintana endocarditis affecting a prosthetic valve in a person with no known risk factors. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424800?srcmp=id-031502

CRYPTOSPORIDIUM MURIS INFECTION IN AN HIV-INFECTED ADULT, KENYA C. muris can indeed infect humans. Emerg Infect Dis 8(2) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/424801?srcmp=id-031502

A young boy from Peru was brought in for an evaluation at the International Adoption Center. Infect Med 19(1) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/423524?srcmp=id-031502

Tenofovir has several distinctive characteristics and brings significant new possibilities to our therapeutic arsenal. Infect Med 19(1) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/423498?srcmp=id-031502

The reviewer gives this book high scores for clinical relevance and organization. Infect Med 19(1) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/423526?srcmp=id-031502

ANTHRAX VACCINE RECOMMENDED FOR AT-RISK PERSONNEL; CDC PROMOTES "RING VACCINATION" FOR SMALLPOX; NO INCREASED RISK WITH SIMULTANEOUS MMR-VARICELLA VACCINATION... The CDC is recommending that some civilians who are repeatedly exposed to anthrax be given the anthrax vaccine. Infect Med 19(1) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/423494?srcmp=id-031502

A 14-year-old boy presents to the emergency room with diarrhea and abdominal pain and tenderness. Appl Radiol 31(1) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/428337?srcmp=id-031502

MAXIMIZING OUTCOMES IN RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS IN THE AGE OF RESISTANCE Antimicrobial therapy for RTIs is often presumptive and is initiated before there is a clear understanding of etiology. Pharmacotherapy 22(1s) 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/423224?srcmp=id-031502

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A laboratory worker in Texas who tested specimens containing anthrax for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has contracted the skin form of the disease. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430058?srcmp=id-031502

Nearly 500 students, representing about 10% of the student body at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, are thought to have contracted conjunctivitis caused by 'an uncommon strain' of pneumococcus, according to the CDC. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430104?srcmp=id-031502

ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT MAY REDUCE OR PREVENT OCULAR ONCHOCERCIASIS Corneal inflammation associated with Onchocerca volvulus is caused in large part by essential endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria rather than the filaria themselves, researchers report in the March 8th issue of Science. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429790?srcmp=id-031502

A broad spectrum fluoroquinolone may change the standard of care for uncomplicated urinary tract infection. MedscapeWire 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429901?srcmp=id-031502

Fulminant colitis with Clostridium difficile is becoming more common and more often fatal. MedscapeWire 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429822?srcmp=id-031502

The seroprevalence of cagA+ Helicobacter pylori strains, which have been linked to greater virulence, has declined faster than that for cagA- H. pylori strains, especially among younger subjects, according to a report in the March issue of Gut. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429946?srcmp=id-031502

ARTHRITIS-CAUSING ABILITY OF VARIOUS SALMONELLA SEROTYPES APPEARS SIMILAR Regardless of the serotype isolated, after an outbreak of salmonella about 1 in 10 patients will develop arthritis, according to a report published in the March issue of the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430029?srcmp=id-031502

GSK'S HAVRIX HEPATITIS A VACCINE MAY PROTECT UP TO 30 YEARS GlaxoSmithKline's hepatitis A vaccine Havrix could offer protection for up to 30 years, according to a study presented this week at the 10th International Congress on Infectious Diseases in Singapore. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430108?srcmp=id-031502

EARLY-ACCESS PROGRAM FOR ADEFOVIR ANNOUNCED FOR TREATMENT OF HEPATITIS B Gilead Sciences Inc. said on Tuesday that it has begun offering 10-mg doses of adefovir dipivoxil to US patients infected with hepatitis B virus resistant to lamivudine. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429959?srcmp=id-031502

THYMALFASIN PLUS INTERFERON SUCCESSFUL IN PHASE II HEPATITIS B STUDY SciClone Pharmaceuticals said on Wednesday that a combination therapy of interferon and its immune-enhancing drug Zadaxin (thymalfasin) demonstrated a 71% sustained response rate in hepatitis B patients, based on 12-month follow-up data from an independent phase II study in Turkey. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430027?srcmp=id-031502

LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS MORE FREQUENT AND SEVERE IN ASTHMATICS Although asthmatics are no more susceptible to rhinovirus infection than nonasthmatics, lower respiratory tract infections among asthmatics tend to occur more often, be more severe, and last longer, UK researchers report in March 9th issue of The Lancet. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429812?srcmp=id-031502

China said on Tuesday it had banned some cosmetic imports from 18 countries, mostly in Europe, because they were made from substances that could cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429937?srcmp=id-031502

