In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were surprised to find that all other respiratory viral infections fell precipitously. The difference in respiratory viral infections during the 16-week period of our peak COVID-19 activity in 2020 (CDC weeks 14-29) was significantly lower than during the same period in the previous four years (a total of four infections versus an average of 138 infections, p<0.0001). We attribute this to widespread use of public health interventions including wearing face masks, social distancing, hand hygiene and stay-at-home orders. Since these interventions are usually ignored by the community during most influenza seasons, we anticipate that their continued use during the upcoming winter season could substantially blunt the case load of influenza and other respiratory viral infections.

The correlation between ATP concentration and bacterial burden in the patient care environment was assessed. These findings suggest that a correlation exists between ATP concentration and bacterial burden, and they generally support ATP technology manufacturer-recommended cutoff values. Despite relatively modest discriminative ability, this technology may serve as a useful proxy for cleanliness.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2018;39:622-624.

Chronic alcohol exposure appears to suppress cell-mediated immunity which may contribute to the high incidence of infections among alcohol-dependent patients. We measured serum neopterin, as a marker of macrophage function and T-lymphocyte activation, in 26 alcohol-dependent patients. The mean serum neopterin in these patients was significantly lower than the mean serum neopterin in matched controls. In those who abstained, the mean serum neopterin at 3 weeks rose and was no longer significantly different from controls. Our findings suggest that alcohol-dependent patients have suppressed macrophage function which may be reversible within 3 weeks of abstention.

No abstract