Long COVID Subsides in a Majority of Frontline Healthcare Workers
Image credit: RDNE, Pexels Undoubtedly, frontline healthcare workers (HCW) took on an enormous burden during the pandemic. According to a study that was conducted from January 1, 2020 through October 12, 2021, a total of 440,044 healthcare workers were reported to have COVID-19, including 1,469 deaths.1 In addition to acute infections and mortality, many HCW […]
Climate change linked with worse HIV prevention and care
New challenges in HIV prevention and care are emerging due to climate change, according to a review published earlier this month in Current Opinions in Infectious Disease. Researchers from the University of Toronto analyzed 22 recent studies exploring HIV-related outcomes in the context of climate change and identified several links between extreme weather events and […]
ACIP Expands Pneumococcal Vaccine Guidelines for Adults Aged 50 and Older
Serotypes included in pneumococcal vaccines currently recommended for adults — United States, 2024 Image credits: CDC A recent update from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), published in the most recent MMWR and Morbidity Report, expands pneumococcal vaccine recommendations. This update finalized the guidelines made from October 2024, providing clearer guidance on vaccine preferences, favoring […]
Antimicrobial, Wound-Healing Agents Discovered Among Disparate Drug Classes
Image credit: Towfiqu Barbhuiya, Pexels Topical application of selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and of beta-adrenergic antagonists (ß-AR antagonists,”beta-blockers”) has demonstrated potential to mitigate wound infections by helping to overcome barriers of bacterial biofilms and antimicrobial resistance, according to a recent review of non-antibiotic approaches for hastening healing of chronic wounds.1 Rivkah Isseroff, MD, Department […]
LPOXY Therapeutics Acquires Assets to Advance C difficile Protection for Antibiotic Patients
Larry D Sutton, MD, PhD, CEO of LPOXY Therapeutics Image credits: LinkedIn LPOXY Therapeutics, Inc has acquired significant assets from Xeno Biosciences Inc to advance its novel therapy for preventing Clostridioides difficile (C difficile) infections in hospitalized patients. The acquisition includes regulatory filings, FDA correspondence, comprehensive CMC data, and intellectual property from Xeno, as well […]
Climate Change is Disrupting Biocontrol of Invasive Spongy Moths
This research connects infectious disease dynamics to ecosystem health by examining how climate change affects the biocontrol of invasive species. The fungal pathogen Entomophaga maimaiga has kept spongy moth populations in check, much like how infectious diseases are controlled in humans. Using disease models designed for humans, researchers analyze how environmental changes impact the spread […]
Scientists advance nanobody technology to combat deadly Ebola virus
Ebola virus, one of the deadliest pathogens, has a fatality rate of about 50%, posing a serious threat to global health and safety. To address this challenge, researchers at the University of Minnesota and the Midwest Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Center have developed the first nanobody-based inhibitors targeting the Ebola virus. Nanobodies are tiny antibodies […]
Doxycycline Postexposure Prophylaxis Prevents STIs Amongst Those Using HIV PrEP
Image credit: Julia Zolotova, Pexels Doxycycline postexposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP) given to people who were receiving HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) were shown to reduce chlamydia by 79%, syphilis by 80%, and gonorrhea by 12%.1 The study’s results were published in JAMA Internal Medicine. “Among doxyPEP recipients, quarterly chlamydia positivity decreased from 9.6% (95% CI, 9.0%-10.3%) before […]
Entering Peak Norovirus Season as Cases Rise Across the US
Positive Norovirus test results Image credits: CDC Recent CDC data showed a rise in norovirus cases across the US, with more than 22% of tests returning positive as of December 28, 2024, compared to 12% during the same week in December 2023.1 The NoroSTAT report for the 2024–2025 season (August 1–December 11, 2024) recorded 495 […]
Overcoming resistance: Researchers find new utility for old antibiotics
Researchers at McMaster University have discovered a critical vulnerability in drug-resistant bacteria: zinc — or a lack thereof. In a recent study, published in the journal Nature Microbiology, researchers found that zinc plays a vital role in how some of the world’s most dangerous bacteria resist antibiotics. Eric Brown, a professor in McMaster’s Department of […]