News highlights on health security threats and countermeasures curated by Global Biodefense
This week’s selections include resumption of Pandemic Accord negotiations, Micronesia acceding to the Biological Weapons Convention, Nipah virus contact tracing after death of 14-year-old, a first-in-human Marburg vaccine trial, and ongoing research on bovine H5N1 transmission.
POLICY + GOVERNMENT
The ‘Risky Research Review Act’ Would Do More Harm Than Good
The Risky Research Review Act (S. 4667), introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky), proposes creation of a Life Sciences Research Security Board to review federally funded life sciences research involving “high-risk” experiments and to decide if such research should be funded. But the bill’s definition of high-risk life sciences research is overly broad and ambiguous, and duplicative of existing regulations covering agents of bioterrorism concern and dual-use research. The proposed review board would also have the unprecedented authority to veto funding for life sciences research, regardless of whether it is deemed high risk. STAT
E.U. Court Rebukes Bloc’s Executive Arm Over Covid Vaccine Contract Secrecy
The EU’s second-highest court delivered an unusual reprimand to the European Commission, ruling that it did not give the public sufficient information about its agreements to purchase Covid-19 vaccines during the coronavirus pandemic. The European Union has refused to disclose the terms of the contracts it secured for Covid-19 vaccines, publishing redacted purchasing agreements. The court found that the European Commission was wrong to redact parts of the purchasing agreements that it published online, saying that it “did not demonstrate that wider access” to the details would undermine commercial interests. The court also said that the commission should have disclosed conflicts of interests by members of the team who negotiated the purchase of the vaccines. New York Times
AI, Cyber-Attacks and Amateur Experiments Threaten to Upend Global Biosecurity, WHO Warns
Rapid technological advances in the past decade have “redefined the biological threat landscape” and heightened risks of manipulation, the updated guidance from the WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Biosafety said. The report advised that member states should include “essential elements of biological risk mitigation and management” within their national laboratory biosafety and laboratory biosecurity strategies. The Telegraph
Pandemic Agreement Talks Resume with Global Equity at Stake
On July 16 and 17, member states of the WHO gathered for the tenth round of negotiations on a pandemic agreement. Governments missed their self-imposed deadline to conclude the agreement before the World Health Assembly meeting in May. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) resumed the talks as wars, elections, inflation, climate crises, and other issues push pandemics down the global political agenda. Think Global Health
U.S. Congratulates the Federated States of Micronesia for Acceding to the Biological Weapons Convention
At a brief ceremony at the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador Kenneth Ward, US Special Representative to the BWC, congratulated the FSM on this historical milestone, underscoring the importance the FSM placed on the absolute and universal prohibition of biological and toxin weapons. Referencing world peace and security as key objectives of the BWC, Ambassador Soram referred to FSM’s accession to the BWC as an extension of the commitment of its enduring bilateral partnership under the Compact of Free Association with the United States. State Department
MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES
Delayed Treatment with Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail Provides Complete Protection Against Lethal Sudan Ebolavirus Infection
Previous work has characterized two monoclonal antibodies, FVM04 and CA45, which have neutralization capabilities against both EBOV and SUDV and have shown protective efficacy in animal challenge studies. This study expands upon this work, showing that treatment with a FVM04/CA45 mAb cocktail provides full protection against lethal SUDV infection in an NHP model. Journal of Virology
SIGA, US Government Ink $113M Procurement Deal for Smallpox, Mpox Drug
SIGA Technologies announced a $113 million procurement option under an existing contract with HHS for its oral antiviral drug Tpoxx (tecovirimat). The drug works by blocking the VP37 envelope wrapping protein, which is found on the surface of orthopoxviruses and is crucial for their reproduction. The company also this month signed an agreement to provide Tpoxx access to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. BioSpace
Gain of Function Makes Us Safer
The TWiV team explores OC43 SARS-CoV- 2 spike replacement virus as an improved BSL-2 proxy virus for SARS-CoV-2 neutralization assays. They also cover a study on deep mutational scanning revealing functional constraints and antibody-escape potential of Lassa virus glycoprotein complex. Microbe TV
