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Changing patterns of infectious disease
REVIEWS Material for the Review section, including books, monographs, articles, and audiovisuals, should be sent to Sego Matsumiya, R.N., Infection Control Nurse, Veterans Administrations Medical Center, 500 Foothill Blvd., Salt Lake City, UT 84148. Individual reprints of articles reviewed must be obtained from the designated author.
BOOKS
Changing
patterns
of infectious
disease
L. M. Berquist. Philadelphia, 1984, Lea & Febiger; soft cover, illustrated, $28.50.
285 pages,
This book reviews a variety of infectious diseases that are new or emerging. The .appreach is generally organism-by-organism and includes a discussion of the clinical diagnostic criteria, etiology, predisposing factors, epidemiology, laboratory diagnosis, prognosis, case reports, and a summary. The 19 chapters discuss specific diseases or clinical syndromes from antibiotic-associated colitis to gastrointestinal yersinosis and toxic shock syndrome. Parasitic, viral, fungal, and bacterial infections are included. The common theme, as discussed in the first chapter, is the emergence or survival of modern-day pathogens that can be attributed to (1) alterations in the microorganism, (2) opportunistic modes of transmission, (3) the practices of modern medicine, or (4) certain lifestyles of the twentieth century. The final chapter explains the importance of recombinant DNA technique and the practical uses of monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis and control of infectious diseases in the future. The text is annotated and the book indexed. The strength of this book is in its clinical and historical perspective, the detailed discussions of laboratory diagnosis, and the case studies. The case reports represent the variety and scope of each disease. The hepatitis B case studies include (1) an &month-old infant whose mother had a “flu-like” illness during her third trimester and transmitted the disease to the infant, (2) a 61-year-old man with neuromuscular deficits in his lower limbs and a late-positive test for hepatitis-associated antibody, and (3) a 2%year-old 48
laboratory technician who ultimately died of massive intestinal bleeding. These cases are taken from the current medical literature. Nonetheless, the book has some weaknesses. It lacks a specific chapter on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which seems to be the epitome of the changing pattern of infectious diseases in the 1980s. The index, however, makes several references to AIDS in the text. Moreover, references to specific infection control practices or techniques are only vaguely mentioned. In discussing the herpesviruses as nosocomial pathogens, the author notes that most hospitals make serious attempts to protect immunocompromised patients; however, she suggests that the popular practice of personnel rotation and liberal visitation privileges are major risk factors for transmission. Although there is a hint of truth to some of this, these comments lack specificity and would have been better left unsaid or expanded considerably. The infection control practitioner (ICP) could use this book as a review of the current literature. The broad scope of the subject matter covers aspects of pediatrics, neonatology, oncology, and general medicine. Most ICPs will likely encounter these new infectious diseases and be able to use this book as a quick reference. At times, other references will be necessary to highlight specific infection control practices or expand upon a specific clinical aspect of infection. The detailed references in the text should be helpful in this regard. Another audience for this text would be the clinical microbiology department. The detailed descriptions of diagnostic procedures in the laboratory section offer a fairly complete reference of current methodologies regarding these new
Volume
14 Number
February,
1
Reviews: Books
1986
organisms. Teachers of clinical microbiology should enjoy the case studies, which could be used as teaching tools or reviews. Trish Berglund, P.A.-C., CIC Pocatello, ldaho
Infection manual
control:
A policy
49
chapters on special clinical areas and support services. The chapter on handwashing, masks, gowns, and drapes is thorough and includes procedures and rationale very specifically. This manual contains some good material, but would be of limited value as a resource to update a hospital’s infection control manual. JoAnn Hallam, R.N., B.S.N., CIC Livermore, California
