Inter-Institutional Dynamics and Impact of Fluconazole-Resistant Candida parapsilosis.

Background: Infections with fluconazole-resistant Candida parapsilosis have been increasing in Israeli hospitals with unclear implications for patient outcomes.

Objectives: To determine the frequency, mechanisms, molecular epidemiology, and outcomes of azole-resistant C. parapsilosis bloodstream infections in four hospitals in Israel.

Randomized double-blind study on safety and tolerability of TP-102 phage cocktail in patients with infected and non-infected diabetic foot ulcers.

Background: Phage therapy offers a promising alternative for treating serious infections, including diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), through the lytic action of phages. This randomized double-blind study was conducted to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the TP-102 bacteriophage cocktail in patients with DFUs non-infected and infected with Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and/or Acinetobacter baumannii.

Methods: Nineteen participants with DFUs were randomized after susceptibility testing.

The activating receptor NKG2D is an anti-fungal pattern recognition receptor.

NKG2D is a central activating receptor involved in target recognition and killing by Natural Killer and CD8 T cells. The known role of NKG2D is to recognize a family of self-induced stress ligands that are upregulated on stressed cells such as cancerous or virally infected cells. Fungal pathogens are a major threat to human health, infecting more than a billion patients yearly and becoming more common and drug resistant.

Human infection with IsrRAPXV, a novel zoonotic bat-derived poxvirus.

Background: Bats are recognized as the natural reservoir of several zoonotic viruses that pose a threat to public health worldwide. In our recent reports we describe the identification of a novel poxvirus, IsrRAPXV, in Egyptian fruit bats. This poxvirus is associated with high morbidity and mortality in bats.

Clinical outcomes of immunomodulation therapy in immunocompromised patients with severe Covid-19 and high oxygen requirement.

Covid-19 disease is implicated in increased mortality among immunocompromised patients. The JAK inhibitor, baricitinib (bar), or the IL-6 inhibitor, tocilizumab (toc), demonstrated a survival benefit in patients with severe disease.However, evidence supporting their use in immunocompromised patients with severe Covid-19 is scarce.

Optimizing the Treatment of Invasive Candidiasis-A Case for Combination Therapy.

Invasive candidiasis is a rising global health threat with increasing incidence, persistently high mortality, and diminishing treatment options. Antifungal resistance has rapidly emerged and spread, with multidrug-resistant species deemed an urgent and serious threat. While acknowledging the key role of antifungal stewardship and infection control in curbing spread, we examine the role of antifungal monotherapy in driving resistance and the potential for combination therapy to prevent stress adaptation and emergence of drug resistance.

Varicella-Zoster Virus-Induced Neurologic Disease After COVID-19 Vaccination: A Multicenter Observational Cohort Study.

Background: Early reports described an increased risk of herpes zoster following receipt of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. The objective was to assess whether COVID-19 vaccine is associated with varicella-zoster virus-induced neurologic disease (VZV-ND).

Methods: This multicenter retrospective case-control study with a test-negative design was conducted at 12 hospitals in Israel.

Persistent COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients-Israeli society of infectious diseases consensus statement on diagnosis and management.

Background: Immunocompromised patients with impaired humoral immunity are at risk for persistent COVID-19 (pCOVID), a protracted symptomatic disease with active viral replication.

Objectives: To establish a national consensus statement on the diagnosis, treatment, management, isolation, and prevention of pCOVID in adults.

Sources: We base our suggestions on the available literature, our own experience, and clinical reasoning.

Relationship among sleep, work features, and SARS-cov-2 vaccine antibody response in hospital workers.

Study Objectives: Immunity is influenced by sleep and the circadian rhythm. Healthcare workers are predisposed to both insufficient sleep and circadian disruption. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sleep and work characteristics and the antibody response to the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BNT162b2.

Experimental Models to Study the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Mucormycosis.

Mucormycosis presents a formidable challenge to clinicians and researchers. Animal models are an essential part of the effort to decipher the pathogenesis of mucormycosis and to develop novel pharmacotherapeutics against it. Diverse model systems have been established, using a range of animal hosts, immune and metabolic perturbations, and infection routes.

Targeting NEDD8 suppresses surgical stress-facilitated metastasis of colon cancer via restraining regulatory T cells.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a key determinant for the immunosuppressive and premetastatic niche for cancer progression after surgery resection. However, the precise mechanisms regulating Tregs function during surgical stress-facilitated cancer metastasis remain unknown. This study aims to unravel the mechanisms and explore potential strategies for preventing surgical stress-induced metastasis by targeting NEDD8.

Megakaryocyte- and erythroblast-specific cell-free DNA patterns in plasma and platelets reflect thrombopoiesis and erythropoiesis levels.

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments are a biological analyte with extensive utility in diagnostic medicine. Understanding the source of cfDNA and mechanisms of release is crucial for designing and interpreting cfDNA-based liquid biopsy assays. Using cell type-specific methylation markers as well as genome-wide methylation analysis, we determine that megakaryocytes, the precursors of anuclear platelets, are major contributors to cfDNA (~26%), while erythroblasts contribute 1-4% of cfDNA in healthy individuals.

Dual anti-viral treatment for persistent COVID-19 in immunocompromised hemato-oncological patients is associated with a favorable prognosis and minor side effects.

In hemato-oncological patients, COVID-19 can present as a persistent infection with ongoing symptoms and viral replication over a prolonged period of time. Data are scarce on the preferred treatment options for these patients. We describe our experience with a five-day course of dual anti-viral treatment with remdesivir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for hemato-oncological immunocompromised patients with persistent COVID-19.

Early Antibiotic Deescalation and Discontinuation in Patients with Febrile Neutropenia after Cellular Therapy: A Single-Center Prospective Unblinded Randomized Trial.

The optimal duration of empiric antimicrobial therapy of febrile neutropenia in patients after cellular therapy is unclear. Early deescalation has been suggested by some authorities; however, data are lacking for cellular therapy recipients. We performed a randomized controlled study of cellular therapy recipients with febrile neutropenia to evaluate the safety and noninferiority of an early deescalation and discontinuation antibiotic strategy (EDD arm) versus standard broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment until recovery of neutropenia (standard duration arm).

Nationwide Outbreak of Candida auris Infections Driven by COVID-19 Hospitalizations, Israel, 2021-2022.

We report an outbreak of Candida auris across multiple healthcare facilities in Israel. For the period of May 2014-May 2022, a total of 209 patients with C. auris infection or colonization were identified.

Corynebacterium bovis surgical site infection and brain abscess: The first case report and literature review.

is a mainly zoonotic pathogen, a common cause of bovine mastitis. It is however rarely pathogenic in humans, with only few cases reported in the literature. We present the first reported case of neurosurgical site infection due to , resulting in a brain abscess.

Exposure to Non-Antimicrobial Drugs and Risk of Infection with Antibiotic-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has consistently been linked to antibiotic use. However, the roles of commonly prescribed non-antimicrobial drugs as drivers of AMR may be under-appreciated. Here, we studied a cohort of patients with community-acquired pyelonephritis and assessed the association of exposure to non-antimicrobial drugs at the time of hospital admission with infection with drug-resistant organisms (DRO).