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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) yesterday proposed adding Bacillus cereus biovar anthracis to the list of HHS select agents and toxins as a Tier 1 Select Agent, the most concerning as a possible bioterrorism agent.
Malaysia and Singapore give more details on local cases, while a new study from Europe shows uneven surveillance for microcephaly.
The report shows antimicrobial resistance mostly stable, with some declines and some worries.
The highly pathogenic H5N2 avian flu virus strain that caused outbreaks in poultry flocks across the United States is better adapted to chickens than a precursor H5N2 virus and is highly adapted to wild ducks, according to a new study by US Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists published in Virology.
Investigators from the University of Pittsburgh yesterday reported 3 cases of ceftazidime-avibactam resistance after 37 patients who had carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections were treated with the combination, according to a case series in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Also, the case of an infected father and son underscores prevention in close contacts.
Sepsis accounts for nearly a quarter of newborn deaths in India, with most episodes occurring within 3 days of birth.
Scientists from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have identified three new strains of norovirus that have caused an epidemic of gastrointestinal disease in Australia this winter. Officials estimate that hundreds of thousands of Australians— most in nursing homes, hospitals, cruise ships, and daycares—have been infected with these new strains.
Researchers detected H5N2 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses in air samples collected inside, immediately outside, and up to 70 meters from affected barns during the 2015 outbreak in the Midwest, according to a study in this month's issue of Avian Diseases. They also found H5N2 RNA in air samples up to 1 kilometer from barns that housed infected flocks.
In other developments, Thailand and Singapore report several new Zika cases.
Yesterday the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health (MOH) said there was a new case of MERS in the city of Arar, while Austrian officials reported a case in a tourist from Saudi Arabia.
Also, officials report sexual transmission in Pennsylvania and the Netherlands.
The case involved Caribbean travel and possible foodborne infection; also, officials note no spread in the first US case.
Scientists have filmed the evolution of bacterial drug resistance in real time, noting that the pathogens can mutate to grow resistant to high levels of antibiotics in about 11 days, according to a study published yesterday in Science.
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) today awarded $21.8 million to support 42 states over 5 years in implementing the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) produce safety rule.
Also, Singapore said it's not clear yet if the Asian strain involved in its local spread will result in the severe complications.
Recommendations focus on reducing ag antibiotic use, improving surveillance, and boosting public health.
The US government is awarding $20 million in prizes for innovative ideas for the development of rapid, point-of-care diagnostic lab tests to quickly identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) press release today.
Experts say screening at-risk adults for latent TB likely yields moderate benefits.
Also, Miami Beach is planning for aerial spraying, while an mRNA vaccine gets funding.
