News highlights on health security threats and countermeasures curated by Global Biodefense
This week’s selections include the looming deadline on the Pandemic Accord, changes to the federal select agents list, funding for radiation incident triage tool development, and troves of expiring PPE thrown away by states.
POLICY + GOVERNMENT
CDC Pushes Back on HICPAC Infection Control Guidance, Asks for Clarification
Last fall a draft set of framework recommendations from a federal advisory board (HICPAC) prompted an outcry from healthcare workers and infection prevention and control experts for essentially falsely equating the level of protection between a surgical mask and an N95 respirator (amongst other issues). The CDC said this week it “is taking a proactive step of communicating back to HICPAC some initial questions and comments on which we would like additional consideration before submitting the guideline into the Federal Register for public comment.” CDC said it is additionally working to expand the scope of technical backgrounds of participants on the HICPAC Isolation Guideline Workgroup and eventually among the committee members.
“…relevant to preventing transmission through air is to make sure that a draft set of recommendations cannot be misread to suggest equivalency between facemasks and NIOSH Approved respirators, which is not scientifically correct nor the intent of the draft language. Although masks can provide some level of filtration, the level of filtration is not comparable to NIOSH Approved respirators. Respiratory protection remains an important part of personal protective equipment to keep healthcare personnel safe.” CDC
APHIS Proposed Rule Changes to the Select Agents and Toxins List
As part of the Biennial Review and Republication of the Select Agent and Toxin List under the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is implementing findings from the latest biennial review: delisting Peronosclerospora philippinensis (formerly known as Peronosclerospora sacchari), African horse sickness virus, Brucella abortus, Brucella suis, and Brucella melitensis. APHIS is also proposing to add clarifying requirements for reporting discoveries of select agents and toxins, provisions regarding effluent decontamination system, and biosafety provisions for facility verification requirements for registered BSL-3 and animal biosafety level 3 laboratories. This document is scheduled to be published in full on 01/30/2024. APHIS received negative feedback on proposed removal of the Pasteur strain of B. anthracis, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), and will not be delisting at this time. Federal Register
World Risks Missing Deadline for Pandemic Accord, Says WHO Chief
The Director-General of the WHO said this week that countries risk missing a May deadline for agreeing to a legally binding treaty on fighting pandemics, which would be a big blow for future generations. The new pact and a series of updates to existing rules on dealing with pandemics are intended to shore up the world’s defenses against new pathogens. INB co-chairs have promised to provide more guidance before INB8 (Feb. 19 – March 1) regarding process crossovers, gaps, and opportunities to compromise. But there are a limited number of negotiating days left over the coming months and exactly how Member States will bridge significant divides and reconcile process overlaps remains unclear. Reuters, Pandemic Action Network
Congressional Action BIO Wants to See in 2024
As a new year begins in Congress, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is carrying over many of its legislative priorities from last year. BIO’s interests include issues like re-instituting full R&D tax exemptions, “mitigating” IRA policies that disincentivize investment in rare diseases and small molecule therapies, support for new antimicrobials (The PASTEUR Act), reauthorizing the Farm Bill, and pandemic preparedness. BIO
Addressing Misconceptions About Biological and Chemical Weapons and Related Legal Frameworks
Updated version of a resource which addresses misconceptions about biological and chemical weapons and related legal frameworks that VERTIC staff have identified through interactions with states parties over 20 years’ work on these treaties. VERTIC
An Overview of the US Food and Drug Administration’s Legislative Goals
In FY 2024, FDA aims to amend PAHPA after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed weaknesses in current legislation. FDA’s proposed amendments range from expanding FDCA notification requirements to include notifying FDA of an increase in demand for drugs to obtaining authority to require firms to provide shortage notifications for FDA-designated foods during a declared public health emergency. National Law Review
On Pandemic Preparedness, World Leaders Are Asleep at the Wheel
Distracted by geopolitical frictions and lulled by the easing of COVID-19 death rates, political leaders are neglecting the pandemic’s grim lessons. The need to plan for the next pandemic was made clear in 2021 with reports by the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response and the G20 High Level Independent Panel on Financing the Global Commons for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (HLIP). Both groups proposed extensive upgrades in the global public health infrastructure and its financing. It is sobering that the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board of the WHO and the World Bank, in its first report entitled “A World at Risk,” warned in September 2019, a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic, “The world is not prepared for a fast-moving, virulent respiratory pathogen pandemic.” World leaders are still nowhere near being prepared. Peterson Institute for International Economics
MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES
NIAID Funding Development of Biomarkers and Tools for Radiation Emergency Triage
The field of radiation research has made great progress in the development of medical countermeasures (MCMs). Since 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has licensed Neupogen®, Neulasta®, and Nplate® (Amgen), Leukine® (Partner Therapeutics), and Udenyca® (Coherus Bioscience, Inc.) to treat hematopoietic complications of the acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS). However, no biodosimetry approach has yet been cleared by the FDA for use in triage or as a diagnostic tool for irradiated populations. Global Biodefense
DARPA Announces EQUIP-A-Pharma Program to Advance Agile Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
The capabilities of agile pharmaceutical manufacturing would be a game-changer for enabling point-of-need manufacturing to support distant operating bases, addressing the needs of the American public during public health emergencies, enabling a resilient pharmaceutical supply chain, and becoming the foundational tool for personalized medicine. Proposals sought by 20 Feb to help develop a framework for rapid regulatory approvals supporting this agile manufacturing paradigm. Global Biodefense
Progress and Challenges in Developing Medical Countermeasures for CBRN Threat Agents
The U.S. biodefense plan collaboratively addresses threats from chemical, biologic, radiologic, and nuclear (CBRN) agents. Within this plan, the chemical countermeasures research program focuses on medical countermeasures (MCs) and therapeutic interventions for toxic exposures. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified “chemicals of concern” that are not only potential agents of terrorism but also may be released from transportation and storage facilities during industrial accidents or natural disasters. Around 200 chemicals of concern, known as threat agents, pose significant health risks. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Neurosteroids as Novel Anticonvulsants for RSE and MCM for Nerve Agents
This article describes recent advances in the use of neurosteroids as novel anticonvulsants for refractory status epilepticus (RSE) and as medical countermeasures (MCs) for organophosphates and chemical nerve agents (OPNAs), highlighting a comprehensive 15-year journey to bring the synthetic neurosteroid ganaxolone (GX) from bench to clinic. GX has been selected for advanced, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority–supported phase 3 trials of RSE and nerve agent seizures. Further research will be critical to fill key gaps in evaluating RSE and anticonvulsants in vulnerable (pediatric and geriatric) populations and military persons. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
Warnings of Bare R+D Pipeline for Top Pathogens with Pandemic Potential
The IPPS launched the next 100 Days Mission report and scorecard. The analysis reveals limited approved tests, treatments and vaccines for WHO priority pathogens, except COVID-19 and Ebola Zaire. While some progress was made in 2023 in vaccines R&D, the pipeline for diagnostics and therapeutics to address pathogens with pandemic potential remains underfunded and lagging. International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat
BIOSECURITY + BIOPREPAREDNESS
Forensic Parasitology: A New Frontier In Criminalistics
The development of forensic parasitology as a branch of forensic science remains largely unrealized. This paper explores the utility of parasites as forensic indicators in five broad areas: wildlife trafficking and exploitation, biological attacks, sex crimes, criminal neglect of humans and other animals, and indicators of movement and travel. For example, if an outbreak of visceral pentastomiasis caused by A. moniliformis was detected in a cluster of patients in London who had attended the same political fundraising dinner this may suggest a biological attack. This parasite does not naturally occur in England and infection follows ingestion of infectious eggs. Forensic Sciences Research
Towards Risk Analysis of the Impact of AI on the Deliberate Biological Threat Landscape
The perception that the convergence of biological engineering and artificial intelligence could enable increased biorisk has recently drawn attention to the governance of biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Here researchers present a simplistic framework for evaluating biorisk and demonstrate how this framework falls short in achieving actionable outcomes for a biorisk manager. We then suggest a potential path forward that builds upon existing risk characterization work and justify why characterization efforts of AI-enabled tools for engineering biology is needed. ArXiv.org
Establishment of a Poliovirus Containment Program and Containment Certification Process for Poliovirus-Essential Facilities, United States 2017–2022
The U.S. containment oversight authority conducted 27 site visits at 18 facilities (20 laboratories: A/BSL-2 (65%), A/BSL-3 (20%), and storage-only (15%)). Areas for improvement were identified in seven categories: primary containment, decontamination, hand hygiene, security, emergency response, training, and immunization practices. Sixteen facility applications were endorsed to pursue poliovirus-essential facility (PEF) certification, whereas four facilities opted to withdraw during the containment certification process. Pathogens
A Virginia Plant Promised PPE for Health Workers. $123M later, it’s Mothballed.
