News


Pseudomonas jumps from lungs to gut, raising sepsis risk


A hospital-acquired bacterium that causes serious infections can move from the lungs to the gut inside the same patient, raising the risk of life- threatening sepsis, new research reveals. Recently published in Nature Communications,


researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute analysed DNA data taken from hospital patients to understand movement of the bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P


P . aeruginosa genomes could be recovered, the . aeruginosa) within


individuals. The research sheds light on how lung infections can result in the spread of a major disease-causing bacterium between multiple parts of the body, increasing the risk of sepsis in vulnerable patients. In the new study, researchers analysed metagenomic sequencing data from 256 hospital patients in Italy. Of the 84 patients where


team found 27 cases where the same bacterial clone (cells that are identical in their DNA) appeared across multiple body sites. This indicates that most of these infections were not acquired repeatedly from the hospital environment, but most were established and colonised by a single clone over time and spread within the patient’s own body. By building family trees of P


. aeruginosa


genomes, the team predicted that most strains that had spread originated in the lungs. This suggests that infections most likely move from the lungs to the gut, where P


. aeruginosa can


establish long-term colonisations. The researchers propose that naturally swallowing sputum that may contain P


. aeruginosa could be a likely route of gut


colonisation. They also did not find P


. aeruginosa in nasal


samples only, suggesting that it must be present elsewhere in the body first and the nose acts as a spillover site rather than a stable colony site. Dr. Lewis Fisher, first author at the Wellcome


Sanger Institute, said: “We found that most patients carried the same strain of P


. aeruginosa across


multiple samples showing that once this bacterium establishes itself, it tends to persist rather than being replaced by new infections. This persistence helps explain why the bug can be so difficult to eradicate in hospital settings.”


Government unveils England’s first ever Men’s Health Strategy


Men and boys across England will benefit from tailored healthcare and support as the government launches its first Men’s Health Strategy. The strategy sets out comprehensive action to


tackle the physical and mental health challenges men and boys face every day. For example, the government is investing £3.6 million over the next three years in suicide prevention projects for middle-aged men in local communities across areas of England where men are at most risk of taking their own lives. The projects will break down barriers that middle-aged men face in seeking support, such as the stigma associated with seeking help and a lack of awareness of what is available and how to access it. Projects will be co-designed with experts and men with lived experience of mental health crises and suicidal thoughts. The focus on suicide prevention includes a partnership on the Premier League’s Together Against Suicide initiative with the Samaritans,


10 www.clinicalservicesjournal.com I January 2026


which looks to help tackle the stigma around men’s mental health. Other commitments include: investing £3 million into community-based men’s health programmes, designed to reach those most at risk and least likely to engage with traditional services; men’s health training for healthcare professionals; enhanced lung disease support for former miners; funding for research to help prevent, diagnose, treat and manage the major causes of unhealthy life years and mortality in men; and a £200,000 trial of new brief interventions to target the rise in cocaine and alcohol-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths. Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “Men are dying nearly four years earlier than women, and suicide remains one of the leading causes of death for men under 50. This strategy marks a turning point - the first time we’re taking comprehensive, co-ordinated action to address the health challenges facing men and boys.”


A widely-used, inexpensive gout drug could reduce heart attacks and strokes in people with cardiovascular disease, according to a new Cochrane review. The review examined the effects of low


doses of colchicine, a drug used to treat gout, and found no increase in serious side effects. Cardiovascular disease is often driven by chronic low-grade inflammation, which contributes to recurrent cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes. Colchicine has anti-inflammatory properties that make it a promising option for people with heart disease. The review included 12 randomised


controlled trials involving nearly 23,000 people with a history of heart disease, heart attack or stroke. The studies looked at patients who took colchicine for at least six months, with doses of 0.5 mg once or twice a day. Most participants were male (~80%) and the mean age was 57 to 74 years old. Half received colchicine, while the other half received either a placebo or no additional treatment alongside their usual care. Overall, those taking low-dose colchicine


were less likely to experience a heart attack or stroke. For every 1,000 people treated, there were nine fewer heart attacks and eight fewer strokes compared with those not taking the drug. While there were no serious adverse events identified, patients who took colchicine were more likely to have stomach or digestive side effects, but these were usually mild and didn’t last long. “Among 200 people with cardiovascular disease – where we would normally expect around seven heart attacks and four strokes – using low-dose colchicine could prevent about two of each,” said Dr. Ramin Ebrahimi, co-lead author from the University Medicine Greifswald, Germany. “Reductions like this can make a real difference for patients who live with ongoing, lifelong cardiovascular risk.” As cardiovascular diseases are the leading


cause of death globally, colchicine presents a promising inexpensive and accessible option for secondary prevention in high-risk patients. “These results come from publicly funded


trials repurposing a very old, low-cost drug for an entirely new use,” said Lars Hemkens, senior author from the University of Bern, Switzerland. “It shows the power of academic research to reveal treatment opportunities that traditional drug development often overlooks.”


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Common gout drug may reduce risk of heart attack and stroke


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