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Today's Headlines: October 18, 2018

Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases

Mad Cow Disease Confirmed in Scotland ( CNN) A case of mad cow disease has been discovered on a farm in Aberdeen, the Scottish government has confirmed. The incidence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, as the disease is officially known, was identified "as a result of strict control measures we have in place," according to a spokesman for the authorities in Edinburgh. Go to article

Zika in Africa: Rare Birth Defect on the Rise in Angola ( Reuters) Emiliano Cula starts to cry as his tiny fingers, curled into a tight fist, are stretched by a physical therapist to stimulate motor control. Born in a poor neighborhood of Angola's capital Luanda, the 10-month old boy has microcephaly, a birth defect marked by a small head and serious developmental problems. He still can't sit upright and has difficulty seeing and hearing.  Go to article


Global Health Security

Statement on the October 2018 Meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee on the Ebola Outbreak in DRC ( WHO) It was the view of the Committee that a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) should not be declared at this time. But the Committee remains deeply concerned by the outbreak and emphasized that response activities need to be intensified and ongoing vigilance is critical. The Committee also noted the very complex security situation. Go to article

See also: WHO Raises Concerns Over Ebola Outbreak, But Declines to Declare a Global Health Emergency ( STAT News) The WHO said Wednesday the growing Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the DRC does not currently constitute a global health emergency. The decision was made on the advice of a panel of international experts, called an emergency committee, that was convened to advise WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the issue. Go to article


Medicine & Public Health

Atypical Presentation of MERS-CoV in a Lebanese Patient ( Avian Flu Diary) The MERS coronavirus continues to simmer in the Middle East with the latest WHO EMRO report showing 118 cases reported (through Sept 30th) in 2018.  Since 2012, 2260 confirmed cases of MERS--including 803 fatalities--have been reported globally. While MERS has yet to take off in a big way, it has proven itself to be more easily spread among humans than either of the 2 major avian flu viruses (H5N1, H7N9) we've been following for years. Go to article

WHO-Endorsed Tests Fail to Detect Outbreak of MDR Tuberculosis in South Africa ( EureakAlert!) An international team of researchers has now shown that MDR-TB strains have developed ways to fool even the latest diagnostic tests, endorsed by the WHO. And, due to the wide use of these tests, a recent outbreak in South Africa has remained undetected for 5 years. Go to article

Genomic Analysis of Lassa Virus During an Increase in Cases in Nigeria in 2018 ( The New England Journal of Medicine) During 2018, an unusual increase in Lassa fever cases occurred in Nigeria, raising concern among national and international public health agencies. We analyzed 220 Lassa virus genomes from infected patients, including 129 from the 2017-2018 transmission season, to understand the viral populations underpinning the increase. A total of 14 initial genomes from 2018 samples were generated at Redeemer's University in Nigeria, and the findings were shared with the Nigerian Center for Disease Control in real time. Go to article

See also: Nigeria's Largest Lassa Fever Outbreak Sparked by Rats ( Nature) Rats fuelled the largest outbreak of deadly Lassa fever in Nigeria this year, according to the most extensive and rapid genomic analysis of the Lassa virus conducted thus far. The study, published on 17 October in the New England Journal of Medicine, eases fears that Lassa had mutated into a super-bug that was spreading swiftly between people. Instead, the viral genomes harvested from 220 patients were surprisingly diverse, indicating that most people had not acquired their infections from someone else. Go to article

Biofilm-Inspired Encapsulation of Probiotics for the Treatment of Complex Infections ( Wiley) The emergence of antimicrobial resistance poses a major challenge to healthcare. Probiotics offer a potential alternative treatment method but are often incompatible with antibiotics themselves, diminishing their overall therapeutic utility. This work uses biofilm-inspired encapsulation of probiotics to confer temporary antibiotic protection and to enable the coadministration of probiotics and antibiotics.  Go to article

