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Useful pathogens T


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Practical Patient Care Issue 30


Editorial Editor Peter Littlejohns peter.littlejohns@progressivemediainternational.com Sub-editor Nikki Peach Group art director Henrik Williams Designer Martin Faulkner Production manager Dave Stanford Head of content Jake Sharp


Commercial Client services executive Ruchita Marwaha Sales manager Martin John Sales and marketing Glen Savage glen.savage@progressivemediainternational.com Managing director William Crocker


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he world is on high alert to pathogens right now. It’s been nearly three years since the proliferation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was officially declared a pandemic, and growing concerns about a spike in cases during the winter are keeping it on the news agenda. The sudden spread of monkeypox in Europe has had a greater impact on the minds of the public than it might have done if we hadn’t just seen what havoc a virus can wreak – although the risk profile is vastly different from that of Covid-19, as Andrea Valentino finds out on page 35. But with the negatives of pathogens fully orchestrated by the past few years, this issue’s cover story looks at the potential positives they could bring, at least to the field of diagnostics. On page 22, Abi Millar looks at bacteriophages (or just phages), which are pathogenic not to humans, but to bacteria, and that’s why research teams are looking at ways they could be used to diagnose diseases caused by bacterial infections. She speaks to two experts leading research on the topic, as well as widening the scope of her investigation into what’s next for diagnostics with another piece on page 10, where she learns how the experience of diagnosing Covid-19 could lead to the acceleration of trends like rapid- testing kits that can be carried out in homes. Moving from the home into the hospital, on page 32 Tim Gunn looks at the role of immunotherapy in cancer treatment, asking two experts in the field about the toxicity risks associated with it, as well as learning how their own research could help lessen them. Hospitals are dealing with a backlog of oncology patients, making cancer a topic of interest right now, which is why on page 44 Monica Karpinski looks at another area where research could lead to risk reduction, but this time in surgery. She speaks to two specialists in tumour removal to learn about the most promising methods to preserve the most amount of healthy tissue possible. Other topics covered in this issue include the latest research on treating septic shock and best practice for preventing pressure injuries.


Peter Littlejohns, editor


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