- Oral transition therapy versus intravenous therapy for the treatment of uncomplicated Enterococcal bloodstream infections. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Given this study was underpowered, a statistical non-inferiority could not be established. However, given a numerically lower rate of treatment failure observed in the oral therapy group without any overt safety concern, oral transition therapy may be considered in clinically stable patients with uncomplicated Enterococcal BSIs.
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- Follow-up blood cultures in Gram-negative bloodstream infections: predictors of collection and association with mortality-a two-centre cohort study. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: FUBCs were markers of disease severity but were not independently associated with mortality, while being linked to prolonged antibiotic use and hospitalization.
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- A rare case of spotted fever group rickettsiosis in southern Iran: diagnostic challenges and review. [Review]
- CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates the diagnostic challenges of SFG rickettsioses, most consistent with probable MSF, in a non-endemic region of Iran. It potentially emphasises the value of detailed exposure history and prompt empirical doxycycline in suspected cases. Greater awareness, improved access to diagnostics, and enhanced surveillance are needed to better recognise these infections in Iran, especially in Hormozgan province.
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- The persistent challenge of meningitis in the vaccine era: a three-decade longitudinal analysis of residual burden in the United States. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Poverty was the state-level factor most strongly associated with inequalities in US meningitis mortality, although the American Indian and Alaska Native and Black population proportions were also independently associated with mortality-related outcomes. Neonates and the elderly represent critical structural gaps in the post-vaccine era. Maternal GBS immunization is a prospective strategy contingent on licensure, and attention to the material conditions associated with poverty may help address the residual burden.
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- Postoperative CT-derived spleen volumetry for recurrence risk stratification after curative-intent surgery for hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Automated postoperative CT-derived spleen volumetry may provide an objective imaging biomarker for postoperative risk stratification after curative-intent surgery for hepatic AE, independently predicting recurrence, whereas routinely available clinical, serological and laboratory markers showed no significant association in this cohort.
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- Active screening for asymptomatic versus symptomatic tuberculosis in high-risk groups in a low-prevalence country: a retrospective study. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Active screening in at-risk populations is essential to identify asymptomatic TB cases, which may display markers of infectiousness and therefore drive transmission. Epidemiologic risk profiling and advanced diagnostic strategies are necessary to improve early TB detection both in high and low prevalence countries.
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- Pembrolizumab in people with HIV-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy: a retrospective case series. [Journal Article]
- Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) in people with HIV (PWH) carries high mortality, and no specific antiviral treatment is available. In this retrospective single-centre case series of six patients treated with pembrolizumab, four showed clinical improvement or stabilisation. Pembrolizumab might represent a salvage option in this population.
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- Comparable treatment response rates with benzathine penicillin and doxycycline in early syphilis: evidence from a large German cohort. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Serological outcomes were associated primarily with baseline and host characteristics rather than the antibiotic regimen. Doxycycline may be an effective alternative to benzathine penicillin G for early syphilis, although the observational design does not establish equivalence.
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- Characteristics of late HIV diagnosis in Germany in 2019 and 2020 - A regional analysis. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that a high proportion of HIV diagnoses in Germany are made at a late stage of infection. Late diagnosis was more frequent in older individuals and in those living in eastern Germany. These findings highlight the need for strengthened HIV testing strategies, particularly in underserved populations and regions.
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- Point prevalence assessments of five respiratory viruses in adults ≥ 50 years of age in Germany by multi-pathogen rapid antigen testing on June 1, 2024, and December 15, 2024. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: Point prevalence testing revealed substantial AdV circulation, underrepresented in routine surveillance. Its frequent co-detection with other viruses suggests a role as a co-infecting agent. Community-based screening can help identify asymptomatic reservoirs and underreported viral circulation, linking viral detection to clinical and economic impact.
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- Emerging epidemiology of invasive group a Streptococcus in tropical Australia: a 21-year population-based data linkage study. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: iGAS incidence in Northern Queensland increased markedly over two decades and was characterised by pronounced geographic and Indigenous health inequities, highlighting the need for targeted prevention strategies in high-risk populations and regions.
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- Effectiveness and safety of ceftazidime-avibactam plus aztreonam vs. cefiderocol for infections due to ceftazidime-avibactam-resistant Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa: a single-center cohort study. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences in clinical outcomes were observed between C/A plus aztreonam and cefiderocol for C/A-resistant Enterobacterales and P. aeruginosa infections, but wide confidence intervals limited certainty. Larger molecularly characterized studies are needed to guide treatment selection.
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- Q fever outbreak in a slaughterhouse in Brazil: description and decade-later investigation. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a unique description of the long-term clinical and serological outcomes of workers involved in the first documented Q fever outbreak in Brazil and emphasizes the importance of post-outbreak surveillance and prolonged clinical follow-up.
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- Metagenomic next-generation sequencing in blood culture-negative endocarditis: a structured review with illustrative pooled estimates. [Review]
- CONCLUSIONS: mNGS is increasingly being implemented in routine infective endocarditis diagnostics and has consistently demonstrated high diagnostic yield across heterogeneous studies, particularly in valve tissue compared with blood and valve tissue culture. Consensus on diagnostic algorithms, standardised mNGS testing, and randomised controlled trials are needed to further define the role of mNGS in BCNE.
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- Plasma-derived extracellular vesicle microRNA as a potential biomarker associated with disease progression in non-severe dengue infection. [Journal Article]
- CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the expression of hsa-miR-107 and hsa-miR-6879-5p as candidate biomarkers associated with clinical warning signs in dengue infection. These findings could pave the way for improved diagnostic and monitoring strategies.
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