Oral vs. IV Therapy in Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Oral beta-lactam therapy was found to be as effective as IV therapy in non-severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) among selected hospitalized patients. However, concerns remained due to high rates of misdiagnosis and undetected etiology in CAP cases.

BLING III Trial: No mortality difference was observed between continuous and intermittent beta-lactam administration. Continuous infusion was associated with a higher clinical cure rate at day 14.

SIMPLIFY Trial: De-escalation from anti-pseudomonal beta-lactams to narrower agents in Enterobacteriaceae bacteremia was found to be safe, with similar cure rates and reduced colonization by multidrug-resistant organisms.

BALANCE Trial: A 7-day antibiotic course was non-inferior to 14-day regimens in bloodstream infections, with comparable mortality and relapse. Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia was excluded in the trial.

Biomarker-Guided Therapy: Procalcitonin-guided therapy led to a modest reduction in antibiotic duration (~0.88 days) without affecting mortality in suspected sepsis. C-reactive protein (CRP) was found to be less reliable.

Short-Course Therapy for Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: An individualized 6-day course showed comparable efficacy to 14-day, with fewer adverse effects and earlier discontinuation.

Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and Meningococcal B Vaccine for sexually transmitted infections (STI) Prevention: Among men who have sex with men (MSM), doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (DoxyPEP) reduced syphilis and Chlamydia trachomatis incidence by 83% (from 53.2 to 9.8/100 person-years). The Meningococcal B vaccine showed a non-significant 22% reduction. Findings may have limited generalizability.

Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention: Twice-yearly injectable subcutaneous lenacapavir prevented new HIV infections over 12 months among cisgender women in Uganda and South Africa, surpassing daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). 

Oropouche Virus Outbreak in Brazil: An outbreak of Oropouche virus (M1-L2-S2 genotype) reported across Amazonian regions, driven by reassortment between eastern and southern strains and correlated with La Niña-related flooding. Transmission occurred via Culicoides midges. 

Blastomycosis Outbreak in Michigan: The largest U.S. outbreak of blastomycosis occurred in a paper mill, marked by frequent diagnostic delays and misdiagnosis. Diabetes was associated with higher hospitalization risk, and most patients received antibiotics before fungal infection was diagnosed. 

SABATO Trial: In low-risk Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (primarily methicillin-sensitive S. aureus), switching to oral antibiotics, mainly trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), was non-inferior to continued IV treatment for relapse, deep infection, or death in both intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol analyses. A slightly lower 90-day survival was noted in the oral group. 

Gram-Negative Bacteremia in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: Oral therapy showed similar outcomes to IV therapy but resulted in shorter hospital stays and fewer Clostridium difficile infections in solid organ transplant recipients with gram-negative bloodstream infections (E. coli and Klebsiella from UTIs). Randomized trials are warranted. 

BTR Trial: Extended vs. standard beta-lactam infusion in febrile neutropenia and hematologic malignancies showed no difference in 5-day treatment success or secondary endpoints. While extended infusion improved pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic target attainment, especially for pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, clinical outcomes were similar. Larger trials are needed. 

Nix-TB Trial: Four 9-month oral regimens were evaluated against 18-24 the months WHO-recommended standard for drug-resistant TB. Regimens with bedaquiline demonstrated non-inferiority (>85% favorable outcomes at week 73), while those without bedaquiline did not. Adverse event rates were similar across groups, though hepatotoxicity appeared slightly higher in most experimental arms. WHO endorsed 9-month oral regimens in June 2024. 

MULTIBENZ Phase II Trial (Chagas Disease): Three benznidazole regimens —low-dose (100 mg/day × 60 days), short-course (400mg/day × 15 days), and standard (300 mg/day × 60 days)—showed comparable parasitological response at 12 months. Skin reactions were more frequent with standard dosing. Short courses preserved efficacy while improving tolerability. 

ACCESS Phase III Trial: Oral clarithromycin added to beta-lactam therapy improved early clinical response (day 4) and reduced early sepsis progression in patients with severe CAP. No mortality benefit was seen at 29 or 90 days, although post-hoc analysis suggested lower end-of-treatment mortality with clarithromycin. 

HIV-Positive Donor Kidney Transplants: No difference in composite outcomes (death, graft loss, HIV breakthrough, opportunistic infections) was found between HIV+ donor and HIV- donor kidneys in HIV+ recipients. HIV breakthrough infections were 3 times more frequent in the HIV+ donor group but resolved without complications.

RSV in Hospitalized Patients: Despite lower incidence than COVID-19 and influenza, RSV hospitalizations were associated with more severe outcomes (12% invasive ventilation or death) compared to vaccinated COVID-19 and influenza patients and similar to unvaccinated cases.

Human H5N1 Avian Influenza (US Cases): Most cases reported between March and October 2024 presented with mild conjunctivitis and were linked to animal exposure. No human-to-human transmission was identified. Conjunctival swabs had the highest sensitivity. 

Invasive Fungal Infections in Hematology Patients: A review of 176 cases described moulds accounting for 77% (notably non-fumigatus Aspergillus and Mucorales) despite posaconazole/voriconazole prophylaxis. Aspergillosis, mucormycosis, candidiasis, and fusariosis were most common. Only one-third of cases had identifiable causes (antifungal resistance or suboptimal drug levels), and mortality reached 35%.