See what we’re reading this week at Global Biodefense on topics including defending against the next generation of bioweapons, animal disease outbreak response, and infectious disease surveillance in areas hit by Hurricane Harvey.
BIOPREPAREDNESS
- Trump must prevent the next biological attack before it strikes (The Hill)
- Biosecurity and synthetic biology: it is time to get serious (HSNW)
- Defending against the next generation of bioweapons (Global Research)
- New Stanford group aims to find ways to minimize bioterrorism risks (Stanford)
- Preparing airports for communicable diseases on arriving flights (NAP)
- K-State teaches emergency response in animal disease situations (CJ Online)
- WHO and partners respond to emergencies worldwide (WHO)
POLICY, PRACTICES & POLITICS
- FDA targets rogue clinic using Sanofi’s smallpox vaccine (Fierce Pharma)
- Are we a glutton for antimicrobial resistance? (Contagion Live)
- Why we should save DHS’ biodefense centers from proposed budget cuts (WT)
- NAS Symposium on Cooperative Threat Reduction for next 10 years (Pandora Report)
- CDC Emergency Operations Center activates in response to Harvey (CDC)
- DHS announces grant allocations for FY 2017 preparedness grants (DHS)
SELECT AGENTS
- ASM provides tools for the identification of Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis (ASM)
- Are we prepared in case of a possible smallpox-like disease emergence? (MDPI)
- Massive Ebola data site planned to combat outbreaks (Nature)
- The evolutionary reason why the ebola virus is so deadly (Forbes)
- Distinguishing naturally-occurring and laboratory strains of Y. pestis (PLOS)
- Sample processing approach for detection of ricin in surface samples (JIM)
- Genome engineering in B. anthracis using tyrosine site-specific recombinases (PLOS)
MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES
- Sanofi quietly pulls the plug on its Zika vaccine project (STAT)
- Flu vaccine very effective in children, but not elderly (BBC)
- Drug from tick spit may treat HIV-related heart disease (Futurity)
OUTBREAK NEWS & THREAT SURVEILLANCE
- Hurricane Harvey – Harbinger of infectious disease? (Pandora Report)
- Triple threat: new pneumonia is drug-resistant, deadly and contagious (NPR)
- Infectious diseases could sweep across Texas post-Harvey (Newsweek)
- Kansas confirms 2 more horses infected with equine disease (SFGate)
- The summer risk of Legionnaires’ disease (Journal Times)
- Why the toxin trouble with tiny turtles continues (NPR)
RESEARCH + TECH
- Malaria rapid diagnostics fuel overuse of antibiotics (SciDevNet)
- Parasites inside your body could be protecting you from disease (Phys.org)
- Rigging innate immunity against the flu (Science Direct)
SPECIAL INTEREST
- Frontline stories: risks faced by health workers (ODI)
- International Biosecurity Fellows reflect on SB7.0 (Pandora Report)
- How moldy hay and sick cows led to a lifesaving drug (NPR)
- Infectious-disease doctors join fight against opioid addiction (Boston Globe)
