Healthcare & Laboratory News

Reuters (4/29, Roy) reports Texas Department of State Health Services reported 663 cases of measles in the state on Tuesday, an increase of 17 since April 25. The department said cases in Gaines County, “the center of the outbreak, rose to 396, three more from its last update on Friday.” A total of 87 patients have been hospitalized. Sapna Singh, chief medical officer at Texas Children’s Pediatrics, said, “The rate of rise in measles cases appears to be slowing down, but it is still concerning that we are seeing more cases adding to the count.”

Myasthenia Gravis News (4/29, Wexler) reports, “Levels of antibodies against muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) are not reflective of disease severity in people with MuSK-positive myasthenia gravis (MG), according to a study.” Investigators came to this conclusion after analyzing “749 blood samples collected from 641 people with MG over the course of at least 10 years,” with 21 of those samples coming “from seven patients” who “were positive for anti-MuSK autoantibodies.” The findings were published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

Parkinson’s News Today (4/29, Bryson) reports a study found that “a newly developed test was able to distinguish – with an accuracy of 95% – between individuals with and without Parkinson’s disease, using samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.” The test “uses samples of CSF, collected via a spinal tap, to directly test misfolded alpha-synuclein – a molecular hallmark of Parkinson’s and related conditions.” Researchers concluded, “The structure-based biomarker, which is already established for Alzheimer’s, now enables a biological classification for [Parkinson’s disease] for timely identification and intervention, potentially slowing the disease progression and improving patient outcomes.” The study was published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.

American Journal of Managed Care (4/29, Bonavitacola) reports that a systemic review found that “young individuals living with HIV can be influenced to maintain their adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) by their family dynamics and their mental health.” Researchers included 36 US-based studies in the review. They found that “caregivers being in charge of administering treatment resulted in greater adherence. Higher viral load was associated with caregivers having difficulty in administering the medication or those who had lower knowledge. A support system was found to be vital in individuals starting and maintaining their treatment.” In addition, “Some participants were also less likely to take their medication when they felt it affected their social life. Nonadherence to the medication could also be brought upon by parents if the parents do not adhere to their medication.” The review was published in AIDS and Behavior.

The AP (4/28, Neergaard, Perrone) reports the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to impose new requirements on Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is “sowing uncertainty about updates to other vaccines” in the industry. Novavax “said Monday that the Food and Drug Administration was asking the company to run a new clinical trial of its vaccine after the agency grants full approval,” even though the company has argued that its current shot remains “approvable.” The decision from the FDA comes “shortly after the agency’s longtime vaccine chief was forced out over disagreements” with HHS Secretary Kennedy. Observers are now expressing concerns that this new scrutiny may effect other COVID-19 vaccines as well as unrelated products, such as the influenza vaccine.

USA Today (4/28, Diller) reports, “Thirteen gastrointestinal illness outbreaks have occurred on cruise ships in 2025, with ten attributed to norovirus.” The number of outbreaks “surpasses pre-pandemic levels and is on track to exceed 2024’s total of 18 outbreaks.” Further, as the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) continues to be impacted by staffing cuts, “public health officials said they continue to track gastrointestinal illnesses at sea.” Passengers on cruise ships “are advised to practice frequent handwashing, report illnesses promptly, and consider using disinfectants in their cabins.”

OncLive (4/28, Seymour) reports, “The presence of TMPRSS2-ERG fusions in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was associated with differential gene alteration frequency, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and gene expression signatures, among other molecular characteristics in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), according to data from a post hoc analysis of the phase 3 TALAPRO-2 trial.” The data “demonstrated that ctDNA burden was higher in the presence of TMPRSS2-ERG, with mean tumor fraction values of 0.22 and 0.11 in those with (n = 97) and without (n = 584) the marker, respectively...consistent with poor prognosis.” OncLive adds, “The respective median values were 0.14 and 0.00. TMB in the blood was low in patients irrespective of TMPRSS2-ERG, although a slightly higher median value was seen in patients with vs without TMPRSS2-ERG, at 3.79 mut/mB vs 2.53 mut/mB, respectively.” The findings were presented at the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting.

Infectious Disease Advisor (4/28) reports, “Influenza vaccination does not confer significant protection against influenza-associated hospitalization for most patients with liver disease, according to results of a study published in Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics.” While patients with liver disease “more commonly reported prior influenza vaccination than those without liver disease (57.8% vs 52.4%; P <.001), there was no significant between-group difference in the likelihood of testing positive for influenza.” However, “Further studies are warranted to evaluate VE in patients with different types of liver disease and to investigate whether specific vaccine formulations or strategies are able to enhance influenza vaccine effectiveness.”

Reuters (4/25, Roy) reported the Texas Department of State Health Services reported 646 cases of measles within the state on Friday, “an increase of 22 from three days ago.” Cases In Gaines County – the epicenter of the outbreak – specifically rose to 393 as of April 22. Meanwhile, New Mexico reported 66 cases as of Friday, with the majority of the cases in Lea County – adjacent to Gaines County.

Infectious Disease Advisor (4/25) reported, “The risk for complications, mortality, and disease recurrence due to babesiosis was significantly higher among patients with immunocompromising conditions” such as asplenia/hyposplenia “compared with immune-intact patients.” Between-group analyses of patients at 12 months “showed immune-intact patients had lower rates of all-cause mortality (1% vs 7%) and hospitalization (55% vs 83%), as well as shorter stays (median, 4 days vs 6 days). In contrast, disease recurrence was more common in immunocompromised patients (8% vs 0%).” The study results were published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.