Month: July 2024

German epidemiologists are warning of a summer wave of coronavirus infections, blaming in part mass gatherings such as the Barbenheimer double feature craze. The government’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), says that while infections remain low compared with at the height of the pandemic, they have been on the rise for the past month. According to the government’s Pandemic Radar, which is updated daily by the health ministry, visits to the doctor due to a Covid 19 infection are up 175% on the previous week, with 2,400 cases reported to the RKI this week compared with 400 the previous week, and double the rate of a month ago. Hospital admissions of people with coronavirus are up 50%. And more than half of Germany’s monitoring stations, in particular sewage plants, have indicated a rise in viral load detected in wastewater this month. The number of official test results shows the rate to be low, at 3 in every 100,000 people. However, the figure itself is hardly a reflection of the real rate, as so few tests are now being carried out. “It could be that we’re having a summer wave,” Timo Ulrichs an epidemiologist at the Berlin Akkon University of Human Sciences, told the news portal Spiegel, adding that the so-called “Barbenheimer effect” was capable of boosting the numbers. Germany was among the countries where cinemagoers were encouraged to go to watch the blockbuster films Barbie and Oppenheimer as a double feature, in an effort to boost cinema attendance which has yet to recover since the pandemic. So far just under 4 million have seen Barbie, and over 2.5 million, Oppenheimer. The idea of a Barbenheimer effect on the spread of the virus was first playfully mooted by the vaccine expert Peter Hotez of the National School of Tropical Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. Suggesting on Twitter that it might be of concern, due to the millions of people surging to cinemas and spending hours in a windowless room together, he concluded: “We’ll probably never know since no one seems to be keeping track of such things any more.” New York has recently recorded a doubling in hospitalisations due to the EG.5 Eris variant of Omicron, which the World Health Organization last week classified as a “variant of interest”. Hotez urged people to keep up with their boosters and wear a pink medical mask – in a nod to Barbie – if they were planning a cinema visit. Germany’s health minister, Karl Lauterbach, said in reaction to rising levels elsewhere in the world, and the increase in Germany, where the XBB.1.5 variant is currently responsible for most new infections: “our early warning system is activated”. Germans are being encouraged to get booster jabs in the autumn, if they belong to a higher-risk group, such as those over 60, and people who are overweight, suffer from a lung disease such as COPD, or work in a risky environment such as a hospital. Those who are sick are being advised to stay at home.

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reports data from the latest study at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) showing protection against Lassa Fever, a significant threat to global health. FREDERICK, Md., Aug. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Zalgen Labs LLC (Zalgen), a biotechnology and diagnostics company focused on high-impact, neglected infectious diseases, including Lassa Fever (LF), today announced publication of data demonstrating that Arevirumab-3®, its lead immunotherapeutic candidate, is an effective therapeutic for the treatment of Lassa virus infections, with activity against all major viral lineages that cause severe disease in humans, and at very low dosages. The study emanated from an extensive and ongoing research collaboration of Zalgen, Tulane University (Tulane), UTMB, and other members of the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Consortium (VHFC) [www.vhfc.org] and the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Immunotherapeutic Consortium (VIC) [www.vhfimmunotherapy.org] working on advanced alternatives to treat Lassa fever and other hemorrhagic viral infections. The just released publication: A human monoclonal antibody combination rescues nonhuman primates from advanced disease caused by the major lineages of Lassa virus, Cross RW, et al. (DOI number 10.1073/pnas.2304876120) is the latest in a series of scientific reports from Zalgen studies at UTMB. This study, in conjunction with the previously reported high-resolution structures of Arevirumab-3 antibodies, docked on the viral glycoprotein (Li H et al. A cocktail of protective antibodies subverts the dense glycan shield of Lassa virus. Sci Transl Med. 2022 Oct 26;14(668)) form the core of a recently reviewed pre-Investigational New Drug (pre-IND) application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA). Arevirumab-3 is now on a path toward IND, with projected Phase 1 clinical studies to assess the safety and immunogenicity of the drug in healthy human subjects. “The ultimate goal of this program is to complete the clinical evaluation of Arevirumab-3 as a novel drug for the treatment of active Lassa fever, as well as its potential use as a prophylactic,” stated Luis M. Branco Ph.D., Zalgen Managing Director. “Arevirumab-3 is the first drug to be developed specifically for the treatment of Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic fever widely regarded as a leading pandemic concern.” Lassa fever is a dangerous, often fatal disease common to much of West Africa, with children and pregnant women being the highest risk groups; the early stages of the disease are difficult to distinguish from other diseases. Lassa fever is spread by contact with infected rodents and is estimated to infect 300,000 to 500,000 people per year across the region, with at least 5,000 deaths annually. The illness is characterized by bleeding and coagulation abnormalities, with mortality rates reported exceeding 25 percent and reaching 50 percent during epidemics. “The results of these studies demonstrating 100% effectiveness in monkeys more than a week after infection with Lassa virus suggests that this therapy may benefit patients with Lassa fever in West Africa, who often present to the clinic at a late stage of disease,” said Robert F. Garry, Ph.D., Co-Founder of Zalgen. The current study established that Arevirumab-3 is poised to offer a therapeutic option for a viral hemorrhagic fever that causes significant mortality and morbidity throughout the West African subcontinent, and for which there are very limited and largely ineffective options. Zalgen, UTMB, and Tulane are conducting additional studies to explore further the utility of Arevirumab-3 against divergent and emerging strains of the Lassa virus. The development path of Arevirumab-3 exemplifies how state-of-the-art complex immunotherapeutics are developed, tested, and progress toward human use. Development of Aruvirumab-3 was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants BAA NIAID-DAIT-NIHAI2008031, 1R01AI104621-01, 1U19AI109762-01, 1R01AI132223-01, 1R43AI120472-01, and peripherally by 5R44AI115752-02, 1U01AI082119-01, and 1UC1 AI067188-01. About Zalgen LabsZalgen Labs is a biotechnology and diagnostics company headquartered in Frederick, Md., and an advanced diagnostic product development center in Aurora, Colo. The company specializes in the design and production of superior biological molecules critical for developing and commercializing immunotherapeutics, novel vaccines, and reliable, rapid, and affordable diagnostic platforms targeting neglected and underrepresented human infectious diseases. For more information, visit www.zalgen.com. SOURCE Zalgen Labs

