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Contact tracing may have averted 1.4 million US COVID cases in 2 months

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) modeling study used data from 59 US case investigation and contact tracing (CICT) programs to estimate that the programs prevented 1.11 to 1.36 million COVID-19 cases, and 27,000 to 34,000 hospitalizations over 60 days in winter 2020-21, well before the Delta and Omicron variant surges. 

Study details poor outcomes tied to long COVID-19

Results of a new survey of 436 Americans with long COVID reveal that the condition is significantly associated with poorer long-term health status, worse quality of life, and psychological distress. The results were published yesterday in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.

GARDP announces new North American branch

The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), based in Geneva, Switzerland, this week announced the formation of a new sister organization in the United States.

Most COVID pneumonia survivors had lung anomalies at 1 year: study

Among 91 COVID-19 pneumonia survivors in Austria, 54% had lung abnormalities on computed tomography (CT) imaging 1 year after symptom onset, suggests an observational study yesterday in Radiology.

Hospitalized US indigenous patients had higher COVID-19 death rates

Hospitalized American Indian and Alaska Native COVID-19 patients died at a significantly higher rate than their Black and White peers early in the pandemic, despite being younger and having lower rates of underlying illnesses, shows a study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open.

Four states report more avian flu in poultry flocks

Four states—Iowa, Maine, New York, and South Dakota—reported more highly pathogenic avian flu outbreaks in poultry, according to federal and state sources.

In an update, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) reported the state's 10th outbreak, which struck a fourth commercial farm in Buena Vista County in the northwestern part of the state. The new outbreak occurred at a turkey farm.

Avian flu strikes more poultry in 3 states; first wild bird detections in WI

Three already-affected states—Maine, South Dakota, and Wyoming—reported more highly pathogenic avian flu outbreaks in poultry flocks, and Wisconsin reported its first detections in wild birds, according to updates from federal and state agriculture officials.

Molnupiravir reduces COVID-19 symptoms, virus by day 3, data show

Three new studies to be presented at the upcoming European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) conference at the end of the month demonstrate benefits of the antiviral molnupiravir against COVID-19 infections, including evidence that Merck's pill reduces symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by day 3 of administration.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Study finds high rates of resistant E coli in young Kenyan children

A study of Escherichia coli isolates from young hospitalized children in western Kenya found high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), researchers reported yesterday in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Study: Omicron much more infectious in US preschoolers than Delta

A new study in JAMA Pediatrics shows the Omicron variant has caused six to eight times the rate of Omicron infections in US preschoolers as the Delta variant, but cases were less severe with Omicron.

Studies find long COVID symptoms, including joint pain, at 1 year

Two new studies detail long COVID symptoms, with one from France showing that 85% of patients who had symptoms 2 months after illness onset still had them at 1 year and some symptoms worsened, and one from China revealing that 12% of patients reported rheumatic symptoms at 1-year follow-up.

Study highlights economic impact of inappropriate antibiotic use

An analysis of antibiotic use for upper respiratory infections (URIs) in Ghana reveals the considerable economic impact of inappropriate prescribing can have on low-resource settings, researchers reported last week in Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control.

Fourth COVID vaccine dose boosts protection against infection, severity

A study in Israel during the Omicron variant surge finds that rates of COVID-19 infection and severe illness were lower after a fourth dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine than after three doses, and while protection against infection waned quickly after 4 weeks, protection against severe disease was still strong at 6 weeks.

Study: Dogs, cats share resistant bacteria, resistance genes with owners

Observational research set to be presented later this month at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) suggests close contact with pets could result in sharing of multidrug-resistant bacteria and resistance genes.

Fluvoxamine may reduce the odds of COVID-19 patient hospitalization

A new systematic review and meta-analysis of three randomized clinical trials with 2,196 patients suggests that early use of the antidepressant fluvoxamine reduces the risk of all-cause hospitalization in symptomatic adult outpatients.

Framework outlines One Health collaboration on antimicrobial resistance

The World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) yesterday published a strategic framework for One Health collaborations on antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

COVID-19 test-to-stay strategies found safe, effective for students

A study today in Pediatrics suggests a test-to-stay (TTS) strategy, as opposed to quarantine, was a safe and effective tool for Massachusetts public schools for the 2021-22 school year, as it was associated with both limited COVID-19 transmission and increased in-person learning days for students.

Study finds antibiotic use in Iowa hospitals wasn't affected by COVID-19

A study of hospitals in Iowa that employ three different antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) models found that core stewardship activities were maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers reported today in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology.

Our weekly wrap-up of antimicrobial stewardship & antimicrobial resistance scans

Study finds antibiotic use in Iowa hospitals wasn't affected by COVID-19

A study of hospitals in Iowa that employ three different antibiotic stewardship program (ASP) models found that core stewardship activities were maintained during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers reported today in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology.

Study: Medicare outpatients frequently received antibiotics for COVID-19

A review of data on Medicare beneficiaries during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic found that nearly a third of outpatient COVID-19 visits were linked to an antibiotic prescription, mainly for azithromycin, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers reported late last week in JAMA.

Study: Depression, loneliness increased for older adults during pandemic

Depression and loneliness have increased among older adults during the pandemic, prompting a need for more coordinated efforts to address the issue, according to a report on social isolation in older Canadians.

Trial supports shorter antimicrobial prophylaxis for orthopedic surgery

A randomized clinical trial found that a shorter antimicrobial prophylaxis (AMP) duration for "clean" orthopedic surgery (scheduled procedures not involving complications like open wounds) was non-inferior to a longer duration in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), Japanese researchers reported today in JAMA Network Open.

Study shows COVID-19–induced myocarditis rare, linked to severe cases

Approximately 2.4 out of every 1,000 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that typically follows viral infections, according to an international study published yesterday in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Circulation.

When including possible myocarditis cases, the rate increases to 4.1 per 1,000 hospitalized patients.

Study finds antibiotic resistance in US, UK Campylobacter holding steady

A large-scale analysis reveals that the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has remained stable for Campylobacter in the United States and United Kingdom in recent years, suggesting that antibiotic stewardship efforts have not made a large impact, according to a new study in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Casirivimab-imdevimab may cut COVID hospitalizations, ICU stays, death

Two new studies describe benefits of the monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment casirivimab-imdevimab in adult COVID-19 outpatients, both suggesting lower rates of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and death in an era dominated by the Delta variant.