Last week's post dove into the dog days of summer, and another article this week kept my canine focus centered; I learned about a new breed to me, the Pyrenean Mountain Dog.
New Hope for Group B Strep Vaccine?
I don't usually hype phase I or phase II trials, but this past week's article in the New England Journal offers a glimmer of hope for maternal GBS vaccination to prevent neonatal disease. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but we might have a breakthrough after decades of failures. We'll need to wait for a definitive phase III trial before we know. I refer you to the accompanying editorial by Carol Baker, the investigator most responsible for "discovering" the emergence of neonatal GBS disease in the 1970s. As in aside, I was a subject in her phase I trial of a GBS vaccine in the early 1980s. The fact that she was my fellowship director at the time wouldn't pass ethical muster today, but I had no side effects and I recall that I did have a good antibody response. Still, that vaccine didn't make it past further testing.
Bacterial Vaginosis
Other than neonatologists, most pediatric providers don't think about BV that often. However, it is very likely a factor contributing to preterm delivery. It's a confusing infection, or perhaps better termed a dysbiosis, consisting of vaginal colonization with various anaerobic bacteria and absence of lactobacilli. A few diagnostic criteria have been in use, but lately molecular screening tools have improved. A new study suggests that molecular screening of pregnant people could be cost effective in preventing pre-term births by identifying individuals with BV and treating them early. Investigators randomized 6671 pregnant people before 20 weeks gestation to have self-administered screening swabs versus regular care. Molecular testing was with a research (not commercially available) tool looking for high levels of Atopobium vaginae and/or Gardnerella vaginalis, and those testing positive were treated with azithromycin or amoxicillin. The differences in the rates of pre-term births in the treatment (3.8%) versus control (4.6%) groups were not statistically significant. However, results in the 3000+ nulliparous (could have had previous miscarriage or abortion) subjects did reach significant difference: 3.6% versus 5.9%. In my current telemedicine practice I see many pregnant individuals who have undergone some type of BV screening. I'm hoping more studies like this will shed light on this somewhat confusing dysbiosis.
More Tick Reminders
Folks at the CDC remind us about tickborne relapsing fever, aka soft tick relapsing fever (STRF). As the name implies it is a relapsing/remitting type of fever and can be pretty tough to diagnose, especially since it isn't seen equally in all parts of the US and is reportable only in 12 states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) as of 2021. Think of it in campers or others who are active in the outdoors who have had recurrent fevers. CDC investigators reported on 251 cases over a 10-year period, 61 < 18 years of age. Here are some key geographic and clinical points to keep in mind for diagnosis:
'Demic Doldrums
Things remain calm, with a few things to report. Pediatrics published a supplement on covid and school management a couple weeks ago, took me a little while to go through everything. Hindsight usually is 20/20, but I'd say with the pandemic it's more like 20/60, largely due to incomplete data and a moving target with viral variants. However, I would draw your attention to one of the article about lessons learned. The authors include 8 lessons learned; I would put most of this still in the realm of opinion but it is well-reasoned:
- School closures were necessary initially but should have been shorter
- Masking works in schools (covered in 2 of the lessons)
- In-person teaching with masking is better than school closure or hybrid education
- Covid exposure is not a good reason to exclude school attendance
- Efficacy of school ventilation improvement is not well-substantiated
- Asymptomatic screening is ineffective
- Vaccine trials should be carried out in adults and children in parallel, rather than delaying pediatric trials until adult data are available
Also in both covid and canine realms, the Pyrenean mountain dogs pictured below are actually sniffing out covid.
A new article reviewed evidence to date of dogs trained to sniff out the infection through various methods. A variety of dogs were trained, including mutts. However, the numbers are very low; it's hard for me to imagine a practical use of covid-sniffing dogs, but maybe this will lead to an effective breath test.
You also may have heard nirsevimab, the long-acting monoclonal antibody to prevent RSV in young children, was officially approved by the FDA. Next up is a CDC/ACIP meeting on August 3 to discuss nirsevimab and maternal RSV vaccination, with votes scheduled on recommendations for use.
Playing Games
No, I didn't forget that challenge in last week's post. Blame one of my sons for this. He told me that the New York Times games and puzzles are major revenue sources for the publisher. I receive bupkis for this blog, but I'm not above trying something that might keep readers interested. I couldn't find a credible study for his claim, but there is some evidence.
So, the answer to last week's challenge of the correct number of weather- and temperature-related references and puns in the Dog Days post is 16, including 1 in the Title (summer), 1 in the intro (steaming), 4 in the Bugs section (heating up, hot off the presses, febrile illness, tip of the iceberg), 2 in hep C (cool, clouded), 4 in 'Demic (hot air, cooled, boiling point, hot spots), and 4 in the Astrology section (summer, heat, cool, thunderbolt). Decision of the judges (me) is final.
And by the way, my house is back in the cool as of Friday, unfortunately following purchase and installation of a new air conditioner.