Uncommon Causes of Healthcare-Associated Infections Michael S. Gelfand Kerry O. Cleveland Some community-acquired infections are seen infrequently in hospitals either because they are rare (e.g., rabies) or because they are…
Hepatitis Viruses Adelisa L. Panlilio Melissa K. Schaefer Nicola D. Thompson Three hepatitis viruses are of clinical significance in healthcare settings in the United States because of healthcare-related transmission: hepatitis…
Cytomegalovirus Stuart P. Adler During pregnancy, if a woman acquires a primary infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV), the fetus is placed at highest risk for symptomatic congenital disease. Because of this…
Herpes Simplex Virus Stuart P. Adler Herpes simplex virus (HSV), a common cause of morbidity among humans, has two distinct serotypes: HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 primarily causes cold sores, with…
Varicella-Zoster Virus John A. Zaia HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND CURRENT SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM Varicella is a vesicular exanthema caused by primary infection with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and is commonly termed…
Influenza Viruses William M. Valenti Influenza continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized and long-term care patients, particularly among the elderly and those with chronic…
Filamentous Fungi Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner John H. Rex Healthcare-associated infection by filamentous fungi was a minor issue for infection control until the frequency of these diseases began to increase in the…
Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Barbara A. Brown-Elliott Richard J. Wallace Jr Although the existence of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) was recognized over a century ago, the microorganisms were originally thought to be contaminants…
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis William R. Jarvis Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health problem. Worldwide, an estimated 8 million new cases occur each year and 2 million deaths are attributed to…
