Infectious Diseases

Variation in HPV Strains May Thwart Vaccine in Blacks (CME/CE)
Human papillomavirus infection (HPV) in African-American women often involves viral strains not included in the available vaccines, suggesting a potential for reduced vaccine effectiveness, investigators reported.

Four viral strains not covered by vaccines on the market had the strongest association with HPV infection in women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), a cervical cancer precursor. Moreover, the strains did not overlap with any of the strains associated with CIN among Caucasian women, including HPV 16 and 18, the strains most often associated with cervical cancer in white women. MedPage Today

Pregnant women with hepatitis C may pass heartier viral strain to newborns, study suggests
Infants who get hepatitis C from their mothers during childbirth may inherit a viral strain that replicates more quickly than strains found in non-pregnant hosts, according to a new study published Oct. 27 in Nature Medicine. The findings, from a team in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, are the first to describe how a virus that has infected 180 million people worldwide takes advantage of immune changes during pregnancy. MedicalXpress

Evaluation of hospital infection prevention policies can identify opportunities for improvement
Identifying gaps in infection prevention practices may yield opportunities for improved patient safety, according to a survey published in the November issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). MedicalXpress