Respiratory Infections

This week's most-read stories discussed unforeseen consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, including an increase in gastrointestinal diseases and a decrease in childhood asthma diagnoses.

How likely is COVID-19 reinfection? A new study estimates the protection from past COVID-19 infection by variant and time since infection.

Pfizer’s investigational RSV prefusion F protein−based vaccine (RSVpreF) was 81.8% effective at preventing medically attended severe RSV-associated lower respiratory tract illness in infants.

Vilobelimab (Gohibic) was granted Emergency Use Authorization to treat adults hospitalized with severe COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 prevention practices such as masking, social distancing, and school closures lowered children’s exposures to circulating respiratory viruses and other environmental triggers of asthma.

These findings suggest the World Health Organization's definition of post-COVID-19 condition (long COVID) may be too broad.

After assessing the landscape, the company is leaving the adult RSV vaccine market.

Early treatment with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) was associated with the greatest clinical benefit in reducing COVID-19 hospitalization and death.

"Antibiotics can safely be withheld in most patients with viral respiratory infections,” these study authors wrote.

This week's hottest topics included the risks of proton pump inhibitors, rare tickborne disease, HIV vaccination, COVID-19 immunity from a common cold, and hydrocortisone for pneumonia.

March 24 is World Tuberculosis Day. Here’s a brief history of the second deadliest infectious disease, and how it affects the world today.

On this day of commemoration, The Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute has multiple TB therapies and a prophylactic vaccine in development, and its Chief Medical Officer Michael W. Dunne, MD, remains optimistic long-term about the state of clinical care, especially in areas of dire need such as low-and-middle-income countries.

Exposure to a common seasonal coronavirus stimulates a memory T cell response that protects children against COVID-19. However, this immune response peaks at age 6.

After 28 days, hydrocortisone reduced the risk of mortality by 5.7% in severe community-acquired pneumonia patients.

Despite failing to meet primary trial endpoints, molnupiravir reduced the length of COVID-19 infection by 4.2 days in vaccinated patients.

Former NBA star Magic Johnson has partnered with GSK to educate the public about this virus, specifically in seniors and those at high-risk for contracting a severe form of RSV.

These investigators concluded Omicron XBB.1.5 the most successful COVID-19 variant of its lineage.

If FDA approved, this 5-in-1 investigational candidate could provide the broadest meningococcal serogroup coverage.

COVID-19 patients had a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death in both the short- and long-term.

Nasal administration of the fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody Foralumab modulated T cell inflammatory responses in COVID-19.

The seasonal respiratory virus could be the challenging, lingering colds people are suffering with this year.

The TRUNCATE-TB trial demonstrated 8 week regimen with bedaquiline and linezolid for rifampin-susceptible TB noninferior to standard 6-month treatment.

In the 12-month period following COVID-19 infection, long COVID patients had an excess death rate of 16.4 per 1000 individuals.

Periods of COVID-19 reinfection correlated with the circulation of new variants, as well as with time since first infection.

Pfizer indicates their RSV vaccine candidate, Abrysvo (RSVpreF), to prevent acute respiratory disease and lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults 60 years and older by active immunization.