Top 5 Infectious Disease Stories Week of March 30-April 5

The FDA approved bepirovirsen (Hibsago; GSK) with nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy for chronic hepatitis B, based on B-Well 1 and 2 functional cure rates of 19% vs 0% with placebo.

In the phase 2 RePreve trial, Lumen Bioscience’s investigational oral biologic LMN-201 plus standard antibiotics achieved global cure in 83.3% of patients with C difficile infection vs 36.4% with placebo, and cut recurrence sixfold (9.1% vs 55.6%) with no drug-related serious adverse events.

The first animal model of neonatal sepsis to evaluate protection by maternal vaccination evidences transfer of immunity against virulent, often antibiotic-resistant Klebseilla pneumoniae.

The CHMP adopted a positive opinion on an extension of indication for AstraZeneca's H5N1 pandemic influenza vaccine at its October meeting.

The company, Family Farmstead Dairy, issued a raw cheddar recall over potential contamination with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is happening across 7 states.

The guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have been updated with recent, evidence-based consensus of The Panel for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents.

As the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo surpasses 9300 confirmed cases and 4400 deaths, this FAQ explains how the virus spreads, how it presents, why it is hard to diagnose and treat, which vaccines and therapies are being tested, and why CDC considers the risk to the United States low.

As of October 15, CDC reports 9235 confirmed cases and 4444 deaths in the Bundibugyo virus Ebola outbreak in the DRC, now the second-largest on record.