Top Infectious Disease News Stories Week of November 1 - November 7

Penicillin-Binding Proteins Reconsidered: A Clinician's Guide from Targets to Dynamic Cell-Wall Control

Penicillin‑binding proteins (PBPs) are the periplasmic/membrane‑anchored enzymes that build and remodel bacterial peptidoglycan (PG). β-lactam antibiotics interact with PBPs to inhibit these enzymatic processes, primarily during cell division, leading to cell lysis.¹ Classic teaching reduces PBPs to a chart of “β-lactam drug ↔ PBP target,” but newer structural and phenotypic work shows PBPs are dynamic control points. PBPs not only coordinate division but also repair wall injury and redirect cross‑linking—behaviors that influence antimicrobial tolerance, set the stage for resistance, and explain why some β‑lactam combinations help in difficult infections. In short: PBPs are not just locks for antibiotic keys; they are architects reacting to the host.²

Using Doxycycline for Post-Exposure Prevention of Lyme Disease in Young Kids

Despite a 2018 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical update which recommends use of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for prevention of the tick-borne disease in kids younger than 8 years of age, Wesley Kufel, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, FCCP, FIDSA, points out many clinicians are unaware of this. He also discusses its efficacy at preventing the disease in this patient population.

Clesrovimab Lowers RSV Hospitalizations and Illness in Healthy Infants

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) reported that one intramuscular dose of clesrovimab significantly reduced respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease among healthy preterm and full-term infants entering their first RSV season.

FDA Approves IV Antibiotic, Contepo, for Complicated Urinary Tract Infections

The FDA approved fosfomycin (Contepo), which is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs)—including acute pyelonephritis—caused by susceptible strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Dynavax and Vaxart Partner to Advance Oral COVID-19 Vaccine

Dynavax Technologies and Vaxart have formed an exclusive global partnership to advance the development and potential commercialization of Vaxart’s investigational oral COVID-19 vaccine, a candidate that uses a novel pill-based delivery platform designed to induce mucosal immunity.