In the first year of the pandemic, another problem quietly grew: hospital-acquired sepsis. Across California hospitals, the number of patients who developed sepsis while in the hospital increased by 46 percent between 2019 and 2021, according to a Feb. 5 report from the Los Angeles Times.

Smallpox vaccinations may present a degree of protection from mpox infection, research from several Spain physicians has found.

A specific cytokine biomarker may be key to identifying any emerging infectious pathogens, researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found in a study.

Until now, it has been largely unknown what drives body temperature variations in response to infections like sepsis. Now there may be an answer.

In the last six years, antidepressant prescriptions have increased by 35 percent, and now a new study, published Jan. 23, points to evidence that this increase may also be contributing to drug resistance in bacteria.

Lengthening the time between a COVID-19 infection and inoculation improves a person's immunity, according to a study published Jan. 26 in the Journal for Clinical Investigation Insight. 

A new study published in Nature found major gaps in the treatments of patients infected with Helicobacter pylori, bacteria that can lead to stomach ulcers and is persistently found to be a risk factor for gastric cancer — the fourth-deadliest cancer worldwide. 

After three long pandemic years, the time is now for hospital clinicians to refocus efforts on infection control and prevention, said Aaron E. Glatt, MD, chair of medicine, chief of infectious disease and epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, N.Y.

The U.S. is facing a dire shortage of infectious disease specialists and some experts point to a complex web of issues that currently face the specialty as drivers of the shortage, Fox News reported Jan. 25.

In a recent study, St. Louis-based Washington University School of Medicine researchers found Acinetobacter baumannii, an antibiotic-resistant bacterium responsible for many hospital-associated infections, can resurge after a catheter insertion.

Nearly 1 in 4 study participants admitted filling their respiratory devices with tap water, which can be unsterile, according to a CDC study. 

Candida auris, a drug-resistant fungal infection, has been found in a long-term care facility in Central Mississippi, NBC affiliate WLBT reported Jan. 10.

Researchers at the Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan may have found a way to predict risk of infection using cognitive performance tests.

Antibiotic drug resistance isn't universal — it varies by the age of the patient and the healthcare setting, according to a study published Jan. 2 in JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance.

Severe strep A infections are on the rise in children, leading to a rise in other diseases associated with strep A, which could include flesh-eating bacteria.

Layering a surgical mask over an N95 may cause leakage, according to a study published Dec. 20 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. 

Healthcare facilities should no longer routinely screen symptom-free patients for COVID-19 upon admission or before procedures, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America said Dec. 21.

Early signs suggest flu season may peak early in the U.S. this year, though health experts caution the upcoming holiday season could spur another uptick in activity.

Emerging research suggests the virus that causes COVID-19 can persist in the bodies of deceased patients, potentially posing an infection risk for healthcare workers, The New York Times reported Dec. 15.

After evaluating intensive care units with elevated rates of healthcare-associated infections that participated in a federal quality improvement program, a study published Nov. 21 in BMJ Open Quality identified four themes to maintain infection prevention activities during the pandemic.