The U.S. makes hardly any of the personal protective equipment that the health industry uses in abundance. The federal government invested $123 million in 2020 to build a massive chemical plant in Wythe County, a project meant to help ensure that supply-chain disruptions would never again leave the nation short of medical gloves. In late spring of 2023, construction wrapped up on the plant, the only one in the country capable of producing the synthetic rubber needed to make disposable nitrile gloves. By fall, the factory was mothballed. State and local officials have urged Washington to complete a project that promised to bolster the nation’s glove supply and deliver more than 2,400 sorely needed jobs to Virginia’s rural Southwest. “How a company could act in good faith and build this plant and not have follow-through from those that initiated it, it truly makes my brain hurt.” Washington Post
What’s Next for Public Health?
Cries from the public health community of inadequate funding and a crisis of health disparities are issued regularly, but even when recognized as a “pressing” issue, they are not seen as a political priority. Yet, the urgency feels greater now than ever, amidst the backdrop of repeated warning about “the next pandemic.” Health Affairs
States are Trashing Troves of Pandemic Gear as Stockpiles Expire
Supplies were so limited in 2020 that the state bought millions of medical gowns from a marketing and printing company and spent about $20 million to try to get personal protective equipment made in-state. Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, Ohio and other states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves. With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into the stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money. A similar reckoning is happening around the country. Associated Press
Integrating Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratories for Emergency Use Testing during Pandemics
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic showed limitations in human outbreak testing. Veterinary diagnostic laboratories (VDLs) possess capabilities to bolster emergency test capacity. Surveys from 26 participating VDLs found human SARS-CoV-2 testing was mutually beneficial, including One Health benefits. VDLs indicated testing >3.8 million human samples during the pandemic, which included some challenges. Emerging Infectious Diseases
Pandemic or Not, Medical Oxygen Remains Essential
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, in wealthier countries there was a panicked rush to expand ventilator capacity to deal with the surge of people experiencing acute respiratory distress. In countries like India and Kenya, there was an even more desperate scramble to find oxygen cylinders for loved ones. In low- and middle-income countries, nine out of ten hospitals lacked the equipment to provide oxygen therapy. The Oxygen Emergency Taskforce has overseen an investment exceeding US$1 billion for oxygen-related needs, primarily via the Global Fund COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM). These funds have gone toward procuring oxygen cylinders and bulk storage tanks, installing oxygen production machines (known as pressure swing adsorption plants), and offering specialized training for health workers. Furnishing a hospital with a sustainable oxygen supply takes many months, given the need to install sophisticated equipment and pipework; and training health workers to provide oxygen safely cannot be done overnight. The Global Fund
SELECT AGENTS + PRIORITY PATHOGENS
Multiple Introductions of Yersinia pestis during Urban Pneumonic Plague Epidemic, Madagascar, 2017
Pneumonic plague is characterized by high infection rate, person-to-person transmission, and rapid progression to severe disease. In 2017, a pneumonic plague epidemic occurred in 2 Madagascar urban areas. Multiple Y. pestis lineages were independently introduced to these urban areas from several rural foci via travel of infected persons during the epidemic. Findings highlight the importance of using existing genotyping tools and developing genomics capabilities in Madagascar, elsewhere in Africa, and other global locations so they can be used during outbreaks of plague and other diseases to promptly identify multiple sources and transmission chains to better inform control efforts. Emerging Infectious Diseases
Nipah Virus: A Multidimensional Update
The main threat concerning global health is the emergence or selection of a more transmissible NiV strain. The observed capacity of transmission between patients and caregivers has raised the alert of a possible viral adaptation to a more effective human transmission. As an RNA virus, NiV possesses a high mutation rate, which, together with its wide host range and demonstrated capacity of interspecies and interhuman transmission, enables the selection of more transmissible strains as a component of the virus–host adaptation process. Viruses
