Infectious Disease

Advanced dementia and serum albumin levels were better predictors of poor outcomes, the investigators said, among older patients with Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI).

A new report shows patient readmissions and mortality dropped among patients aged 65 and older following the institution of an antibiotic stewardship program.

Clinicians are finding that there really is no basis to recommend probiotics for patients with Clostridioides difficile infection, that instead they may cause harm, said Colleen R. Kelly, MD, FACG, gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

The advisory committee voted against COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for individuals 16 years and older, but unanimously voted for booster shots for people 65 years and older or who are at high risk of severe COVID-19.

COVID-19 hospitalizations among the unvaccinated cost billions between June and August; the Department of Justice called for a temporary block on the Texas abortion law; legislators limited the power of public health officials in at least 26 states, a report shows.

The Department of Labor rules will affect employers with 100 or more workers.

New CDC data show an increase in some health care–associated infections during COVID-19.

The findings of this study suggest possible poor communication about human papillomavirus infection (HPV), the authors said, since they do not align with epidemiologic evidence.

A new mathematical model highlights the challenges of preventing Clostridioides difficile transmission in the hospital.

Some hospitals may revisit crisis standards of care; Florida hospitals to pause elective surgeries; studies find nearly a quarter of Black Americans with low incomes report fair or poor health care.

A recent study found half of hospitalized children received a flu vaccination when their providers used a clinical decision support tool; however, that is still lower than the 63% national average for all children.

The meeting comes a day after the FDA approved a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna in people who have received organ transplants or have other conditions that have damaged their immune systems.

An uptick in modeling and genomic data caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to important infection-prevention measures in health care settings.

Clostridioides difficile, a bacteria that creates inflammation of the colon and causes symptoms like infectious diarrhea, is of particular risk among hospitalized patients.

FDA reportedly aims to fully approve Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine by early next month; Biogen’s Alzheimer drug sees little uptake; majority of Americans over 65 have received at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Americans traveling to England will no longer need to quarantine; lack of ICU visits during COVID-19 pandemic affected patient health; sign-up window for COBRA subsidy to close.

With nearly all parts of the country seeing a steady increase in COVID-19 infection, health care and medical groups are calling for mandatory vaccinations of their staff, and on Monday, the Department of Veterans Affairs, New York City, and California also announced vaccine requirements for workers.

Clinicians should avoid prescribing acid-suppression medications in general, and especially proton-pump inhibitors, to patients with Clostridioides difficile infection, according to the study.

Patients prescribed proton pump inhibitors had roughly double the risk of community-associated Clostridioides difficile infection compared with those not taking the drugs.

With the delta variant now dominant in the United States, study results highlight the need for officials to do everything they can to increase vaccine uptake.

Altered microbiota and inflammation associated with irritable bowel disease (IBD) appear to make it more difficult for patients to fight off Clostridioides difficile infection, according to a recent study.

Touching one’s face can heighten infection risk, but it may also help protect the body by fostering microbial diversity, according to a recent study.

Pfizer and BioNTech said they will seek approval for a booster shot of their COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, while US health authorities said a booster is not necessary. In addition, the CDC emphasized in-person learning for schools this fall in updated guidance.

This episode of Managed Care Cast features interviews with experts who discuss how the same efforts to stamp out COVID-19 also reduced Clostridioides difficile and the prospects for such mitigation efforts to continue.

New data suggest a microbiota-based therapy can reduce C diff recurrence in patients where donor microbiota and patient microbiota successfully converge.