Where all your ID needs are met! Sort of.
This is quite a corny and overtold joke. I have discussed some new drugs for multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), which is defined as resistance to both rifampin and isoniazid, however I felt like going back to the basics of TB therapy. Indeed, we all learn in STEP 1 and med school about “RIPE-ing it up”
Central lines are cool, for the most part. Except for when they’re infected. The pathophysiology behind these is explained in this diagram (1): Microorganisms gain access to the extraluminal or intraluminal surface of the device. Both skin and hub may be the important entry point of organisms, with the development of biofilm contributing to their
The cephalosporins are a class of beta-lactam antibiotics that is generally classified based on “generations.” These denote the spectrum of bacteria they target, with each successive generation having more gram negative coverage. I am convinced most people only know about ceftriaxone, the prototype third-generation cephalosporin aka an “extended-spectrum beta lactam” along with cefepime, which is
COVID-19 is still among us. I had actually predicted it would be an endemic virus, similar to influenza, where we would have to get annual “flu+covid” shots each year to avoid disaster. I have a lot of issues with the initial response, not to mention the amount of useless COVID-related papers that have been published.
Topics dealing with tropical medicine are difficult to tackle, as I am never quite sure where to begin. Do I talk about their epidemiology or the clinical presentation? I’ll never recognize one and even if I did, I could offer no therapy outside of “supportive management.” Chikungunya is one of these diseases. This is a
Coccidioides (from now on, called Cocci) is an endemic fungi that exists in two forms, yeast and mold, that is endemic to the southeastern United States (1). It is related to both Histoplasma and Blastomyces with two species known to infect humans. C. immitis and C. posadasii. Arthroconidia can be transported in soil or fomites,
Vancomycin is the work-horse antibiotic every person reaches for. It is a glycopeptide that covers a wide range of gram positive bacteria, with its niche being in its coverage of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus spp. It is bacteriostatic, with dosing issues and highly nephrotoxic, however it is ubiquitous throughout any hospital in the United
Skin and soft tissue infections are fairly common infectious presentations almost all physicians have experience with. In general, gram positive organisms tend to predominate in community-acquired cellulitis, usually skin organisms, which manage to get access to the soft tissues through a break in the skin itself. Exposure to water can change the microbiology of skin
PETs. We all love them. I have two of those, if the pictures in my “about me” page are any indication as well as the main pic of this post. This post will not cover our beloved (and sometimes only) friends. No, we will be talking about positron emission tomography, an imaging modality we usually
This and (likely) the next post are a product of questions I got asked. For instance, do you need anaerobic coverage for diabetic foot infections? Depends, but see later. What organisms do you need to cover for cellulitis in those who have had water exposure? Cephalexin and quinolones, with some exceptions. We will talk about
Dr. Germophile 