Infectious Disease

Lower doses of vancomycin encouraged by antimicrobial stewardship programs were just as effective as higher doses in treating Clostridium difficile infection, a study found.

A recent study finds that hyponatremia may increase pneumonia severity in hospitalized children.

A new study finds that the portion of adults aged 60 and older who were vaccinated against shingles increased from 6.7% in 2008 to 15.8% in 2011.

A team of researchers has recommended that all cases of acute otitis media in children aged 6 months to 2 years be treated with antibiotics, disagreeing with guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of life-threatening illness globally.

A substantial portion of children treated with antibiotics for urinary tract infections are not given a urine test first, according to the results of a new study.

Children who often drink from water bottles with push and pull caps may be more likely to experience recurring ear infections, according to a recent study.

Antimicrobial stewardship programs may reduce the amount of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions given to children with acute respiratory infections in primary care practices.

A model of vancomycin-resistant enterococci infection patterns found that an increase in infection prevalence in a single hospital could have significant effects on other hospitals in the same county.

A decade after the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was introduced, it led to approximately 168,000 fewer annual hospitalizations for pneumonia.

A recent paper sheds light on the causes of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and misconceptions about infectious disease that can lead to it.

Suprax (cefixime) is now available in capsules, the dosage form preferred by most patients. (This article is brought to you by Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)

A comprehensive review of otitis media in North America addresses how shifts in the organisms that most commonly cause the condition affect preferred treatments.

A new review investigates the causes of penicillin failure in treating pharyngotonsillitis as well as antibiotics that can be used in its place.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Family Physicians have updated their acute otitis media treatment guidelines for the first time in almost a decade.

Antibiograms that identify pathogen prevalence and antibiotic resistance patterns can help improve selection of antibiotics for pediatric urinary tract infections.

Case studies involving azithromycin and arrhythmias and the pertussis vaccine during pregnancy.

The CDC's 2013 immunization schedules include several new recommendations regarding which patient groups should receive the various pneumococcal vaccines.

Vaccination is crucial for older adults and patients with chronic disease.

Pharmacists can play an important role in informing adult patients of the vaccines they should receive to help protect against a range of infectious diseases.

Preventive measures and herd immunity are having a major impact on disease prevalence.

For patients who have reservations about flu vaccination, this guide can ease concerns.

For patients who have reservations about flu vaccination, this guide can ease concerns.

A new study using a mouse model suggests that an inflammatory response to influenza infection makes patients more susceptible to developing invasive pneumococcal disease.

As part of an interdisciplinary team at Pennsylvania Hospital, clinical pharmacists helped improve performance on 9 medication-related core measures.

An animated video demonstrating how influenza virus enters a human cell, penetrates the nucleus, replicate itself, and emerges to infect other cells.

A discussion of efforts to develop a universal influenza vaccine that will be capable of protecting against any potential strain of the influenza virus.

This video from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases discusses the causes of influenza pandemics.