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Researchers Looking Into Whether COVID-19 Pandemic Is Tied To Uptick In Aggressive Late-Stage Cancers

The Washington Post (6/6, Eunjung Cha) reports, “The uptick in aggressive, late-stage cancers since the dawn of the pandemic is confirmed by some early national data and a number of large cancer institutions.” Thus far, “many experts have mostly dismissed the trend as an expected consequence of disruptions to health care that began in 2020,” but not all. Although “it will probably be many years before the world has conclusive answers about whether the coronavirus is complicit in the surge of cancer cases,” some “concerned scientists are calling on the U.S. government to make this question a priority knowing it could affect treatment and management of millions of cancer patients for decades to come.”

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Mpox Still Circulating At Low Levels In High-Risk Groups Across US, Study Finds

ABC News (6/6, Kekatos) reports, “In summer 2022, the global mpox outbreak seemed poised to overwhelm the U.S. with cases rising exponentially every week and no signs of slowing.” But “a successful public health campaign – promoting behavior changes and vaccination – helped cases drop dramatically.” However, now “a new small study published Thursday and led by the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) says that mpox cases are still circulating at low levels in the U.S. and primarily among unvaccinated high-risk groups.” The study only identified cases in patients who “identified as gay or bisexual men who have sex with men and had not been vaccinated against mpox.” The results were published in MMWR.

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Almost 70 Celebrity Cruises Passengers Sickened In Norovirus Outbreak, CDC Officials Say

USA Today (6/6, Diller) reports, “Nearly 70 Celebrity Cruises passengers got sick in a norovirus outbreak during a recent cruise.” The CDC “said 68 of Celebrity Summit’s 2,264 guests reported being ill during a cruise that ended on Friday, along with five crew members. Their main symptoms were diarrhea and vomiting.” This “follows another norovirus outbreak on Celebrity Constellation in January that left nearly 100 guests sick.” The agency “has logged seven outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruises that met its threshold for public notification so far this year. Norovirus was listed as the causative agent in all but one.”

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First Case Of Sexually Transmitted Fungal Infection Caused By Trichophyton Mentagrophytes Type VII Reported In US

NBC News (6/5, Edwards) reports, “A sexually transmitted ringworm caused by a rare fungus has been reported for the first time in the United States.” Published Wednesday in JAMA Dermatology, the case report “comes as clinicians worldwide increasingly say they’re having trouble treating fungal infections.” The patient in question “involves a New York City man in his 30s who reported having sex with multiple men during a trip to England, Greece and California.” He subsequently developed an infection caused by Trichophyton mentagrophytes type VII, “the first time the fungus has been identified in the U.S.”

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Malaria Drug Tafenoquine May Treat Babesiosis Infections, Study Finds

HealthDay (6/5, Thompson) reports, “A malaria drug could help immune-compromised people who can’t shake off babesiosis, a tick-borne parasitic infection, a new study says.” The results indicate “tafenoquine helped cure four New England patients whose babesiosis infections weren’t knocked out by the usual standard of care, researchers reported recently in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.”

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Investigational Three-Dose Lyme Vaccine Candidate Generates Immunogenicity, Appears Safe In Phase II Trials

MedPage Today (6/5, Kahn) reports, “An investigational three-dose Lyme vaccine (VLA15) against Borrelia outer surface protein A (OspA)-specific serotypes generated immunogenicity and appeared safe, according to results of two linked phase II trials.” With the administration of the vaccine “on a 0/2/6-month vaccine schedule (study two), OspA-specific IgG geometric mean titers (GMTs) ranged from 278.5 to 545.2 units/mL with the 135-μg vaccine dose at 1 month after the third dose, and 274.7 to 596.8 units/mL for the 180-μg dose, reported” researchers in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

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FDA Advisers Unanimously Recommend Next Round Of COVID-19 Vaccines Target JN.1 Variant

The New York Times (6/5, Weiland, Jewett) reports, “A committee of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted on Wednesday to update the formula for the Covid vaccine ahead of an anticipated fall immunization campaign, now an annual step to try to offer better protection against versions of the virus in circulation.” The panel’s unanimous vote “recommends a formula aimed at combating the variant JN.1, which dominated infections in the United States in February, or a version of it.” CNN (6/5, Christensen) reports that if the FDA “agrees with its advisory committee, the new shot will be a monovalent vaccine, offering protection against one coronavirus variant. Some previous vaccines have been bivalent, meaning they were formulated to protect against two variants.”

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School-Entry Requirements, Federally-Funded Policies Boosted HPV Vaccination Coverage Among US Adolescents, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (6/5, Kuhns) reports, “School-entry requirements and federally funded policies increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage among adolescents in the United States, according to study results published in Pediatrics.” In a systematic review, “of 14 studies that were designed to assess the impact of school-entry requirements, 8 indicated positive associations with HPV vaccination coverage. Among 6 studies that were designed to assess the impact of school-entry requirements in a single jurisdiction, results of 4 (Washington, DC, 1; Rhode Island, 3) showed increases in adolescent HPV vaccination coverage.”

