Kenneth Bender, PharmD, MA

Review of hepatitis D virus describes “unique” biologic characteristics and “ominous” medical effect, but constrained as HBV treatments affect HDV life cycle.

Long-term follow-up of DAA treatment of HCV infection after liver transplant shows persistent improvement in hepatic function, fibrosis, and survival rate.

A risk-based screening for multidrug-resistant gut microbes could improve accuracy and timeliness of empiric antibiotic treatment of systemic infection.

Study compares efficiency of expanding HCV screening for all persons with HIV to programs focused on those at higher risk of HCV.

Reconciling that C difficile infection is classified as hospital-onset based only on laboratory identification, while diagnoses is made from multiple factors.

Recently published data of bezlotoxumab dosing and safety in children with C diff was basis for expanding approval from just adults to as young as 1 years old.

Antibiotic actions on gut microbes of patient might affect the microbiome of housemates.

Hepatitis B vaccine non-responders with chronic HCV infection were likely to respond and gain protection against HBV after HCV treatment.

HCV infections during pregnancy increased 16-fold from 1998 to 2018 in US, with adverse maternal and infant outcomes linked to opioid epidemic.

EXPAND Cdiff international group of infectious disease specialists propose changing criteria for initial and sustained response to antibiotic treatment.

Hospital posits that testing for C diff in patients without symptoms inflates rate of hospital-acquired infection with cases of asymptomatic colonization.

Trial of standard vs short course antimicrobial treatment of uncomplicated UTI in children favors standard, but with caveat for early responders.

Penicillin allergy is not uncommon, but its occurrence is exaggerated by erroneous allergy labeling that unnecessarily precludes treatment options.

The investigational antibiotic, clovibactin, isolated from soil bacteria demonstrates unique mechanism against conserved site on drug-resistant bacteria.

Previously estimated 0.32% HBV prevalence in the US is closer to 0.55%, according to new modeling study that accounts for immigrant population.

Investigators revisit an 80-year-old antimicrobial to reduce its toxicity while preserving its activity against drug resistant gram-negative bacteria.

Epidemiologists report cluster of pediatric intracranial abscess in Clark County, Nevada with Streptococcus intermedius the most common isolate.

The WHO issued its first ever list of priority antibiotics for pediatrics to encourage research and development targeting needs of that population.

The combination appears more likely than either agent alone to reduce risk of early COVID-19 symptoms worsening and requiring hospitalization.

First global meta-analysis of direct surveys of HIV, HCV incidence in people who inject drugs (PWID) finds youth and women most affected.

A novel "antibody-mimetic" molecule administered intranasally in animal model prevented coronavirus infection from older, current and emerging variants.

When given within 5 days of COVID-19 symptoms, Paxlovid appeared to reduce risk for developing Post-COVID-19 Conditions (PCC).

“Real-world” assessment finds nirmatrelvir-ritonavir reduces risk of severe COVID-19 from BA4 and BA5 omicron subvariants.

A booster dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy increases protection of infants from infection and related hospitalization.

Bacterial co-infections with COVID-19 are uncommon, but frequent use of antibiotics has fostered treatment resistance in co-occurring and secondary infections.

Antibiotics are apparently not the only widely used pharmaceuticals that can induce emergence of treatment resistant bacteria.

The mRNA vaccines reduced risk of COVID-19 and related complications in children, with less risk of myocarditis than is associated with the infection.

An analysis of the actions taken to combat antimicrobial resistance in 114 countries finds national action plans easier to develop than to implement.

Preclinical testing suggests that a newly developed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine could protect against current and future variants.

Alternative strategies to increase immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in immunosuppressed kidney transplant recipients are evaluated in clinical trial.