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FAO reports human H5N1 case in Egypt

Egypt has reported a new human case of H5N1 avian influenza, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), apparently marking the first case there this year.

Saudi Arabia's Buraydah cluster grows with 2 new MERS cases

A MERS-CoV cluster in Buraydah in north-central Saudi Arabia has grown to 13 cases in recent days as the country's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 2 new infections today, 1 of which was fatal.

The new MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) cases involve foreign men, ages 24 and 56. The older man died. He contracted the disease from another MERS patient, the MOH said.

Global flu levels high, increased flu B in Northern Hemisphere

Flu levels in the Northern Hemisphere continued to rise, especially in Europe and North America, with high but stabilizing activity noted in areas of northern Asia and the Middle East, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a Mar 7 update.

The 2009 H1N1 virus is the predominant strain worldwide, though the proportion of influenza B detections has increased recently in several regions.

Saudi Arabia reports 2 MERS cases, 1 fatal

A healthcare-related MERS-CoV cluster in Buraydah, Saudi Arabia, has grown by 1 case to 14 cases in less than a week, and a man in Jeddah has died from the disease, the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) reported today. The agency also noted that a previously reported patient died from his infection.

China reports 10 H7N9 cases

Chinese health officials today reported 10 more H7N9 avian flu infections, 4 of which were fatal, in adults from China's mainland, according to the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection (CHP) and translated updates posted on FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board.

Saudi Arabia reports 2 asymptomatic MERS cases in healthcare workers

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported two asymptomatic MERS-CoV cases today related to a healthcare cluster in Buraydah that now includes 19 cases. The agency also noted that three previously reported patients died from their infections, including two in Buraydah.

American clinician treated for imported case of Lassa fever

An American physician's assistant has been flown from West Africa to the United States for treatment of Lassa fever, according to recent reports from CNN and Emory University Hospital.

Study: SARS-like virus in Chinese bats could jump to humans

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) say their research shows that viruses much like the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus (CoV) are still lurking in horseshoe bats in China and could jump to humans.

The scientists described their research in a Mar 13 article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

PulseNet may save $500 million a year in foodborne disease costs

PulseNet, the national lab network that links cases of foodborne disease by tracking genetic fingerprints of pathogens, saves an estimated $500 million and prevents 270,000 disease cases a year, according to an economic evaluation today in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

H7N9 sickens 2 more in China; report notes H9N2 and H1N1v cases

Two new H7N9 avian flu infections have been detected in China, both in Guangdong province, and the World Health Organization (WHO) in its latest overview of zoonotic flu infections has noted a handful of recent illnesses from China involving different strains.

Early Canadian flu vaccine estimate finds solid H1N1 protection

The Northern Hemisphere's 2015-16 flu vaccine has shown significant protection against circulating 2009 H1N1 strains in Canada, according to an interim report today from Canadian researchers in Eurosurveillance.

Study finds resistant E coli common in UK poultry, pork samples

A new study out of England has found antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli bacteria in nearly a quarter of pig and poultry meat samples purchased at UK supermarkets.

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

Four CRE cases reported in Wisconsin

Originally published Sep 1.

Investigators with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today describe a small cluster of the worrisome "superbug" known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) at two Wisconsin hospitals in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

US failing to accurately track drug-resistant infection deaths, report says

A yearlong investigation by Reuters alleges that thousands of US deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections are going uncounted because federal and state health agencies are doing a poor job of tracking them.

HHS offers $20 million for innovative antimicrobial resistance tests

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.

States get $22 million to implement FSMA produce safety rule

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. 

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

Scientist show bacterial resistance evolving in real time

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.

New MERS cases in Saudi Arabia, Austria

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.

Study notes evidence of airborne H5N2 1 km from affected US barns

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.

3 new strains of norovirus cause epidemic in Australia

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.

Outbreak H5N2 viruses from 2015 show increased adaptation to chickens

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.

Report notes multidrug-resistant CRE after combo treatment

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.

NDM-1 detected in 27 Vibrio fluvialis isolates in India

Although MCR-1 has often garnered drug-resistance headlines of late, an earlier gene that also confers antimicrobial resistance, NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase) has not gone away, as evidenced by a study yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases. Researchers reported the gene in 27 Vibrio fluvialis isolates in Kolkata, India.

Anthrax-like Bacillus cereus strain eyed for Select Agent bioterror list

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.

Florida governor allocates more money to fight Zika

In the face of stalled federal dollars to fund the fight against Zika, Florida Governor Rick Scott said he would be allocating an additional $10 million in funds from the state’s General Revenue fund to fight the mosquito-borne illness. Florida has now spent $36.2 million on Zika.