Respiratory Infections News

Nearly 30% of bronchoscopes at five U.S. hospitals were positive for “high-concern organisms or actionable levels of microbial growth,” including mold and gram-negative bacteria, because of inadequate reprocessing, which may lead to bronchoscopy-associated transmission of COVID-19 or other pathogens that could cause secondary infections, according to a letter to the editor in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

Lower levels of indoor absolute humidity correlated with an increased risk for acute respiratory illness, or ARI, among community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong during the cold season, according to a study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

An NIH-funded study will seek answers to questions about COVID-19 in children. The Human Epidemiology and Response to SARS-CoV-2, or HEROS, study will attempt to determine the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children and the percentage of infected children who develop symptoms of COVID-19, the NIH announced.

A study examining the epidemiology of seasonal coronaviruses and other respiratory viruses showed that SARS-CoV-2 will likely form seasonal winter patterns of infection eventually but not immediately.

Researchers recently estimated that 11% of all children hospitalized with COVID-19 will require admission to the PICU.

An analysis of sputum samples from patients with asthma suggests that certain subgroups, such as men, African Americans and those with diabetes, have higher expression of two genes that may make them more susceptible to more severe COVID-19 disease, researchers reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

This episode features questions regarding the use of masks, universal PPE, antibody testing, convalescent plasma, COVID-19 in pets, whether hydroxychloroquine has any effect on the cytokine storm and meetings in this pandemic setting.

Cytovale Inc. will expand its partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, to examine the use of Cytovale’s Rapid Sepsis Diagnostic System for diagnosing sepsis in patients with potential respiratory infections, including COVID-19, according to a press release.

Pain management during the COVID-19 pandemic requires balancing access to care with minimizing exposure risk for front-line health care providers and vulnerable patients, according to a panel of experts who developed guidelines on best practices.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD, said today that data from a multinational randomized control trial showed that Gilead’s investigational antiviral remdesivir “has a clear-cut significant positive effect in diminishing time to recovery” for patients with COVID-19.