USPHS and IDSA collaborate on guidelines to prevent opportunistic infections in HIV-infected persons.

U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS)/Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Guidelines for Preventing Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Persons will be published in an August 1995 supplement of Clinical Infectious Diseases. The guidelines, which are intended for health care providers, are the result of collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health, IDSA, numerous federal and nonfederal organizations, community groups, and HIV-infected persons. The guidelines are endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Diseases Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Society of Healthcare Epidemiologists of America. Jonathan E. Kaplan, M.D. (CDC), Henry Masur, M.D. (NIH), and King Holmes, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Washington), chaired the USPHS/IDSA Prevention of Opportunistic Infections Working Group and are guest editors of the Clinical Infectious Diseases supplement. CDC initiated work on the guidelines in early 1994; meetings were held in Atlanta in June and September to discuss and refine the recommendations. The USPHS/IDSA guidelines address 17 opportunistic infections from three angles: 1) preventing exposure to opportunistic pathogens (e.g., sexual, occupational, and environmental exposure as well as exposure through pets, food, water, and international travel); 2) preventing opportunistic disease by chemoprophylaxis and vaccination; and 3) preventing disease recurrence. In this document, new recommendations were made and earlier recommendations were updated. For example, new guidelines recommend that in nonemergency situations, cytomegalovirus (CMV)-seronegative HIV-infected persons who require blood transfusions receive only Japanese Encephalitis Acquired in Australia