solution available in clinical settings, especially when current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines state that only solutions of PPD containing 5 TU/0.1 mL should be used.1 We have discontinued the 250 TU formulation in our institution. We urge caution in the interpretation of tuberculin tests and suggest careful examination of the strength of the solution before administration.

PURPOSE In this study, we discuss a mechanism of development of access-related Staphylococcus aureus infections in patients on buttonhole (BH) method and logically construct a measure to prevent such infections on the basis of the mechanism. SUMMARY S. aureus can colonize a BH track. Once S. aureus colonizes a BH track, access-related infections may develop when the equilibrium is upset betwe...

Temozolomide (TMZ) is an alkylating, antineoplastic agent which is being used to treat cases of refractory anaplastic astrocytoma, newly-diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme and metastatic melanoma. TMZ causes lymphopenia and T-cell dysfunction in most of the patients. Related to this toxicity several opportunistic infections have been reported in the literature, but were not well characterized. T...

Retroviral infections are considered important risk factors for cancer development in humans since approximately 15-20% of cancer worldwide is caused by an infectious agent. This report discusses the most established oncogenic retroviruses, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1 and -2), Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), Abelson murine leukemia virus (A-MuLV),...

About half the days patients spend in ICUs (ICU days) are associated with the use of a central venous catheter and therefore with a risk of subsequent bloodstream infection (five infections per 1000 catheter-days). Each year, 36 million patients are admitted to acute care hospitals in the United States, staying for 164 million days.1 Eleven percent (18 million days) of these hospitalizations ar...

Modern global trading traffics large volumes of diverse products rapidly to a broad geographic area of the world. When emergent infections enter this system in traded products their transmission is amplified. With truly novel emergent infections with long incubation periods, such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or variant Creutzfeld Jacob Disease (vCJD), this transmission may silently dis...

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Up to 15% of patients develop an infection while hospitalized in the United States, which accounts for approximately 1.7 million HAIs, 99,000 deaths annually and over 10 billion dollars in costs per year. A significant percentage of HAIs are preventable using evidenced-based strategi...

Communications to the Editor not have active Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). All of these patients had a history of single or recurrent episodes of PCP and were receiving aerosolized pentamidine isethionate as prophylaxis against recurrence of PCP It was suspected that the pneumothoraces were caused by coughing due to the irritative effect of pentamidine therapy on the airways superimpose...

Actinomyces israelii has long been recognized as a causative agent of actinomycosis. During the past 3 decades, a large number of novel Actinomyces species have been described. Their detection and identification in clinical microbiology laboratories and recognition as pathogens in clinical settings can be challenging. With the introduction of advanced molecular methods, knowledge about their cl...