Anti-Infectives

BILIARY INFECTIONS: DIAGNOSIS OF ACUTE CALCULOUS CHOLECYSTITIS

The differential diagnosis of acute calculous cholecystitis is quite broad, but the condition should be suspected on the basis of clinical history and examination findings. Laboratory data may further suggest the diagnosis but are nonspecific. Leukocytosis with bandemia is typically present. The serum bilirubin level is elevated in 45% of patients, and 25% to 40% [...]

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been with us since our earliest recorded days on earth. In spite of our best efforts to eradicate them, prevent them, and control their spread, they continue to increase, affecting millions more Americans than previously thought, according to the first new STI estimate in a decade. Today, there are more [...]

ARBOVIRUSES AS CAUSES OF VIRAL ENCEPHALITIS

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are a common cause of sporadic and epidemic encephalitis. They are a heterogeneous group of organisms that are transmitted by arthropod vectors (mosquitoes and ticks). Pathogenesis Arboviruses are inoculated into a host by a mosquito or tick bite and undergo local replication at the skin site. If there is a large enough [...]