Infection Control

New York to drop mask requirement in hospitals

On Feb. 12, New York will allow its state mask mandate for hospitals and healthcare facilities to lapse, Spectrum News reports. Although the state will not enforce this, individual facilities can still choose to do so.

Newly discovered protein may be therapeutic target for sepsis, other infections

The discovery of a protein showed signs of being a possible therapeutic target for monoclonal antibody treatment in sepsis cases as well as other infectious diseases, including COVID-19, according to research led by Haichao Wang, PhD, a professor and director…

Do masks slow virus spread? Researchers want more evidence

Three years into the pandemic and hundreds of studies later, evidence is still lacking as to what extent masks may slow the spread of respiratory viruses such as flu or COVID-19, according to a research review published Jan. 30 in…

Adults on dialysis, particularly minorities, 100 times more likely to acquire staph infections than adults not on dialysis: CDC

Adults on dialysis treatment for end-stage kidney disease were 100 times more likely to be diagnosed with a Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection when compared with adults not on dialysis, according to a Feb. 6 CDC Vital Signs report.

Hospital-acquired sepsis cases jumped nearly 50% in California amid pandemic

In the first year of the pandemic, another problem quietly grew: hospital-acquired sepsis. Across California hospitals, the number of patients who developed sepsis while in the hospital increased by 46 percent between 2019 and 2021, according to a Feb. 5…

Smallpox vaccine may offer protection against mpox, study finds

Smallpox vaccinations may present a degree of protection from mpox infection, research from several Spain physicians has found.

Biomarker could help detect viral infections: study

A specific cytokine biomarker may be key to identifying any emerging infectious pathogens, researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found in a study.

U of Michigan Medical School researchers link gut microbiome, body temperature to sepsis

Until now, it has been largely unknown what drives body temperature variations in response to infections like sepsis. Now there may be an answer.

Study finds antidepressants may contribute to drug resistance in bacteria

In the last six years, antidepressant prescriptions have increased by 35 percent, and now a new study, published Jan. 23, points to evidence that this increase may also be contributing to drug resistance in bacteria.

More time between vaccination and COVID-19 infection boosts immunity, study finds

Lengthening the time between a COVID-19 infection and inoculation improves a person's immunity, according to a study published Jan. 26 in the Journal for Clinical Investigation Insight.