News highlights on health security threats and countermeasures curated by Global Biodefense
This week’s selections include a global survey of gain-of-function research; funding of an mRNA mpox vaccine; Nipah virus outbreak in India; field detection of threat agents with acoustic wave sensors; and work towards a pan-coronavirus vaccine.
POLICY + GOVERNMENT
Expert Recommendations on Gain-Of-Function Research Aim to Boost Safety, Transparency
The American Society of Microbiology (AMS) released consensus recommendations on gain-of-function research into infectious agents with pandemic potential. The recommendations include internationally accepted definitions of terminology and stronger biorisk-management systems and oversight. They also recommend engagement and transparency with policymakers and the public, including candid explanations that justify why the research is needed and the steps that will be taken to safely conduct the experiments. CIDRAP, ASM
The Biodefense Posture Review Needs Focus to Succeed
The DoD’s Biodefense Posture Review fails to advance our understanding of the national security community’s equities in public health issues or improve the department’s force health protection efforts. By imposing an artificial governance body (The Biodefense Council) over a significantly large and complex mission-set, the department is taking responsibilities away from the very offices that are working to advance these defense issues. War on the Rocks
Healthcare Workers Express Outrage at Flawed CDC Mask Guidance
The draft proposal from a CDC advisory committee controversially concluded that N95 face masks are equivalent to looser, surgical face masks in certain settings — and that doctors and nurses need to wear only surgical masks when treating patients infected by “common, endemic” viruses, like those that cause the seasonal flu. Many health care professionals and scientists expressed outrage after the group released a draft of its proposals in June. The committee was slated to vote on the changes on Aug. 22, but it postponed action until November. Global Biodefense
Lessons Not Learnt From Covid-19
As heads of government from around the world gather at the UN in New York in coming days, they are unlikely to make any significant progress in tackling a pressing problem that so recently dominated their attention. Despite prominent inquiries and ambitious proposals to enhance pandemic prevention and preparedness, much of the momentum has faded — even as new variants of coronavirus spread, mutate and claim lives. “The urgency that gripped nations to be better prepared in future has been replaced by complacency and compromise. If we squander the political will to fix our broken system in the wake of a pandemic, when will we ever do it?” Financial Times
U.S. Sets Bioeconomy Goals and Confronts Data Challenges
In September 2022, President Biden signed an executive order to advance biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation for a “sustainable, safe, and secure American bioeconomy.” Following up on this executive order, in March 2023, the White House released a report outlining a bold vision for what is possible with the power of biotechnology and biomanufacturing. Chapter by chapter, the report describes the R&D needed to realize the vision. The chapter on human health–related goals is emphasized in this article. Across fields such as health monitoring, multiomics medicine, cell-based therapies, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven bioinformatics, and gene editing, the accumulation of biotechnology and biomanufacturing knowledge promises to bring about additional advances in human health while preserving biosafety and biosecurity. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
The American People Deserve a Single Food Safety Agency
In 2017, the Trump administration proposed re-organizing the oversight of food safety regulatory activities into one agency, the Federal Food Safety Agency, to be housed within USDA. Similarly, the Obama administration also proposed a single food safety agency, but it suggested that it reside within FDA. In fact, efforts have been made to consolidate food safety activities into one agency since 1949. Over the past decade, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Senator Richard Durbin have repeatedly introduced similar legislation, the call for a single food safety agency, without success. The U.S. Government Accountability as also made similar recommendations. Food Safety News
WHO Pandemic Treaty: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
“I’m confident governments will adopt a Pandemic Accord at the May 2024 World Health Assembly. However, I’m concerned it might lack the robust norms I mentioned. This could weaken its impact. Bold norms and strong accountability mechanisms could make it powerful, but high-income countries might hesitate to ratify it. It could be diluted during negotiations, potentially failing to ensure equitable access to lifesaving resources or overlooking the ‘One Health’ strategy.” Health Policy Watch
NIH Sticks to New Requirement That Foreign Partners Share Lab Notebooks
The NIH is standing firm on a new mandate requiring partners abroad to periodically share lab notebooks and other raw data with their main grant recipient in the U.S. Hundreds of researchers and organizations had urged the agency to drop or narrow the rule because they warned it could impede foreign collaborations, particularly in developing countries. Normally researchers only give collaborators data needed for anticipated publications and keep their notebooks and other raw data unless there’s an NIH audit.
