Top stories in infectious disease: Spaceflight activates latent herpes viruses, intervention solves problem of underfilled blood cultures

Among the top stories in infectious disease last week were a study that found stress activates latent herpes viruses in astronauts during spaceflight and research that demonstrated educational and operational interventions can improve the “ubiquitous problem” of underfilled blood cultures.

Other highlights included the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s new clinical guidelines that have made artesunate the first-line treatment for severe malaria in the United States, a study that found short-course therapy was similarly effective to prolonged therapy for P. aeruginosa and a study that determined vaccinating older adults against influenza from October to May instead of August to May could prevent at least 11,400 more influenza cases and hundreds of deaths when the influenza season peaks after mid-Winter.

Spaceflight activates latent herpes viruses in astronauts, NASA study shows

Latent herpes virus reactivation has been documented in more than half of astronauts during space shuttle and International Space Station missions, and according to a recent study funded by NASA, the cause is stress. Read more.

Intervention solves ‘ubiquitous problem’ of underfilled blood cultures

Underfilled blood bottles used for blood cultures are “extremely common,” but educational and operational interventions can increase volumes and provide “sustained improvements” in collection, research showed. Read more.

Artesunate becomes first-line treatment for severe malaria in US

Although it is not FDA approved, artesunate is now the first-line treatment for severe malaria in the United States, according to new clinical guidance issued by the CDC. Read more.

Short-course therapy similarly effective to prolonged therapy for P. aeruginosa

Adults receiving short-course therapy for the treatment of uncomplicated Pseudomonas aeruginosa bloodstream infections, or BSIs, experienced similar outcomes compared with those receiving prolonged-course therapy, according to findings from a multicenter, observational, propensity-score weighted cohort study. Read more.

Waiting to vaccinate older adults may reduce flu cases, deaths

Vaccinating older adults against influenza from October to May instead of August to May could prevent at least 11,400 more influenza cases and hundreds of deaths when the influenza season peaks after mid-Winter, according to findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. But that positive effect would not hold during early-peak seasons, or if the compressed schedule meant fewer adults were vaccinated, researchers found. Read more.