Incorporating ethics into infectious disease clinical practice guidelines.

Background: Incorporating ethics into clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) can be challenging. This is particularly evident for infectious diseases (ID) CPGs due to the complexity of ID ethics (IDE) and the multiplicity of populations at-risk for infections.

Objectives: The OPENING project (IncOrPorating Ethics iN ClINical Guidelines: Practical Indications) was initiated by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Ethics Advisory Committee (EEAC) in collaboration with the ESCMID Guidelines Subcommittee to generate guidelines for the systematic inclusion of ethics principles into ID CPGs.

First Report of the Gene Mutations Associated with Permethrin Resistance in Head Lice ( De Geer, 1767) from Primary School Children in Istanbul (Türkiye) and Nagarkot (Nepal).

Head lice infestation (HLI), caused by De Geer, 1767, has long been a common global problem of school children. Permethrin is an old pyrethroid derivative that has been used commonly for its treatment, and it exerts its activity over the voltage-sensitive calcium channels (VSCC) of the lice. There has been a growing list of persistent HLI cases lately in the world among patients using permethrin, and knockdown resistance (kdr)-related point mutations on VSCC have been identified and reported from those resistant lice samples.

Clinical features and outcome of brain abscess after introduction of CT and MRI: A meta-analysis.

Objective: To describe the clinical features and outcome of brain abscess since introduction of computerised tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: MEDLINE and Embase were searched using "brain abscess" or "cerebral abscess" from 1970 through 2023 and analyses restricted to study populations hospitalised after 1980. Single-variable meta-analyses were done using a random-effects model.

Current epidemiology of infectious encephalitis: a narrative review.

Background: Infectious encephalitis poses a global health challenge with high mortality and severe neurological consequences in survivors. Emerging pathogens and outbreaks are reshaping the patterns of the disease.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to understand the current epidemiology for improving prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Long COVID: Pathophysiology, current concepts, and future directions.

Long COVID, an umbrella term referring to a variety of symptoms and clinical presentations that emerges in a subset of patients after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has a significant effect on quality of life and places a substantial burden on health care systems worldwide, straining financial and human resources. The pathophysiology of long COVID remains incompletely understood, though several hypotheses have been proposed to explain different aspects of this complex condition. SARS-CoV-2 persistence, direct organ damage, innate and adaptive immune system perturbation, autoimmunity, latent virus reactivation, endothelial dysfunction, and microbiome disturbances are among the most relevant avenues for elucidating the evolution, complexity, and mechanisms of long COVID.

Optimization of antiviral dosing in Herpesviridae encephalitis: a promising approach to improve outcome?

Background: Despite established antiviral therapy for herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster and cytomegalovirus encephalitis, the outcome remains poor.

Objectives: To assess pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) data of antiviral drugs in the central nervous system (CNS) to optimize the treatment of Herpesviridae encephalitis.

Sources: PUBMED search 1950 to September 2024, terms (1) "encephalitis" and ("HSV" or "VZV" or "CMV") or (2) cerebrospinal and ("(val)acyclovir" or "(val)ganciclovir" or "foscarnet" or "cidofovir").

Early Economic Modeling to Inform a Target Product Profile: A Case Study of a Novel Rapid Test for Infection.

Unlabelled: Target product profiles (TPPs) specify the essential properties tests must have to be able to address an unmet clinical need. To explore how early economic modeling can help to define TPP specifications based on cost-effectiveness considerations using the example of a new rapid diagnostic for infection (CDI), a contagious health care-associated infection causing potentially fatal diarrhea. A resource-constrained simulation model was developed to compare a hypothetical test for CDI with current practice (i.

Effects of long-term corticosteroid use on susceptibility to respiratory viruses: a narrative review.

Background: Synthetic glucocorticoids are among the most commonly administered drugs due to their potent immunomodulatory properties. However, they may put patients at risk for infections. Their effect on the incidence of respiratory viral infections (RVIs) remains unclear.

Invasive fungal disease in the immunocompromised host: changing epidemiology, new antifungal therapies, and management challenges.

Background: Invasive fungal disease (IFD) causes morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised hosts (ICHs). Based on increasing recognition of the impact of IFD on human disease, a recent WHO priority list identified key areas of need.

Objectives: This review examines changes in the epidemiology of IFD, in particular the emergence of antifungal-resistant pathogens and the current availability of rapid diagnostic tests and antifungal treatment options.

Personalized bacteriophage therapy outcomes for 100 consecutive cases: a multicentre, multinational, retrospective observational study.

In contrast to the many reports of successful real-world cases of personalized bacteriophage therapy (BT), randomized controlled trials of non-personalized bacteriophage products have not produced the expected results. Here we present the outcomes of a retrospective observational analysis of the first 100 consecutive cases of personalized BT of difficult-to-treat infections facilitated by a Belgian consortium in 35 hospitals, 29 cities and 12 countries during the period from 1 January 2008 to 30 April 2022. We assessed how often personalized BT produced a positive clinical outcome (general efficacy) and performed a regression analysis to identify functional relationships.

Reduction of product composition variability using pooled microbiome ecosystem therapy and consequence in two infectious murine models.

Growing evidence demonstrates the key role of the gut microbiota in human health and disease. The recent success of microbiotherapy products to treat recurrent infection has shed light on its potential in conditions associated with gut dysbiosis, such as acute graft-versus-host disease, intestinal bowel diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, or even cancer. However, the difficulty in defining a "good" donor as well as the intrinsic variability of donor-derived products' taxonomic composition limits the translatability and reproducibility of these studies.

The impact of armed conflict on the development and global spread of antibiotic resistance: a systematic review.

Background: Scant data are available on the link between armed conflicts and the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance.

Objectives: We performed a systematic review with the aim to summarize the available data on the prevalence and features of antibiotic resistance and the causes of antibiotic resistance development during armed conflicts in the 21st century.

Methods: Data sources: PubMed and SCOPUS databases were searched from 1 January 2000 to 30 November 2023.

Characterization of a Novel Species of Isolated from a Healthcare Facility: sp. nov.

Two -like isolates, 8cVS16 and 9fVS26, were isolated from a water distribution system (WDS) in a healthcare facility. Cells were Gram- and Ziehl Neelsen-stain-negative, rod-shaped, motile, and exhibited a blue-white fluorescence under Wood's lamp at 365 nm. The strains grew in a range of 32-37 °C on BCYE with (C+), GVPC, and MWY agar medium, with a positive reaction for oxidase, catalase, and gelatinase.

An international multicenter study comparing COVID-19 omicron outcomes in patients with hematological malignancies treated with obinutuzumab versus rituximab.

Objectives: Hematological malignancy (HM) patients treated with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies are at higher risk for severe COVID-19. A previous single-center study showed worse outcomes in patients treated with obinutuzumab compared to rituximab. We examined this hypothesis in a large international multicenter cohort.

Heterogeneity in practices to reduce the risk of transmission of Clostridioides difficile in healthcare settings: a survey of ESCMID Study Group for Clostridioides difficile (ESGCD) members.

Clostridioides difficile is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections. The main objective was to assess the current landscape of CDI infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. An anonymous survey of IPC practices for CDI was conducted between July 25 and October 31, 2022.

Ribotypes and New Virulent Strains Across Europe.

Clostridioides (formerly Clostridium) difficile is a major bacterial cause of post-antibiotic diarrhoea. The epidemiology of C. difficile infections (CDIs) has dramatically changed since the early 2000s, with an increasing incidence and severity across Europe.