https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/06/news-scan-jun-10-2022
News Scan for Jun 10, 2022
Backyard poultry Salmonella;
Antibiotic trial collaboration;
Polio in 5 countries;
Avian flu in US, Europe
Filed Under:
Salmonella;
Antimicrobial Stewardship;
Polio;
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
Backyard poultry-linked Salmonella outbreaks sicken 219 in 38 states
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday said it and health officials in multiple state are investigating Salmonella outbreaks tied to backyard poultry that have sickened 219 people, 1 fatally, in 38 states.
The outbreaks involved four Salmonella serotypes: Enteritidis, Hadar, Infantis, and Typhimurium. Illness-onset dates range from Feb 15 through May 19. A wide age-range was reported, with 26% of the patients children younger than 5.
Of overall cases with available information 54% were female. Of 95 people with known hospitalization status, 27 were hospitalized. The death occurred in a person from Tennessee.
Interviews with sick patients about possible exposures revealed that 70% had contact with backyard poultry before they got sick. Others ate eggs from backyard poultry, and two ate meat from backyard poultry. The states with the most cases include Minnesota (15), Wisconsin (13), Pennsylvania (12), Illinois (11), Texas (11), and Iowa (10).
Health officials are using PulseNet, the national genetic subtyping system, to find cases that may be part of the outbreak. They are also using genetic sequencing to assess for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and analysis of 219 samples predict that 33% are resistant to one or more of a group of six selected antibiotics. The CDC said most people recover from Salmonella infection without antibiotics, and the resistance profile isn't likely to affect the treatment choice for most people.
The CDC urged backyard poultry owners to take safety steps and said it is working with hatcheries and poultry sellers to educate new poultry owners.
Jun 9 CDC investigation notice
GARDP, Bugworks to collaborate on phase 1 trial for new antibiotic
The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) announced yesterday that it is collaborating with Indian biopharmaceutical company Bugworks on a phase 1 clinical trial to assess a new class of antibiotic compounds for multidrug-resistant bacteria.
The first-in-human trials will test the safety and tolerability of BWC0977, a novel antibiotic compound developed by Bugworks to treat patients with serious infections caused by critical-priority pathogens such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The compound belongs to a class of chemicals that have displayed evidence of broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, and it is being investigated because of its potential to treat multiple conditions, including bloodstream, urinary, and abdominal tract infections, as well as pneumonia.
"Our ultimate aim is to develop a highly differentiated drug which could be used in all regions of the world that urgently need innovative solutions to tackle drug-resistant superbugs," Bugworks co-founder and CEO Anand Anandkumar, PhD, said in a GARDP press release.
GARDP, which signed a memorandum of understanding with Bugworks in 2020 to accelerate the development and availability of antibiotics, will provide support for an embedded study that will assess the cardiovascular risk of the compound. The phase 1 study is also being supported by CARB-X (the Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator).
Jun 9 GARDP press release
Pakistan has more wild poliovirus cases; Eritrea has vaccine-derived case
Five countries reported more polio cases this week, including Pakistan, with two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases, part of an ongoing spike in activity, according to the latest update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
In Pakistan, the two WPV1 cases were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province—the country's hot spot—bringing the total for the year to eight. Cases are up sharply this year, and officials have warned that they expect more cases, given that the area reporting cases has a high polio vaccine refusal rate.
Meanwhile, Eritrea has reported its first circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case, which prompted the country to declare a national public health emergency. GPEI said the virus is linked to a strain seen in Sudan in 2020, which originated in Nigeria.
Elsewhere, three countries reported more vaccine-derived polio cases. Nigeria reported 2 more cVDPV2 cases in two states, raising its total for the year to 26. Yemen reported 28 cVDPV2 cases in 12 different areas, boosting its number for 2022 to 40. GPEI warned that about two thirds of the areas reporting cases haven't implemented campaigns of vaccine that cover type 2 virus, posing an ongoing risk to local kids and to those in other countries.
Also, Madagascar reported four more cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) in two different areas, putting its total for the year at five.
Jun 9 GPEI update
H5N1 avian flu continues to strike US wild birds, European poultry
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported 35 more highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu detections in wild birds, mostly in three Midwestern states, according to the latest update.
Most birds were from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. There were also a few from other areas, such as Indiana, Vermont, and the recent detections from the District of Columbia. Most were waterfowl and raptors found dead, but sporadic reports involving crows continue.
The latest reports bring the nation's wild bird detection total to 1,457.
USDA APHIS wild bird avian flu update page
In global developments, two European countries reported more H5N1 outbreaks in poultry. Croatia reported a new H5N1 outbreak, according to a notification yesterday from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The event began on May 25 in backyard birds in the city of Beli Manastir in the eastern part of the country. The virus killed 14 of 17 susceptible birds.
Meanwhile, neighboring Hungary reported another H5N1 event, this time at a farm housing 10,503 birds in Hajdu-Bihar County in the east. The outbreak began on Jun 7.
