Fewer sepsis deaths occurred after implementation of state-mandated sepsis care bundles and reporting on sepsis care and patient outcomes, a study found. …

An electronic sepsis alert improved identification of sepsis in the pediatric ED; however, physician judgment was still critical. Medscape Medical News…

Didier Pittet and Benedetta Allegranzi

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Chikungunya -- EcuadorAbstract--------Chikungunya virus caused an epidemic on Curaçao in 2014-2015. Infants are highly at risk for clinical syndromes as sepsis-like illness and central nervous system disease. Clinical recognition is important if laboratory tests, polymerase chain reaction [PCR] and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] are not available. The World Health Organization created criteria for identification of probable chikungunya virus. None of the studied infants met these criteria. We…

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Strep -- SingaporeSubject: _Streptococcus agalactiae_ [Group B streptococcus] ST283, which caused a foodborne outbreak of invasive sepsis in Singapore in 2015, is widespread in humans and aquaculture in South East Asia.Background: In 2015, Singapore had the 1st reported foodborne outbreak caused by the group B streptococcus (GBS) _Streptococcus agalactiae_. It was sequence type (ST) 283, acquired from fish, and, remarkably, affected adults without co-morbidities. Previously, ST283 had only been reported…

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Hepatitis B, Hepatitis D, Zika virus, Chikungunya, Scrub Typhus, Diarrhea, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Other Human Disease -- Burkina FasoEditorialHealthcare-associated sepsis and the role of clean hands: When we do not see the trees for the forestInternational Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 70, May 2018, Pages 101-103Alexandra Peters, Sarah Masson-Roy, Didier PittetOriginal ReportsEvaluation of _Mycobacterium tuberculosis_-specific antibody responses for the discrimination of active and latent tuberculosis infectionInternational Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 70, May 2018, Pages 1-9Sen Wang,…

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Other Human Disease -- China_Burkholderia thailandensis_ is closely related to _B. pseudomallei_, the causative agent of melioidosis (1). _B. thailandensis_ shares most virulence factors and extensive genomic similarity with _B. pseudomallei_ but can be distinguished by its ability to assimilate arabinose and different rRNA sequences (2,3). Little is known about _B. thailandensis_ infection in humans. Two case reports described soft tissue infection and pneumonia with sepsis in Thailand and the USA (4,5). We describe a …

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Botulism -- United StatesThe use of chamomile is common among many people, particularly those of Latin origin. A study from Argentina found the contamination of chamomile by _C. botulinum_ is as common as that of honey. The diagnosis is easy enough if a pediatrician thinks of it. Any infant worked up for "sepsis" at that age should have the diagnosis of infant botulism considered.--Steven Marcus, MDProfessor EmeritusNJ Medical School of the Rutgers UniversityFormer director, NJ Poison Information and…

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Sepsis -- ColombiaThe Department of Health of Valle del Cauca temporarily closed the Davita SAS hemodialysis services following an _Ralstonia pickettii_ outbreak that has infected scores since December [2017], according to an El Pais report (computer translated).According to the investigations carried out by the Inspection, Surveillance and Control Group of the Departmental Health Secretariat, on 11 Dec 2017, Davita SAS detected the presence of the bacteria among users of the hemodialysis service, and until …

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Undiagnosed -- India1. Maki DG, Rhame FS, Mackel DC, Bennett JV: Nationwide epidemic of septicemia caused by contaminated intravenous products: I. Epidemiologic and clinical features. Am J Med 1976; 60(4): 471-85; abstract available at .2. Matsaniotis NS, Syriopoulou VPh, Theodoridou MC, et al: Enterobacter sepsis in infants and children due to contaminated intravenous fluids. Infection Control 1984; 5(10): 471-7; abstract available at .Maps of India can be seen at and . Gwalior, with a population of …

Dr Paul Auwaerter points out some of his ID-related concerns with the revised sepsis guidelines. Medscape Infectious Diseases…

Completing a pediatric sepsis bundle in 1 hour improved outcomes including risk for death in kids with sepsis, a large study found. …

Dr Martin reviews a study from Zambia that sought to determine whether early resuscitation with IV fluids, vasopressors, and blood transfusion would decrease mortality from sepsis vs usual care. Medscape Critical Care…