NIH said the policy change reflected recommendations from government watchdog reports that had been sparked by concerns over a subaward given by the agency to China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology. But many U.S. researchers consider it an overreach to have a blanket requirement that all foreign grant recipients share their notebooks. Some working on infectious diseases and public health in places such as Africa and Brazil argued that the mandate to submit all raw data—from handwritten field notes to recordings to patient data that would need to be deidentified—would be costly and cumbersome, was unnecessary, and would erode long-standing collaborations. Science
Threats Like AI-Aided Bioweapons Confound Policymakers
On Friday, Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley — respectively, the Democratic chair and top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law — offered a legislative outline that would create an independent oversight agency for AI and require companies creating high-risk applications to register with the new body. The other approach is to empower existing agencies, giving tools to oversee AI applications to the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration in their respective areas. Roll Call
Unprecedented Focus on Global Public Health at UN General Assembly
WHO is urging leaders meeting at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78) in New York to put health for all on the highest political agenda and apply lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. On 20 September, the UN High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) aims to give Member States a forum to discuss how to prevent and prepare for pandemics and the health, social and economic consequences, by involving all government sectors. The outcome will be a declaration that aims at mobilizing political will at the national, regional and international levels. Themes for two panels during the meeting focus on ensuring equity through governance and accountability as well as building capacity and harnessing timely, sustainable and innovative financing and investment. World Health Organization
MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES
Characterization of a Mouse-Adapted Strain of Bat Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Related Coronavirus
The genetic diversity of SARSr-CoVs in wildlife and their potential risk of cross-species infection highlights the importance of developing a powerful animal model to evaluate the antibodies and antiviral drugs. This model exhibited age-related mortality similar to SARS and COVID-19, with gives high potential for investigating the pathogenesis of bat SARSr-CoVs and could serve as a prospective test platform for prophylactic and therapeutic candidates. Journal of Virology
Mount Sinai to Lead Development of Pan-Coronavirus Vaccine Under New Federal Grant
The Programming Long-lasting Immunity to Coronaviruses (PLUTO) project aims to establish correlates of robust, durable, and protective coronavirus humoral immunity and design and test efficacy of viral variant-proof pan-sarbecovirus and pan-betacoronavirus vaccines. Global Biodefense
Duration of Humoral Immunity from Smallpox Vaccination and its Cross-Reaction with Mpox Virus
The vaccinia virus Tiantan strain (VTT) was used to vaccinate against smallpox in China 42 years ago. It is important to assess the level of immunity to smallpox in individuals vaccinated back then, and evaluate their immunological susceptibility to MPXV. This study showed that humoral immunity from the smallpox vaccine in this population still remains, and VTT-specific neutralizing antibody levels wane with age. The majority of the population pre-1981 who should be immunized with VTT still maintains certain levels of MPXV-specific antibodies, in particular, targeting A35R and B6R antigens. Although this remaining immunity from smallpox vaccination may not provide full protection against MPXV infection, it is likely to decrease the probability of severe and fatal disease and relieve clinical symptoms after infection. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy
Lassa Virus mRNA Vaccine Candidate Confers Protection But Does Not Require Neutralizing Antibody
Lipid nanoparticle formulated mRNA vaccines, encoding either the wild-type or the prefusion-stabilized glycoprotein complex, were tested for immunogenicity and efficacy against lethal Lassa Virus challenge in guinea pigs. Both vaccines were safe and well tolerated. Vaccination with either construct induced robust binding antibody titers, with the prefusion stabilized construct vaccine eliciting significantly higher levels of these antibodies. Of note, LASV-neutralizing antibody responses were detected in only some but not all animals in either group. Despite that, all vaccinated animals were protected from death and severe disease caused by LASV. Because of the variable levels of the induced virus-neutralizing antibodies, researchers hypothesize that the protection may be associated with the Fc-mediated effects. It is also possible that the protection is conferred by the cell-mediated response. Nature Communications
Smallpox Vaccines: Bavarian Nordic Awarded Another Contract to Supply EU Strategic Reserve
