Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases

Our specialists in infectious diseases provide a full range of consultative services for adults with infections. These conditions include but are not limited to, post-surgical infections, infections in transplant and other immunocompromised patients, and infections of the skin, bones, joints, lungs, and intestines. In addition, we manage and treat patients with HIV infection and/or chronic hepatitis B and C.

The division’s allergy and immunology specialist evaluates and treats adults and children with allergic and immunologic disorders. Services include testing for allergies to medications and environmental triggers, desensitization (“allergy shots”), and management of immune deficiencies.

View Our Faculty Listing Clinical Programs

The Division’s faculty has a broad range of research interests. These include the following studies performed by Dr. Melvin Weinstein:

• Epidemiology and outcome of bloodstream infections
• Development and evaluation of innovative culture and nonculture-based systems to detect bloodstream infections
• Laboratory detection of emerging antimicrobial resistance
• Improved methods of in vitro susceptibility testing
• HIV prevention and education

And Dr. Tanaya Bhowmick:

• Improved screening and linkage to care for individuals at risk for HCV
• Implementation of systems to optimize the rational use of antimicrobial agents
• Clinical trials of innovative antibiotics for multidrug-resistant bacteria (performed by Drs. Bhowmick and Weinstein).

In addition, the ID and allergy faculty annually mentor medical residents and ID fellows in numerous quality assurance and other clinical research projects.

