EU conditionally OKs Ebola vaccine, CDC updates antibiotic resistance figures — top stories in infectious disease

News that the European Union granted conditional approval of Merck’s investigational Ebola vaccine, Ervebo — which has been used effectively in the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — was the top story in infectious disease last week.

Another top story included the CDC’s estimate that one infection every 11 seconds and one death every 15 minutes is caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens in the United States.

European Union conditionally approves Merck’s Ebola vaccine, Ervebo

The European Commission granted conditional approval for Ervebo, Merck’s investigational Ebola virus vaccine, which has been used widely and effectively in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC. Read more.

CDC: Antibiotic resistance causes 1 death every 15 minutes in US

According to newly updated estimates published by the CDC, more than 2.8 million infections are caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens annually in the United Sates, resulting in at least 35,000 deaths. Read more.

Q&A: Discovery of new HIV strain a reminder of challenging pandemic

Researchers recently discovered a new strain of HIV from patient samples collected in 1983, 1990 and 2001 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC. Infectious Disease News spoke with Mary A. Rodgers, PhD, a scientist at Abbott Laboratories, which announced the discovery, about the new strain and what doctors need to know about it. Read more.

FDA approves Fetroja for treatment of complicated UTIs

Shionogi won FDA approval for Fetroja for the treatment of complicated UTIs, or cUTIs, in adults with limited or no alternative treatment options. Fetroja (cefiderocol) is a siderophore cephalosporin with a novel mechanism for penetrating gram-negative pathogens, including multidrug-resistant strains. Read more.

Dissemination and implementation science underutilized in ID

Dissemination and implementation science is underutilized in the field of infectious diseases despite its demonstrated positive impact on clinical practice in other specialties, according to researchers, who described reasons and recommendations for its use. Read more.