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Infectious Disease

News, opinions and meeting coverage in infectious disease.

If the Hairball Is a Human's, the Danger is Great

CHICAGO -- When Rush University physicians operated to remove an abdominal mass from an 18-year-old woman, no one expected to find a 4.5-kilogram trichobezoar, a rare condition, but one that can be fatal.

State Warns Against Drinking Metromint Flavored Bottled Water

SACRAMENTO -- The California Department of Public Health has warned against drinking Metromint, a flavored water bottled in California and sold on the Internet and in grocery stores nationwide, because of possible contamination with Bacillus cereus.

High Normal ALT Limit Lowered for Male Adolescents

SYDNEY, Australia -- The upper limit of normal for the ALT liver enzyme in adolescent males has been too high, said researchers here.

Antibiotics and Steroids Ineffective in Sinus Infection

SOUTHAMPTON, England -- Amoxicillin and nasal budesonide were no more effective than placebo in treating acute sinus infections, researchers here found.

Early Swimming Increases Diarrhea Risk For Babies

NEUHERBERG, Germany -- Babies taken swimming in public pools in the first year of life have an increased risk of diarrhea, researchers here said.

Frozen Burger Recall Prompted by E. Coli Outbreak

ELIZABETH, N.J. -- Nearly two dozen illnesses from frozen hamburgers apparently tainted with Escherichia coli O157:H7 have prompted a meat company to recall more than 300,000 pounds of beef.

One Cannabis Joint Equals Smoking Up to Five Cigarettes

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Smoking a single marijuana joint by a heavy user can cause bronchial damage similar to smoking 2.5 to five cigarettes, researchers reported.

Grand Jury Refuses to Indict New Orleans Doctor Charged with Killing Katrina-Stranded Patients

NEW ORLEANS -- Almost two years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged this city, a grand jury here refused to indict Anna M. Pou, M.D., in the deaths of four elderly patients at Memorial Medical Center.

IAS: HIV Treatment Requires Cardiac Assessment

SYDNEY -- As the long-term prognosis for patients with HIV improves, it becomes more important to assess the patient's risk for cardiovascular disease and other health issues, researchers suggested here.

FDA Warns of Botulism-Tainted Olives

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA issued an urgent warning tonight to consumers about the risk of olives that are potentially contaminated with Clostridium botulinum.

Trichomoniasis Increases HIV Risk

SEATTLE -- For women, infection with a common sexually transmitted disease sharply increases the risk of contracting HIV, according to researchers here.

Childhood Vaccination Schedule Expanded for 2007

ATLANTA -- A more comprehensive vaccination schedule for children and adolescents has been issued by the CDC for 2007.

Hot Air Blows Away Head Lice Infestations

SALT LAKE CITY -- Head lice appear to fall prey to heavy-duty blow drying just as well as to chemical treatments, researchers here said.

AACAP: HIV-Infection in Children Leads to More Psychiatric Symptoms

SAN DIEGO -- For a variety of factors, HIV-infected children appear to have more psychiatric problems than uninfected children, researchers reported here.

ACEP: Don't Drink the Fabuloso!

NEW ORLEANS -- A brightly colored, attractively packaged household cleaning product called Fabuloso has led to a rash of emergency department visits for accidental ingestion, toxicology researchers reported here.

AAAAI: Lady Beetle Allergy Bugging More Patients

MIAMI BEACH - There has been a significant rise in allergic sensitization to ladybugs, an aphid-eating friend to farmers, in many parts of the U.S. because the insects swarm indoors to get out of the cold, several research teams reported here.

Most Over-the-Counter Cough Remedies Have No Value

NORTHBROOK, Ill. - Most over-the-counter cough remedies do next to nothing, according to new cough guidelines issued by the American College of Chest Physicians.

Acetaminophen Is Leading Cause of Acute Liver Failure

SEATTLE - Deliberate or inadvertent overdosing with acetaminophen (Tylenol and generics) is the leading cause of acute liver failure in the United States, researchers reported.

Cold Feet? Aah-Choo!

CARDIFF, Wales - Mom had it right. You can catch your death of cold if you don't bundle up and keep your feet warm and dry. That's the conclusion of British researchers.

Recurrent Yeast Infections Associated with Chronic Stress

STOCKHOLM - Women with recurrent yeast infections appear to have lower-than-normal morning levels of salivary cortisol, a sign of stress that could indicate an increased vulnerability to candida, according to a pilot study.

California Judge Rules Tattoo Inks Must Carry Health Warnings

LOS ANGELES - A California Superior Court judge, citing health risks of lead and arsenic in tattoo inks, has ordered two major tattoo-ink manufacturers to carry warning labels.

Actor Brad Pitt Leaves Hospital After Treatment for Viral Meningitis

LOS ANGELES-Film star Brad Pitt, 41, is resting at home after a brief hospitalization for treatment of viral meningitis, according to his spokesperson. Although Pitt recently visited Ethiopia, where there has been a meningitis outbreak, it is considered unlikely that his illness is linked to the trip because Pitt's meningitis was viral, not the bacterial meningococcal meningitis rampant in East Africa.

FDA Okays Single Dose Antibiotic for Pneumonia and Sinusitis

NEW YORK-The FDA has approved Zmax (azithromycin extended release) as a single-dose treatment for adults with pneumonia and certain types of acute mild-to-moderate bacterial sinusitis and pneumonia, Pfizer announced yesterday.

Colonoscopy Patients Put at Infection Risk

MONROEVILLE, Pa.-About 200 patients who underwent colonoscopy at a Pittsburgh-area hospital were urged to undergo hepatitis and HIV testing because the colonoscopes were improperly disinfected.

Feeding By Tube Is Common with Tracheotomy

CLEVELAND-Patients who require a tracheotomy to help them breathe often have trouble swallowing, which cuts their caloric intake. The solution, say experts, is to supplement regular meals with feeding by a nasogastric tube, which is what doctors treating Pope John Paul II have decided to do.

Licorice Compound May Fight Latent Herpes Infection

A compound found in licorice, glycyrrhizic acid (GA), induces apoptosis in cells latently infected with Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus and may one day form the basis of a treatment for latent herpes infection, according to a report in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

For How Long is the Hepatitis B Vaccine Effective?

A study of native Alaskans published in the Annals of Internal Medicine determined that vaccine-conferred immunity to hepatitis B virus persists on average about fifteen years after vaccination. The study has implications for determining effectiveness and duration of vaccine protection and possible need for booster shots.