Retrospective Genomic Characterization of 2020 Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
This study reviews the epidemiological and genetic details associated with the 2020 EVD outbreak in Équateur Province (the 11th outbreak), which occurred concurrently with an ongoing EVD outbreak in the eastern Nord Kivu Province. Between May 19 and Sept 16, 2020, 130 EVD cases (119 confirmed and 11 probable) were reported across 13 Équateur Province health zones. The index case reported frequent consumption of bat meat, suggesting the outbreak started because of zoonotic spillover and was not related to the ongoing EVD outbreak in the eastern Nord Kivu Province. Sequencing revealed two circulating EBOV variants associated with this outbreak—a Mbandaka variant associated with 84 (97%) of 87 human cases and a Tumba-like variant from four cases, with similarity to the 2018 EBOV sequences from the ninth EVD outbreak. The Tumba-like variant exhibited a reduced substitution rate, suggesting transmission from a previous EVD survivor. Integrating genetic sequencing and epidemiological data allowed for investigative fact-checking and uncovered additional unreported cases of nosocomial transmission. The Lancet Microbe
AVIAN INFLUENZA
Avian Flu is Devastating Farms in California’s ‘Egg Basket’ as Outbreaks Roil Poultry Industry
A year after the bird flu led to record egg prices and widespread shortages, the disease known as highly pathogenic avian influenza is wreaking havoc in California, which escaped the earlier wave of outbreaks that devastated poultry farms in the Midwest. The highly contagious virus has ravaged Sonoma County, where officials have declared a state of emergency. During the past two months, nearly a dozen commercial farms have had to destroy more than 1 million birds to control the outbreak, dealing an economic blow to farmers, workers and their customers. Associated Press
Exploring Associations Between Viral Titer Measurements and Disease Outcomes in Ferrets Inoculated with 125 Contemporary Influenza A Viruses
Compilation of viral titer and clinical data from >1,000 ferrets inoculated with 125 contemporary IAV under a consistent experimental protocol (including high- and low-pathogenicity avian, swine-origin, and human viruses, spanning H1, H2, H3, H5, H7, and H9 subtypes) and examined which meaningful and statistically supported associations were present among numerous quantitative measurements. Viral titers correlated positively between ferret nasal turbinate tissue, lung tissue, and nasal wash specimens, though the strength of the associations varied, notably regarding the particular nasal wash summary measure employed and properties of the virus itself. IAV possessing mammalian host adaptation markers in the HA and PB2 exhibited more rapid growth in the ferret upper respiratory tract early after infection, supported by quantities derived from infectious titer data to capture infection progression, compared with viruses bearing hallmarks of avian IAV. Journal of Virology
CHEMICAL + RADIOLOGICAL THREATS
A 39 Year Mortality Study of Survivors Exposed to Sulfur Mustard Agent: A Survival Analysis
The primary objective of this study was to analyze the long-term survival of 48,067 chemical warfare survivors who suffered from pulmonary, cutaneous, and ocular lesions in the decades following the Iran-Iraq war. The study included a total of 48,067 observations, and among them, 4342 (9.03 %) died during the study period. The survivors were divided into two groups based on whether they were evacuated/admitted (EA) to a hospital or not evacuated/admitted (NEA) to a hospital. The mean age of the survivors was 55.99 years. The mortality rate increased with age, and higher rates were observed in males. Survival probabilities differed significantly among age categories, provinces, lung severity, and eye severity based on log-rank tests (p-value<0.05 for all). The Generalized Gamma model results showed that higher age and being male were associated with a shorter time to death. Heliyon
Efficacy of Reactive Skin Decontamination Lotion (RSDL) Kit in Management of Acute Sulfuric Acid Burns
RSDL is typically used as a carry-forward chemical countermeasure by various at-risk agencies (military and emergency responders) for timely use in the event of skin exposure to chemical warfare agents. This work aimed to investigate the efficacy of RSDL or water irrigation for sulfuric acid dermal decontamination in rabbit models. Wound areas following decontamination were significantly smaller than controls. RSDL was a reliable decontamination method in the absence of immediate access to water. JMVH