Extensively Drug-Resistant Typhoid--Are Conjugate Vaccines Arriving Just in Time? ( The New England Journal of Medicine) In Hyderabad, Pakistan, an outbreak of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica serovar Typhi, resistant to chloramphenicol, ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, fluoroquinolones, and third-generation cephalosporins, was recognized in November 2016 and has now spread to Karachi, home to more than 14 million people. More than 1000 cases have been confirmed by blood culture; since most typhoid cases are treated empirically, however, the true number of cases is probably many times greater. Go to article

Ten Lessons We learned About How to Deploy Teams into Post-Hurricane Settings ( Big Cities Health Coalition) Disasters like Hurricane Michael show how severe the public health impacts from a coastal storm can be. When disasters like this strike, many local and state health workers are often willing to help in another jurisdiction, but they aren't quite sure how. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene took on the unique challenge of serving communities located thousands of miles from our own. In late 2017 and early 2018, the agency deployed multiple teams to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to support public health. This was an unprecedented mission for our agency. Go to article

Considerations for the Use of Temporary Surge Sites for Managing Seasonal Patient Surge ( TRACIE) In the US, fall and winter are typically the seasons that result in increased viral illness. Influenza activity tends to peak from December through February, but could occur as early as October or run as late as May. In addition to flu, other illnesses tend to be more prevalent in the fall and winter, such as respiratory syncytial virus, croup, pneumonia, strep throat, norovirus, and the common cold. Many of these illnesses have common symptoms and differentiating between them is difficult for patients and providers. The surge in these illnesses can lead to increased patient volume in private practices, urgent care centers, and emergency departments across the country. Go to article


Science & Technology

Cryo-EM Structure of the Ebola Virus Nucleoprotein-RNA Complex at 3.6 A resolution ( Nature) Here we report the structure of a recombinant Ebola virus nucleoprotein-RNA complex expressed in mammalian cells without chemical fixation, at near-atomic resolution using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. Our structure reveals how the Ebola virus nucleocapsid core encapsidates its viral genome, its sequence-independent coordination with RNA by nucleoprotein, and the dynamic transition between the RNA-free and RNA-bound states. Go to article

3-D Printed Lithium-Ion Batteries ( EurekAlert!) Electric vehicles and most electronic devices, such as cell phones and laptop computers, are powered by lithium-ion batteries. Until now, manufacturers have had to design their devices around the size and shape of commercially available batteries. But researchers have developed a new method to 3D print lithium-ion batteries in virtually any shape. Go to article

Epic Systems Building Dedicated Server for Sequencing Data ( Genome Web: subscription required) Electronic health records giant Epic Systems is adapting to the age of precision medicine by building a dedicated, cloud-based sequence server to store large genomics files. Peter DeVault, Epic's vice president of genomics and interoperability, did not divulge specifics of the technology, including whether or not Epic is partnering with a major cloud services company, nor did he offer a target release date. Go to article

Clarification: USDA to Grant Exclusive License to Develop ASF Vaccine ( Meat + Poultry) The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the US Dept. of Agriculture is seeking comments on its plan to grant Zoetis LLC, Kalamazoo, Michigan, an exclusive license to develop a vaccine to control African Swine Fever (ASF). Currently, there is no approved commercially available vaccine against the virus. Go to article

Small-Molecule AgrA Inhibitors F12 and F19 Act as Antivirulence Agents Against Gram-Positive Pathogens ( Scientific Reports) Small-molecule antivirulence agents represent a promising alternative or adjuvant to antibiotics. These compounds disarm pathogens of disease-causing toxins without killing them, thereby diminishing survival pressure to develop resistance. Here we show that the small-molecule antivirulence agents F12 and F19 block staphylococcal transcription factor AgrA from binding to its promoter. Go to article

 
Other 21st Century Threats

Act Now to Close Chemical-Weapons Loophole (Nature) As the Fourth Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention meets next month, state parties need to address mounting concerns about the potential development and use of law-enforcement weapons involving chemical agents that act on the central nervous system (CNS).  Go to article


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