Roula Baroudi, MD

Which test should you order if you suspect Clostridium difficile infection-and how often do you check the stool for the C difficile toxin? Here: the answer-and explanation.

When patients develop diarrhea in the hospital within 48 hours after admission, it is most likely antibiotic-associated diarrhea, including CDAD.

Both VRE and vancomycin-sensitive enterococci are considered normal flora in the human intestine.

Escherichia coli resistance to quinolone antibiotics increased 5-fold between 2000 and 2010.

Imipenem/cilastatin may be used in patients who have mild allergy to penicillin.

Lumbar puncture in cases of suspected meningitis should be performed before CT scan.

In patients with diabetes who do not have foot ulcers, cellulitis is most often caused by Streptococcus and only occasionally by Staphylococcus species.

Staphylococcal bacteria found in the urine should prompt a search for a primary source of infection.

Patients with MRSA or MSSA should always be treated for at least 2 weeks with IV antibiotics.

Double anaerobic antimicrobioal therapy is unnecessary and exposes patients unnecessarily to unpleasant adverse events.

A positive HIV test result is conveyed confidentially and in person by a clinician, nurse, counselor, or other skilled staff.