Joon Young Song

Streptococcus pneumoniae can asymptomatically colonize the nasopharynx and cause a diverse range of illnesses. This clinical spectrum from colonization to invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) appears to depend on the pneumococcal capsular serotype rather than the genetic background. According to a literature review, serotypes 1, 4, 5, 7F, 8, 12F, 14, 18C, and 19A are more likely to cause IPD. Although serotypes 1 and 19A are the predominant causes of invasive pneumococcal pneumonia, serotype 14 r

Subclinical Covid-19 in South Korea Among 28 early confirmed cases of Covid-19 in South Korea, diagnosis was delayed in 11 patients because of subclinical symptoms and diverse initial manifestation...

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia. However, it can also asymptomatically colonize the upper respiratory tract. Because of the need to distinguish between S. pneumoniae that is simply colonizing the upper respiratory tract and S. pneumoniae that is causing pneumonia, accurate diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia is a challenging issue that still needs to be solved. Sputum Gram stains and culture are the first diagnostic step for identifying pneumococ

Imipenem/sulbactam combination, colistin and tigecycline showed good in vitro activities against carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii isolates. Even though colistin is bactericidal against carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii, the colistin/rifampicin combination is more warranted in order to be certain.

We have identified a large outbreak of rapidly growing mycobacterial infection among patients who received acupuncture at a single Oriental medicine clinic. Physicians should suspect mycobacterial infections in patients with persistent cutaneous infections following acupuncture, and infection control education including hygienic practice, should be emphasized for Oriental medical doctors practicing acupuncture.

Influenza virus is a common pathogen implicated in respiratory tract infections, annually affecting up to 20% of the general population, and pneumonia is a leading cause of death after influenza infection. Post-influenza pneumonia is especially common in the elderly and chronically ill patients. The risk of post-influenza pneumonia is significantly increased according to the number of concurrent comorbidities. Vaccination is the primary measure used to abate influenza epidemics and associated co

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is an ascitic fluid infection as a complication of end stage liver disease. The outcome is related to the severity of hepatorenal function, gastrointestinal bleeding, and many others; however it is not well known whether the infection acquisition sites have an effect on the prognosis of SBP. In order to identify the prognostic significance of the acquisition sites, we studied 106 patients who were diagnosed as culture positive SBP between October 1998 and

The incidence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection is increasing, which might be associated with high morbidity and mortality among critically ill patients with limited therapeutic options. This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical and microbiological features of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii bacteraemia. The medical records of 28 adult patients with this bacteraemia admitted to Korea University Guro Hospital, from January 2005 through December 2010, were reviewe

The clinical disease burden of IPD increased significantly with age and direct medical costs from IPD were substantial, regardless of age and co-morbid conditions. The current age-based vaccination strategy appears to be appropriate.

Sequential PCV13/PPSV23 vaccination is most effective for preventing pneumococcal CAP among the elderly aged 65-74 years.

This work was supported, in whole or in part, by funding from CEPI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Investments INV-010680 and INV-006462. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supported this project for the generation of IND-enabling data and CEPI supported this clinical study.

<i>Streptococcus agalactiae</i> (group B <i>Streptococcus</i>, GBS) is a leading cause of severe invasive disease in neonate, elderly, and immunocompromised patients worldwide. Despite recent advances in the diagnosis and intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) of GBS infections, it remains one of the most common causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality, causing serious infections. Furthermore, recent studies reported an increasing number of GBS infections in pregnant women and elderly. Altho

Administration of V114 followed by PPSV23 was well tolerated and induced comparable antibody levels to PCV13 followed by PPSV23 in healthy adults aged ≥50 years.