Bavarian Nordic has been awarded a contract to supply its MVA-BN smallpox vaccine to rescEU, a strategic reserve (national stockpile) within the EU. This order follows an initial contract awarded in June 2023 and is also for delivery in 2024. The vaccines will be stockpiled in another EU country thus expanding the EU’s capability to respond to biological threats and emergencies. Global Biodefense
Measuring the Efficacy of a Vaccine During an Epidemic
Study demonstrates that conducting large cohort phase III clinical trials during the peak of an epidemic leads to a significant underestimation of vaccine efficacy, even in the absence of confounding factors. This underestimation increases with the proportion of infectious individuals in the population during the experiment and the severity of the epidemic, as measured by its basic reproduction number. PLOS One
Moderna Says mRNA Flu Shot Generates Better Immune Response in Study Than Currently Available Vaccine
This week the company said that its experimental mRNA-based seasonal flu vaccine (mRNA-1010) generated a stronger immune response against four strains of the flu virus than a currently marketed vaccine in a Phase 3 study, paving the way for the company to discuss a path to approval with regulators. Moderna is racing Pfizer to bring mRNA technology to seasonal flu vaccines. CNN
Isolation of Novel Simian Adenoviruses from Macaques for Development of a Vector for Human Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Adenoviruses are widely used in gene therapy and vaccine delivery. Due to the high prevalence of human adenoviruses (HAdVs), the pre-existing immunity against HAdVs in humans is common, which limits the wide and repetitive use of HAdV vectors. The successful isolation, characterization, and modification of novel SAdVs provide a potentially important vaccine and gene therapy candidate and a new strategy for the rapid acquisition and development of non-HAdV-based alternative vectors. Journal of Virology
Multifunctional Human Monoclonal Antibody Combination Mediates Protection Against Rift Valley Fever Virus at Low Doses
The zoonotic Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) can cause severe disease in humans and has pandemic potential, yet no approved vaccine or therapy exists. This study describes a dual-mechanism human monoclonal antibody (mAb) combination against RVFV that is effective at minimal doses in a lethal mouse model of infection. Nature Communications
BioNTech Wins Up to $90M in Funding for Mpox Vaccine Development
Germany’s BioNTech announced on Monday a partnership with CEPI to support the development of mRNA-based mpox vaccine candidates. BioNTech would initiate an early-to-mid stage trial for the vaccine BNT166. The trial aims to enroll 196 healthy patients with and without prior history of known or suspected smallpox vaccination. Reuters
BIOSECURITY + BIOPREPAREDNESS
First Global Survey Reveals Who is Doing ‘Gain Of Function’ Research on Pathogens and Why
Researchers at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology scanned the scientific literature using an artificial-intelligence tool to assess where and how often ‘gain of function’ (GOF) studies are conducted. These studies, in which scientists bestow new abilities on pathogens by, for instance, inserting a fluorescent gene or making them more transmissible, are common in microbiology research, the team found, but only a small fraction of the research involves agents dangerous enough to require the strictest biosafety precautions in laboratories. The researchers also found that about one-quarter of studies involving GOF or loss of function (LOF) — in which pathogens are weakened or lose capabilities — are related to vaccine development or testing. Nature
Supply Chain Resiliency – Collaborative Procurement Playbook
Offers both novice and experienced supply chain managers a collection of resources and tools to enhance and diversify strategies for supply chain resiliency, with a particular focus on collaborating with partners. Provides scenarios and worksheets within the playbook to explore how facilities can enhance preparedness efforts. Healthcare Ready
WHO Guidance on Rapid Performance Improvement for Outbreak Detection and Response
This toolkit serves as an agile performance enhancement methodology, scrutinizing the efficiency of initial detection measures and subsequent responses to public health events, irrespective of their scale. Its implementation fosters adaptive changes in workflow strategies and actions. World Health Organization, The Lancet Global Health
SELECT AGENTS + PRIORITY PATHOGENS
Nipah Outbreak in India Grows to 6 Cases
A 39-year-old man has tested positive for Nipah virus in India’s Kerala state, raising the outbreak total as of 15 Sep to six cases. The list of people who have come into contact with any of the patients grew to 950 people. Of those, 213 are in the high-risk category, including 21 who have been hospitalized and 287 healthcare workers. Fifteen samples from those in the high-risk category have been sent for testing. Kerala state have ordered some schools and offices to close and containment zones in villages to limit the spread of the virus. CIDRAP
Another Nipah Outbreak in India: What Do We Know About This Virus and How to Stop It?
