Toxigenic strains of Corynebacterium ulcerans produce a diphtheria toxin similar to that produced by C. diphtheriae. Evidence from 2 case reports shows that the clinical features of the resultant diphtheria-like illness are comparable to the features of respiratory diphtheria. Reuters Health Information
The prions responsible for kuru have transmission properties that are equivalent to those of sporadic (classical) Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (CJD) prions, the results of an animal study indicate. Reuters Health Information
Polymicrobial bloodstream infections are not unusual in children and adolescents with central venous catheters (CVCs) receiving ambulatory care. Reuters Health Information
A study involving more than 45,000 Dutch women indicates that the peak prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types occurs in women in their early 20s. Reuters Health Information
A new interferon-gamma release assay combined with tuberculin skin testing may facilitate exclusion of active tuberculosis in patients with moderate to high probability of infection, British researchers report. Reuters Health Information
Almost 1 in 7 young pregnant women studied by Australian investigators had Chlamydia trachomatis infection, according to a report in the March issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Reuters Health Information
Oxygen supplementation is the prime determinant of the length of stay (LOS) for infants hospitalized with acute viral bronchiolitis, Scottish researchers report in the March issue of Pediatrics. Reuters Health Information
Close to 10% of US military personnel sent to Afghanistan appear not to be suitable candidates for malaria chemoprophylaxis with mefloquine, according to a February 11 issue of the BMC publication Malaria Journal. Reuters Health Information
Infection with West Nile virus (WNV) can result in significant long-term sequelae, such as cognitive and functional impairment, as well as new-onset depression, according to data from an ongoing study funded by the National Institutes of Health presented Monday at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta. Reuters Health Information
