Human warmth | Infectious Disease | 06-2010
There s a vast list of infectious and non-infectious conditions that can lead to an abnormally elevated body temperature. Non-infectious etiologies include but aren t limited to environmental i.e. heat ...

Look for the bulls-eye | Infectious Disease | 06-2010
The testing for Lyme disease usually involves an initial ELISA test that if positive requires a confirmatory Western Blot test. It must be recognized, however, that these tests are limited ...

Expect yearly visits from swine flu’s cousins | Infectious Disease | 05-2010
Because the swine origin H1N1 influenza strain is a novel strain, and since we ve had only a recent experience with the new H1N1 vaccines, any answer must be somewhat ...

Steroids in croup | Pediatrics | 03-2010
Oral steroids are effective in decreasing inflammation of the subglottic area during acute croup. I prescribe them as a one-time dose when the child is having stridor at rest. If ...

Does sulpha allergy go beyond antibiotics? | Infectious Disease | 10-2009
It s an underappreciated fact that that the sulphonamides provide a stable backbone for many commonly used drugs, including hydrochlorothiazide, celecoxib and furosemide. This has led several regulatory bodies around ...

Genital warts: what you see is not always what you get | Infectious Disease | 10-2009
Genital warts are caused by human papillomavirus HPV , most commonly types 6 and 11. HPV infection may be sub-clinical or may manifest as genital warts. While patients with treated ...

Antibiotics and QT interval | Clinical Pharmacology | 10-2009
In this case, the safest choice with respect to the QT interval depends somewhat on what is meant by pencillin allergy. If the allergy is non-anaphylactic, then a cephalosporin would ...

Ins and outs of urine dipstick testing | Allergy | 10-2009
The two most useful markers of urinary tract infection UTI that routine urine dipsticks test for are leukocyte esterase and nitrites. Leukocyte esterase is a rapid screening test for detecting ...

Nail infection | Infectious Disease | 08-2009
Wound cleaning and debridement, ensuring that tetanus immunization is up to date, and clinical reassessment is the mainstay of management. Antibiotic therapy should be reserved for cases that are clinically ...

Strep A’s gentler cousins | Infectious Disease | 08-2009
Group C and G beta-hemolytic streptococci commonly colonize the pharynx and tonsils without causing symptoms, but may also occasionally cause an exudative tonsillopharyngitis. Although non-suppurative sequelae such as glomerulonephritis and ...

Identifying a travel-related rash | Dermatology | 07-2008
Differential diagnoses for infantile eruptions typically fall within either infectious or reactive dermatitis conditions. Most nonpruritic eruptions in infants are various forms of viral exanthems. The baby appears otherwise well, ...

Which meds preclude blood donation? | Hematology | 07-2008
The list is extensive -- because some may harm the recipient and others the donor. Before accepting a donation, Canadian Blood Services first asks the person a number of questions ...

Positive serology for Lyme -- now what? | Infectious Disease | 06-2008
A diagnosis of Lyme disease is usually done on the basis of characteristic clinical features, history of exposure to an endemic area, and positive serology to Borrelia burgdorferi. Clinical manifestations ...

HIV: are folic acid and vitamin B6 helpful? | Clinical Pharmacology, Nutrition | 05-2007
Folic acid and vitamin B6 are relatively free of interactions with commonly used antiretroviral drugs. The major concern with the use of folic acid has been the masking of pernicious ...

HIV: are folic acid and vitamin B₆ helpful? | Infection | 05-2007
Our infectious diseases specialist responds While nutritional deficiency would be expected to have an adverse effect in HIV-positive patients, I'm not aware of any evidence that indicates a particular advantage ...

Molluscum contagiosum: just leave it be? | Dermatology | 04-2007
The molluscum virus is self-limiting and has no potential for malignant transformation unlike its cousin, the human papilloma- virus. But the pox lesions are cosmetically unappealing, and patients with mollusca ...

Thrombocytosis from a tick bite? | Hematology | 04-2007
I'm not an expert on Lyme disease, but I know that there are serologic and polymerase chain reaction tests to diagnose it. If you suspect that your patient has it, ...

Treating chlamydia and gonorrhea during pregnancy | Obstetrics Gynecology | 04-2007
Intrauterine or perinatally transmitted sexually transmitted infections STIs can have severely debilitating effects on pregnant women, their partners and their fetuses. Ask all pregnant patients and their sex partners about ...

Activated protein C: a saviour for sepsis? | Clinical Pharmacology, Infectious Disease | 02-2007
Drotrecogin alpha activated, or activated protein C, is one of the major advances made in the therapy of sepsis over the past decade. The mechanism of action relates to the ...

How useful is HPV DNA strain testing? | Obstetrics Gynecology | 02-2007
There's no consensus on DNA typing for HPV, and in fact, HPV testing has yet to become routine. Often, the gynecologic oncologists will type the HPV if diagnosed, so that ...

Bacterial endocarditis: antibiotics or not? | Cardiology | 12-2006
Antibiotic prophylaxis is an area of medicine where we have little good data but multiple opinions. Details are posted on the websites of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society and the American ...

