In this installment, co-host Brooke Fraser returns as we discuss educational resources that have shaped our learning, including This Podcast Will Kill You, Febrile's infographic library, and a particularly memorable recent episode of Breakpoints.

From the literature, we review a multi-centre study examining ophthalmologic screening in candidemia and discuss the recent randomized trial of vancomycin tapering to prevent recurrent C. difficile infection.

Beyond the medical literature, Brooke reflects on The Elusive Body and the challenge of diagnostic uncertainty, while Paul revisits We Are All Perfectly Fine, a thoughtful exploration of medicine, identity, and resilience.

And in our "safe space" segment, we discuss cognitive bias in fever of unknown origin, the unexpected role of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole as a cause of drug fever, and the surprisingly unremarkable origin of the "G" in penicillin G.

As always, a mix of infectious diseases, medical education, clinical reasoning, and the occasional detour into the things that make us better clinicians.

Resources mentioned:

This Podcast Will Kill You

Febrile infographic library

Breakpoints podcast (June 5, 2026 episode on Streptococcuspyogenes)

OFID: Ophthalmologic Evaluation and Clinical Outcome inCandidemia

JAMA Network Open: Initial Vancomycin Taper for Preventionof Recurrent CDI

"The Paradox of Modern Medicine"

We Are All Perfectly Fine – by Dr. Jillian Horton

Enjoying The Host Response? Subscribe, share the show with acolleague or trainee, and visit FirstCallID.ca for additional infectious diseases teaching resources.