This Week in Infectious Disease: PrEP Awareness and Antibiotic Efficacy

From the Journal of the International AIDS Society, a meta-analysis examined disparities in pre-exposure prophylaxis awareness among men who have sex with men ^[1].

The study identified significantly higher rates of both PrEP awareness and usage among gay men compared to bisexual men within their pooled analysis. Meanwhile, research from Clinical infectious diseases evaluated treatment options for hospital-acquired pneumonia using newer antibiotics versus generic formulations ^[5].

Data involving 2881 patients indicated that the updated antibiotic regimens reduced nephrotoxicity while improving eradication of carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacilli in cases of HABP and VABP.

Elsewhere this week, a systematic review from Clinical and experimental dental research assessed adjunctive corticosteroid therapy for bacterial facial infections ^[2].

The authors observed significant reductions in hospital stay duration with these steroids; however, the evidence certainty was noted as low. A separate study reported findings on carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae colonization prevalence through a meta-analysis from American journal of infection control ^[3].

Across 89 studies involving over 100 participants, pooled CRE colonization rates were found to be higher in hospital-based screening settings compared to community approaches.

In the Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999), an RCT described HIV incidence outcomes when comparing F/TAF versus F/TDF for PrEP in cisgender women ^[4].

The trial included predominantly cisgender women across East and South Africa, reporting specific incidence rates per 100 person-years. Findings suggest that while the two formulations showed similar HIV incidence, noninferiority was not proven due to adherence factors and statistical power limitations.