Byron Caughey, PhD, hailed as a “titan” in the field of prion diseases, has died. He was 68 years old.

Caughey, who died February 15, was chief of the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy/Prion Biochemistry Section of the Laboratory of Persistent Viral Diseases at the National Institute of Health’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana.

His major research areas included Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and prion structural biology, biochemistry, cell biology, diagnostic tests, and therapeutics. Prions are infectious misfolded proteins that cause illnesses such as chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids (eg, deer) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow” disease) in cattle.

Caughey and his lab developed ultrasensitive real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assays, which are used in research and the diagnosis of prion diseases such as CWD.

A legacy of scientific achievement, humility

As co-chair of a CWD contingency-planning work group at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP), Caughey made important contributions to a 2025 report on CWD spillover preparedness and response.

“He was truly one of the kindest and most intelligent experts I’ve encountered in my career,” said Jamie Umber, DVM, MPH, co-director of CIDRAP’s CWD program. “He had a way about him of making the complex field of prion biology and disease diagnostics feel approachable and understandable.”

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed more H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in Pennsylvania poultry facilities this week, including six detections in Lancaster County, which has seen a dramatic uptick in H5N1 activity in the past several weeks.

The largest outbreaks are in commercial egg-layer sites, with 2.6 million birds affected in one Lancaster County location, and 1.4 million birds affected in another. Almost 30,000 commercial turkey birds in two Lancaster County facilities were also affected, as were 179,000 commercial broiler birds. 

In the past 30 days, 51 US flocks have been confirmed to have avian flu, including 23 commercial flocks and 28 backyard flocks. A total of 8.97 million birds nationwide have been affected. 

Pennsylvania is the epicenter of activity, with 11 affected commercial flocks, six affected backyard flocks, and 7,165,500 birds affected in this outbreak.

Libya has become the latest country to eliminate the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday that Libya is the 28th country worldwide to officially eliminate trachoma, which is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomitis. Trachoma spreads through personal contact with hands, clothing, or flies carrying infected eye discharge, and repeated infections can lead to scarring of the inner eyelid and blindness. It’s been documented in Libya for more than a century and remains endemic in many countries where access to water and sanitation is limited.

Libya’s Ministry of Health has prioritized trachoma elimination since 2017, aided by technical and operational support from the WHO. Libya’s acting minister of health said the achievement is a testament to the commitment of the country’s health workers.

“Even through difficult years, we maintained our focus on improving eye health services and ensuring no one was left behind,” Mohamed Al-Ghoj said in a WHO news release.

WHO officials said the achievement is notable given the country’s political instability, strained health services, and increased demand for basic services, including water, sanitation, and hygiene. 

“This milestone reflects Libya’s determination to safeguard the health of its people and reinforces our conviction that progress against neglected tropical diseases is possible everywhere,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD.

An analysis of more than 100 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) provides new insight into which antibiotic regimens are most effective at preventing surgical-site infection (SSI) following colorectal surgery, researchers reported today in JAMA Network Open.

The estimated incidence of SSI after elective colorectal surgery ranges from 10% to 25%, contributing to longer hospital stays for patients and increased use of antibiotics. While most international guidelines recommend dual-agent antibiotic prophylaxis prior to incision to reduce SSI risk, a variety of antibiotic combinations are used in clinical practice, and previous studies haven’t distinguished between antibiotic classes, a team led by researchers with McMaster University in Ontario noted.

“The optimal choice of antibiotic prophylaxis in elective colorectal surgery remains uncertain, with most reviews emphasizing timing and route of administration rather than direct comparisons of antibiotic classes,” they wrote.

The systematic review and meta-analysis examined 105 RCTs involving 18,273 patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery to determine which antibiotic prophylactic regimens are associated with the lowest risk of SSI. Thirty-day mortality, adverse events, and length of hospital stay were secondary outcomes. A total of 32 distinct antibiotic regimens were evaluated across the RCTs.

Evidence base for future guidance 

High-to-moderate certainty evidence indicated that, compared with compared placebo or no antibiotics, several regimens were associated with reduced risk of SSI, but broad-spectrum penicillins and third-generation cephalosporins were associated with the most substantial reduction (74% and 73%, respectively). Broad-spectrum penicillins were also associated with a 79% decrease in 30-day mortality. No significant differences were observed between antibiotic classes regarding length of hospital stay or adverse events.

The authors say the analysis “provides a more clinically meaningful perspective than prior reviews that focused primarily on route of administration.”

“These findings highlight the importance of antibiotic class selection in prophylactic strategies and provide an evidence base to guide future guideline updates and clinical practice,” they wrote.