Filamentous Fungi.

Filamentous mycoses are often associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Prompt diagnosis and aggressive treatment are essential for good clinical outcomes in immunocompromised patients. The host immune response plays an essential role in determining the course of exposure to potential fungal pathogens.

Early Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype changes in Utah adults after the introduction of PCV13 in children.

Introduction: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) have indirect effects due to decreased Streptococcus pneumoniae colonization in vaccine recipients. We sought to determine whether the introduction of PCV13 in children led to changes in the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in adults.

Methods: We described demographics, comorbidities, clinical manifestations, and serotypes of IPD in Utah adults before (November 2009-February 2010) and after (March 2010-March 2012) the introduction of PCV13 in children.

Disseminated Mycobacterial Infection After International Medical Tourism.

International travel for the purpose of receiving medical care is increasing. We report a case of disseminated mycobacterial infection after fetal stem cell infusion.

Update on the epidemiology of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial infections.

For decades, the incidence of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) has been reported to be increasing, yet formal epidemiological evaluation of this notion has been lacking until recently. Defining the epidemiology of NTM has been more challenging than with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Unlike MTB, NTM are soil and water organisms, and infection is thought to be acquired from the environment rather than transmitted from person-to-person, with very rare exceptions.

Evolving epidemiologic characteristics of invasive group a streptococcal disease in Utah, 2002-2010.

Background: Invasive group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Recent national surveillance data report stable rates of invasive GAS disease, although these may not capture geographic variation.

Methods: We performed a population-based, retrospective laboratory surveillance study of invasive GAS disease among Utah residents from 2002-2010.

Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes in Utah adults at the end of the PCV7 era.

While heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) has decreased vaccine type invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) nationwide, rapid serotype replacement and increasing parapneumonic empyema, has been reported in Utah children. The effect of pediatric vaccination on adults in this population is unknown. We identified 117 adults with IPD from the Intermountain Healthcare Central Laboratory between November 2009 and October 2010.

Distinguishing tuberculosis from nontuberculous mycobacteria lung disease, Oregon, USA.

To determine whether tuberculosis (TB) and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection patients could be distinguished from one another with limited information, we compared pulmonary TB and NTM patients during 2005-2006. Our finding that age, birthplace, and presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease could differentiate TB and NTM disease could assist tuberculosis control efforts.