Contagion Summer 2026 Digital Edition

Recent urinary tract infection guideline updates from multiple international medical societies highlight evolving recommendations, including a major shift in classification, moving from anatomy- and risk factor–based definitions toward distinguishing localized from systemic infections.

Widespread antimicrobial use disrupts vital microbial communities that regulate Earth’s biogeochemical cycles, driving antimicrobial resistance, worsening human and environmental health, and significantly contributing to climate change.

New data from the PETERPEN trial suggest that piperacillin-tazobactam may be noninferior to meropenem for early clinical outcomes in select patients with ESBL bloodstream infections, but carbapenems remain the standard of care until final mortality results are available and fully analyzed.

In mid-May, as the world was still grappling with an unexpected hantavirus outbreak aboard a tourism vessel, news broke of an Ebola outbreak in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo spanning at least 3 health zones, including Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu.

Reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been on the rise for the past decade, and identifying Legionella bacteria requires specialized testing in the microbiology lab. Here is a clinical overview of Legionella bacteria, including required testing, treatment, and reporting to public health officials.

A retrospective multihospital study found that severe adverse events occurred at similarly low rates with ceftriaxone and other IV cephalosporins suggesting there is no evidence to support avoiding ceftriaxone despite recent health department safety alerts.