The Southern Indian state of Kerala is now battling another deadly outbreak of the Nipah virus, its fourth since 2018. “There is virological evidence that the strain we’re encountering in Kerala is the Bangladeshi strain,” says Dr. Thekkumkar Surendran Anish, who is leading the state’s surveillance team. This has a high fatality rate of 75% and causes acute respiratory distress, with the higher possibility of human-to-human transmission, he adds. “The virus has an incubation period of 14-21 days. Judging from the time of the secondary infections, we’re still in the middle of this outbreak,” There is no vaccine nor cure for Nipah yet, and supportive care is all that patients can be given. NPR, Washington Post
The Basics on the Nipah Virus Outbreak in India
This is the fourth Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala. The deadliest was in 2018, with 18 laboratory-confirmed cases and five suspected cases, 17 of whom died. A targeted monoclonal antibody therapy have been shown to be effective at reducing death in green monkeys if given early enough in the course of a Nipah virus infection. But no studies have yet shown how effective these drugs are in humans with Nipah virus. Nevertheless, the Indian authorities are buying monoclonal antibodies from Australia to use in the current outbreak. Global Biodefense
Estimation of the Instantaneous Reproduction Number and Growth Rates for the 2022 Mpox Outbreak
At the early phase of the mpox outbreak in Europe, estimation of instantaneous reproduction number Rt for the laboratory-confirmed cases (which can be used as a proxy for the basic reproduction number R0) was 2.06 for Spain, 2.62 for France, 2.81 for Germany, 1.82 for the UK, 2.84 for the Netherlands, 1.13 for and Portugal, 3.06 for Italy. Findings suggest that the current monkeypox outbreaks present limited transmission chains of human-to-human secondary infection, so the possibility of a huge pandemic is very low. PLOS One
Prevention and Post-Exposure Management of Occupational Exposure to Ebola Virus
There have been significant advances in the prevention and management of Ebola virus disease (EVD) caused by Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV), including the development of two effective vaccines, rVSV-ZEBOV and Ad26.ZEBOV/MVA-BN-Filo. In addition, ZEBOV monoclonal antibodies have become first-line therapy for EVD. However, the 2022–23 outbreak of Sudan Ebola virus (SUDV) in Uganda has highlighted the gap in current therapies and vaccines, whose efficacy is uncertain against non-ZEBOV species. Review discusses currently available evidence for prevention and post-exposure prophylaxis of EVD, including therapies currently under evaluation for SUDV. The Lancet Infectious Diseases
AVIAN INFLUENZA
Bird Flu Undergoing Changes That Could Increase Risk of Widespread Human Transmission
“We demonstrate that an avian H3N8 virus isolated from a patient with severe pneumonia replicated efficiently in human bronchial and lung epithelial cells, was extremely harmful in its effects in laboratory mammalian hosts and could be passed on through respiratory droplets,” says Professor Kin-Chow Chang, at the University of Nottingham. Global Biodefense
Case Study: Fatal Avian Influenza Infection in Cat in Poland
This case report provides the clinical description, along with pathological, virological, and bacteriological results of feline influenza A/H5N1 case, one of the series observed this summer in Poland. While it is impossible to control HPAI in wild birds, which serve as a mobile reservoir for IAV genes, cats in endemic areas should be prevented from going outdoors, hunting, and feeding on raw meat. Global Biodefense
Pilot of Asymptomatic Swabbing of Humans Following Exposures to Confirmed Avian Influenza A(H5) in Avian Species
A program of asymptomatic swabbing was piloted in 2021/2022 in England to further understand the risk of human infection with avian influenza in exposed individuals and to evaluate this surveillance approach as a public health measure. There were challenges in deploying this pilot that will need to be addressed for future seasons. However, there was one detection of avian influenza A(H5N1) in a human despite low uptake in eligible exposed persons. Future use of asymptomatic swabbing could help provide an evidence base to quantify asymptomatic infection, quickly identify signals of increased animal to human transmission and improve public health preparedness. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses
CHEMICAL + RADIOLOGICAL THREATS
Internal Radiation Exposure of Residents from Areas Affected by the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident, Ukraine: 2016–2018