Is bacterial vaginosis resistant to antibiotics? | Infection | 05-2006
Resistance to metronidazole is one explanation for a poor response, yet overall rates of resistance among the anaerobes causing this condition are low. Although a single 2 g oral dose ...

What are the risks of Rhogam? | Obstetrics Gynecology | 05-2006
Every primiparous woman who is Rh-negative should be vaccinated with Rhogam amp amp 151 at the time of antepartum bleeding, following an amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, at 28 weeks ...

An itch to contend with | Dermatology | 04-2006
This condition is common, though under-reported and under-recognized. Pruritus ani can be loosely lumped into two groups amp amp 151 an irritant dermatitis and other medical problems. The vast majority ...

Can pets transmit skin disease? | Dermatology | 04-2006
Your question could have two parts conditions that may be found on both humans and animals and infections that people can contract from their pets. For the first part, veterinary ...

Do antivirals for herpes labialis dampen immunity? | Allergy | 01-2006
The fact that herpes labialis infection recurs suggests that the immune response isn't protective. Oral antiviral medication has been shown useful in these cases. PK amp lt br amp gt ...

Is there a cure for recurrent canker sores? | Dermatology | 01-2006
Canker sores or recurrent aphthous stomatitis is a common condition afflicting most people at some stage in their life. The etiology is not yet understood. Trauma, certain foods, some medications ...

Treating herpes in pregnancy | Obstetrics Gynecology | 01-2006
Although it's not routine and not yet recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Guidelines, there are published reports about treating a pregnant patient from 36 weeks onward with ...

Fifth disease: is there cause for alarm? | Obstetrics Gynecology | 05-2005
Although not recommended as a routine prenatal screen, I often check a patient's immune status to parvovirus to avoid anxiety during pregnancy if she becomes exposed. I especially order it ...

Travelling without a spleen | Infection | 11-2004
Individuals without a spleen are at increased risk for severe bacterial infections including amp lt i amp gt Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis amp lt i amp gt and ...

Is endocarditis prophylaxis necessary? | Cardiology | 09-2004
Staphylococcus and streptococcal infections are the most likely causes of skin abscesses and I would presume you have the patient already on appropriate antibiotics, so no additional prophylaxis is necessary. ...

Latent lymphadenopathy workup | Oncology | 09-2004
What you're telling me is that it sounds benign because there's been no change in size or consistency and health status for many years. Generally, lymphadenopathy for the vast majority ...

Recurring shingles | Infection | 04-2004
Herpes zoster commonly affects otherwise healthy people, although immunocompromised and elderly patients are at a higher risk. One large study, based on health maintenance organizations, found that 1,075 cases of ...

Antibiotic Rx for septic bursitis | Infection | 02-2004
Not under most circumstances, but if there's some concern, consult an infectious diseases ID specialist. Consider broad-spectrum antibiotics for gram-negative coverage. LR see our rheumatologist's response to this question in ...

Antibiotic Rx for septic bursitis | Rheumatology | 02-2004
Although septic bursitis may be caused by some unusual pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus is the primary culprit in 80 of cases. Start empiric treatment that's directed at this pathogen alone while ...

Should MS patients get travel shots? | Infection | 01-2004
There's good evidence to suggest that MS flares are more common during the weeks surrounding infectious episodes. To the best of my knowledge, however, there's no proven link between the ...

Positive Mycobacterium avium test: what's next? | Infection | 09-2003
Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare cause similar diseases and are usually considered together as the M. avium complex MAC . MAC commonly causes opportunistic infections in patients with advanced human ...

Clues to diagnose hepatosplenic granulomas | Infection | 05-2003
Visceral granulomatous diseases, which may involve the liver and spleen, have a broad differential diagnosis that includes drug reactions, malignancies, infectious diseases e.g. cat scratch disease, candidiasis, schistosomiasis , and ...

IS TB A BIGGER RISK IN KOSOVO? | Infection | 08-1999
In the past decade, the prevalence of tuberculosis in North America and Western Europe has ranged between 7 and 15 per 100,000 population, but we've long known that Eastern European ...

CAN IMMUNOCOMPROMISED KIDS TAKE THE VARICELLA SHOT? | Infection | 06-1999
The Oka Merck vaccine Varivax, Merck Frosst Canada is a live attenuated varicella vaccine that was approved for use in healthy children efficacy in this population was estimated at 95 ...

THOSE DANGEROUS VECTORS: TWEETY AND PUFF | Infection | 08-1998
There are more than 175 infectious diseases of animals that can be transmitted to humans through direct contact, bites and scratches, aerosols, contamination of food, water or milk, or by ...

ITCHY EARS MAY BE INFECTED | ENT | 06-1994
The term 'eczema' is a general term for any acute or chronic inflammation of the skin which can vary from a neurodermatitis to infectious diseases or atopy. Therefore, the most ...

OCS AND ANTIBIOTICS: THE ONGOING SAGA | Infection | 04-1994
With a little luck one learns something new every day Since my response to a similar inquiry February issue, 1994 I have become aware of data suggesting a potential interaction ...