Top stories in infectious disease: FDA approves treatments for HIV, CDC reports record number of STDs in US

Among the top stories in infectious disease are the FDA approval of two new treatments for HIV-1 in adults with no previous antiretroviral therapy experience and CDC announcing a record 2.3 million STDs in the United States.

Other top stories include a report that provided some risk factors for orofacial gangrene, a trial that will examine shorter regimens for tuberculosis treatments and a link between oral HPV infection, smoking and sex. – by Janel Miller

FDA approves two, once-daily doravirine treatments for HIV

The FDA has approved Delstrigo and Pifeltro as once-daily oral medications for treating HIV-1 infection in adults with no prior antiretroviral therapy experience, Merck announced. Read more.

Risk factors for orofacial gangrene include certain feeding practices

Researchers studied dozens of cases of noma, an orofacial gangrenous infection, and found that aspects of a patient’s home life, including their diet, could be risk factors for developing the disfiguring and often deadly disease, according to a recent study. Read more.

Record 2.3 million STDs reported in US, CDC says

Nearly 2.3 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were reported in the United States in 2017 — more evidence of a steep and sustained increase in these reportable infections and marking another record-breaking year for STDs in the U.S., federal officials announced. Read more.

Trial will explore shorter regimen for tuberculosis treatment

TB Alliance announced it has begun a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of a new, shorter four-drug regimen for treating most types of tuberculosis, including multidrug-resistant infections. Read more.

Oral HPV infection in England associated with smoking, sex

Adults in England who smoked or who reported a greater number of sex partners were more likely to be infected with high-risk HPV, according to study results published in BMJ Open. Read more.