NEWS
One in eight deaths linked to bacterial infections
Common bacterial infections were the second leading cause of death in 2019, and were linked to one in eight deaths globally, according to an analysis published in The Lancet. There were 7.7 million deaths in 2019 associated with 33 common bacterial infections, with five bacteria alone connected to more than half of all deaths. The deadliest bacterial pathogens and types of infection varied by location and age. Second only to ischaemic heart disease as the leading cause of death in 2019, the analysis highlights reducing bacterial
infections as a global public health priority. Building stronger health systems with greater diagnostic laboratory capacity, implementing control measures, and optimising antibiotic use is crucial to lessen the burden of disease caused by common bacterial infections. “These new data for the first time reveal the full extent of the global public health challenge posed by bacterial infections,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, study co-author and director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. “It is of utmost importance to put these results on the radar of global health initiatives so that a deeper dive into these deadly pathogens can be conducted and proper investments are made to slash the number of deaths and infections.”
More than 75% of the 7.7 million bacterial deaths occurred because of three syndromes: lower respiratory infections (LRI), bloodstream infections (BSI), and peritoneal and intra-abdominal infections (IAA).
Extending anti-clotting treatment after distal DVT reduces further clot risk
Giving the anti-clotting drug rivaroxaban to patients for 12 weeks, instead of the usual six, after a blood clot in the lower leg reduces the risk of further clots developing up to two years after treatment, finds a trial published by The BMJ. Researchers set out to compare two different treatment durations of rivaroxaban in 402 adults diagnosed with isolated distal DVT. The results showed that 23 (11%) patients in the rivaroxaban group and 39 (19%) in the placebo group developed a further clot, either in the lower leg (isolated or
recurrent distal DVT), the upper leg (proximal DVT), or the lung (pulmonary embolism). Recurrent isolated distal DVT occurred in 16 (8%) patients in the rivaroxaban group and 31 (15%) in the placebo group, while proximal DVT or pulmonary embolism occurred in 7 (3%) patients in the rivaroxaban group and 8 (4%) in the placebo group. No major bleeding events occurred during the two-year study period, and the researchers estimate that, for every 13 patients receiving additional rivaroxaban, one blood clot would be prevented.
New Omicron subvariant resistant to therapeutic antibodies
A study by researchers at the German Primate Center (DPZ), Leibniz Institute for Primate Research and Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, shows that the Omicron sub-lineage BQ.1.1 is resistant to all approved antibody therapies (The Lancet Infectious Diseases).
“Physicians should not rely on antibody
therapies alone when treating infected high-risk patients, but should also consider administering other drugs, such as paxlovid or molnupiravir,” warned study leader Markus Hoffmann.
NHS to eliminate Hepatitis C ahead
of rest of the world The NHS is on track to eliminate Hepatitis C by 2025 due to a pioneering drug deal that is dramatically cutting deaths – five years ahead of global targets. Following a five-year contract worth almost £1 billion to buy antiviral drugs for thousands of patients, deaths from Hepatitis C – including liver disease and cancer – have fallen by 35%. This means the NHS has exceeded the WHO’s target of 10% by more than three- fold, putting England in pole position to be among the first countries in the world to eliminate the virus as a public health concern. The NHS scheme has helped find and cure 70,000 people of the disease. Within six years, the number of people seeking liver transplants due to the virus is down by two-thirds and the number of annual registrations for a liver transplant in patients with Hep C-related diseases reduced from over 140 per year to less than 50 per year in 2020.
Study sheds new light on the link between oral bacteria and diseases
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified the bacteria most commonly found in severe oral infections. Previous studies have demonstrated links between oral health and common diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. However, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now analysed samples from patients with severe oral infections and produced a list of the most common bacteria. “We’re reporting here, for the first time, the
microbial composition of bacterial infections from samples collected over a ten-year period in Stockholm County,” said Professor Sällberg Chen of the Department of Dental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet. “The results show that several bacterial infections with links to systemic diseases are constantly present and some have even increased over the past decade in Stockholm.”
The study shows that the most common bacterial phyla among the samples were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria
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and Actinobacteria, while the most common genera were Streptococcus spp, Prevotella spp, and Staphylococcus spp. Prof. Chen added “The finding isn’t only of
importance to dental medicine, it also helps us understand the role of dental infection in patients with underlying diseases. If a certain bacterium infects and causes damage in the mouth, it’s very likely that it can be harmful to tissues elsewhere in the body as the infection spreads.” The study is published in Microbiology Spectrum.
JANUARY 2023
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