• Use of Tocilizumab for COVID-19-Induced Cytokine Release Syndrome: A Cautionary Case Report: Jared Radbel, Navaneeth Narayanan, Pinki J Bhatt
• Risk Factors and Outcomes of Hospitalized Patients With Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Secondary Bloodstream Infections: A Multicenter Case-Control Study: Pinki J Bhatt, Stephanie Shiau, Luigi Brunetti, Yingda Xie, Kinjal Solanki, Shaza Khalid, Sana Mohayya, Pak Ho Au, Christopher Pham, Priyanka Uprety, Ronald Nahass, Navaneeth Narayanan
• Prevention of infection and optimizing vaccination in the solid organ transplant candidate and recipient: HaYoung Ryu, Navaneeth Narayanan, Pinki J Bhatt
• Adani, S., Bhowmick, T., Weinstein, M.P., Narayanan, N. Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia Treated with Vancomycin at an Institution with Suppressed MIC Reporting: Impact of Vancomycin MIC. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 62(4) e02512-17, 2018; doi:10.1128/AAC.02512-17
• Kaye, K.S., Bhowmick, T., Metallidis, S., et al. Effect of Meropenem-Vaborbactam vs Piperacillin-Tazobactam on Clinical Cure or Improvement and Microbial Eradication in Complicated Urinary Tract Infection The TANGO I Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 319(8):788-799, 2018. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.0438
• Bhowmick, T., Jagpal., Hussain, S. Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Treatment of Infections Among Patients With Cystic Fibrosis. Current Treatment Options in Infectious Diseases. 10(2) 263-269, 2018. doi:10.1007/s40506-018-0157-9.
• Bhowmick, T., Kirn, T.J., Hetherington, F., Takavarasha, S., Sandhu, S., Gandhi, S., Narayanan, N., Weinstein, M.P. Collaboration between an Antimicrobial Stewardship Team and the Microbiology Laboratory can shorten time to directed antibiotic therapy for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcal bacteremia and to discontinuation for Coagulase-negative Staphylococcal contaminants. Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease. 92(3) 214-219, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2018.05.020.
• Wunderink, R.G., Giamarellos-Bourboulis, E.J., Rahav, G., Mathers, A.J., Bassetti, M., Vazquez, J., Cornely, O.A., Solomkin, J., Bhowmick, T., Bishara, J., Daikos, G.L., Felton, T., Furst, M.J.L., Kwak, E.J., Menichetti, F., Oren, I., Alexander, E.L., Griffith, D., Lomovskaya, O., Loutit, J., Zhang, S., Dudley, M.N., Kaye, K.S.. Effect and Safety of Meropenem-Vaborbactam versus Best-Available Therapy in Patients with Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Infections: The TANGO II Randomized Clinical Trial. Infectious Diseases and Therapy. 7(4) 439-455, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-018-0214-1.
• Rai, R., Vaidya, P., Desai, A., Bhowmick, T., Weinstein, M.P., Narayanan, N. Comparison of Linezolid and Daptomycin for the Treatment of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Bacteremia. Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease. Jan 2019. https://doi.org/10.1177/2049936119828964
• Bhowmick, T., Liu, C., Imp, B., Sharma, R. Boruchoff, S.E. Ceftaroline as Salvage Therapy for Complicated MRSA Bacteremia: Case Series and Analysis. Infection. April 6, 2019 doi: 10.1007/s15010-019-01304-7.
• Dahal, U., Kirn, T.K., Bhowmick, T. Perforation of Hard Palate. JAMA Otolaryngology- Head & Neck Surgery. 2019;145(8):763-764. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2019.0926
• Bhowmick, T., Rasool, A., Desai, A., Weinstein, M.P. Erythema migrans spared from rash of Engraftment syndrome. Transfusion. 59(7) 2193-2194, 2019 doi.org/10.1111/trf.15290
• The Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program Directors’ Committee and Work-Group: Melia, M.T.,Paez, A., Reid, G. (et.al. including Bhowmick, T.). Helping the Struggling Fellow: Remediation Challenges and Opportunities. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. Feb 2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofaa058
• Manicini, C.M., Xiaoqing, F., Zhang, Y., Kuper, K., Schulz, L.T., Bhowmick, T., Postelnick, M., Lee, F., Walensky R.P., Blumenthal, K.G. Penicillin Allergy Evaluation Access: A National Survey. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Dec 31;71(11):2972-2975. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa567.
• Mancini CM, Kuper K, Schulz LT, Bhowmick T., Postelnick M, Lee F, Blumenthal KG. Reply to Author. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Jul 14. doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa980
• Blumenthal, K.G., Xiaoqing, F., Zhang, Y., Kuper, K., Schulz, L.T., Bhowmick, T., Postelnick, M., Lee, F., Walensky R.P. Association of penicillin allergy documentation and antibiotic use: A national inpatient study. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 Aug 1;180(8):1120-1122. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.2227.
• Bhowmick, T., Weinstein, M.P. Microbiology of Meropenem and vaborbactam a Novel Carbapenem Beta-lactamase Inhibitor Combination for carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae Infections. Infect Dis Ther 9, 757–767 (2020). doi.org/10.1007/s40121-020-00350-1
• Bhowmick, T. Clinical Outcomes of Patient Subgroups in the TANGO II Study. Infect Dis Ther 10, 35–46 (2021). doi.org/10.1007/s40121-021-00405-x
• Bertram CM, Postelnick M, Mancini CM, Fu X, Zhang Y, Schulz LT, Bhowmick T, Lee F, Blumenthal KG. Association of beta-lactam allergy documentation and prophylactic antibiotic use in surgery: A national cross-sectional study of hospitalized patients. Clin Infect Dis. ciaa1762, Nov, 26, 2020. doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa1762
• McGuiness, M.J., MCcoy, J., Bhowmick, T. (May 29, 2021) Antibiotic Selection for Suspected Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection Among Penicillin-Allergic Patients in the Emergency Department. Cureus 13(5): e15323. doi:10.7759/cureus.15323
• Hovan, M., Narayanan, N., Cedarbaum, V., Bhowmick, T., Kirn, T.J. Comparing Mortality in Patients with Carbapenemase-Producing Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacterales and non-Carbapenemase-Producing Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacterales Bacteremia. DMID, in Press.
• Mohayya, S.M., Narayanan, N., Cimilluca, D., Malanowski, A., Vaidya, P., Bhowmick, T. Effectiveness of an Electronic Automated Antibiotic Time Out Alert in the Setting of
• Gram-negative Bacteremia. MDPI, in Press.
• Osband, A.J., Laskow, D.A., Mann, R.A., Berkowicz, T., Ianosi-Irimie, M., Boruchoff, S.  Sweet syndrome after kidney transplantation. Transplantation Proc. 41:1954-56, 2009.
• Tenover, F.C., S.W. Sinner, R.E. Segal, V. Huang, S. Alexandre, P.P. Williams, J.E. McGowan Jr., and M.P. Weinstein: Characterization of a Staphylococcus aureus strain with progressive loss of susceptibility to vancomycin and daptomycin during therapy.  Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents.  33:564-568, 2009.
• Weinstein MP, Jones RN, Klugman KP. Rationale for Revised Penicillin Susceptibility Breakpoints versus Streptococcus pneumoniae: Coping With Antimicrobial Susceptibility in an Era of Resistance.  Clin Infect Dis.  48:1596-1600, 2009.
• Swenson, J.M., W.B. Brasso, M.J. Ferraro, D.J. Hardy, C.C. Knapp, D. Lonsway, L.B. Reller, H.S. Sader, D. Shortridge, R. Skov, M.P. Weinstein, B.L. Zimmer, and J.B. Patel: Correlation of cefoxitin MICs with the presence of mecA in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Clin. Microbiol., 47:1902-1905, 2009.
• CLSI Consensus Document.  Performance Standards for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing: Fourteenth Informational Supplement. M100-S18 CLSI, Wayne, PA.  2008. (M.P. Weinstein, voting member, Subcommittee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing).

