Steven Pergam, MD, MPH

Bravo!

Dr. Rachel Issaka's Malva Pudding Cake | Molly Moon's Blog Dr. Rachel Issaka's Malva Pudding Cake — Molly Moon's Women's History Month 2026

Maybe a highlight for any scientist or clinician - having an ice cream flavor made in honor of you!

Congrats to my colleague @fredhutch.org Dr Rachel Issaka

mollymoon.com/blog/dr-rach...

Emerging risk factors for IFI in HCT. Climate change, older/comorbid recipients, antifungal prophylaxis, changes in GVHD prophylaxis and treatment, longer survivorship, agricultural use of antifungals

Invasive Fungal Disease in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: New Risk Factors and New Therapeutic Options in a Changing World

@abbydouglas.bsky.social & Monica Slavin

doi.org/10.1111/tid.... #TxID #IDSky #MedMycoSky

A titan of vaccine development sees his field’s achievements slip away Stanley Plotkin, the 93-year-old "godfather of vaccines," is watching his field’s achievements slip away.

A titan of vaccine development sees his field’s achievements slip away www.statnews.com/2026/03/02/s... via @statnews.com @helenbranswell.bsky.social

There is sadness in knowing that years from now pediatricians see more of these tragic situations

Unregulated stem cell therapy is scary stuff

Transplant Infectious Diseases Career Development Position 2026-2027 University of California, Los Angeles is hiring. Apply now!

We are still accepting applications for our #TID fellowship/advanced training year at UCLA for 2026-27 ☀️ 🌴 - please reach out w any questions about this opportunity! recruit.apo.ucla.edu/JPF10380 #MedEd #IDSky @txidfellows.bsky.social @ast-idcop.bsky.social @idsainfo.bsky.social @idjclub.bsky.social

That's right. Worse than Pointless
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/23/o...

Liver Necrosis in a Patient Receiving Isavuconazole: Making the Case for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Abstract. An 81-year-old man prescribed isavuconazole for pulmonary fungal infection developed high serum transaminases and biopsy-confirmed hepatic necros

A case of liver necrosis 2/2 isavuconazole in a patient with genetic mutation leading to low CYP3A5 activity.

😳 Detectable levels 3 months after medication stopped
🤔 Authors suggest ALT/AST testing and TDM in older pts who have longer Isavu courses

#IDSky

academic.oup.com/ofid/advance...

Feasibility Trial of Prolonged versus Single-Dose Challenge in Penicillin Allergy We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of prolonged (i.e., multidose) compared with single-dose amoxicillin challenge in patients w...

#PROSPECTOR Trial is out in NEJM Evidence 🔥

➡️ evidence.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

✅ 1st double-blind, placebo RCT in #drugallergy
✅ Pilot feasibility RCT
✅ 1-dose vs 5-day amoxicillin challenge in delayed/unknown #penicillinallergy

We’re going to answer… Is 1 dose ever enough? 👀 #PROSPECTOR2

Emerging Endemic Area for Blastomycosis, New York, USA, 2000–2024 Blastomycosis, New York, USA, 2000–2024

The Northeast US is getting wetter with climate change, which may favor outbreaks of the fungal infection blastomycosis. Blasto seems to be emerging in upstate New York; prior reports have suggested that blasto is also on the rise in New England (immunosuppressive drugs may also be a factor)

White House stalls release of approved US science budgets The US Congress rejected sweeping cuts to science agencies. But the NIH, the NSF and NASA have had their spending slowed.

White House stalls release of approved US science budgets: The administration has not yet released funding Congress allocated to multiple research agencies, so they cannot provide it to funded entities/people - including NIH and NASA. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Fredricks Lab The Fredricks Laboratory based at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center studies the human indigenous microbiota to determine how changes in microbial communities impact human health.

Dr. DeMeules is now a Resident at Univ Minnesota who led the study - developed during her time working in the Fredricks lab @fredhutch.org

More about their work?

research.fredhutch.org/fredricks/en...

Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Monodomination as a Predictor for Bacteremia in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Recipients Our article explores the association between bacteremia and gut microbial composition among HCT recipients. We assess the predictive ability of the gut mic

🚨 New from DeMeules & collaborators at @fredhutch.org Fredricks' lab, describing 🦠 GI mono-domination in post HCT recipients & bacteremia.