SURVEILLANCE + DETECTION
Two Genomics Powerhouses Team Up to Expand Infectious Disease Surveillance
The collaboration between the U.K.’s Wellcome Sanger Institute and South Africa’s Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation comes as much of the infrastructure built up during the pandemic to sequence SARS-2 has dwindled. Global health officials have decried the lack of ongoing surveillance of the virus. “There are many blind spots,” said Tulio de Oliveira, who leads CERI at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University. “That’s one of the big motivations for this partnership.” STAT
Development of a Nanobiosensor for Rapid Detection of Brucella Based on Graphene Quantum Nanoparticles
A new nano-biosensor was developed for diagnosis of Brucella abortus (B. abortus) bacteria based on graphene quantum nanoparticles (GQNPs), magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and polyclonal antibody. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical
How Wastewater Could Offer An Early Warning System For Measles
The literature on wastewater detection of measles is scant, but encouraging. In one study, a team of researchers in the Netherlands tested wastewater samples collected in 2013 during a measles outbreak. They found measles RNA, and the positive samples matched the locations where cases had been reported. They even managed to confirm that the virus in one sample was genetically identical to the outbreak strain. In another study, researchers from Nova Scotia developed a tool to screen wastewater for four pathogens simultaneously: RSV, influenza, covid, and measles. When they tested it in Nova Scotia, they didn’t get any positive hits for measles, which didn’t surprise them as no cases had been reported. But when they seeded the wastewater samples with a surrogate for measles, they were able to detect it at both high and low concentrations. The real question, Wolfe says, is whether detecting measles in wastewater would have any public health value. Because measles is rarely asymptomatic and the rash is so distinctive, cases tend to get noticed. MIT Technology Review
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Transmission of Cervid Prions to Humanized Mice Demonstrates the Zoonotic Potential of CWD
Prions cause infectious and fatal neurodegenerative diseases in mammals. Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion disease of cervids, spreads efficiently among wild and farmed animals. Potential transmission to humans of CWD is a growing concern due to its increasing prevalence. Here researchers provide evidence for a zoonotic potential of CWD prions, and its probable signature using mice expressing human prion protein (PrP) as an infection model. Results suggest that CWD might infect humans, although the transmission barrier is likely higher compared to zoonotic transmission of cattle prions. The presence of infectious prions in feces is concerning because if this occurs in humans, it is a source for human-to-human transmission. Acta Neuropathologica
The Life-Long Protective Immunity of Yellow Fever Vaccination: Time to Review?
Yellow fever, a viral infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes, has re-emerged as a major international public health threat. Yellow fever epidemiology is affected by factors such as urbanization, population movements, deforestation, and climate change. The risk of yellow fever transmission to large urban endemic areas is thus greater than ever, and the potential spread to non-endemic areas, such as in Asia where Aedes aegypti, the vector responsible for most large urban outbreaks, is a threat. To maintain population immunity and avoid outbreaks, a sustained vaccination coverage of at least 80% is needed. The results of this review reconfirms the long-term immune protection of a single dose of yellow fever vaccine in adults, in particular those from non-endemic areas. The small number of studies in children show significantly lower seroprotection rates, a finding that has previously been discussed and led some countries to recommend the administration of a booster dose. Given the substantial implications for vaccine programmes and for supply, the decision on the need for a pediatric booster dose should be made on more robust data, collection of which is underway to an extent. The Lancet Global Health
Increasing Measles Vaccination Coverage to Improve Global Health Security
Now, preventing a measles through effective routine immunization is a lot simpler than detecting an outbreak and then launching a campaign to find children who missed getting vaccinated during routine health appointments. It’s a lot less expensive too. CSIS
Measles Outbreaks a Wake-Up Call for the Unvaccinated
