Clinical microbiology and infection : the official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases
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Clin. Microbiol. Infect. · Dec 2009
Case ReportsKinetics of nasopharyngeal shedding of novel H1N1 (swine-like) influenza A virus in an immunocompetent adult under oseltamivir therapy.
We describe a patient with confirmed novel H1N1 (swine-like) influenza A virus who had daily nasal swabs tested during oseltamivir therapy. Nasal shedding remained positive for 2 days and became negative on day 3. This report presents the first available data on the kinetics of shedding of this novel virus under antiviral therapy.
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Clin. Microbiol. Infect. · Dec 2009
Clinical and microbiological characteristics of community-onset Clostridium difficile infection in The Netherlands.
To elucidate the prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of community-onset Clostridium difficile infection (CO-CDI), an uncontrolled prospective study was performed. For 3 months in 2007-2008, three laboratories in The Netherlands tested all unformed stool samples submitted by general practitioners (GPs) for C. difficile by enzyme immunoassay for toxins A and B, irrespective of whether GPs specifically requested this. Patients with positive results were asked to complete a questionnaire. ⋯ Cultured C. difficile isolates belonged to 13 different PCR ribotypes, and 24% of the isolates were non-typeable (rare or new) PCR ribotypes. In conclusion, CO-CDI can affect all age groups, and many patients do not have known risk factors. Several PCR ribotypes not encountered in hospital-associated outbreaks were found, suggesting the absence of a direct link between outbreaks and community-onset cases.
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Randomized controlled trials assessing new antimicrobials are frequently designed, performed and analysed by the industry. The authorship of these trials is not always transparent, even though authors are expected to be the guarantors of the data presented. ⋯ Academic and clinical contributions during the planning and design stages of a trial are important. We welcome transparent and appropriate authorship of industry-initiated randomized controlled trials with both positive and negative results.