*IP teams - Data suggests that many reported CoNS events from mucosal barrier/gut in these high risk pts. Important for CLABSI definitions

tinyurl.com/yn7zsxfx

Just noting that these details are concerning for H5N1 and its spread to other species.

But the image of the swab collection is just *chef's kiss

Elephant seals are massive animals who are territorial during breeding season....

Deadly bird flu found in California elephant seals for the first time Researchers at UC Davis say news they've dreaded since 2023 has come to pass: California's elephant seals have been infected with H5N1 bird flu.

Bird flu confirmed in California elephant seals for the first time, bringing the same virus to the U.S. that killed more than 17,000 elephant seals in South America.
www.latimes.com/science/stor...

Measles

Get used to seeing it

Possible mumps exposure at 2 Berkeley schools, report says: Here's what to know Two schools in Berkeley reportedly sent out a warning following a possible exposure to mumps on campus.

Mumps activity now in California and Maryland

Mumps (R0 10-12) is not quite as contagious as measles (R0 12-18), but it's pretty close. Serious complications include encephalitis, meningitis, orchitis (testicular inflammation), myocarditis, pancreatitis, and nephritis

Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis after Measles Infection | NEJM A 7-year-old boy was brought to a hospital with a 3-month history of cognitive deterioration and seizures. He had contracted measles at 7 months of age while living in an area where the ...

#IDSky. The impact of the measles epidemic is enormous -misery, costs, and disruption. One tragic consequence, while rare, will be an increase in SSPE in a few years. I've seen one case and it was one of the saddest things I have ever seen-and that is saying a lot. www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Unraveling the mechanism behind the probable extinction of the B/Yamagata lineage of influenza B viruses - Nature Communications Influenza B/Yamagata lineage has rarely been detected since COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions were introduced, while transmission of other influenza lineages resumed. Here, the authors investi...

This just in: the B/Yamagata lineage of influenza B is still extinct

This seems like a terrible idea

Chicago Invasive Meningococcal Disease Outbreak Reaches 10 Cases and 2 Fatalities: Vaccinations Urged The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is currently monitoring a cluster of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases. Since January 15, 2026, ten adult cases and two related fatalities have ...

"The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is currently monitoring a cluster of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases.

Since January 15, 2026, ten adult cases and two related fatalities have been confirmed."
www.vax-before-travel.com/2026/02/19/c...

Expect that this will become more and more common as insurance companies get more control through decisions made by HHS

It is frustrating as physician.

Devastating as a patient.

librarians are unbelievable assets that are so underutilized in science

Guinea-Bissau officials stop CDC-funded hepatitis B vaccine trial The country's foreign minister told Reuters the controversial trial is "not going to happen."

The unethical study planned in Guinea Bissau is officially halted by Guinean authorities.
"Study was halted in response to criticism from researchers and members of the US Congress. “It’s not going to happen, period" said the Foreign Minister.
A win for advocacy!
www.cidrap.umn.edu/hepatitis/gu...

15 States Sue H.H.S. Over Revisions to Vaccine Schedule

Breaking: Aiming to reverse recent changes to federal vaccine recommendations, 15 states led by Democrats announced on Tuesday that they were suing the Trump administration.

Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/24/h...

Now consider what a measles outbreak means for the immunosuppressed community.....dire outcomes.

Oppose Nomination of Casey Means for Surgeon General The Senate HELP Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the nomination of Casey Means to serve as U.S. Surgeon General on Wednesday, February 25th. While we were hoping this nomination was dead, i...

Want to join @defendpublichealth.bsky.social and send a letter to your elected representatives about voting NO on the confirmation of a snake oil peddler as Surgeon General?

Well, here’s a handy link to do so. Casey Means’ confirmation hearing is tomorrow. Join us in fighting her confirmation.

Fears of polio resurgence as US vaccine adviser questions need for childhood shots Survivors say US healthcare system not ready for new cases – ‘the only thing to fix polio is the polio vaccine’

“The best prevention is: don’t get polio,” he said, highlighting the importance of vaccination.” - Dr Allan

“With polio, you’re never going to fix us, and that’s the problem. The only thing to fix polio is the polio vaccine.” - Yours truly

Shoutout to @melodyschreiber.com for this amazing work! 💜

Congrats to Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem on receiving the George Stamatoyannopoulos Mentorship Award from @asgct.bsky.social! Dr. Kiem is honored for his numerous contributions to the mentorship and training of students and early-career professionals. Read more: https://bit.ly/4cBVkMD