The United Kingdom is facing a measles outbreak, while cases have also popped up in a few U.S. states in recent weeks. The CDC on Thursday advised health care providers to be alert for potential measles symptoms, which include a rash; cough; sore or swollen eyes; and flu-like symptoms. In the U.K., more than 300 probable cases — 216 of which are confirmed — have been detected since October, with the majority centered around the city of Birmingham. “Immediate action is needed to boost MMR uptake across communities where vaccine uptake is low.” MMR vaccination rates in the U.S. have seen a slight decline in recent years, reaching 93 percent among kindergartners during the 2022-23 school year, the lowest this figure has been in almost a decade. The UK mirrored this trend. The Hill
Emergence of Oropouche Fever in Latin America
Since its discovery in 1955, the incidence and geographical spread of reported Oropouche virus (OROV) infections have increased. Oropouche fever has been suggested to be one of the most important vector-borne diseases in Latin America. However, both literature on OROV and genomic sequence availability are scarce, with few contributing laboratories worldwide. OROV predominantly causes acute febrile illness, but severe neurological disease such as meningoencephalitis can occur. This review identifies Oropouche fever as a neglected disease and offers recommendations to address existing knowledge gaps, enable risk assessments, and ensure effective public health responses. Due to unspecific symptoms, laboratory diagnostics are crucial. The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Antibodies from Dengue Patients with Prior Exposure to Japanese Encephalitis Virus are Broadly Neutralizing Against Zika Virus
Exposure to multiple mosquito-borne flaviviruses within a lifetime is not uncommon; however, how sequential exposures to different flaviviruses shape the cross-reactive humoral response against an antigen from a different serocomplex has yet to be explored. Here researchers report that dengue-infected individuals initially primed with the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) showed broad, highly neutralizing potencies against Zika virus (ZIKV). They further identified a rare class of ZIKV-cross-reactive human monoclonal antibodies with increased somatic hypermutation and broad neutralization against multiple flaviviruses. Communications Biology
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE CRISIS
Dogs Can Detect an Odor Profile Associated with Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilms
The study investigated the utilization of odor detection dogs to identify the odor profile of Staphylococcus aureus biofilms in pure in vitro samples and in in vivo biosamples from animals and humans with S. aureus periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Identifying PJI biofilm infections is challenging, and traditional microbiological cultures may yield negative results even in the presence of clinical signs. Training odor detection dogs on in vitro S. aureus, may provide an alternative to obtaining clinical samples for training and mitigates biosecurity hazards. The findings hold promise for culture-independent diagnostics, enabling early disease detection, and improved antimicrobial stewardship. Frontiers in Allergy
Why Drug Resistance is Becoming One of Our Biggest Global Health Security Blind-Spots
Given the rise and spread of drug-resistant bacteria, outbreaks of previously treatable infections are becoming a major global health security problem. There is increasing drug resistance to even the last remaining effective antibiotics. Clearly, global solutions are needed to address this public health failure; and, when it comes to innovation, we need to develop not just new antibiotics, but those that protect against priority pathogens, multidrug-resistant bacteria that pose the greatest public health threat. World Economic Forum
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Differential Laboratory Passaging of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Stocks Impacts the In Vitro Assessment of Neutralizing Antibodies
Research tested whether recombinant virus carrying SARS-CoV-2 spike (VSV-SARS-CoV-2-S) stocks could be made more genetically diverse by passage, and if a stock passaged under selective pressure was more capable of escaping monoclonal antibody (mAb) neutralization than unpassaged stock or than viral stock passaged without selective pressures. Data indicate that viral stock that was generated under polyclonal antiserum selection pressure better reflects the natural environment of the circulating virus and may yield more biologically relevant outcomes in phenotypic assays. PLOS One
Covid is Back, and the US is Unprepared for the Next Bug. Here’s What to Do.
