Infectious Diseases

HPV Vaccination for Genital Wart Prevention: 2 Doses Almost As Good As 3
When it comes to preventing condylomata (genital warts), two doses of the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine are nearly as effective as three, a JAMA study finds. Journal Watch

Test for persistent Lyme infection using live ticks shown safe in clinical study
In a first-of-its-kind study for Lyme disease, researchers have used live, disease-free ticks to see if Lyme disease bacteria can be detected in people who continue to experience symptoms such as fatigue or arthritis after completing antibiotic therapy. The technique, called xenodiagnosis, attempts to find evidence of a disease-causing microbe indirectly, through use of the natural disease-carrier—in this case, ticks. It was well tolerated by the volunteers, but investigators could not find evidence of Lyme disease bacteria in most of the cases where enough ticks were collected to make testing possible. Eurekalert!

Popular disinfectants do not kill HPV
These disinfectants included ones made of ethanol and isopropanol because these are common ingredients in surface disinfectants and hand sanitizers used in both public and health care settings. Study of these hand sanitizers is important because other research has shown high levels of HPV DNA on fingers of patients with current genital infections. While HPV is susceptible to certain disinfectants, including hypochlorite and peracetic acid, it is resistant to alcohol-based disinfectants. Results were published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. Eurekalert!