Residents around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant are still exposed to chronic 137Cs internal irradiation, probably because of the daily consumption of contaminated domestic foods; however, the risk of disease due to irradiation is relatively low. This study screened 1,612 participants, from July 2016 to February 2018 for internal radioactivity. Forest foodstuffs may have up to 100 times higher concentration of cesium than does local milk and meat. Mushrooms may have the highest effect on body burden, followed by berries, and winter and autumn have a significantly higher average body burden. The biological half-life of 137Cs is approximately 100 days, and if contaminated food is ingested regularly, cesium accumulates over time, resulting in a higher body burden. Therefore, the dietary habits of individuals living in contaminated areas are critical. PLOS One
Standardization of the Emergency Department Response to CBRN Events
There is an urgent need to standardize national planning, training, and evaluation of hospital staff who are expected to respond to CBRN events. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
New Self-Decontaminating Fabric Burns Viruses, Safe for Skin
A new material that packs deadly heat for viruses on its outer surface while staying cool on the reverse side could transform the way we make and use personal protective equipment (PPE). The composite, textile-based material developed by Rice University engineers uses Joule heating to decontaminate its surface. Global Biodefense
SURVEILLANCE + DETECTION
Rapid Detection of Monkeypox Virus Using a CRISPR-Cas12a Mediated Assay
As current diagnostics rely largely on centralised laboratory testing, here researchers aim to develop a simple rapid point-of-care assay to detect MPXV in clinical samples using isothermal amplification coupled with CRISPR and CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) technology. The assay displayed good performance characteristics compared with qPCR. Although optimization will be required before deployment, its usability and versatility present a potential solution to MPXV detection in low-resource and remote settings, as well as a means of community-based, on-site testing. The Lancet Microbe
Mass Spec for Rapid Detection of Biological Warfare Agents
An overview of several exemplary applications of ambient ionization mass spectrometry (AIMS) in biodefense, as well as discusses other perspectives of AIMS in battlefield detection. In most mass spec analyses, samples typically undergo purification and separation procedures prior to introduction into mass spectrometers. However, AIMS is ideal for in-situ analysis. Global Biodefense
Hunting for a Viral Proxy in Bioaerosols of Swine Buildings
Different strategies for the control of air contaminants in swine confinement buildings have been developed and investigated. The impact of these mitigation technologies and strategies on airborne viruses remains unclear since the presence of viruses in swine buildings is still generally limited to the analysis of surfaces, environmental and biological samples by molecular detection methods targeting specific and episodic viral infectious agents. This study aimed to identify a viral proxy from bioaerosols recovered from a swine finishing buildings using conventional molecular detection systems targeting known fecal viruses frequently found in animals, and high-throughput sequencing followed by viral metagenomics analysis. Journal of Environmental Sciences
Monitoring Mpox: Safeguarding Global Health through Rapid Response and Global Surveillance
Findings underscore the urgency of establishing a comprehensive global monitoring framework for mpox, enabling early detection, prompt response, and effective control measures to protect public health worldwide. Rapid and accurate diagnostic technologies are critical for timely case identification and epidemic control. Investment in the development of point-of-care diagnostic assays for mpox is critical. While the smallpox vaccination has demonstrated some success in preventing mpox, its limitations necessitate the development of a separate mpox vaccine. The focus of research should be on developing safe and effective vaccinations that provide long-term immunity against mpox. Pathogens
How Software That Tracks Covid Variants Could Protect Us Against Future Outbreaks
When covid-19 started spreading in early 2020, scientists quickly realized that tracking how the virus was mutating would be essential for public health as new strains emerged that put people at greater risk. Yatish Turakhia, then a postdoc at UC Santa Cruz’s Genomics Institute, helped develop a software tool called UShER to track these covid variants by placing them, within minutes of each new sample’s submission, on a family tree of all known SARS-CoV-2 genomes. The tool, which has been accessible online since 2021, now records more than 15 million viral sequences, and scientists add to it daily. More recently, the team built another software tool, called RIPPLES, which examines UShER’s extensive family tree structure and investigates whether specific “branches” of variants may be recombinants. MIT Technology Review
Implementation of Large-Scale Pooled Testing to Increase Rapid Molecular Diagnostic Test Coverage for Tuberculosis