and procedure
M. B. Palmer. Philadelphia, 1984, W.B. Saunders Co.; 359 pages, spiral bound paperback, $17.95.
Herpes
Many infection control policy and procedure manuals have recently become available. This one is neither the best nor the worst. The title does not seem appropriate because this manual covers neither policies nor procedures in any systematic fashion. The table of contents lists only the following policies: reporting communicable diseases, handling contaminated linen, handling and disposing infectious waste, general waste management, and traffic control. Additional policy statements can be found with the various procedures. To add to the confusion, some procedural methods are listed within the above policies. The section on isolation procedures is not based on the current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and includes a description of protective (reverse) isolation. There are separate categories for discharge precautions, secretion precautions-oral, and secretion precautions-lesion. An excretion precaution category is included that is intended for diseases less contagious than those listed under enteric precautions; CDC lists these diseases under enteric precautions. The alphabetical list of communicable diseases recommends eight categories of isolation whereas the narrative lists 10 and describes 11. The multiplicity of categories is confusing and involves much repetition. Infection control procedures are listed with an action on the left of the page and points of emphasis on the right. This section contains comprehensive material on IV therapy, total parenteral nutrition, surgical dressings, invasive pressure monitoring, tracheostomy care, catheterization of urinary bladder, thermometers, and collection of specimens. There are also
diseases
and your
health
H. H. Balfour, Jr and R. C. Heussner. Minneapolis, 1984, The University of Minnesota Press; 195 pages, hard cover, $14.95.
Dr. Balfour invites you to his office for a few hours to tell you the personal stories of the patients he treats through the Clinical Virology Service at the University of Minnesota. All of the patients he describes have some form of herpesvirus infection such as genital sores, cold sores, infectious mononucleosis, chickenpox, shingles, birth defects, and cancer. The people are real: Paul the pediatric resident and his wife Cammy; Christine and her baby Brenda; hysterical Adele Stevenson from Mirror Lake, Minnesota; Mike and his mother with a rash; high-powered Ted who acquired a new kidney and cytomegalovirus (CMV) and others. As you leave Dr. Balfour’s office, you realize that the five major herpesviruses are, for most of us, selflimited and manageable. In simple language the doctor has explained current research, treatments, cures, and future vaccine availability, as well as the personal emotions surrounding herpesvirus infection. The book was written for patients. Dr. Balfour points out that most of us have had contact with the herpesvirus family; thus, the book was written for all of us. The combined talents of a physician and Ralph C. Heussner, a medical writer, makes this book easy to read. The language is straightforward so that a layperson can understand the complex terminologies of immunology and virology. It should be a pleasure for the infection control practitioner (TCP) to read because it imparts a great deal of current information and future directions. Individual chapters discuss herpes simplex I
BOOKS
Changing
patterns
of infectious
disease
L. M. Berquist. Philadelphia, 1984, Lea & Febiger; soft cover, illustrated, $28.50.
285 pages,
This book reviews a variety of infectious diseases that are new or emerging. The .appreach is generally organism-by-organism and includes a discussion of the clinical diagnostic criteria, etiology, predisposing factors, epidemiology, laboratory diagnosis, prognosis, case reports, and a summary. The 19 chapters discuss specific diseases or clinical syndromes from antibiotic-associated colitis to gastrointestinal yersinosis and toxic shock syndrome. Parasitic, viral, fungal, and bacterial infections are included. The common theme, as discussed in the first chapter, is the emergence or survival of modern-day pathogens that can be attributed to (1) alterations in the microorganism, (2) opportunistic modes of transmission, (3) the practices of modern medicine, or (4) certain lifestyles of the twentieth century. The final chapter explains the importance of recombinant DNA technique and the practical uses of monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis and control of infectious diseases in the future. The text is annotated and the book indexed. The strength of this book is in its clinical and historical perspective, the detailed discussions of laboratory diagnosis, and the case studies. The case reports represent the variety and scope of each disease. The hepatitis B case studies include (1) an &month-old infant whose mother had a “flu-like” illness during her third trimester and transmitted the disease to the infant, (2) a 61-year-old man with neuromuscular deficits in his lower limbs and a late-positive test for hepatitis-associated antibody, and (3) a 2%year-old 48
