Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a newly described emerging infection caused by a novel coronavirus, which can be highly contagious by close contact. Patients may present with an acute febrile illness that involves the lower respiratory…
Over the last decade, the incidence of penicillin resistance among Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates has markedly increased. This trend is unsettling because infections caused by S pneumoniae are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in…
The Infectious Diseases Society of America advocates using pathogen-directed therapy whenever possible to help reduce the emergence of drug resistance. Options for empiric therapy for outpatients include a macrolide, a new fluoroquinolone with…
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) recently published updated guidelines for assessing and treating patients with community-acquired pneumonia. In contrast to the common practice of treating patients on the basis of clinical…