Although the WHO recommends initial diagnostic testing using a rapid sensitive molecular assay, only 38% of people diagnosed with TB benefited from these, due to barriers including the high cost of available assays. Pooled testing has been used as an approach to increase testing efficiency in many resource-constrained situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has not yet been widely adopted for TB diagnostic testing. These results support the scale-up of pooled testing for efficient TB diagnosis. Pooled testing saved 48% of assays and enabled rapid molecular testing for 4156 additional people as compared to individual testing. Pooled testing and subsequent individual re-testing for samples from positive pools are performed on the same sputum specimen in the approach described here. In rare cases, a second sputum specimen is required if the test fails and there is insufficient sputum left for re-testing. Scientific Reports
Field Detection of Botulinum Neurotoxin with Acoustic Wave Sensors
Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNT) are one of the most potent toxins known to humankind. BoNT represents a significant bioterrorism threat, and if an attack event were to happen, then a detection method that combines speed, sensitivity, ease of use and the ability to be used in various environments would be required. Global Biodefense
Economic Evaluations of Whole-Genome Sequencing for Pathogen Identification in Public Health Surveillance and HAIs
The public health applications of the high-resolution data derived from WGS for pathogen identification and surveillance can increase precision for source attribution, reduce the size and burden of outbreaks, and detect and quantify antimicrobial resistance in pathogen strains. But the economic evidence to support the broader application of WGS as a front-line pathogen characterization and surveillance tool is insufficient and of low quality. WGS has been evaluated in various clinical settings, but these evaluations are predominantly investigations of a single pathogen. Estimates also largely exclude indirect impacts on the health-care system. The Lancet Microbe
Genomic Sequencing Surveillance to Identify RSV Mutations
Surveillance of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) genomic sequences for 100 RSV-A and 27 RSV-B specimens collected during November 2022–April 2023 in Arizona. We identified mutations within prefusion F-protein antigenic sites in both subtypes. Continued genomic surveillance will be critical to ensure RSV vaccine effectiveness. Emerging Infectious Diseases
New Commercial Developments in Single-cell Sequencing
Despite its 15-year history, developments in single-cell sequencing have not been static, and multiomics capacity has been expanded. Furthermore, potentially game-changing instrument-free approaches have also been developed that could make sequencing more accessible and highly scalable. Front Line Genomics
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
36 Suspected Cases of Hantavirus in Paraguay
Public health officials in Paraguay are warning residents about a resurgence of hantavirus, an endemic disease in the Chaco (semi-arid Western region), which is transmitted by rodents and is lethal if not treated in time. So far in 2023, 88 notifications of suspected hantavirus have been reported of which 43 were ruled out, 9 were confirmed and 36 cases remain probable. In total there have been three deaths. When fresh rodent urine, droppings, or nesting materials are stirred up (e.g. in barns, silos, storage areas), tiny droplets containing the virus get into the air and can infect people. La Nación
Syphilis Rages Through Texas, Causing Newborn Cases to Climb Amid Treatment Shortage
Syphilis rates in Texas continue to climb, alarming healthcare workers who see the highest increases among pregnant people and newborns. Last year, syphilis cases across Texas rose by 22%, according to preliminary numbers, from 21,476 in 2020 to 25,991 in 2022, the most recent statewide data available. That’s more than double the number of cases reported in Texas five years ago. While nearly every case is easily treatable with penicillin, untreated syphilis can be passed from an infected pregnant patient to the newborn. In 2021, Texas reported its highest-ever number of cases in newborns, at 685, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Then that number jumped another 39% last year to 950, preliminary state data shows. After steadily rising for more than a dozen years, the rates have gotten so high that earlier this year, officials with the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced a penicillin shortage that they blamed squarely on the demand created by soaring syphilis rates in the United States. Texas Tribune
New Research on Causes of Brain Swelling in Cerebral Malaria
