Top Infectious Disease News Stories Week of January 10 - January 16

Prospective Game Changer: Lenacapavir for HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis

In 2024, approximately 1.3 million people contracted HIV.¹ Since the peak of 3.4 million new HIV infections in 1996, the incidence has dropped by 61%.¹ Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been a key component in HIV prevention. Medication for PrEP was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2012. However, prophylaxis against HIV with zidovudine has been practiced since the 1980s in health care workers following accidental HIV exposure.² Despite extensive efforts to expand antiretroviral therapy (ART) and impressive declines in new HIV infections, the goal of getting below 370,000 new infections globally by 2025 is still out of reach.¹

COVID-19: The Gaps in Science Communication

There are many long-lasting impacts that we have seen from the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these are obvious, such as the increased use of masks that has persisted to some extent around the world. Some are less obvious but in some ways far more important, such as the declining rates of childhood vaccination in high-income countries where these vaccines have become a political target in the wake of the pandemic,¹ despite an overall increase in immunization globally.²

A No-Carb Diet: An Overview of Non–Carbapenemase-Producing Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) can generally be classified as carbapenemase-producing CRE and non–carbapenemase-producing (non-CP) CRE. The first report of non-CP CRE was published in 1989 in Nottingham, United Kingdom, and described a Klebsiella aerogenes bacterium that exhibited imipenem resistance due to outer membrane protein (OMP) alterations and β-lactamase production.¹ Nearly 40 years later, non-CP CRE spp are the most common mechanism of CRE in the US but the optimal antimicrobial treatment remains to be elucidated.^2,3

Protectors vs Police: How Antimicrobial Stewardship Interventions Come Across and How to Change the Narrative

“The antimicrobial stewardship and sepsis teams are like competing voices on my shoulders!” proclaimed a hospitalist during handshake stewardship rounds. Though said in jest, this reaction underscores the common reality that antimicrobial stewardship teams are often perceived as an antibiotic police force with the sole mission of enforcing rules and withholding antibiotics instead of a group that contributes in more balanced ways. This preconceived notion sets the stage for potential tension that may not only undermine the success of future interactions but also decrease the likelihood that our colleagues become empowered allies in stewarding antibiotics. To transform the narrative from one of policing to one of collaboration, it is critical to create a psychologically safe environment in which the steward can gently explore the other person’s understanding and share an alternative perspective.

Invasive Fungal Disease in Transplantation: Prevention in a Shifting Landscape

For a patient recovering from a lifesaving transplant, an invasive fungal disease (IFD) can derail months of progress in just days. Depending on the transplant type, more than 1 in 12 patients may develop an IFD within the first year of transplantation.^1,2 Even with modern antifungals, IFDs still kill approximately 1 in 3 patients.^1,2