Oxford Scientists Launch First-in-human Vaccine Trial for Deadly Marburg Virus
Scientists at the University of Oxford have launched a new clinical trial to test a vaccine to protect people against deadly Marburg virus. Forty-six people aged 18 to 55 will participate in the trial in ChAdOx1 Marburg vaccine trial. Pandemic Sciences Institute
Help Strengthen the Pipeline of Antiviral Drugs for the Next Pandemic
NIAID invites research project grant applications to advance candidate antiviral drugs suitable for widespread use in the community in future outbreaks or pandemics. Specifically, the funding encourages discovery and development of small molecule compounds that could be administered orally as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs. NIAID
$2 Million Grant from DoD for to Advance Gel to Treat Acute Burn Wounds
The grant funding from the U.S. Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) will enable advanced development of the gel-based treatment to rapidly resolve burn wound infections and minimize the onset of bacteremia complications, such as sepsis. Recce Pharmaceuticals
Functional Constraints And Antibody-Escape Potential of Lassa Virus Glycoprotein Complex
Lassa fever causes thousands of deaths annually and lacks effective vaccines or therapies. Here researchers use a non-replicative pseudovirus deep mutational scanning platform to determine how Lassa virus surface protein mutations affect cell entry and antibody neutralization. The work describes a BSL-2 method to elucidate the mutational space accessible to GPC and shows how prospective characterization of antigenic variation could aid the design of therapeutics and vaccines. Immunity
Trivalent Protein-Based Pan-Betacoronavirus Vaccine Elicits Cross-Neutralizing Antibodies
Study demonstrated broad neutralization by a trivalent subunit vaccine, formulating the receptor-binding domains of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5 with Alum and CpG55.2. Vaccinated mice produced cross-neutralizing antibodies against all three human Betacoronaviruses and others currently exclusive to bats, indicating the epitope preservation of the individual antigens during co-formulation and the potential for epitope broadening. NPJ Vaccines
BIOSECURITY + BIOPREPAREDNESS
Environmental and Economic Impact Deriving from the Adoption of a Reuse Strategy for Disposable PPE
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of emergency response systems to personal protective equipment shortages, particularly FFP2 masks. In that context the Milan Fire and Rescue Service has developed a novel method for regenerating and reusing disposable FFP2 masks, evaluating its safety and effectiveness, for up to 10 safe reuses per mask. IIETA
How the UK Planned for the Wrong Pandemic
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has published a detailed and damning critique of how a decade of over-confidence, wasted opportunities and muddled-thinking left the UK sleep-walking into a pandemic that went on to claim more than 200,000 lives and cause long-lasting damage to the economy and society. For example, the UK did not learn from east Asian countries like Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore. They had used their experience of other coronavirus outbreaks, of MERS and SARS, to put in place plans to quickly scale-up test and trace systems, introduce quarantine processes, and adopt masking practices. BBC
In Pandemic’s Shadow, Risk of Animal to Human Disease Spread Still High
In the United States alone, the report flags the exotic pet trade, live animal markets, bat guano harvesting, guinea pig and ferret farming, coyote and fox urine production, roadside zoos, animal fighting, fur farming, and commercial farming. USA Today
SELECT AGENTS + PRIORITY PATHOGENS
India Alert After Boy Dies from Nipah Virus in Kerala
Health authorities in India’s Kerala state have issued an alert after a 14-year-old boy died of the Nipah virus. According to the state’s health minister, an additional 60 contacts have been identified as being in the high-risk category of having the disease. BBC
Mpox Did Not Fade Away. Africa Faces Two Alarming Outbreaks — and Lacks Vaccines
Two outbreaks of mpox in sub-Saharan Africa are raising concerns about the continued spread of the virus globally — and the surge of a deadlier strain than the one that began circling the globe in 2022. In 2023, DRC reported 14,434 suspected cases and 728 deaths. The pace seems to be increasing this year, with more than 11,000 cases and 445 deaths already reported in 2024, according to the WHO. NPR, Center for Health Security
Smallpox Readiness: Modern Strategies Against an Ancient Disease
With the possibility that unofficial specimens exist, and with advances in gene editing and synthesis technologies that could re-create—even enhance—variola virus, there is a potential threat of an unintentional or deliberate release. The cessation of smallpox vaccination also has rendered populations susceptible to other orthopoxviruses, such as mpox, vaccinia-like viruses, and borealpox (formerly Alaskapox) virus. A smallpox outbreak anywhere would immediately trigger a global health emergency. JAMA
