Dr Ruth Crystal September 2, 2023 COVID Newsletter

"BA.2.86

Yunlong Cao reported that BA.2.86 can evade our neutralizing #antibodies, even if we had prior XBB.1.5 #infections, meaning that the new fall #vaccine may not protect well against BA. 2.86. But there is a caveat. It turns out that BA.2.86 can evade antibodies, but it is not as infectious or transmissible as other variants in circulation now.

This is reassuring. We know that antibodies from the new Fall XBB.1.5 vaccine expected out in about 2 weeks, will protect us from EG.5 and FL.1.5.1 variants which are in circulation now in the U.S. and many parts of the world.

Ben Murrell’s lab in Sweden announced that eight out of twelve blood donors with prior XBB.1.5 infection had antibodies that could neutralize BA.2.86. The updated fall booster against XBB.1.5 may provide some protection against BA.2.86. We will have to wait and see"

#Covid

https://drruth.substack.com/p/covid-news-and-more-9223

1/n

Now published in Peer Community Journal, #infections section: A global #Corynebacterium diphtheriae genomic framework sheds light on current #diphtheria reemergence https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.307

Winter #Coronavirus is coming.. the #vaccination programme for the autumn has been brought forward a month as the new variant #BA286 looks to be driving new #infections.

So now we get to see whether anyone has learnt anything from the last couple of years....

The Battle Against the #FungalApocalypse Is Just Beginning

#Fungal #infections are rising worldwide and #ClimateChange may be to blame. #Medicine isn’t ready.

https://www.wired.com/story/the-battle-against-the-fungal-apocalypse-is-just-beginning/#intcid=_wired-verso-hp-trending_b3fb0b60-a760-433c-aa73-7cf9978f1e81_popular4-1
#ClimateCrisis #Health

There is probably a reason why Mom told you to not play in the mud: Sonoma County Public Health officials launch investigation into possible #bacterial #infections after Tough Mudder endurance race. #water #health #contamination https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-public-health-officials-launch-investigation-into-bacterial-i/

There is probably a reason why Mom told you to not play in the mud: Sonoma County Public Health officials launch investigation into possible #bacterial #infections after Tough Mudder endurance race. #water #health #contamination https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/sonoma-county-public-health-officials-launch-investigation-into-bacterial-i/

''Although most #COVID19 cases decreased slowly from the beginning of the year until August, there are early signs suggesting a new #wave of COVID-19 #infections across Canada. As #hospitalizations rise, disease experts are also talking about how a new wave could be different from previous ones.'' CTV: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/covid-resurgence-sparks-concerns-as-hospitalizations-increase-across-canada-1.6531151 #SARS_CoV_2 #news #surveillance

“We have not seen a new #variant with this many new #spike mutations happening all at once since the emergence of the original #Omicron,” Bloom told NBC News. “Based on the sequence, I think we can be very confident this [variant] is going to be relatively good at evading the #antibodies that most people have from prior #infections and #vaccinations.” https://universeodon.com/@popsci/110929263757878504

I don't care if the people in the lobby shake their heads and laugh at me. I got a solo elevator ride to the 45th floor again today.
Laugh all you want - get infected as many times as you want - I'm going to be here in a proper respirator and a face shield to protect me from unmasked carriers like you in the lobby, def not sharing a ride w you!
#today #covidIsNotOver #elevator #infections #subway #contamination #no #thanks #NYC #NewYorkCity #WTC #WorldTradeCenter #7WTC #law #firm #take #my #ride

Early- and mid-pandemic, prior COVID infections gave a mild protective effect. This waned post-Omicron, and prior infections now tend toward more severe (second) infections, or a loss of protection altogether. ANOTHER STUDY SHOWS: AVOID MULTIPLE COVID INFECTIONS
#CovidIsNotOver #MaskUp #StaySafe #masking #saves #lives #prior #infections #increase #risk of #severe #cases #organ #damage #longCOVID is #real too... https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.08.03.23293612v1

The consequences of not adequately funding #publichealth information services, like #ProMed - the information goes behind a paywall, and by being less accessible, it helps less people. 😔
#infectiousdiseases #medicine #MedMastodon #IDMastodon #outbreak #outbreaks #infections #global #pandemic

https://promedmail.org/futureofpromed/

''"This week's Infoflu #update has 2 situations fundamentally involving young #children, which draw attention & still require greater attention in relation to respiratory #infections &, in particular, #hospitalizations, mainly due to the #RSV. On the one hand, we have a positive sign, which is the fact that we have a smaller number of states that still show a growth in the number of new weekly cases. We are seeing this sign clearly in Acre and Pará. InfoGripe, Marcelo Gomes.''

A treatment for HIV taken just once, using the genome-editing technology Crispr, is receiving fast-track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

https://sciencebusiness.technewslit.com/?p=45011

#News #Press #Science #Business #HIV #AIDS #Infections #AntiretroviralTherapy #ImmuneSystem #GenomeEditing #Crispr #Biotechnology #Chemistry #ClinicalTrial #FDA #FastTrack #Licensing #University

''The #risk of #human #infections following exposure to infected #cats at the national level is assessed as low for the general population, and low to moderate for cat owners and those occupationally exposed to #H5N1-infected cats (such as veterinarians) without the use of appropriate #PPE.''

“#Africa is suffering from a silent, but costly, epidemic of fungal infections. We found that the emergence of deadly fungal infections in the region is primarily driven by a high burden of HIV infections, lack of access to quality healthcare, and unavailability of effective antifungal drugs.”

https://theconversation.com/fungal-infections-in-the-brain-arent-just-the-stuff-of-movies-africa-grapples-with-a-deadly-epidemic-207836 (via @TheConversationAfrica) #health #infections

AMP has just published!
"Mecillinam: A Possible Alternative Option for Non-Complicated Urinary Tract Infections Treatment Caused by Enterobacterales"

Letter to the Editor by Mafalda Felgueiras and Valquíria Alves from Secção de Microbiologia do Serviço de Patologia Clínica da Unidade Local de Saúde de Matosinhos, in Porto, Portugal.

Full paper available here:
https://www.actamedicaportuguesa.com/revista/index.php/amp/article/view/19385

#amdinocillin #therapeuticuse #enterobacteriaceae #infections #drugtherapy #urinarytractinfections

Significant heterogeneity in the definition of #UTI. Makes research studies challenging. Need consensus definitions.
#medicine #MedMastodon #AMR #antibiotics #microbiology #academia #infections #IDMastodon

--------
Definitions of Urinary Tract Infection in Current Research: A Systematic Review | Open Forum Infectious Diseases | Oxford Academic

https://academic.oup.com/ofid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ofid/ofad332/7208965

DARPA Seeks to Shield Blood from Fungal and Bacterial Pathogens - working on a Roomba-like device for your bloodstream, an interesting and definitely out-of-the-box approach to infection control. #PublicHealth #BattlefieldInjury #Medical #InfectiousDisease #infections https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2023-06-29

#Covid hasn’t gone away—here’s where we stand
#Coronavirus continues to cause #infections, #disease & death—and #longcovid. #Vaccines eventually helped us get #virus under control, at least to some degree. But elephant in room is long covid—another hotly contested topic. Condition continues to cause lasting pain and suffering to an unknown but significant number of people. Scientists believe it’s possible to develop the condition after any infection with the coronavirus. https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/07/07/1075979/covid-hasnt-entirely-gone-away-heres-where-we-stand/

Watch out, #Floridians!

https://www.naturalnews.com/2023-06-30-florida-issues-malaria-alert-mosquitoes-swarm-state.html

#mosquitoes #malaria #infections