Respiratory viruses in the patient environment.

Objective: To characterize the presence and magnitude of viruses in the air and on surfaces in the rooms of hospitalized patients with respiratory viral infections, and to explore the association between care activities and viral contamination.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Acute-care academic hospital.

Respiratory viruses on personal protective equipment and bodies of healthcare workers.

Objective: To characterize the magnitude of virus contamination on personal protective equipment (PPE), skin, and clothing of healthcare workers (HCWs) who cared for patients having acute viral infections.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: Acute-care academic hospital.

Experience of Chicagoland acute care hospitals in preparing for Ebola virus disease, 2014-2015.

During the 2014-2015 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak, hospitals in the United States selected personal protective equipment (PPE) and trained healthcare personnel (HCP) in anticipation of receiving EVD patients. To improve future preparations for high-consequence infectious diseases, it was important to understand factors that affected PPE selection and training in the context of the EVD outbreak. Semistructured interviews were conducted with HCP involved with decision-making during EVD preparations at acute care hospitals in the Chicago, IL area to gather information about the PPE selection and training process.

Utilizing the focused conversation method in qualitative public health research: a team-based approach.

Background: Qualitative research studies are becoming increasingly necessary to understand the complex challenges in the healthcare setting. Successfully integrating interdisciplinary teams of investigators can be challenging, as investigators inherently view data through their disciplinary lens. Thus, new methods, such as focused conservation, are needed to facilitate qualitative data analysis by interdisciplinary teams.

Recovery of Cryptococcus gattii from an Infected Ventriculo-Peritoneal Shunt, Illinois, USA.

Cryptococcus gattii is a fungal pathogen endemic in tropical and subtropical regions. Isolated cases and outbreaks have been reported in areas of North America and Europe, expanding the distribution pattern beyond warmer regions. We describe a case of ventriculo-peritoneal shunt infection by C.

Native-Joint Septic Arthritis: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

is a skin commensal classified as a coagulase-negative (CoNS). Though CoNS is typically associated with less aggressive clinical disease than , there is growing awareness that may be as virulent as . The association between and infective endocarditis is well known, but few reports of native-joint disease with this organism exist.

Deep brain stimulator infection by a novel rapid growing mycobacterium.

Devise-related infections after deep brain stimulator implantation are not uncommon. However, infections due to mycobacteria have not been reported in the medical literature. We describe the first reported case of DBS infection due to a novel rapidly growing mycobacteria, most closely resembling Mycobacterium goodii, by rpoB gene sequencing.