First Outbreak of African Swine Fever in Sweden: Local Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Eradication Strategies
The first case of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed in Sweden in September 2023. This article describes the local epidemiology, including the spatiotemporal dynamics of the outbreak and some of the factors that may have contributed to its apparently successful containment. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
Case Series of Patients with Marburg Virus Disease, Equatorial Guinea, 2023
As of December 2023, a total of 17 outbreaks of Marburg virus disease have been documented worldwide. This paper describes five patients with laboratory-confirmed Marburg who were admitted to the Mondong Treatment Center in Bata, Equatorial Guinea during the first identified outbreak of the disease in the country. New England Journal of Medicine
Looking Beyond the Lens of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Africa
Coordinated efforts and financial commitments are needed to combat Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and improve all-around readiness for newly developing infectious illnesses in Africa. The shortage of diagnostic tools, ineffective tick control efforts, slow adoption of preventive measures, and cultural hurdles to public education are among the problems associated with continued CCHF virus transmission. Progress in preventing virus spread is also hampered by the dearth of effective serodiagnostic testing for animals and absence of precise surveillance protocols. Emerging Infectious Diseases
AVIAN INFLUENZA
Licensed H5N1 Vaccines Generate Cross-Neutralizing Antibodies Against Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Clade 2.3.4.4b Influenza Virus
These findings suggest that the stockpiled U.S. licensed adjuvanted H5N1 vaccines generate cross-neutralizing antibodies against circulating HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b in humans and may be useful as bridging vaccines until updated H5N1 vaccines become available. Nature Medicine, CIDRAP
USDA Maintains Bird Flu Can Be Eliminated From Dairy Cows, Even as Doubts Mount Among Experts
“We understand that this moves with the cattle and with the people that are closely associated with them, so enhanced biosecurity should get us to a point where we can arrest the spread.” The possible future deployment of an H5 vaccine in cattle — which is an idea that remains under discussion — could “further facilitate the elimination of this disease from the national herd.” STAT
Bird Flu is Spreading. Why Aren’t More People Getting Tested?
As of Monday, the virus had infected 157 herds in 13 states, but only about 60 people have been tested for bird flu. Officials do not have the authority to compel workers to get tested, and there is no way for workers to test themselves. In the current outbreak, just four dairy workers and five poultry workers have tested positive for H5N1, but experts believe that many more have been infected. New York Times
Can H5N1 Spread Through Cow Sneezes? Experiment Offers Clues
Cows can get infected with the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 by breathing in virus-laden aerosols, according to a preprint on bioRxiv. But scientists say this mode of transmission is probably not driving the current outbreak among cattle . The study adds to previous work that suggests the virus is mainly spreading through infected milk. “Udder-to-udder transmission still seems most likely to be the major route at present. That doesn’t mean the virus can’t change though, if this outbreak continues at the pace it currently is.” The study mainly looked at the susceptibility to infection of cows, not transmission, which makes it difficult to draw conclusions about viral spread. Nature
CHEMICAL + RADIOLOGICAL THREATS
Cyanide Killed 6 Foreigners in Bangkok Hotel, Police Say
The six foreigners who were found dead at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in the Thai capital Bangkok. The police said one of the deceased was suspected of having poisoned the others over a bad business investment. Traces of cyanide were found during the autopsies of the bodies as well as on the drinking cups and a teapot in the room. DW
COVID-19 and CBRNE: Effects of the Pandemic in the Field of CBRNE
This paper (paywalled) elaborates on how the field of CBRNE has changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on the results of an interview study with CBRNE practitioners (Fire Brigades, Law Enforcement Agencies, etc.) conducted as part of the European Union project PReparedness against CBRNE threats through cOmmon Approaches between security praCTItioners and the VulnerablE civil society, as well as findings from research literature on links between CBRNE and COVID-19. Journal of Emergency Management
How Does Organophosphorus Chemical Warfare Agent Exposure Affect Respiratory Physiology in Mice?
