Fast Facts - Infection Highlights 1999-2000 Book

The book contains color illustrations.

Marilyn E. Levi

This is the third edition of reviews of specific clinically relevant topics in infectious diseases written predominantly by microbiologists and infectious diseases in the U.K., with several American authors as well. Each topic is presented in synopsis form, with separate sections on up-to-date information on current thoughts, basic scientific background, and future areas of research, testing, and therapies. The purpose is to provide the busy practitioner with concise information on a range of key topics in an easy to read format. Each section includes an "at a glance overview of what's in and what's out" as an outline of the discussion in the text. These reviews are particularly helpful in summarizing large bodies of literature, which are often lacking in individual papers. Each section ends with a bibliography of state of the art core articles for further review as needed. These reviews are designed by medical school microbiology and infectious diseases faculty for clinicians and specialists, although the infectious disease specialist will find these reviews more relevant and helpful due to their background knowledge. Yet, the format with paragraph headings will allow any reader to be able to select sections of most interest to them. The topics range from viral infections such as influenza and hepatitis B treatments, new treatments of bacterial infections such as gram-positive infections including pneumococcus, new antifungal therapy, and imaging techniques for the detection of infection. In the section on new antifungal agents, the contributor reviews the lipid formulations of Amphotericin B, comparing the different dosing regimens and side effect profiles. This is followed bya discussion of the new azoles currently under study such as Voriconazole and Posaconazole and novel classes of antifungals such as echinocandins and pneumocandins. An excellent chart outlining the susceptibility profile based on in vitro (and when available, in vivo) activity of these agents for specific fungi is provided. Another section entitled "Drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae" includes a discussion of the current shift in B-lactam and flouroquinolone MICs and susceptibility patterns and the use of alternative agents. Of interest, the editor describes an increase in Ciprofloxacin resistance, inferring prior standard usage of this agent for the treatment of S. pneumoniae infections. However, in the U.S., Ciprofloxacin has not been considered an acceptable agent for the treatment of these infections, due to the significant resistance profile. This is an excellent, succinct review of clinically relevant topics in infectious diseases that can be of benefit to the clinician at any level of knowledge.