Abstract. Carbapenem-resistant organisms (CRO) are a type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that threaten human health. CRO can infect or colonize dogs and

Abstract. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Enterococcus species are a frequent clinical challenge. The rising prevalence of ampicillin resistance

USAID antimalarial and HIV supplies valued at nearly $140 million were delayed in the first half of the year or not delivered at all due to the Trump administration’s foreign aid pause, The Post found...

As fewer children get their flu shots, cases of a rare, severe complication are rising. Last season, the U.S. experienced the highest number of pediatric flu deaths in 15 years.

This case series explores an online data collection and sharing infrastructure that centralizes tracking of measles cases from counties across the US.

The Athens Plague (430–427 BCE) was a devastating outbreak during the Peloponnesian War, described in detail by Thucydides. Although there is ongoing discussion, the specific cause of the epidemic rem...

South Africa faces emerging resistance to TB drugs like bedaquiline. Phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST), the current reference standard for bedaquiline DST, has long turnaround times. Targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) offers a comprehensive alternative, potentially delivering faster results. However, these advantages must be weighed against differences in cost and test accuracy.MethodsWe used a decision tree model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of tNGS against the standard of care (SOC) in South Africa across different levels of tNGS decentralization. Key outcomes included survival rates, time to a correct resistance profile, infectious time, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Sensitivity analyses assessed the impact of drug resistance prevalence, tNGS sensitivity, and improved DST access on overall cost-effectiveness.ResultstNGS averted 408 DALYs and correctly identified 90.7% of resistance profiles as compared to 87.7% with SOC. Based on model assumptions for South Africa, tNGS had a reduced turnaround time and averted 97 years of infectious time. Centralized tNGS was cost-saving relative to SOC, however decentralization of tNGS resulted in higher costs per DALY averted ($671- $2,454). tNGS performance, relative to the SOC, improved at higher bedaquiline resistance and with increased sensitivity. Any increase in DST access through tNGS would improve cost-effectiveness in decentralized scenarios.ConclusionstNGS could be cost-saving (centralized) or cost-effective (decentralized) in South Africa and has the potential to improve patient outcomes by returning a greater number of correct results in a shorter time. This analysis should be replicated across other settings to evaluate the broader feasibility of tNGS for DST.

The end of an era.

The abrupt attempt to oust Dr. Susan Monarez, the CDC’s director just weeks after her Senate confirmation, is yet another glaring sign of Secretary Kennedy’s failed leadership and reckless mismanageme...