Despite the critical role of respiratory disturbances in organophosphorus-induced toxicity, the nature and underlying mechanisms of respiratory failure remain poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize respiratory alterations by determining their type and duration in mice exposed to a subcutaneous sublethal dose of VX. Toxicology
SURVEILLANCE + DETECTION
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Kinetics in Serum, Saliva, and Urine
Little is known about using noninvasive samples for diagnosing CCHF. Here researchers investigated detection of the virus in serum, saliva, and urine samples. Results indicate that serum is the best sample type for acute CCHF diagnosis. Between saliva and urine as noninvasive samples, saliva might be the more suitable option for genome identification. Emerging Infectious Diseases
Detection of Multiple Human Viruses, including Mpox, Using a Wastewater Surveillance Approach in Brazil
In this study using qPCR and whole genomic sewage surveillance, researchers detected the mpox virus along with other viruses, in municipal and hospital wastewaters in Belo Horizonte, Brazil over a 9-month period. Nine other virus families were identified in both hospitals and municipal wastewaters. Pathogens
ONE HEALTH
Two Tools for One Health and Biosurveillance
Biosurveillance begins on the farm and ends on the fork. Whether you are working at a food manufacturing site, a processing plant, a harvest facility, or a storage site, or you are a grower, a farmer, or a rancher, you are part of the system of producing food for the world. This article focuses on employing two tools in a One Health vision of biosurveillance: whole genome sequencing (WGS) and hyperspectral imaging. Food Safety Magazine
ENVIRONMENTAL FLUX
Are Warmer Temperatures Causing Fungi to Attack Humans? Two Deaths in China Suggest it May Be
A fungus that can survive inside the human body and becomes more resistant to drugs when exposed to higher temperatures has been identified in Chinese hospitals. The discovery of the strain’s unusual characteristics has raised fears that the effects of climate change could make fungal infections increasingly dangerous to humans. The Telegraph
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Italy and Spain Report Imported Cases of Oropouche Virus Disease
Italy and Spain have each reported three confirmed cases of Oropouche virus disease in travelers returning from Cuba. The likelihood of secondary transmission of Oropouche virus within continental Europe is considered very low due to the absence of known competent vectors. Per the U.S. CDC, there are current outbreaks of Oropouche fever in parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, and Cuba. It is spread by the bite of infected midges (small flies) and mosquitoes, and symptoms can often be mistaken for dengue fever. ECDC
The CDC Issues a Warning After at Least 2 Deaths in a Listeria Outbreak Linked to Deli Meat
At least two people have died and dozens more have been hospitalized in connection with a listeria outbreak linked to meat sold at U.S. deli counters, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Twenty-eight people have been hospitalized in 12 states. NPR
Whooping Cough: My Daughter Spent the Third Week of Life in an Induced Coma
The whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine is given as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule in the UK, and since 2012 pregnant women have been able to get vaccinated against whooping cough which helps to protect babies in their first months of life. Prior to vaccine availability to those who were pregnant, infants were vulnerable to the highly contagious infection. The U.S. CDC researchers published a study in 2023 finding reduced rates of whooping cough in newborns younger than two months old with Tdap vaccination during pregnancy. UK Health Security Agency
Rabies Could Become a Disease of the Past. Here’s What it Would Take
Starting this month more than 50 lower-income countries will be able to apply to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for financial aid to pay for the human rabies vaccine and related supplies, like refrigeration. This initiative, which was delayed several years by the COVID pandemic, is aligned with the Zero by 30 campaign, a plan spearheaded by WHO and others aimed at ending rabies deaths caused by dogs by 2030. NPR
Texas Confirms 10 Cases of Dengue Amid Global Surge
The Texas Department of State Health Services said all 10 cases so far in 2024 came from international travel but warned that a small number of people in recent years have gotten sick from mosquitoes in southern Texas. The department also noted that heavy, widespread rainfall from Hurricane Beryl earlier this month left behind standing water that created conditions for mosquitoes to multiply and urged people working on storm cleanup to protect themselves from insect bites. USA Today
ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE CRISIS
Diasorin Receives FDA De-Novo Grant for C. auris Test
