February 28, 2022
Immunity from prior infection may be less effective against Omicron than other SARS-CoV-2 variants. Since the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 was detected, the number of reinfected individuals has risen sharply. Prior infections were around 90% effective at preventing reinfection with the Alpha, Beta, and Delta variants, but were only 56% effective against Omicron. Omicron’s high transmissibility and its ability to evade the body’s immune defenses likely drove the surge of reinfections. Studying reinfections will help researchers understand what SARS-CoV-2’s transition to an endemic virus will look like. [Nature News]
Phage therapy can be an alternative to Antibiotics in COVID-19 treatment and recovery. The unmoderated use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic could accelerate AMR and negatively impact COVID-19. Dysbiosis is a reduction in microbial diversity combined with the loss of beneficial bacteria and a rise in symbiotic bacteria with pathogenic potential. Antibiotic-induced dysbiosis can be detrimental to the pulmonary functioning of COVID-19 patients. In this context, bacteriophages or “phage therapy” are considered as an alternative for antibiotics provided the desired specificity and availability. Phage therapy can also serve as an anti-inflammatory agent to avert cytokine storms in severe COVID-19 infections. [Current Research in Microbial Sciences]
Alternatives to antibiotic use exist for treating multi-drug-resistant pathogens. As AMR emerges and spreads, infectious diseases are becoming increasingly more difficult to treat, causing an increase in morbidity and mortality. Despite the reduced effectiveness of antimicrobial therapy in the last two decades, few novel antibiotics have been introduced. On a quest to find alternative approaches to fighting (multi-) drug-resistant infections, researchers are evaluating combination therapies, techniques that target the enzymes or proteins responsible for AMR or resistant bacteria, novel drug delivery systems, physicochemical methods, and genomic technologies like the CRISPR-Cas system. These alternative measures could shift the paradigm for the treatment of multi-drug-resistant pathogens in the clinical setting. [Antibiotics]
Research is needed on antimicrobial stewardship among refugee populations. There is a higher prevalence of AMR in refugees than the general population, but no specific guidance exists for the implementation of stewardship among this population. Many refugees reside in self-settled camps or collective centers and face an increased infectious disease burden. Antimicrobial stewardship programs face enormous challenges in lower- and middle-income countries (where many refugees reside) including limited diagnostic and surveillance systems, limited antimicrobial access, inadequate water and sanitation measures, lack of qualified personnel and training programs, and high infectious disease burden. [Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology]
Pharmaceutical pollution is a global threat to environmental and human health. Environmental exposure to active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) negatively impacts ecosystem and human health. Researchers conducted a global-scale study of API pollution in 258 rivers, representing the environmental influence of 471.4 million people across 137 regions. The highest API concentrations were in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and South America, in areas with poor wastewater and waste management infrastructure, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. The APIs detected most often were carbamazepine, metformin, and caffeine (a compound also associated with lifestyle use). Concentrations higher than what is considered safe for aquatic organisms in a quarter of the sampling sites are of grave concern due to the impact on AMR. [PNAS]
Post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels decrease with age and are higher in females and previously infected individuals. An assessment of 212,102 adults who had received at least one vaccine dose found that antibody positivity peaked at 4 to 5 weeks after the first dose, and then declined until second dose administration. Antibody positivity was higher in Pfizer-vaccinated individuals compared to Astra Zeneca-vaccinated individuals, with antibodies present in nearly 100% of those given two Pfizer doses. Antibody positivity was highest in younger individuals, women, and previously infected individuals, and lowest in individuals over 75 and people with comorbidities. [BMJ]
Wild poliovirus from Pakistan shows up in Malawi in the first case in Africa since 2016 in Nigeria. A relative of wild type 1 poliovirus from the Sindh province in Pakistan paralyzed a 3-year-old girl in Malawi in the country’s first case since 1992. The virus was likely circulating undetected since October 2019, though it’s uncertain when it arrived in Malawi or how far it has spread. Pakistan and Afghanistan are currently the only countries endemic for wild poliovirus, which occasionally spreads from these regions. The last spread occurred in 2013, causing an outbreak in Syria. [Science Insider]
Double-burden malnutrition is higher in richer households in poor LMICs and poorer households in richer LMICs. Anthropometric and demographic data of 1,132,069 children under-5 and their mothers from 1992-2018 across 55 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) was analyzed to investigate global inequalities in household-level double-burden malnutrition (DBM). DBM, the coexistence of overnutrition and undernutrition expressed as stunted children with overweight mothers, was exacerbated by economic and social globalization, with economic globalization primarily detrimental to the world’s poorest. Double-duty malnutrition policy actions must find ways to counter globalization’s potential negative and unequal impacts across socioeconomic groups in LMICs. [The Lancet Global Health]
Infant measles titer at birth is highly correlated with maternal measles titer at delivery. Researchers assessed serum measles antibodies in 340 mother-infant pairs in Mali. The study revealed that 11% of mothers and 10% of infants were susceptible at delivery and at birth, respectively, with higher susceptibility in infants born to younger mothers. Furthermore, 72% of infants were susceptible at three months post-birth, while almost all (98%) were susceptible at six months post-birth. Infants born to younger mothers were more susceptible at birth and 3 months, but maternal antibodies correlated with infant protection regardless of maternal age. Given infant susceptibility before the recommended vaccination age, improved immunization coverage, and other strategies are needed to protect infants from measles complications and mortality. [Vaccine]
Pediatric infectious disease transmission and antibiotic use declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. An interrupted time-series analysis was performed to determine the effect of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the incidence of pediatric infectious diseases and antibiotic use between 2018-2020 in Vigo, Spain. During the pandemic, the number of airborne and fecal-oral infectious diseases transmitted decreased significantly. Simultaneously, there was a significant reduction in the usage of antibacterial agents, particularly penicillins, cephalosporins, and macrolides. The use of non-pharmacological strategies to prevent infectious disease transmission may help prevent excess antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance. [Antibiotics]
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