Malaria killed approximately 619,000 people in 2021 alone, many of them children in Africa. In one of the deadliest forms of malaria, known as cerebral malaria, the patient experiences severe neurological symptoms, such as seizures and coma. Although only a small fraction of people who fall ill with malaria also experience cerebral malaria, the condition is lethal without treatment. Here researchers find that infected red blood cells adhering to vessel walls may be a main driver of brain swelling, information that can inform clinical decisions and better treatments in the future. Global Biodefense
Legionnaires Disease in Lung Transplant Recipients Likely From Donor
Aspirated freshwater in the lungs of an organ donor who died by drowning in a river was the likely source of Legionnaires disease in two patients who received lung transplants at a Philadelphia hospital last year. Legionnaires disease is typically associated with water in man-made systems, although numerous Legionella species thrive in natural freshwater environments. MedPage Today
New RSV Vaccines Can Be Powerful Tools, But Rollout Poses Test
The recently approved shots will slot in alongside vaccines for influenza and COVID-19 this fall, raising communication challenges for public health officials. “In general, people aren’t as aware of RSV, so that makes creating awareness of the vaccines even more challenging.” In 2022, an unusually early surge in RSV cases overlapped with peaking COVID and flu case counts. While some states weren’t hit as hard, hospitals in other areas ran out of hospital beds and others were forced to transfer patients with COVID out of state. BioPharma Dive
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE CRISIS
Congress Should Support New Antibiotics for Increasingly Harmful Superbugs
Eye drops contaminated with resistant bacteria have killed or blinded patients. Federal health authorities raised the alarm about a spike in life-threatening gut infections. And researchers discovered a novel, multidrug-resistant strain of gonorrhea in the U.S. Health officials have been warning for decades that antibiotic resistance is rising quickly across the globe and calling for new and novel antibiotics and antimicrobial drugs. Congress can help by passing a bipartisan bill known as the PASTEUR Act, which would stimulate urgently needed antibiotic innovation and support programs that are vital to preserving the effectiveness of existing antibiotics. The Hill
OECD Calls for Package of One Health Policies to Limit Impact of Antibiotic Resistance
Based on 2000-2019 data and current trends, a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that total human and animal antibiotic consumption in OECD, EU/EEA, and G20 countries will remain at current levels by 2035 if no further action is taken, despite some small declines in human antibiotic consumption—and even larger reductions in antibiotic use in livestock and poultry—that have been observed in recent years. That projection is based on the fact that while human antibiotic consumption is leveling off in many high-income countries, it’s rising dramatically in low- and middle-income countries. CIDRAP
Better Efficacy of Triple Antibiotics Therapy for Human Brucellosis
Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection caused by the gram-negative, intracellular parasitic bacterium, and is listed by the WHO as one of the “seven neglected endemic zoonotic diseases”. The number of new cases worldwide is nearly 500,000 or more each year. Although rarely fatal, the ability of the disease to cause cardiac, joint, spinal, and neurological complications have led to a tendency for the disease to be chronic and persistent, becoming a granulomatous disease that can affect any organ system. Treatment suffers from a high recurrence rate and drug resistance. This study researched the differences in efficacy and side effects between triple antibiotics therapy and dual antibiotics therapy through a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
One Health Spread of 16S Ribosomal RNA Methyltransferase-Harboring Gram-Negative Bacterial Genomes
Aminoglycoside antimicrobials remain valuable therapeutic options, but their effectiveness has been threatened by the production of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA methyltransferases (16S-RMTases). This study evaluated the genomic epidemiology of 16S-RMTase genes among Gram-negative bacteria circulating in the American continent, wherein prevalence has increased in the last five years (2018–2022). The three species most frequently carrying 16S-RMTase genes were Acinetobacter baummannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. More than 90% of 16S-RMTase sequences in the Americas were found in North American countries, and although the 16S-RMTase genes were less prevalent in Central and South American countries, these findings may be underestimations due to limited genomic data. Pathogens
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
U.S. Population at Increased Risk of Severe Illness from COVID-19
