IDSA’s Journal of Infectious Diseases has launched a monthly roundup of JID papers with direct relevance to clinicians. Read on to learn more about the development and potential clinical use cases of cefepime-taniborbactam, the unique risks of kidney transplants from donors with HIV to recipients with HIV and other research ready to inform clinical practice. (Titles and summaries are adapted from the August 2025 issue of JID.)
Genetic Susceptibility to Acute Viral Bronchiolitis
Companion editorial: Characterizing the Genetics of Bronchiolitis by Viral Etiology: Is There a Shared Role in Asthma Development?
Acute viral bronchiolitis is a major cause of infant hospitalizations worldwide. In the largest genome-wide association study conducted, two genes, variants in gasdermin B (GSDMB) and a missense variant in cadherin-related family member 3 (CDHR3), were significantly associated with this common illness. The results suggest severe bronchiolitis in infancy may trigger or be a marker for the subsequent asthma in genetically susceptible individuals.
Community-wide screening for pulmonary tuberculosis has raised concerns of overtreatment because of false positive diagnoses due to subpar performance of current TB screening tests. Notably, clinic-based test specificity estimates of Xpert MTB/RIF or Xpert Ultra against culture underestimate performance in communities. The authors’ results indicate that, with culture as the reference, the presumed false positivity of clinic-based sputum Xpert tests are reduced by > 85%. These findings support large-scale evaluation of community-wide screening for tuberculosis.
Trust, a Key to Counter Vaccine Hesitancy
As part of JID’s Special Collection on Vaccine Science, Samer Abdelkader, DO, and Akilah A. Jefferson, MD, explore the factors — history, confidence, literacy, access, values and trust — contributing to vaccine hesitancy and uptake.
Cefepime-Taniborbactam — a Novel Combination Therapy for Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens
Cefepime-taniborbactam is in advanced clinical development. This ID translational science update discusses the advances in medicinal chemistry leading to the development of cefepime-taniborbactam, its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, antimicrobial spectrum of activity, potential uses in the clinic, and mechanisms of resistance.
HIV Superinfection in Kidney Transplant Recipients With HIV Who Received Organs From Donors With HIV
Transplantation of kidneys from donors with HIV to recipients with HIV (HIV D+/R+) has been shown to be safe and effective, but there is a unique risk of donor-derived HIV superinfection (HIV-SI) in the recipients. Only one of 18 recipients of HIV D+/R+ kidney transplants developed HIV-SI, and the infection was without clinical consequences. HIV-SI in recipients of HIV D+/R+ transplants is rare, and the clinical ramifications appear negligible.
A total of 1,537 children (6 to 36 months of age) were evaluated and prospectively followed over 18 years; upon acute otitis media, middle ear fluid was cultured. The PCV13 vaccine significantly reduced complicated AOM and penicillin nonsusceptibility associated with S. pneumoniae, driven by reduction in serotype 19A cases. Haemophilus influenzae continued to be a dominant cause of complicated AOM.