The WaPo Editorial Board calls for extended paid sick leave, investing in preparedness (PAHPA full reauthorization faces resistance from House republicans angry over the way public health agencies handled the pandemic), backing the Pandemic Fund, and boosting early warning systems (including building on progress in wastewater surveillance). Washington Post
WHO Grants Emergency Listing for Corbevax COVID Vaccine
The recombinant protein–based vaccine developed by scientists at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine was approved for emergency use listing by the WHO last week. Texas Children’s Hospital said 100 million doses of Corbevax have been administered in India. CIDRAP
HISTORICAL REFLECTIONS
Bacillus anthracis, Toxins, and Institut Pasteur
Institut Pasteur and Bacillus anthracis have enjoyed a relationship lasting almost 120 years, starting from its foundation and the pioneering work of Louis Pasteur in the nascent fields of microbiology and vaccination, and blooming after 1986 following the molecular biology/genetic revolution. This is an historical overview of these two research eras. The first era mainly focused on the production, characterization, surveillance and improvement of veterinary anthrax vaccines; the concepts and technologies with which to reach a deep understanding of this research field were not yet available. The second period saw a new era of B. anthracis research at Institut Pasteur, with the anthrax laboratory developing a multi-disciplinary approach, ranging from structural analysis, biochemistry, genetic expression, and regulation to bacterial-host cell interactions, in vivo pathogenicity, and therapy development; this led to the comprehensive unravelling of many facets of this toxi-infection. B. anthracis may exemplify some general points on how science is performed in a given society at a given time and how a scientific research domain evolves. A striking illustration can be seen in the additive layers of regulations that were implemented from the beginning of the 21st century and their impact on B. anthracis research. Toxins
SPECIAL INTEREST
Online Trust and Public Health: Communicating in a Digital World (Jan 29)
There’s still time to register for tomorrow’s webinar to gain actionable insights from social media experts and researchers on ways to lead with your core messages, build trust online, and combat misinformation. Public Health Communications Collaborative
Kazakhstan’s Actions to Address Nuclear and Biological Risks (Jan 30)
The Carnegie Endowment and the Council on Strategic Risks will host a panel on Kazakhstan’s increasingly global role in the changing threat landscape of weapons of mass destruction on 30 Jan 2024 in Washington DC and by webcast. CEIP
IN MEMORIAM
Ada Adimora MD, MPH, FIDSA: A Bright Light Dimmed But Not Extinguished
In this tribute to pioneering ID physician and researcher Adaora Adimora, MD, MPH, FIDSA, who died Jan. 1, 2024, two members of IDSA’s George W. Counts Interest Group reflect on her life and legacy. Dr. Adimora was a founding member of the group. She was a distinguished physician-scientist who made exceptional contributions to the fields of HIV epidemiology and clinical care. She obtained her MD from Yale and an MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and did her internal medicine residency at Boston City Hospital followed by ID fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She had a highly impactful career and at the time of her death was the Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Medicine and professor of epidemiology at UNC. IDSA
Jay Nelson (1948-2024), Director of the Pacific Northwest Regional Center of Excellence in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases
A senior molecular virologist with over 200 papers and reviews on a variety of topics in virology and immunology, Dr. Nelson’s research over the past 37 years has centered on the molecular pathogenesis of cytomegalovirus (CMV) and flaviviruses, CMV as a vaccine vector, and vaccine adjuvant development. More recently he has worked to develop a Zika-rhesus macaque model to study viral pathogenesis and develop new vaccines and antivirals. In 2001, he helped establish and lead the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI) in Portland, Oregon. He delighted in the seminal observations that were made in his laboratory: the myeloid lineage cell that served as the reservoir for Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), the identification of viral microRNAs that regulate the cell’s secretory pathway for virus assembly and result in immune regulation and reactivation of latent virus infection. His work with humanized mice as models for virus pathogenesis and the CMV as a vaccine vector was groundbreaking. Under his leadership, VGTI became of model of international and national collaboration in science. He was the Director of the Pacific Northwest Regional Center of Excellence (PNWRCE) in biodefense and emerging infectious diseases, a large consortium of investigators with extensive expertise and basic and translational research capacity directed at a broad range of NIAID category A-C priority pathogens. He was an editor for Journal of Virology and Associate editor of PLOS Pathogens. Legacy.com, OHSU
ALSO READING
Lessons from Rwanda: Building systems to protect against infectious diseases and biothreats. World Economic Forum
UK less prepared for pandemic than pre-Covid, former vaccine chief warns. The Guardian
A New National Purpose: Leading the Biotech Revolution. Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
New CLSI Breakpoints For Veterinary Medicine: How to Interpret Results While Labs Are Updating Their Protocols, Part 3: Pseudomonas. Worms & Germs Blog
2024 Doomsday Clock Announcement – In Depth: Biological Threats. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Prefusion Stabilization of the Hendra and Langya Virus F Proteins. Journal of Virology
Are COVID-19 vaccination mandates for healthcare workers effective? Vaccine
Alkyl deoxyglycoside-polymyxin combinations against critical priority carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria. Scientific Reports
Hospitals’ Collaborations Strengthen Pandemic Preparedness: Lessons Learnt from COVID-19. Healthcare