Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Pseudomonas; Epilepsy; Antibiotics; Cancer; Covid
Norwegian researchers described a nationwide Pseudomonas aeruginosa outbreak in Norway linked to disposable washcloths. The outbreak began in November 2021, when the Norwegian Institute of Public Health was notified by the University Hospital of North-Norway of three patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 who had died from bloodstream infections caused by indistinguishable P aeruginosa strains, only a few days apart. (5/6)
Surgeons who observe persistent fluid buildup after disconnecting epileptic and healthy brain areas should think twice before installing low-pressure nonprogrammable drainage shunts, according to a study co-authored by Rutgers pediatric and epilepsy neurosurgeon Yasunori Nagahama that found chronic headaches could result from these procedures. (Rutgers University, 5/11)
A study published yesterday in mBio suggests a diverse, high-fiber diet is associated with fewer antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) in gut bacteria. In the study, researchers from the US Department of Agriculture-Agriculture Research Service (USDA-ARS) used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to analyze stool samples from 290 healthy adults participating in the USDA Nutritional Phenotyping Study. The analysis revealed a large diversity, both in abundance and composition, of ARGs, with people having a high ARG abundance generally having a higher diversity of resistance mechanisms. (5/11)
In covid research —
Patients diagnosed as having cancer within 1 year after testing positive for COVID-19 and those undergoing treatment are at a 10% higher risk for infection-related hospitalization and 17% higher risk of death than other patients, suggests a study published yesterday in PLOS One. (5/5)
Pregnant women living in low-income neighborhoods and homes that are crowded were more likely to contract COVID-19 during the pre-vaccination period of the pandemic, according to a study yesterday in Obstetrics & Gynecology. (5/6)
Over 40% of 79 stool samples from COVID-19 patients admitted to one of four hospitals in Spain contained SARS-CoV-2 RNA but no live virus, suggesting a negligible ability to replicate in this medium and a very low likelihood of fecal-oral viral transmission, finds a study published yesterday in Scientific Reports. (5/6)
