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August 22, 2023
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Top in ID: Nose-picking linked to SARS-CoV-2; experts say HIV PrEP should be available OTC

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Health care workers who picked their nose were three times as likely to acquire SARS-CoV-2 as those who did not, according to recent study results.

In contrast, researchers reported that nail biting, wearing glasses or having a beard were not linked to an increased risk for SARS-CoV-2. It was the top story in infectious disease last week.

PrEP pill
In the wake of the FDA approval of the first over-the-counter birth control pill, two experts argued that the time has come to make another prevention medication available without a prescription. Image Source: Adobe Stock

The second top story was an interview with Douglas Krakower, MD, and Julia L. Marcus, PhD, MPH, from the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, about why HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) should be made available over the counter.

Read these and more top stories in infectious disease below:

Study of health workers links nose-picking to SARS-CoV-2 infection

Health care workers who pick their nose were around three times more likely to become infected with SARS-CoV-2 than those who did not, a small study conducted at two hospitals in the Netherlands found. Read more.

Q&A: Time is right to consider over-the-counter HIV PrEP, experts say

In the wake of the FDA approval of the first over-the-counter birth control pill, two experts argued that the time has come to make another prevention medication available without a prescription. Read more.

FDA extends approval deadline for Valneva’s chikungunya vaccine by 3 months

The FDA extended the review period for Valneva’s chikungunya vaccine candidate by 3 months while the design of a phase 4 study is finalized. Read more.

CMV resistance to maribavir rare at baseline but may emerge

Among transplant recipients treated for cytomegalovirus, resistance to Livtencity (maribavir, Takeda) was less common than resistance to investigator-assigned standard therapy, at baseline and post-treatment, researchers reported. Read more.

Gene-edited pig kidney functions well in human body for more than a month

A genetically engineered pig kidney is functioning well more than a month after being transplanted into the body of a man declared dead by neurologic criteria, doctors announced. Read more.