Gastrointestinal Infections

Investigators determined there is a modest increased risk of long-term gastrointestinal symptoms and IBS following COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 stories continue to be the most-read, but last month's top stories described how contracting COVID-19 increases the risk of gastrointestinal infection, C difficile infection, and cardiovascular disease.

Data from the US Veterans Affairs found a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders were more likely among patients who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 within a year after the acute phase of the disease.

58.5% of an infant’s microbiota composition is transferred by their mother.

Enteric pathogens increase C difficile virulence by providing amino acids that shape the metabolic environment in the gut.

Use of early COVID-19 treatments did not reduce the risk of hospitalization or death, but did reduce long COVID symptoms after 3 months.

“HIV reservoir dynamics are driven by local inflammation and gut dysbiosis,” the investigators concluded.

From concerns of Guillain-Barré syndrome to the gut microbiota's effect on COVID-19 infection severity, these were the week's top stories.

Gut microbial abundance was observed to be independent of age and influenced COVID-19 spike IgG levels.

An increase in extensively drug-resistant Shigella infections prompted the CDC to release a health advisory for this major cause of bacterial diarrhea.

FDA says products have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria and were distributed along the east coast in several states.

The microbiome may be a source of future investigation and modulation approaches, the study authors wrote.

Patients treated with SER-109 reported a significant improvement in disease-specific health-related quality-of-life, regardless of their clinical outcome.

Utopia Foods, Inc., issued a voluntary recall after their imported Chinese enoki mushrooms tested positive for 2 strains of Listeria monocytogenes involved in an outbreak.

The data may help explain why COVID-19 patients experience dangerous secondary infections.

A Chinese epidemiologist made this claim this weekend as the country gathers for its Lunar New Year celebrations.

Click on the slideshow images to read the full stories featured in this weekly infectious disease recap.

Tibetan Buddhist monks, who meditate regularly, had vastly different gut microbiomes than the non-meditating control group.

Preclinical testing suggests that a newly developed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine could protect against current and future variants.

Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is a promising option for patients struggling with CDI recurrences. But how can we ensure the treatment is successful?

A new report finds veterans who took vitamin D supplements were less likely to get COVID-19 and less likely to die within 30 days of infection.

With major updates in HIV, C difficile, hepatitis, yeast infections, and skin and soft tissue infections, this week's Infectious Disease Update has something for everyone.

An easy-to-administer oral biologic kept repeat C difficile infections at bay in a new study.

The US FDA has accepted a Biologics License Application (BLA) for Seres Therapeutics' SER-109, and set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of April 26, 2023.

Drs Abraham and Feuerstadt share recent data with emerging live biotherapeutic products, SER-109, CP101, and VE303, for treatment of recurrent C difficile infection (rCDI).

C diff patients live in fear of a recurrence, says gastroenterologist Paul Feuerstadt, MD. RBX2660 has entered the FDA pipeline and looks to end this vicious cycle.

A fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) trial was halted early due to clear evidence the treatment was superior to placebo.

The incubation period of the original, wild-type COVID-19 strain was 6.65 days, while the Omicron variant's incubation period has shortened to 3.42 days.

Frequent recurrence of Clostridioides difficile infection drives up financial burdens of the disease and underscores the need to improve access to treatment, infection prevention, and new therapies.

Eric Shaff, president and CEO of Seres Therapeutics, discusses the confirmatory trial findings for SER-109. Seres is filing a Biologics License Application for the recurrent C diff therapy.