H5N1 viruses have the potential to become transmissible through the air between mammals, according to a controversial study published June 21 by Science.

As the journal Science prepares to publish a controversial study on a mutated strain of the H5N1 “bird flu” virus, worldwide preparedness for a viral pandemic is “better than it’s ever been,” according to David Cohn, MD.

David Cohn, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, provides insight into the significance of the International Standards for Tuberculosis Care.

Nature has published one study on a genetically enhanced H5N1 virus that can be transmitted between ferrets, and Science is planning to publish a similar study soon.

Audiocast By Timothy R. Aksamit, MD

Earlier this year, the COPD Foundation expanded its Bronchiectasis Research Registry to include patients with nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM), an often misdiagnosed orphan disease that can cause severe lung infections that mimic tuberculosis when certain individuals are exposed to soil and water.

According to John W. Walsh, President of the COPD Foundation, “NTM lung disease is a devastating illness that is challenging to treat. For unknown reasons, a once productive individual struck with NTM is often left with permanent lung damage and recurring illness, including loss of hearing and vision.”

According to John W. Walsh, President of the COPD Foundation, “NTM lung disease is a devastating illness that is challenging to treat. For unknown reasons, a once productive individual struck with NTM is often left with permanent lung damage and recurring illness, including loss of hearing and vision.”

By Iosifina Giannakikou, MD

Dr. Giannakikou is an anesthesiologist and critical care physician who divides her time between Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, and Hygeia Hospital and Mitera Hospital, both in Athens, Greece.

Greece is a small country with some big problems—and one of them is the incidence of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Although there is a worldwide increase in the infections caused by multi-resistant gram negative pathogens, the pathogens’ high incidence and upstream rise from previous studies in Greece are particularly concerning.

The Greek System for the Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (GSSAR) provides alarming data about these pathogens. Extended-spectrum β-lactamase Enterobacteriaceae are becoming an epidemic in the country.