Top in ID: Decline in long COVID; antimicrobial ‘crisis’ mounting
The prevalence of long COVID has stabilized since January 2023, with roughly one in 10 adults with previous COVID-19 experiencing some form of the condition, a recent study showed.
Meanwhile, a second study found that the prevalence of any symptom reported by people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 decreased by nearly half in a 3-month follow-up period. However, roughly two in five reported persistent symptoms 12 months after diagnosis.
“Awareness that symptoms might persist for up to 12 months, and that many symptoms might emerge or reemerge in the year after COVID-like illness, can assist health care providers in understanding the clinical signs and symptoms associated with post-COVID-like conditions,” Juan Carlos Montoy, MD, PhD, and colleagues wrote in one of the studies.
It was the top story in infectious disease last week.
Another top story was about a study that found antimicrobial resistance accounted for more than 40% of infection-related deaths in the Americas. The “crisis will worsen and could become uncontrollable” if measures are not taken now, Lucian Swetschinski, MSc, a research scientist at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said in a press release.
Read these and more top stories in infectious disease below:
Prevalence of long COVID decreases but many report persistent symptoms
The prevalence of long COVID has declined in the United States among the general population and people with a previously documented case of COVID-19, although many adults still report persistent symptoms, a pair of studies found. Read more.
More than 40% of infection-related deaths in Americas associated with antimicrobial resistance
More than two out of every five infection-related deaths in the Americas in 2019 were associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance, according to a new study. Read more.
Q&A: ‘WikiGuidelines’ collaborative tackles infective endocarditis
The “WikiGuidelines” collaborative has published its second clinical practice guideline, stating that oral transitional therapy is at least as effective as IV-only therapy in treating bacterial infective endocarditis in adults. Read more.
EG.5 emerges as dominant variant amid summer wave of COVID-19
The EG.5 omicron subvariant has emerged as the predominant SARS-CoV-2 virus during a summer wave of COVID-19 in the Unted States, accounting for 17.3% of cases, according to CDC tracking. Read more.
HBV vaccine nonresponders should be considered for revaccination after HCV cure
People who were not responsive to hepatitis B vaccination should be considered for revaccination following hepatitis C cure, researchers reported. Read more.