Diagnosis of mucormycosis is typically difficult to make based on imaging studies, sputum culture, bronchoalveolar lavage culture, or needle aspirate. Surgical debridement prior to dissemination of infection improves clinical outcomes. Surgery combined with early, high-dose systemic antifungal therapy yields greater than a 1.5-fold increase in survival rates. The Mucorales are inherently resistant to most widely used antifungal agents. Amphotericin B is appropriate for empirical therapy, whereas posaconazole and isavuconazole are best reserved for de-escalation, refractory cases, or patients intolerant to amphotericin B.

Before initiating antibiotic therapy, drug hypersensitivity is an important consideration, and a common strategy is to avoid giving patients medications when a high likelihood of severe reactions exists. With an increase in antibiotic resistance and a decrease in novel antibiotics, there is greater pressure to consider antibiotics in patients with a history of adverse reactions. The major concerns include IgE-mediated, or type I, reactions, anaphylaxis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and toxic epidermal necrolysis. Some antibiotics with similar characteristics, such as cephalosporins and penicillins, may be given safely to patients with a certain allergy profile. There is still greater concern when considering antibiotics for patients with reported allergy. Desensitization is a strategy to safely induce drug tolerance to a specific drug to limit the possibility of a type I reaction.

Hansen's disease, also known as leprosy, remains an important public health problem throughout the world, including North America. The causative microbe in Hansen's disease is Mycobacterium leprae, an acid-fast organism that is difficult to grow in vitro. The nine-banded armadillo is the major animal reservoir in the United States. Manifestations of disease vary based on host immune response and can range from tuberculoid to lepromatous leprosy (paucibacillary to multibacillary disease). Hansen's disease typically affects the skin, nerves, and eyes, and patients may present with skin lesions, weakness, numbness, eye pain, or loss of vision. Definitive diagnosis is based on a combination of physical examination findings and skin biopsy and/or smear. Modern antibacterial therapy typically consists of combinations of dapsone and rifampin with or without clofazimine. Clofazimine is available only as an investigational drug through the National Hansen's Disease Program. Other options include moxifloxacin, ofloxacin, minocycline, and clarithromycin. Hansen's disease is associated with type 1 (reversal) and type 2 (erythema nodosum leprosum) immunologic reactions, during which the disease process appears to worsen dramatically. These reactions may occur at any time before, during, or after treatment. Antibacterial therapy should usually be continued during these reactions. Treatment options for these reactions differ based on clinical manifestations and include corticosteroids, thalidomide, pentoxiphylline, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, and T cell inhibitors. Prompt diagnosis, antimicrobial therapy, and treatment of reactions dramatically reduce complications of the disease.

Trichomonas vaginalis is likely the most prevalent nonviral sexually transmitted infection, affecting an estimated 3.7 million women and men in the United States. Health disparities are prominent in the epidemiology of trichomoniasis, as African Americans are >4 times more likely to be infected than persons of other races. Since publication of the 2015 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines, additional data have bolstered the importance of T. vaginalis infection sequelae in women, including increased risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition, cervical cancer, preterm birth, and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. Less is known about the clinical significance of infection in men. Newly available diagnostic methods, including point-of-care assays and multiple nucleic acid amplification tests, can be performed on a variety of genital specimens in women and men, including urine, allowing more accurate and convenient testing and screening of those at risk for infection. Repeat and persistent infections are common in women; thus, rescreening at 3 months after treatment is recommended. In vitro antibiotic resistance to 5-nitroimidazole in T. vaginalis remains low (4.3%) but should be monitored. High rates of T. vaginalis among sexual partners of infected persons suggest a role for expedited partner treatment. A randomized controlled trial in HIV-uninfected women demonstrated that multidose metronidazole 500 mg twice daily for 7 days reduced the proportion of women with Trichomonas infection at 1 month test of cure compared with women receiving single-dose therapy (2 g). The 2-g single-dose oral metronidazole regimen remains the preferred treatment in men.

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