An ongoing dialogue on HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases,
May 21st, 2013
ID Learning Unit — “Isolator” Blood Cultures
Here’s a little secret about those brilliant ID consults we do on patients with mysterious fevers: Sometimes we don’t know what’s going on either. I know, I know — shocking. But now that the secret is out, I can tell you something we do know, and that’s how to recommend lots of tests — the […]
May 16th, 2013
ID Learning Unit — Antibiotics with Excellent Oral Absorption
Guaranteed: Every day at a hospital near you, a patient is receiving antibiotic therapy for an infection, and the orders include the following: A slew of various oral medications, both continued from outpatient care and started anew on admission. An intravenous antibiotic. The odd thing about this combination is that there are many antibiotics with […]
May 8th, 2013
HIV Opportunistic Infection Guidelines Updated
Some very hard-working folks at the NIH, CDC, and IDSA have updated the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents, which are available for review here. As with the previous versions (the prior iteration is from 2009), the OI Guidelines are comprehensive, exhaustively referenced (184 references for TB alone!), […]
May 2nd, 2013
How to Interpret Medical Breakthroughs in the Mainstream Media
There it is, right in your daily paper, on your tablet or computer screen, or wherever you get your news today — a headline about a great medical breakthrough everyone’s been waiting for: Scientists on brink of HIV cure Researchers believe that there will be a breakthrough in finding a cure for HIV “within months” […]
April 29th, 2013
Data Safety Monitoring Board Closes HIV Vaccine Study — the End of Adenovirus as a Vaccine Vector?
On Friday, the NIH announced that HVTN 505, a clinical trial of an HIV vaccine using an adenovirus vector, would be stopped based on a finding of futility by an independent DSMB. The study had enrolled some 2500 high-risk gay men in the United States. Here are the three key findings leading to this action: New […]
April 25th, 2013
In Praise of the Diversity of Being an Infectious Diseases Specialist
I have a friend who is a thoracic surgeon. Imagine his daily agenda: 5:00 AM: Oops, slept late. 5:30 AM: Drive to hospital; not much traffic. 6:00 AM: Round on inpatients. They’re all doing great! Wonder why they’re not more talkative. 6:15 AM: Coffee, gossip with other surgeons. 7:00 AM: Get in scrubs, prepare for […]
April 20th, 2013
Postexposure Prophylaxis (PEP) After Blast Injuries
From a colleague came this query: We are being consulted by surgeons who are finding within blast victims tissues from other humans. We have been offering post-exposure prophylaxis. Have you folks developed any policies re PEP for explosion victims? Welcome your thoughts, P Needless to say, the bombing victims are currently facing far greater challenges […]
April 10th, 2013
Simeprevir and Sofosbuvir Submitted to FDA — Clock Ticking on Boceprevir, Telaprevir, Even Interferon
Two weeks, two companies, two press releases, two future HCV drugs that begin with “S”: March 28, 2013: Janssen Research & Development announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA seeking approval for simeprevir (TMC435), an investigational NS3/4A protease inhibitor, administered as a 150 mg capsule once daily with pegylated interferon and ribavirin for […]
April 5th, 2013
Another “Important Advance” in HIV Vaccine Research?
On reading this other real news about a single patient and how it may shape the future of HIV vaccine research, I decided to write the following fake news, drawing liberally on many similar stories over the years: Scientists today reported a discovery that could finally pave the way for an effective AIDS vaccine. In the study, […]
April 2nd, 2013
Banner Day for ID on Physician’s First Watch, and a Big Pitch to Sign Up Now
Every weekday morning, right around the time the rest of my family gets up, the smart people at Physician’s First Watch send me an email listing the top medical news stories of the day. Imagine my delight yesterday when the following were deemed worthy for specific mention: Coccidioidomycosis! Valley fever cases on the rise in the […]
Paul E. Sax, MD
Associate Editor
NEJM Clinician
Biography | Disclosures & Summaries
Learn more about HIV and ID Observations.
FROM NEJM — Recent Infectious Disease Articles- Challenging Claims of an Autism Epidemic — Misconceptions and a Path Forward January 17, 2026Autism research programs should focus on both causes and effective services and supports. Alarmist claims, chasing of debunked theories of causation, and further stigmatizing autism are counterproductive.
- Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia January 17, 2026A 60-year-old man with recently diagnosed HIV infection presented with a 10-day history of fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath. A CT scan of the chest showed diffuse nodules and ground-glass opacities.
- Borrelia burgdorferi Infection and Erythema Migrans January 15, 2026Expansion of the range of the lone star tick, a vector for southern tick-associated rash illness, has led to overlap with the range of the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis, which may cause diagnostic uncertainty.
- Primary Palmoplantar Pustulosis January 15, 2026A 60-year-old man with a 30-pack-year smoking history presented with a 2-year history of a painful rash on his palms and soles. Numerous pustules with erosions, crusting, and surrounding erythema were noted.
- Case 2-2026: A 63-Year-Old Man with Pulmonary Nodules, Liver Mass, and Vision Loss January 15, 2026A 63-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of fever, cough, and vision loss in the right eye. He had pulmonary nodules, a liver mass, and multiple brain lesions. A diagnosis was made.
- Challenging Claims of an Autism Epidemic — Misconceptions and a Path Forward January 17, 2026