Microbiology & Infectious Diseases

Tuberculosis (TB), rightly referred to as an ancient disease, has affected humans for thousands of years, the first drafted reference…

The aims of the symposium were to describe the burden of infectious diseases in the adult population, including individuals with…

Clostridioides difficile (formerly known as Clostridium difficile and commonly referred to as C. difficile) is a Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium that causes CDI.1 It is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections and is considered a global public health threat.

Since COVID-19 was first identified in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, key variants have included the Alpha and Delta variants. However, by the end of 2022, most cases were Omicron, which is more transmissible but less deadly. There are multiple variants of Omicron, of which some are termed “variants of concern.” Most recently, XBB.1.5 was dominant in Western Europe, and this has increased transmissibility.

While I selected the immunology and microbiology major during my biomedical sciences undergraduate degree, this was purely due to my…

Surgical site infections (SSI) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Around 5.6% of surgical procedures develop SSIs, mostly in developing countries.

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is defined as Enterobacteriaceae that are resistant to the carbapenem group of antimicrobials.

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of the family Herpesviridae. This virus can remain dormant in the body over a long period after…

Drug resistance among patients with tuberculosis (TB) is an emergent topic that requires intervention. According to a survey of TB drug resistance in India, resistance to any fluoroquinolones (FQ) reported in cases of multidrug resistance (MDR) to TB was 21.82%.

A 38-year-old male with a right cervical mass, fever, and sweating was admitted to the authors’ hospital in 2020. The patient had no weight loss or asthenia.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has increased substantially among community-acquired uropathogens that cause urinary tract infections (UTI), limiting the availability of effective oral antibiotic treatments. This review includes coverage of an expert-led Learning Lounge, symposium session, and several poster presentations, that took place between 20th–22nd October 2022 as part of IDWeek2022 in Washington, D.C., USA.

This article is based on a Learning Lounge educational session that took place on 22nd October 2022, as part of Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) IDWeek™ 2022 held in Washington, D.C., USA.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a huge challenge for the Greek National Health System. Real-time reverse transcription PCR (rtRT-PCR) remains the reference method for early diagnosis, contact tracing, and containment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

EMJ spoke to Radhika Polisetty about her research into antimicrobial stewardship, antimicrobial resistance, and much more.

EMJ spoke to Louise Dyson about systematic non-adherence to mass drug administration, modelling to support the eradication of NTDs, and more.

THE COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the dire need to foster increased public confidence in mitigation and prevention strategies through more and better health literacy.

Clostridioides difficile, formerly known as Clostridium difficile, is a Gram-positive spore-forming and toxin-producing bacterium that causes diarrhoea in vulnerable patient groups. It is a common hospital-acquired infection but also occurs in the community.

Since the detection of the first cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant causing COVID-19 infections in South Africa in November 2021, there have been a few population-based reports to suggest that the clinical severity and presentation of this variant is different to previous COVID-19 surges.

Ramirez noted that more than 100 pneumococcal serotypes have now been identified, which is most likely the result of increased…

Nurses are vital healthcare team members and are often underutilised in antimicrobial stewardship (AS) activities. Several nursing responsibilities, such as taking allergy history and obtaining cultures, already overlap with AS activities.

Meningitis and encephalitis are serious diseases associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in vaccines and other preventative measures, meningitis remains a global public health challenge. Prompt and accurate diagnosis of meningitis and encephalitis are essential to allow early implementation of targeted therapy to minimise the risks of long-term disability and death. Conventional methods for the diagnosis of meningitis and encephalitis include brain imaging combined with evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by microscopy (using different staining procedures), cytochemical analysis, culture, and antigen detection; however, these diagnostic approaches have limitations.

Hospitalisation rates for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infection (ABSSSI) are rising and represent a large pharmacoeconomic burden as treatment may involve an extended number of days of antibiotic therapy.

For decades, infectious disease and public health experts have recognised antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and resulting infections due to multidrug resistant organisms as a persistent and increasingly urgent threat to public health at the local, national, and global level.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) is a challenging disease associated with COVID-19. Clinical manifestation of MIS-C may mimic many endemic illnesses of tropical and subtropical countries, making early diagnosis more difficult.