France will not end its unilateral ban on British beef in the next three months because it still does not have assurances the meat is safe from BSE, the country's new farm minister said on Tuesday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429939?srcmp=id-031502

NEVIRAPINE TOXICITY NOT AN IMPEDIMENT TO USE IN HIV-POSITIVE PREGNANT WOMEN Results of a decision analysis study indicate that a single dose of nevirapine to prevent perinatal HIV transmission is preferable to a short course of zidovudine or no treatment. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429931?srcmp=id-031502

IRON DEFICIENCY COMMON AMONG FEMALE INJECTION DRUG USERS WITH AND WITHOUT HIV About half the anemia seen among HIV-positive and HIV-negative female injection drug users is the result of iron deficiency. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429853?srcmp=id-031502

ADDING CYCLOSPORIN A TO HAART MAY IMPROVE TREATMENT OF PRIMARY HIV INFECTION Results of a pilot study indicate that using cyclosporin A to shut down the extensive immune activation that occurs during primary HIV infection can lead to long-term immunologic improvements. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429951?srcmp=id-031502

Increases in the number of unsafe sexual episodes appear to be overwhelming any diminished risk of HIV transmission brought about by use of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), according to a study of San Franciscan men who have sex with men. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430106?srcmp=id-031502

INCREASED SELENIUM MAY PROTECT HIV-POSITIVE PATIENTS FROM MYCOBACTERIAL DISEASE Dietary selenium supplementation in patients with HIV appears to lower their risk of mycobacterial disease, Florida researchers have discovered. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429808?srcmp=id-031502

INDINAVIR DOSAGE MAY NEED INCREASING WITH CONCOMITANT EFAVIRENZ USE The addition of efavirenz to an anti-HIV regimen that includes the protease-inhibitor combination of indinavir and ritonavir results in a significant reduction in indinavir plasma concentration, researchers report. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429816?srcmp=id-031502

HIV CROSS-RESISTANCE EXTENSIVE WITHIN SOME ANTIRETROVIRAL CLASSES HIV isolates exhibit a high degree of cross resistance to protease inhibitors (PIs) and to nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), investigators in the UK report. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429815?srcmp=id-031502

NUCLEOSIDE ANALOGUES CONTRIBUTE TO MITOCHONDRIAL TOXICITY Reverse transcriptase inhibitors, especially stavudine, can severely reduce the ratio of mitochondrial to nuclear DNA, leading to symptomatic hyperlactatemia. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430082?srcmp=id-031502

A South African judge said on Monday the government could appeal a court ruling compelling it to give pregnant women antiretroviral agents that reduce the risk of vertical HIV transmission. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429865?srcmp=id-031502

Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429797?srcmp=id-031502

Millions of child deaths could be avoided each year if developing countries increased the use of inexpensive preventive measures and treatments, UN officials said on Tuesday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429936?srcmp=id-031502

Pregnant women with moderate to severe periodontal disease may be more likely to deliver low birth weight infants as a result of restricted fetal growth, US researchers report. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429871?srcmp=id-031502

Millions of people in developing nations die each year from diseases such as malaria and sleeping sickness because drugs that could help them are either too expensive to distribute or are not profitable enough to spur development by drug companies, warned a panel of public health experts gathered at a conference here on Thursday. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430091?srcmp=id-031502

UNIDENTIFIED DISEASE SAID TO HAVE KILLED 40 IN AFGHAN VILLAGE Around 40 people have died of an unidentified disease in a remote village in the mountains of central Afghanistan, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday, adding it had not yet been able to reach the area. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429796?srcmp=id-031502

FDA RECONSIDERS BLOOD DONATION RULES FOR PEOPLE WITH TATTOOS AND PIERCINGS US health advisers were to discuss on Thursday whether rules restricting blood donations by people with tattoos or body piercings should be changed. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430093?srcmp=id-031502

The researchers found that the popularity of a Web site was no guarantee of quality. MedscapeWire 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429738?srcmp=id-031502

ENVIRONMENTAL DATA COULD MEAN DRUG-APPROVAL PROCESS NEEDS CHANGE A newly-released environmental survey of US streams could have implications for the nation's drug-approval process. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430096?srcmp=id-031502

A population-based study among Finnish men and women finds that the use of oral antimicrobial agents lowers serum concentrations of the lignan enterolactone, produced by gut microflora from dietary precursors. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429806?srcmp=id-031502

FLAVIVIRUS UNDERGOES CONFORMATIONAL CHANGE BEFORE FUSING WITH HOST CELL Flaviviruses differ from other viral families in having an envelope protein coat that must undergo conformational change before the particle can fuse with the host cell membrane. Reuters Health Information 2002 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429802?srcmp=id-031502

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