The FDA authorized marketing of DiaSorin Molecular LLC’s Simplexa C. auris Direct, a molecular-based assay intended to detect Candida auris (C. auris) DNA from a skin swab of the armpit or groin from patients suspected of C. auris colonization. The test is intended to help prevent and control C. auris infections in health care settings. The assay may allow health care professionals to evaluate patients for colonization with C. auris faster than traditional culture-based techniques when such testing is needed. Faster detection can help stop the spread of this organism, which is frequently resistant to multiple antifungal drugs and can cause serious infections in hospitalized patients. FDA
SHEA Urges Investment Given Rise of Antimicrobial Resistance During COVID-19 Pandemic
The newly released CDC fact sheet shows that antimicrobial-resistant infections increased by a combined 20% during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period and remained above pre-pandemic levels in 2022. “The House FY2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill passed last week unfortunately slashes funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by 20%, eliminates the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, while radically restructuring the National Institutes of Health. Enacting these drastic cuts would hinder efforts to combat the advancing threat of antimicrobial resistance. We strongly urge House members to reverse course…” Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Profiling the SARS-CoV-2-specific T-cell Response
The T-cell profiling described here shows that emerging Omicron subvariants that escape antibody-mediated neutralisation are still recognised by cross-reactive T-cells, and should not be considered antigenically distinct by definition. Furthermore, vaccination with a monovalent XBB.1.5 vaccine boosted T-cell responses, including T cells that were cross-reactive with variants that emerged after XBB.1.5. The Lancet Infectious Diseases
COVID Rates Are Rising Again. Why Does It Spread So Well in the Summer?
Levels of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, have increased in wastewater samples across the U.S., with the biggest uptick in the West. The percentage of positive tests—though not a perfect metric because people aren’t testing as much—has also increased, but hospitalizations have remained relatively low. Most viral respiratory infections, such as influenza, peak in the winter. But for the four years that SARS-CoV-2 has circled the globe, it has caused peaks not just in winter but every summer, too. The question is, why? Scientific American
How Risky is COVID for an 81-Year-Old?
In June, according to provisional CDC data, about four out of every 100,000 Americans over the age of 75 (or 0.004 percent) died with COVID-19. That’s a far cry from the staggering fatality rates of 2020 (roughly 0.17 percent for the same age group in April of that year), but still sizable in comparison with younger Americans’ risk. The June 2024 COVID death rate among 30-to-39-year-olds, for example, is two out of every 10 million. Hospitalizations tell a similar story for the elderly: Last month, more than 60 out of every 100,000 Americans over 75 were hospitalized with COVID. The Atlantic
SPECIAL INTEREST
Lauren Gardner Wins Merck Prize to Advance Pandemic Tracking with Artificial Intelligence
Gardner has been at the forefront of epidemiological modeling well before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in December 2019. Earlier that year she created a predictive map that determined the 25 U.S. counties where measles outbreaks were most likely to occur due to multiple variables. She has also previously developed predictive models for Zika, Dengue, MERS-CoV among other infectious diseases. In January 2020, as COVID-19 was still primarily contained to Asia, Gardner and her team in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering created the Johns Hopkins web-based COVID-19 dashboard, an essential global resource that earned her the Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award, America’s top biomedical research prize. Johns Hopkins University
ALSO READING
Proposal for a global classification and nomenclature system for A/H9 influenza viruses. Emerging Infectious Diseases
Japan starts certification of 1st research lab handling Ebola. Japan Today
Molecular determinants of cross-species transmission in emerging viral infections. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews
Inactivation validation of Ebola, Marburg and Lassa Viruses in AVL-ethanol treated viral cultures. Preprints.org
D.C. hospital gets a wake-up call to chagas disease. MedPage Today
Structure of the poxvirus core. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
Rapidly deployable mobile BSL-3 laboratory: A response to nipah virus outbreak in Kozhikode, Kerala, India 2023. MedRxiv
Reassortment incompetent live attenuated and replicon influenza vaccines provide improved protection against influenza in piglets. NPJ Vaccines
Standard-Setting Committee on Biological Hazards. International Labour Organization
Protective non-neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies. Immunology
J&J agrees to lower price of TB drug bedaquiline, allow production in South Africa. CIDRAP