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CDC Recommends Doxycycline To Prevent Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis Infections Following Unprotected Sex

The AP (6/4, Stobbe) reports, “Some people should consider taking an antibiotic as a morning-after pill to try to prevent certain sexually transmitted diseases, U.S. health officials recommended Tuesday.” The CDC “finalized its endorsement of taking doxycycline after unprotected sex as a way to prevent chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis infections.” Authorities “called it the first new prevention tool against sexually transmitted infections in decades, and said innovation is badly needed” as “rates of syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhea have been rising for years.” The recommendation “is specific to gay and bisexual men and transgender women who had an STD in the previous year and are at high risk of getting infected again.”

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Hepatitis C Clearance Rates Well Below National Elimination Goals, CDC Says

Healio (6/4, Rhoades) reports, “Hepatitis C virus clearance rates in all states fell well short of national elimination goals, a study published in MMWR showed.” The US’ “HCV elimination goals for 2025 and 2030 call for at least 58% and 80% of people with HCV to achieve viral clearance, respectively.” But “the median proportion of people cured or cleared was 29%, well below the HCV viral clearance goals for 2025 and 2030...wrote” researchers.

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Cases Of CRE Not As Common In US Children As ESBL-E, Study Finds

Healio (6/4, Weldon) reports, “Cases of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, or CRE, were not as common in U.S. children as cases of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales, or ESBL-E, according to a study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases.” In the study, researchers found “an overall annual CRE incidence rate of 0.7 per 100,000 population during the 5-year period.” This compares to “an overall annual ESBL-E incidence rate of 23.08 per 100,000 population.”

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Incidence Of Invasive Meningococcal Disease Higher In Preterm Infants Compared To Term Infants, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (6/4, Barowski) reports, “The incidence of invasive meningococcal disease is higher in preterm infants compared with infants born at term, according to study results published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.” In the study, “there were no significant differences in demographics, clinical presentation, and rates of intensive care admission or case fatality observed between preterm and term infants. However, the percentage of infants who survived the infection and had at least 1 documented sequela was significantly higher among those in the preterm group (35.9% vs 19.0%; P =.02).”

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Perinatal HBV Transmission Risk Reduced With Maternal Prophylaxis, Neonatal Immunization, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (6/4, Barowski) reports, “Perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with maternal hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg)-positivity and can be effectively prevented via maternal antiviral prophylaxis and neonatal vaccination. These study results were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.” In the study, “the risk for perinatal HBV transmission was higher for infants born to HBeAg-positive mothers (odds ratio [OR], 9.29; 95% CI, 6.79-12.73) and lower for those born to mothers who received antiviral prophylaxis (OR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.16-0.49).”

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Co-Locating COVID-19 Vaccination, Infectious Disease Testing With Syringe Services Program Boosted Engagement Among People Who Injected Drugs, Study Finds

MedPage Today (6/3, Firth) reports, “Co-locating COVID-19 vaccination and infectious disease testing with a syringe services program boosted engagement among people who injected drugs, according to an analysis of the Baltimore-based initiative.” In the study, “among 347 participants across 10 co-located clinics participating in the Baltimore City Health Department Syringe Services Program from April 2021 to June 2022, 63% received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and 58% received one infectious disease test, reported” researchers in Health Affairs.

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Study Highlights Need For Improved Screening, Treatment Of Chronic HBV And TB Coinfection

Infectious Disease Advisor (6/3, Barowski) reports, “Tuberculosis (TB) and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection is more common than TB infection alone in some patients. However, diagnosis of both conditions together is uncommon, indicating the need to improve screening and treatment in patients at increased risk for coinfection.” These findings were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

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Dalbavancin Effective Treatment For Gram-Positive Infections In Patients Who Use Drugs, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (6/3, Chan) reports, “Dalbavancin is an effective treatment option for severe invasive gram-positive infections in people who use drugs, according to study results published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.” In the study, “at 90 days, 73.1% of patients who reported drug use and 74.5% of those with no history of drug use achieved clinical cure (P =.08). In both groups, the researchers observed higher clinical cure rates in those who completed the intended course of dalbavancin (77.3% vs 50% and 75.0% vs 71.4%, respectively).”