As vaccination strategies are being explored, these results demonstrate that >75% of adults in the U.S. would be considered at increased-risk for severe COVID-19 infection by CDC criteria. An estimated 176.1 million individuals representing 75.4% of U.S. adults had at least one increased-risk condition. 40.3% of adults have 2 or more risk conditions, and nearly 20% have 3 or more conditions. Notably, the proportion at risk was considerable amongst those at younger ages (less than 65), with 69.2% at increased-risk overall, including 58.8% in those 18–29. Obesity was the most prevalent risk condition (41.3%), followed by age ≥65 (20.2%) and CKD (15.8%). Excluding obesity, 61.1% of the overall population and 51.2% <65 remained at increased-risk. American Journal of Preventive Cardiology
Risk of Long COVID Main Symptoms After SARS-Cov-2 Infection
Meta-analyses found that COVID-19 infection results in a significantly raised risk of fatigue (1.72-fold) and shortness of breath (2.60-fold) at four or more weeks post-onset of infection when compared to an uninfected control group. There was also an increased risk of neurological symptoms found in this post-infection period; memory problems had a 1.44-fold increased risk, and concentration problems a 2.53-fold increased risk. A higher relative risk was also observed in patients with severe infection compared to non-severe infection. Scientific Reports
A New Covid Booster Is Here. Will Those at Greatest Risk Get It?
About 75% of people in the United States appear to have skipped last year’s bivalent booster, and nothing suggests uptake will be better this time around. Intensive outreach efforts that successfully led to decent vaccination rates in 2021 have largely ended, and this is the first round of covid vaccines not fully covered by the federal government. “Urging people to get boosters has really only worked for Democrats, college graduates, and people making over $90,000 a year,” said Gregg Gonsalves, an epidemiologist at Yale University. “Those are the same people who will get this booster because it’s not like we’re doing anything differently to confront the inequities in place.” KFF Health News
HISTORICAL REFLECTIONS
How to Find a Forgotten Disease Like Yaws: Lessons From the Philippine Experience
Yaws is a highly infectious, chronic, and disabling neglected tropical disease of the skin and bones that is caused by Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue and mainly affects children in tropical countries. A yaws eradication campaign from the 1950s to the early 1960s was successful in reducing cases by 95% worldwide, but a resurgence was noted in the 1970s. In 2012, the WHO targeted eradication of yaws through a mass administration of one-dose azithromycin. Nevertheless, in 2021, a total of 123,866 cases were reported from 13 countries, and 1,102 cases from nine countries were confirmed, largely from the Western Pacific region. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
SPECIAL INTEREST
Threads, Please Don’t Censor Covid
It is difficult to overstate how important Twitter had become for scientific communication. Scientists and doctors were able to share new insights with each other in real time. Young scientists had a platform to share their work easily across institutions and continents. Equally important, Twitter provided scientists and doctors a direct line of communication to the public. When Threads came out two months ago, it held promise to be the new home for up-to-date scientific conversation. But now, Threads seems to have declared itself a place where science can’t be easily discussed. You Can Know Things
Threads Blocks Searches Related to Covid and Vaccines as Cases Rise
Not even 24 hours after rolling out their search function for Threads, the company was embroiled in controversy. When users went to search for content related to “covid” and “long covid,” they were met with a blank screen that showed no search results and a pop-up linking to the website of the CDC. “The decision to censor searches about covid will make it harder for public health experts and people who work in public health to get out important info to the public about how they can protect themselves. Censoring searches for covid and long covid will only leave an information gap that will be filled by misinformation from elsewhere. The best solution is to take proactive steps to elevate multiple trusted sources and address misinformation.” Washington Post
IN MEMORIAM
Robert Lamb, Renowned Expert on Influenza Virus, Dies at 72
Robert A. Lamb, professor emeritus of molecular biosciences at Northwestern University, died Sept. 2. Lamb was an internationally recognized authority on influenza and paramyxoviruses. He made major contributions to the understanding of the molecular structure and the mechanism of replication of these disease-causing negative-strand RNA viruses. Lamb’s research revealed fundamental properties of the virus life cycles that have been crucial to the development of new vaccines and medicines. Northwestern University
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