A rare flesh-eating bacteria infection led to the demise of three individuals in Connecticut and New York who had consumed raw shellfish. According to CNN, officials confirmed on Wednesday (August 16) that Vibrio infection found in warm, brackish waters or raw shellfish infected three people aged between 60 and 80. Christopher Boyle, director of communications for the state’s Department of Public Health, told CNN that two people in Connecticut contracted the disease and died after swimming in two locations on Long Island Sound. The Department of Public Health articulated that the third person fell ill upon eating raw oysters from an out-of-state establishment.

Share on PinterestTick-borne illnesses are common through much of the U.S. Jerry Monkman/Aurora Photos/Getty Images According to a new report from the CDC, a novel bacterium was found in 4 U.S. patients who were suspected of being infected with tick-borne illnesses. This is just an initial report and further research is needed. Antibiotics are the first line of treatment for these infections. For safety precautions, people are advised to avoid areas that are known to be tick-infested and wear appropriate clothing to minimize risk. The CDC recently announced the presence of novel Anaplasma bovis–like infections in humans. In the report in Emerging Infectious Diseases, health officials stated they found the A. bovis-like bacterium in 4 U.S. patients who are believed to have tick-borne diseases. The CDC points out that multiple Anaplasma species are already known to lead to tick-borne illness in humans. “Three recognized species (Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Anaplasma ovis, and Anaplasma bovis) and one provisionally named species (Anaplasma capra) are associated with moderately severe to severe disease in humans,” the CDC reported. Little is known about how disease symptoms may present or how common infections with the A. bovis-like agent are in the population. “The spectrum of disease and epidemiology associated with human infections caused by this novel A. bovis–like agent remains unknown. Presumably, human infections with this agent in the United States are uncommon, because this bacterium was detected only 4 times from 29,928 residual clinical samples,” the report noted. Low number of cases For the study, researchers looked at data from patients in the central and upper midwestern United States. “This is another anaplasma that affects humans so it’s the beginning of the story that we need to learn more about,” Dr. David Walker, Executive Director at UTMB Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Disease, told Healthline. “It was only 4 samples out of 30,000 samples so it’s a low percentage.” Dr. Charles Bailey, medical director for infection prevention at Providence Mission Hospital and Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange County, California, explained “This is an interesting observation but researchers admit there is a lot they don’t know about this class of bacteria. This is a very partial fingerprint when you don’t have a full set of fingerprints to compare it to. In the US there are approximately 15 illnesses carried by ticks that are pretty much the same. This might be the 16th, but the research is very preliminary and quite a narrow potential impact for the general public.” It’s also important to note the samples that were tested in this study were between 2015 and 2017. “It’s a new species but those samples were from years ago, so it’s not an emerging infection that is now circulating,” said Wassim Ballan, MD, Division Chief of infectious disease, Medical Director of Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and Associate Director of the Infection Prevention Program at Phoenix Children’s. What is A. bovis? A. bovis is a bacteria that primarily causes disease in mammals such as cattle, sheep and antelope. These types of mammals are called ruminants. The condition is spread from host to host by a tick bite, Catherine Troisi, PhD, infectious disease epidemiologist with UTHealth Houston, explained. It is rarely transmitted from animals to humans although this paper reports on four cases of a tick-borne illness in humans (2 in 2015 and 2 in 2017). “Technology at the time didn’t allow for specific classification of the bacteria detected but it appeared to be close to A. bovis. The current paper reports on a more detailed analysis of the bacteria found in these four cases and determined that it is similar to, but not exactly like, A. bovis strains found earlier and so there is some genetic variation,” said Troisi. Typical symptoms of tick-borne illnesses are fevers/chills, aches and pains, and rash. Due to the rarity of infections, the spectrum of disease and epidemiology associated with human infections caused by this novel A. bovis–like agent is not known, Troisi added. Who is most at risk? “The bacteria is spread by tick bites and people should take precautions to not get bit to protect themselves from Lyme Disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever along with other tick-borne infections,” Troisi stated. “However only four cases were found out of 29,928 samples tested so no cause to be concerned specifically about this disease.” In addition, “it’s an Anaplasma infection, so it will fit within the same picture as other Anaplasma infections. Based on the whole species of Anaplasma, people who are immunocompromised are most at risk,” Ballan stated. Treatments Antibiotics are prescribed to treat this disease since it is a bacterial infection. However, “for this new species we don’t know for sure, but looking at Anaplasma as a whole there are antibiotics to treat these infections,” Ballan explained. “Doxycycline is commonly prescribed in these cases, but there are other options available as well. It’s antibiotics because it’s a bacterial infection.” Takeaway A new report from the CDC reveals that a novel Anaplasma bovis-like bacterium was found in 4 U.S. patients who were believed to be infected with tick-borne illnesses. More research is needed to learn more about this new species. Antibiotics are the first line of treatment for tick-borne infections. To stay safe, doctors recommend avoiding places that are infested with ticks and wear proper clothing to reduce risk of infection.