An opportunistic bacterial infection that causes deadly diarrhea is more likely to kill white patients than Black or Hispanic people, a new study says. About 84% of deaths caused by Clostridioides difficile infections occur among white people, researchers reported in Atlanta Sunday at IDWeek, the joint annual meeting of America’s top infectious disease professional societies.…  read on >  read on >

The shingles vaccine does more than just protect middle-aged folks and seniors against maddening rashes, a new study says. The vaccine also lowers their risk of heart disease, dementia and death, researchers reported in Atlanta Sunday at IDWeek, the joint annual meeting of America’s top infectious disease professional societies. According to the new study, adults…  read on >  read on >

Florida wildlife officials have confirmed the state’s second case of a deadly and highly contagious infection known as “zombie deer disease” in a wild deer. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) was detected in a young white-tailed doe found dead after being hit by a vehicle in Holmes County, near the Alabama border, state officials said.  Florida’s…  read on >  read on >

A Long Island resident has tested positive for the chikungunya virus, the first locally acquired case in the U.S. since 2019, New York state health officials announced. The infection was detected in a Nassau County resident who began showing symptoms in August after traveling outside the region but not outside the country, the New York…  read on >  read on >

Patients placed on mechanical ventilation are commonly put under deep sedation, to ease the stress and discomfort of having a machine breathe for them. But that short-term comfort might come at the cost of their long-term health. People put under deep sedation during ventilation are 18% more likely to lose their ability to live independently,…  read on >  read on >

The Elecsys pTau181 blood test correctly identified people without Alzheimer’s in 97.9% of cases  read on >

Dangerous infections that no longer respond to antibiotics are spreading quickly around the world, increasing by as much as 15% a year, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). The report found that 1 in 6 infections worldwide in 2023 was resistant to common antibiotics, including drugs used to treat urinary…  read on >  read on >