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FDA Advisory Panel To Consider Which COVID-19 Strain To Target With Next Round Of Booster Shots

Reuters (6/3, Santhosh, Leo) reports an FDA advisory committee “will vote whether to recommend that COVID-19 vaccines for 2024-25 should target the JN.1 variant, the most dominant this year, documents filed on Monday showed.” In separate documents, FDA staff “said vaccine makers developing the new booster shots may need to consider targeting one of the JN.1 subvariants such as KP.2, as further evolution of the virus could take it away from the older strain.” That subvariant “has become the dominant strain in the U.S., estimated to account for about 28.5% of cases over a two-week period ended May 25, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

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WHO Says Global Pandemic Treaty Will Be Concluded By 2025

Reuters (6/1, Rigby, Farge, Dugar) reported the World Health Organization on Saturday announced discussions aimed at “reaching a global agreement on how to better fight pandemics will be concluded by 2025 or earlier if possible.” The WHO’s 194 member states have been “negotiating for two years on an agreement that could increase collaboration before and during pandemics after the acknowledged failures during COVID-19.” The WHO “initially aimed for an agreement [last] week,” but talks “have been extended amid deep divisions between rich and poorer countries on issues like vaccine-sharing and preparedness.” The AP (6/1) reported that the WHO “said member countries on Saturday approved new steps to improve global preparedness for and response to pandemics like COVID-19 and mpox, and set a new deadline for agreeing on a broader treaty.” Countries “agreed by consensus” to amend the International Health Regulations, “which were last changed in 2005, such as by defining the term ‘pandemic emergency’ and helping developing countries to gain better access to financing and medical products, WHO said.” The organization “said countries have defined a pandemic emergency as a communicable disease that has a ‘wide geographical spread’ or a high risk of one, and has exceeded or can exceed the ability of national health systems to respond.”

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Researchers Identify RNU4-2 Gene Mutations As Explanation For Previously Unexplained Intellectual Disability

NBC News (5/31, Bendix) reported, “A newly identified neurodevelopmental disorder may explain tens of thousands of cases of intellectual disability whose cause was previously unknown, according to a new study” published in Nature Medicine. The study “investigates the effects of mutations in the gene RNU4-2, which is found in all animals, plants and fungi. The gene plays an important role in gene splicing,” and researchers “said that in theory, mutations in the RNU4-2 gene could disrupt that splicing process, ultimately leading to abnormal brain development and intellectual disability.”

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Fluoroquinolones, TMP-SMX Effective Stepdown Therapy For UTI-Related Gram-Negative BSIs, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (5/31, Kuhns) reported, “In patients with gram-negative bloodstream infections (GN-BSIs) from a complicated urinary tract infection (UTI) source, oral stepdown therapy with fluoroquinolones or trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) is as effective as intravenous (IV) β-lactams, according to study results published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases.” In the study, in “adjusted analysis, recurrence risk did not significantly [differ] between patients who received a full course of IV β-lactams and those who switched to either fluoroquinolones (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.09; 95% CI, 0.49-2.43) or TMP-SMX (aHR, 1.44; 95% CI, 0.54-3.87). However, a switch to high-bioavailability oral β-lactams was significantly associated with increased risk for recurrence (aHR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.76-8.33; P <.001).”

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Researchers Looking Into Whether COVID-19 Pandemic Is Tied To Uptick In Aggressive Late-Stage Cancers

Mpox Still Circulating At Low Levels In High-Risk Groups Across US, Study Finds

Almost 70 Celebrity Cruises Passengers Sickened In Norovirus Outbreak, CDC Officials Say

First Case Of Sexually Transmitted Fungal Infection Caused By Trichophyton Mentagrophytes Type VII Reported In US

Malaria Drug Tafenoquine May Treat Babesiosis Infections, Study Finds

Investigational Three-Dose Lyme Vaccine Candidate Generates Immunogenicity, Appears Safe In Phase II Trials

FDA Advisers Unanimously Recommend Next Round Of COVID-19 Vaccines Target JN.1 Variant

School-Entry Requirements, Federally-Funded Policies Boosted HPV Vaccination Coverage Among US Adolescents, Study Finds

CDC Recommends Doxycycline To Prevent Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis Infections Following Unprotected Sex

Hepatitis C Clearance Rates Well Below National Elimination Goals, CDC Says

Cases Of CRE Not As Common In US Children As ESBL-E, Study Finds

Incidence Of Invasive Meningococcal Disease Higher In Preterm Infants Compared To Term Infants, Study Finds

Perinatal HBV Transmission Risk Reduced With Maternal Prophylaxis, Neonatal Immunization, Study Finds

Co-Locating COVID-19 Vaccination, Infectious Disease Testing With Syringe Services Program Boosted Engagement Among People Who Injected Drugs, Study Finds

Study Highlights Need For Improved Screening, Treatment Of Chronic HBV And TB Coinfection

Dalbavancin Effective Treatment For Gram-Positive Infections In Patients Who Use Drugs, Study Finds

FDA Advisory Panel To Consider Which COVID-19 Strain To Target With Next Round Of Booster Shots

WHO Says Global Pandemic Treaty Will Be Concluded By 2025

Researchers Identify RNU4-2 Gene Mutations As Explanation For Previously Unexplained Intellectual Disability

Fluoroquinolones, TMP-SMX Effective Stepdown Therapy For UTI-Related Gram-Negative BSIs, Study Finds