laboratory technician who ultimately died of massive intestinal bleeding. These cases are taken from the current medical literature. Nonetheless, the book has some weaknesses. It lacks a specific chapter on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which seems to be the epitome of the changing pattern of infectious diseases in the 1980s. The index, however, makes several references to AIDS in the text. Moreover, references to specific infection control practices or techniques are only vaguely mentioned. In discussing the herpesviruses as nosocomial pathogens, the author notes that most hospitals make serious attempts to protect immunocompromised patients; however, she suggests that the popular practice of personnel rotation and liberal visitation privileges are major risk factors for transmission. Although there is a hint of truth to some of this, these comments lack specificity and would have been better left unsaid or expanded considerably. The infection control practitioner (ICP) could use this book as a review of the current literature. The broad scope of the subject matter covers aspects of pediatrics, neonatology, oncology, and general medicine. Most ICPs will likely encounter these new infectious diseases and be able to use this book as a quick reference. At times, other references will be necessary to highlight specific infection control practices or expand upon a specific clinical aspect of infection. The detailed references in the text should be helpful in this regard. Another audience for this text would be the clinical microbiology department. The detailed descriptions of diagnostic procedures in the laboratory section offer a fairly complete reference of current methodologies regarding these new
Volume
14 Number
February,
1
Reviews: Books
1986
organisms. Teachers of clinical microbiology should enjoy the case studies, which could be used as teaching tools or reviews. Trish Berglund, P.A.-C., CIC Pocatello, ldaho
Infection manual
control:
A policy
49
chapters on special clinical areas and support services. The chapter on handwashing, masks, gowns, and drapes is thorough and includes procedures and rationale very specifically. This manual contains some good material, but would be of limited value as a resource to update a hospital’s infection control manual. JoAnn Hallam, R.N., B.S.N., CIC Livermore, California
and procedure
M. B. Palmer. Philadelphia, 1984, W.B. Saunders Co.; 359 pages, spiral bound paperback, $17.95.
Herpes
Many infection control policy and procedure manuals have recently become available. This one is neither the best nor the worst. The title does not seem appropriate because this manual covers neither policies nor procedures in any systematic fashion. The table of contents lists only the following policies: reporting communicable diseases, handling contaminated linen, handling and disposing infectious waste, general waste management, and traffic control. Additional policy statements can be found with the various procedures. To add to the confusion, some procedural methods are listed within the above policies. The section on isolation procedures is not based on the current Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and includes a description of protective (reverse) isolation. There are separate categories for discharge precautions, secretion precautions-oral, and secretion precautions-lesion. An excretion precaution category is included that is intended for diseases less contagious than those listed under enteric precautions; CDC lists these diseases under enteric precautions. The alphabetical list of communicable diseases recommends eight categories of isolation whereas the narrative lists 10 and describes 11. The multiplicity of categories is confusing and involves much repetition. Infection control procedures are listed with an action on the left of the page and points of emphasis on the right. This section contains comprehensive material on IV therapy, total parenteral nutrition, surgical dressings, invasive pressure monitoring, tracheostomy care, catheterization of urinary bladder, thermometers, and collection of specimens. There are also
diseases
and your
health
H. H. Balfour, Jr and R. C. Heussner. Minneapolis, 1984, The University of Minnesota Press; 195 pages, hard cover, $14.95.
Dr. Balfour invites you to his office for a few hours to tell you the personal stories of the patients he treats through the Clinical Virology Service at the University of Minnesota. All of the patients he describes have some form of herpesvirus infection such as genital sores, cold sores, infectious mononucleosis, chickenpox, shingles, birth defects, and cancer. The people are real: Paul the pediatric resident and his wife Cammy; Christine and her baby Brenda; hysterical Adele Stevenson from Mirror Lake, Minnesota; Mike and his mother with a rash; high-powered Ted who acquired a new kidney and cytomegalovirus (CMV) and others. As you leave Dr. Balfour’s office, you realize that the five major herpesviruses are, for most of us, selflimited and manageable. In simple language the doctor has explained current research, treatments, cures, and future vaccine availability, as well as the personal emotions surrounding herpesvirus infection. The book was written for patients. Dr. Balfour points out that most of us have had contact with the herpesvirus family; thus, the book was written for all of us. The combined talents of a physician and Ralph C. Heussner, a medical writer, makes this book easy to read. The language is straightforward so that a layperson can understand the complex terminologies of immunology and virology. It should be a pleasure for the infection control practitioner (TCP) to read because it imparts a great deal of current information and future directions. Individual chapters discuss herpes simplex I