Infectious Diseases

Host: Brian P. McDonough, MD, FAAFP

Roughly 300,000 Americans are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year. However, despite this surprisingly high incidence, Lyme disease doesn't always present in the same way and co-infections with other tick-borne illnesses frequently occur, complicating the diagnosis. Dr. Kathleen Spreen, author of the recently published Compendium of Tick-Borne Disease-A Thousand Pearls, shares insights on common clinical misconceptions about Lyme Disease as well as her experiences in life and practice which propelled the creation of this important resource.

Host: John Russell, MD

A maddened creature, frothing at the mouth, lunges at an innocent victim and, with a bite, transforms its prey into another raving monster. It's a scenario that underlies our darkest tales of supernatural horror, but its power derives from a very real virus, a deadly scourge known to mankind from our earliest days. In this fascinating exploration, journalist Bill Wasik and veterinarian Monica Murphy speak with host Dr. John Russell about the history, science, and cultural mythology of rabies as described in their book "Rabid."

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Lyme disease is one of the most rapidly emerging infectious diseases in North America and Europe. In 2009, nearly 30,000 confirmed and more than 8,500 probable cases of Lyme disease were reported to the CDC in the United States alone. Named after a small Connecticut town, Lyme disease is transmitted to humans by the bite of ticks infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. This multi-system infection typically occurs in stages with different clinical manifestations at each stage. While it can be treated effectively with antibiotics, in some cases recovery may be incomplete - although there is no evidence that any of these post-Lyme disease syndromes respond to further courses of antibiotic therapy.

Dr. Allen Steere, the renowned discoverer of Lyme disease, joins an esteemed panel of speakers for CDC's Public Health Grand Rounds to explore the clinical manifestations and treatment of Lyme disease, innovations in laboratory testing, prevention strategies, and national trends of disease emergence. The session gives a rare glimpse into the front lines of those battling and treating Lyme disease while addressing the data gaps, unmet needs, and overall challenges and opportunities for its prevention and control.

This is Part 1 of a lecture in three parts.

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

The CDC commemorates Dr. Robert Koch's 1882 discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes TB. Over the past 129 years, history has witnessed many advances over in TB control. Through the intervention efforts of CDC, USAID, WHO's Stop TB Partnership, and many others, TB death rates have fallen by 35% since 1990, and as many as 6 million lives have been saved since 1995.

In spite of these successes, TB still remains a serious threat, especially for those infected with HIV. HIV is the single most powerful risk factor for TB disease and one of the leading causes of death among people infected with HIV. Among the 1.7 million lives that TB claimed in 2009, 380,000 were among people with HIV infection. While people with HIV who have TB can be effectively diagnosed and treated, more effort is needed to diagnose and treat TB promptly and effectively, and to scale-up preventive treatment for TB.

This special session of Public Health Grand Rounds shed light on myths and misconceptions about TB and HIV, and discussed actions needed in preventing deaths from this lethal combination.

This is Part 1 of a lecture in three parts.

Part 2 >>

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Guest: Everett Winslow Lovrien, MD

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD

This week, hosts Drs. Matt Birnholz and Michael Greenberg wrap up 2010 with a look at the year's most notable research; as well as some notably retracted research, with Jef Akst of The Scientist; and talk with Dr. Everett Winslow Lovrien, whose book Doctor Guilt? looks at how thousands of hemophilia patients in the 1970s and 80s came to be treated with HIV-tainted medication. Plus: Just in time for your holiday parties, notable findings on cheese fondue and vodka, gleaned from the pages of the British Medical Journal's Christmas issue.

Host: Mimi Secor, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP

Guest: Maryana McGlasson

Nurse practitioner Maryana McGlasson waited for months to find out if she would be selected to work with the Doctors without Borders Program. Once she was notified, she had three days to hop on a plane and get to Nigeria, where she would be one of a handful of nurses dealing with hundreds of patients with cholera. She shares her inspiring story with host Mimi Secor on why she decided to become a Doctors without Borders volunteer and what it's like to treat patients with this highly contagious cholera in a tent city lacking even reliable electricity.

Host: Eric Tangalos, MD

Guest: William Schaffner, MD

Which infectious diseases are most common at long term care facilities? If there is an infectious disease outbreak at a facility, how can we best protect residents? Dr. William Schaffner, president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, as well as professor and chairman of the department of preventive medicine, and professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, stresses the importance of influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations for not only long-term care residents and staff, but also the residents' families. What strategies can help increase the vaccination success rates at long term care facilities? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.

Guest: Mark Pendergrast

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

Host: Michael Greenberg, MD

Hosts Drs. Michael Greenberg and Matt Birnholz interview Mark Pendergrast, author of the new book Inside the Outbreaks: the Elite Medical Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service. The Second Opinion Live hosts also discuss new research on salt, chocolate, and a patient who's opened his case to the Internet and the wisdom of crowds. Plus, can martial arts teach senior citizens how to fall?

Host: Eric Tangalos, MD

Guest: Paul Drinka, MD, CMD

Multi-drug resistant organisms (MRDOs), such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), due to antibiotic use are of significant concern. Not only hospitals, but also long-term care facilities, are particularly susceptible to the impact of antibiotic resistance. Dr. Paul Drinka, clinical professor of internal medicine and geriatrics at University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Medical College of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, tells us that one evidence-based approach is to maintain a database of the MRDOs that will help identify clustering of a specific isolate and document a facility's resistance problem, which can then be addressed more precisely. What other specific steps might facilities take to prevent unnecessary use of antibiotics and therefore limit resistance? Dr. Eric Tangalos hosts.

Host: Bruce Japsen

Guest: Richard Sayre, PhD

While researchers in labs across the country work on genetic engineering of stem cells or pharmaceutical innovation from molecule based drugs from chemicals, patients and their doctors should not forget about plants. Dr. Richard Sayre, director of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Institute for Renewable Fuels at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, tells host Bruce Japsen about how a common plant may unlock a treatment for deadly malaria.