Publications

• Huang C, A Parikh, M Arcaro, M Arcaro, R Hingrajia, K Sarnoski, K Demisie, and M Mahal.  Improvement in hypergammaglobulinemia in HIV positive patients receiving antiretroviral treatment.  Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, PA, April 23, 2009.
• Gosnell, C.M., M.P. Weinstein, J. Rothberg, J.F. Hindler, M.A. Lewinski, B. Turng, J. Reuben.  Evaluation of the BD Phoenix Automated Microbiology System to detect inducible-macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (iMLSb) resistance in Staphylococcus species.  Presented at the 109th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Philadelphia, PA, May 19-23, 2009.
• Hindler, J. M. Lewinski, J. Tjhio, P. Schreckenberger, J. Rothberg, M. Weinstein, M. Bacafra, J. Johnston, B. Zimmer, and L.M. Mann.  Multicenter evaluation of a MicroScan Dried Overnight Panel for susceptibility testing of tigecycline against Enterobacteriaceae.  Presented at the 109th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Philadelphia, PA, May 19-23, 2009.

Being immunocompromised (or having a weakened immune system) from cancer or a transplant can put you at risk for certain infections. If you are anticipating a transplant or recently received one, you want to make sure that you are receiving appropriate evaluation to prevent these infections.

The Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Transplant Infectious Disease program’s mission is to provide comprehensive care for the evaluation and management of infections related to hematologic malignancies, bone marrow transplantation, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, left ventricular assist device and solid organ transplantation.

If you are anticipating a transplant or recently received one, you want to make sure that you are receiving appropriate evaluation to prevent any infections.

Our experienced clinicians, part of the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Infectious Disease, are trained to treat transplant and immunocompromised patients with a multidisciplinary approach. Our program works closely with, RWJUH New Brunswick Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Center, Advanced Heart Failure, VAD, and Transplant program, and the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey to ensure the best possible outcomes.

• Pre-transplant evaluation and management
• Patient education and counseling for pre-and post-transplant recipients
• Post-transplant infectious disease management
  • Bone marrow transplant
  • Heart transplant
  • Kidney transplant
  • Pancreas transplant
• Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) infection management
• Hematologic and solid tumor-related infection management
• Transplant ID

To make an appointment with our transplant infectious disease physicians, call 732-235-7060.