Jun 9 WOAH report on H5N1 in Croatia
Jun 10 WOAH report on H5N1 in Hungary
News Scan for Jun 10, 2022
Backyard poultry Salmonella;
Antibiotic trial collaboration;
Polio in 5 countries;
Avian flu in US, Europe
Filed Under:
Salmonella;
Antimicrobial Stewardship;
Polio;
Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
Backyard poultry-linked Salmonella outbreaks sicken 219 in 38 states
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday said it and health officials in multiple state are investigating Salmonella outbreaks tied to backyard poultry that have sickened 219 people, 1 fatally, in 38 states.
The outbreaks involved four Salmonella serotypes: Enteritidis, Hadar, Infantis, and Typhimurium. Illness-onset dates range from Feb 15 through May 19. A wide age-range was reported, with 26% of the patients children younger than 5.
Of overall cases with available information 54% were female. Of 95 people with known hospitalization status, 27 were hospitalized. The death occurred in a person from Tennessee.
Interviews with sick patients about possible exposures revealed that 70% had contact with backyard poultry before they got sick. Others ate eggs from backyard poultry, and two ate meat from backyard poultry. The states with the most cases include Minnesota (15), Wisconsin (13), Pennsylvania (12), Illinois (11), Texas (11), and Iowa (10).
Health officials are using PulseNet, the national genetic subtyping system, to find cases that may be part of the outbreak. They are also using genetic sequencing to assess for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and analysis of 219 samples predict that 33% are resistant to one or more of a group of six selected antibiotics. The CDC said most people recover from Salmonella infection without antibiotics, and the resistance profile isn't likely to affect the treatment choice for most people.
The CDC urged backyard poultry owners to take safety steps and said it is working with hatcheries and poultry sellers to educate new poultry owners.
Jun 9 CDC investigation notice
GARDP, Bugworks to collaborate on phase 1 trial for new antibiotic
The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) announced yesterday that it is collaborating with Indian biopharmaceutical company Bugworks on a phase 1 clinical trial to assess a new class of antibiotic compounds for multidrug-resistant bacteria.
The first-in-human trials will test the safety and tolerability of BWC0977, a novel antibiotic compound developed by Bugworks to treat patients with serious infections caused by critical-priority pathogens such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The compound belongs to a class of chemicals that have displayed evidence of broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, and it is being investigated because of its potential to treat multiple conditions, including bloodstream, urinary, and abdominal tract infections, as well as pneumonia.
"Our ultimate aim is to develop a highly differentiated drug which could be used in all regions of the world that urgently need innovative solutions to tackle drug-resistant superbugs," Bugworks co-founder and CEO Anand Anandkumar, PhD, said in a GARDP press release.
GARDP, which signed a memorandum of understanding with Bugworks in 2020 to accelerate the development and availability of antibiotics, will provide support for an embedded study that will assess the cardiovascular risk of the compound. The phase 1 study is also being supported by CARB-X (the Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator).
Jun 9 GARDP press release
Pakistan has more wild poliovirus cases; Eritrea has vaccine-derived case
Five countries reported more polio cases this week, including Pakistan, with two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases, part of an ongoing spike in activity, according to the latest update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
In Pakistan, the two WPV1 cases were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province—the country's hot spot—bringing the total for the year to eight. Cases are up sharply this year, and officials have warned that they expect more cases, given that the area reporting cases has a high polio vaccine refusal rate.
Meanwhile, Eritrea has reported its first circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case, which prompted the country to declare a national public health emergency. GPEI said the virus is linked to a strain seen in Sudan in 2020, which originated in Nigeria.
Elsewhere, three countries reported more vaccine-derived polio cases. Nigeria reported 2 more cVDPV2 cases in two states, raising its total for the year to 26. Yemen reported 28 cVDPV2 cases in 12 different areas, boosting its number for 2022 to 40. GPEI warned that about two thirds of the areas reporting cases haven't implemented campaigns of vaccine that cover type 2 virus, posing an ongoing risk to local kids and to those in other countries.
Also, Madagascar reported four more cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1) in two different areas, putting its total for the year at five.
Jun 9 GPEI update
H5N1 avian flu continues to strike US wild birds, European poultry
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported 35 more highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu detections in wild birds, mostly in three Midwestern states, according to the latest update.
Most birds were from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. There were also a few from other areas, such as Indiana, Vermont, and the recent detections from the District of Columbia. Most were waterfowl and raptors found dead, but sporadic reports involving crows continue.
The latest reports bring the nation's wild bird detection total to 1,457.
USDA APHIS wild bird avian flu update page
In global developments, two European countries reported more H5N1 outbreaks in poultry. Croatia reported a new H5N1 outbreak, according to a notification yesterday from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). The event began on May 25 in backyard birds in the city of Beli Manastir in the eastern part of the country. The virus killed 14 of 17 susceptible birds.
Meanwhile, neighboring Hungary reported another H5N1 event, this time at a farm housing 10,503 birds in Hajdu-Bihar County in the east. The outbreak began on Jun 7.
Jun 9 WOAH report on H5N1 in Croatia
Jun 10 WOAH report on H5N1 in Hungary