New Long COVID Research Identifies Biomarkers, Immune Networks, and Cognitive Therapy
Recent studies have advanced our understanding of Long COVID by identifying blood biomarkers linked to key symptoms, mapping immune networks associated with lung damage, and testing the first empirically supported therapy for cognitive sequelae. Together, these investigations offer a multi‑pronged view of how Long COVID manifests and point to new directions for diagnosis and treatment. […]
NFID Finds Nearly Half of US Adults Admit to Not Washing Their Hands at Key Moments
On World Hand Hygiene Day, The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases released its 2025 State of Handwashing Report, based on a new national survey of US adult handwashing knowledge and behaviors. The survey showed that 48% of US adults admit to forgetting or choosing not to wash their hands at key times, like after visiting […]
Prompts in Computerized Order Entry Improve Antimicrobial Treatment for Skin, Soft Tissue Infections
Shruti K. Gohil, MD Image Credit: UCI School of Medicine Recommendation prompts within computerized provider order entry (CPOE) were effective in reducing empiric use of broad-spectrum antibiotics in patients hospitalized for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) without reduction in safety, in the INSPIRE 3 clinical trial.1 “In this trial, initial standard-spectrum antibiotic prescribing increased, […]
Top 5 Infectious Disease News Stories Week of April 26-May 3
Warmer Winters Are Fueling a Surge in Tick-Borne Illnesses Tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease are increasing across the Northeast due to milder, shorter winters that extend the active season for blacklegged ticks. Andrew Lover, PhD, MPH, MS, explains that ticks are now active earlier in the spring and later into the fall, shifting the […]
FDA Asks for More Data for Moderna’s Influenza COVID-19 Combination Vaccine
The FDA has requested that Moderna provide more data for its late-stage mRNA-1083 combination influenza/COVID-19 vaccine. Specifically, the federal agency requested more phase 3 influenza efficacy data.1 The company had requested a full approval of the vaccine based upon its data from the phase 3 trials looking at an older adult population.1 Based on FDA […]
Dose Optimization as a Strategy to Improve Clinical Outcomes and Suppress Antimicrobial Resistance
Almost a century ago, Alexander Fleming discovered by coincidence in his laboratory the antimicrobial effects of penicillin, a finding that has dramatically changed the landscape of medicine.1 More than 20 years later, Eagle and his colleagues were among the first to establish that β-lactam antibiotics act in a time-dependent manner and wrote, “There is a […]
NIH Launches Generation Gold Standard Universal Vaccine Initiative
Despite political shifts and controversy, it is positive to see the NIH continuing its commitment to advancing vaccine research with the Generation Gold Standard initiative. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced the launch of this in-house program focused on developing a next-generation universal […]
Responding to the Needs of an Aging Population
The US HIV epidemic has drastically shifted from primarily a brief, fatal disease of the young to a chronic, manageable illness that people acquire at any age and also grow older with. While the aging of HIV is a welcome consequence of dramatic improvements in HIV care over the past 40 years, it has created […]
Warmer Winters Are Fueling a Surge in Tick-Borne Illnesses
Tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease are on the rise across the Northeast, fueled by shifting seasonal patterns and warming temperatures. As winters become shorter and milder, blacklegged ticks (commonly known as deer ticks) are staying active well beyond traditional risk windows, posing an extended public health threat to people in affected areas. Andrew Lover, MPH, […]
New Microarray Platform Aims to Improve Tick-Borne Disease Diagnosis
A newly developed multiplex protein microarray platform promises to improve the diagnosis of tick-borne diseases by allowing the detection of multiple pathogens in a single test. Published in Scientific Reports in January 2025, the study highlights the effectiveness of this tool in enhancing both sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing tick-borne and other infectious diseases. Multiplex […]
