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Sierra Leone study: Nearly half of Ebola survivors' household contacts infected

In a study conducted in Sierra Leone, nearly half of household contacts of Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors contracted the illness, with the risk strongly associated with the level of exposure, according to a report published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Yellow fever transmission continues in southern Africa

Yellow fever case totals in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continue to climb, with Namibia now reporting its first suspected case, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) situation report yesterday.

Policy draft, risk-benefit analysis posted ahead of NSABB meeting

Ahead of its upcoming meeting, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) has posted a draft of a working group's recommendations to guide federal officials in evaluating proposed gain-of-function (GOF) studies on H5N1 flu and other dangerous pathogens, and an outside company tasked with crafting a risk-benefit analysis of GOF research has posted its final report.

FDA requires reports on species-specific animal-antimicrobial sales

As part of the effort to preserve medically important antimicrobials, pharmaceutical companies will henceforward be required to report sales of antimicrobial drugs for food animals by species, not just overall totals, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday.

WHO recommends shorter treatment regimen for some MDR-TB patients

Following the development of a rapid diagnostic test for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) strains, the World Health Organization (WHO) today recommended a shorter treatment regimen for patients with uncomplicated MDR-TB infections.

Antibiotic treatment of cows may increase their methane emissions

In a small study, antibiotic treatment of cows nearly doubled emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from their manure, suggesting that worries about antimicrobial resistance may not be the only reason to use caution with antibiotics in farm animals, according to a report today in the Journal of the Royal Society B.

FDA finalizes FMSA rule on preventing intentional food adulteration

The seventh and last major rule of the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), this one focusing on preventing intentional adulteration of the food supply and its consequences, is now final and will be published tomorrow in the Federal Register.

Newer antibiotics more costly but not necessarily better than old

At a time when growing bacterial resistance underlines the need for new antibiotics, records on eight antibiotics approved in the United States from 2010 to 2015 suggest that they cost more than older drugs but don't necessarily offer clear clinical advantages, according to a study published today in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Previously, the drug had only been used for treating adults with complicated infections in hospital settings.

The plan calls for federal guidance on infection prevention and control and antimicrobial stewardship and that both be woven into future pandemic preparedness plans.

The variants predate the use of the drugs, appeared independently in multiple world regions, and are capable of spreading.

The intervention has the potential to save more than 2,800 days of unnecessary antibiotic therapy a year, the study authors noted.

The authors said the findings for the treatment, approved by the FDA in December, are similar to what doctors can expect in clinical practice.

A retrospective study of US hospitals suggests early switching from IV to oral antibiotics in patients with community-acquired pneumonia is safe but underused.

Trial results were so compelling that researchers stopped the trial early to give all participants post-exposure prophylaxis with doxycycline.

The results are nationally representative and overcome limits of earlier estimates, which relied on cross-sectional data and 1-day point prevalence surveys.

Among the probiotic species analyzed, Bifidobacterium animalis and Lactococcus lactis had the highest proportion of ARG-positive samples.

The study authors suggest the strain's resistance to ceftriaxone is likely being driven by bystander resistance resulting from the use of ceftriaxone for treatment of gonorrhea.

A study conducted in three Nigerian hospitals found that 43% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were resistant to all antibiotics tested.

Among farmers in 2 Nigerian states, 98% gave preventive antibiotics to day-old chicks

An analysis of quarterly surveys of 28 hospitals finds that inappropriate antibiotic prescribing remains common and varies by specialty.

In assessing for fecal transplant to newborns, more than 40% of enrolled mothers tested positive for potentially harmful pathogens.

Investigators found multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in 40% of samples.

A study of small veterinary practices in Portugal finds multidrug-resistant bacteria in 19% of environmental samples.

A team of surgeons and clinicians highlight the complexity and multidrug-resistant, polymicrobial nature of some of the war wounds they are seeing.