An ongoing dialogue on HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases,
June 28th, 2014
CDC Nixes HIV Western Blot in Latest Testing Guidelines
Finally, it’s official — the Western blot is no longer recommended as a confirmatory test for HIV infection. From the latest Laboratory Testing for the Diagnosis of HIV Infection, updated June 27: The HIV-1 Western blot and HIV-1 immunofluorescence assay, previously recommended to make a laboratory diagnosis of HIV-1 infection, are no longer part of the […]
June 24th, 2014
At Long Last, Some New Antibiotics That Might Make a Difference
Compared to HIV, HCV, and antifungal agents, development of novel antibacterial drugs has been in a bit of a funk for quite some time now. Here’s what’s been approved in the past 10 years, with year of approval and a few comments: Telithromycin (2004): The first ketolide antibiotic, it was supposed to overcome macrolide-resistant respiratory pathogens. But […]
June 15th, 2014
Poll: Should ID Doctors Still Do HIV Primary Care?
My friend and colleague Ken Freedberg is giving a talk soon at our regional IDSA meeting called, “Who Should Be Providing HIV Care?” He’s a very smart guy (except during the football playoffs, when he is possessed by evil forces), so maybe he’ll answer this question that has strangely bedeviled our field for decades. But I’m […]
June 4th, 2014
Anti-Vaccine Movement Slammed By Daily Show; ID Doctors, Pediatricians Happy
The anti-vaccine crowd gets a pretty good drubbing here from Samantha Bee on The Daily Show. I’d feel a tiny bit bad for them — gosh their opinions are pathetic — but since I’m an ID specialist married to a pediatrician, I can only rejoice in the brilliance of this piece. And yes, stupidity crosses political party lines. Enjoy! The […]
Paul E. Sax, MD
Associate Editor
NEJM Clinician
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