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Alarming superbug from deadly eyedrop outbreak has spread to dogs

✇Science – Ars Technica
By: Beth Mole
1 May 2024 at 20:07
A dog gets examined by veterinary technicians in Texas.

Enlarge / A dog gets examined by veterinary technicians in Texas. (credit: Getty | Michael Paulsen)

Two separately owned dogs in New Jersey tested positive last year for a dreaded, extensively drug resistant bacterial strain spread in the US by contaminated artificial eye drops manufactured in India. Those drops caused a deadly multi-state outbreak in humans over many months last year, with at least 81 people ultimately infected across 18 states. Fourteen people lost their vision, an additional four had eyeballs surgically removed, and four people died.

The preliminary data on the dogs—presented recently at a conference of disease detectives hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—highlights that now that the deadly outbreak strain has been introduced around the US, it has the potential to lurk in unexpected places, spread its drug resistance to fellow bacteria, and cause new infections in people and animals who may have never used the drops.

The two dogs in New Jersey were not known to have received the drops linked to the outbreak: EzriCare Artificial Tears and two additional products made by the same manufacturer, which were recalled in February 2023. Such over-the-counter products are sometimes used in animals as well as people. But the dogs' separate owners said they didn't recall using the drops either. They also didn't report any exposures in health care settings or recent international travel that could explain the infections. One of the dogs did, at one point, receive eye drops, but they were not an outbreak-associated brand. The only connection between the two dogs was that they were both treated at the same veterinary hospital, which didn't stock the outbreak-associated eyedrops.

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China has a big problem with super gonorrhea, study finds

✇Science – Ars Technica
By: Beth Mole
28 March 2024 at 18:12
A billboard from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation is seen on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, on May 29, 2018, warning of a drug-resistant gonorrhea.

Enlarge / A billboard from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation is seen on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, on May 29, 2018, warning of a drug-resistant gonorrhea. (credit: Getty | )

Health officials have long warned that gonorrhea is becoming more and more resistant to all the antibiotic drugs we have to fight it. Last year, the US reached a grim landmark: For the first time, two unrelated people in Massachusetts were found to have gonorrhea infections with complete or reduced susceptibility to every drug in our arsenal, including the frontline drug ceftriaxone. Luckily, they were still able to be cured with high-dose injections of ceftriaxone. But, as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention bluntly notes: "Little now stands between us and untreatable gonorrhea."

If public health alarm bells could somehow hit a higher pitch, a study published Thursday from researchers in China would certainly accomplish it. The study surveyed gonorrhea bacterial isolates—Neisseria gonorrhoeae—from around the country and found that the prevalence of ceftriaxone-resistant isolates nearly tripled between 2017 and 2021. Ceftriaxone-resistant strains made up roughly 8 percent of the nearly 3,000 bacterial isolates collected from gonorrhea infections in 2022. That's up from just under 3 percent in 2017. The study appears in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

While those single-digit percentages may seem low, compared to other countries they're extremely high. In the US, for instance, the prevalence of ceftriaxone-resistant strains never went above 0.2 percent between 2017 and 2021, according to the CDC. In Canada, ceftriaxone-resistance was stable at 0.6 percent between 2017 and 2021. The United Kingdom had a prevalence of 0.21 percent in 2022.

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Neon Dreams: The Secret of Shin-Tokyo

✇Anime Short Story
By: Agent Adept
21 March 2024 at 10:49

In the neon-lit, cyberpunk landscape of Shin-Tokyo, Kai, a determined young programmer, holds a glowing device key to the city's fate, beside Mika, a fierce resistance fighter ready for combat. They navigate the bustling, skyscraper-filled night, evading shadowy threats and drones in a high-stakes quest for freedom. The scene captures a moment of action and alliance against a backdrop that blurs technology with reality.


 In 2198, Shin-Tokyo stood as a testament to human ingenuity, a city where the boundaries between technology and reality blurred. Among its neon-lit skyscrapers and bustling streets, Kai, a young programmer with an unremarkable past, found himself at the center of a conspiracy that could alter the fate of the city.

Kai's life was routine, working for CyberDyne Solutions, a leading tech firm in Shin-Tokyo. His job was mundane but comfortable, until the day he encountered an anomaly in the company's secure database. It was an encrypted file, hidden deep within layers of security, marked "Project: Eclipse." Driven by curiosity, Kai cracked the encryption, unaware that this action would change his life forever.

"Project: Eclipse" was a digital key capable of accessing and controlling the city's infrastructure. It was a remnant of a forgotten era of warfare, designed to be the ultimate weapon. The discovery thrust Kai into a world of shadowy operatives and cybernetic espionage. The Syndicate, a powerful underground organization, sought "Project: Eclipse" to overthrow the city's ruling corporations and take control of Shin-Tokyo.

Realizing the danger the device posed, Kai decided to destroy it. However, before he could act, the Syndicate abducted him. They demanded he hand over "Project: Eclipse" or face the consequences. It was then that Kai met Mika, a member of the Shin-Tokyo Resistance, who infiltrated the Syndicate's hideout to rescue him. Mika was fierce, her skills honed by years of fighting against the city's oppressors.

Together, Kai and Mika embarked on a perilous journey through the underbelly of Shin-Tokyo. They were pursued not just by the Syndicate but also by CyberDyne Solutions, who had their own dark plans for "Project: Eclipse." The city Kai thought he knew unfolded into a maze of secrets and lies, where allies and enemies were indistinguishable.

As they neared their goal, Kai learned of Mika's true connection to "Project: Eclipse": her father was its creator, and she believed it could be repurposed to free Shin-Tokyo from the corporations' grip. Torn between his promise to destroy the device and his growing trust in Mika, Kai faced a critical decision at the heart of CyberDyne Solutions.

In a twist of fate, Kai discovered that the CEO of CyberDyne, Mr. Sato, was orchestrating a coup to seize control of Shin-Tokyo using "Project: Eclipse." With the city's fate hanging in the balance, Kai and Mika launched a daring assault on CyberDyne's headquarters. In the climax, Kai used "Project: Eclipse" not as a weapon of destruction but as a tool of liberation, exposing the corporations' corruption and uniting the city against Mr. Sato's machinations.

The battle for Shin-Tokyo's soul culminated in a showdown atop CyberDyne's tower, where Kai and Mika confronted Mr. Sato. In the end, it was Kai's understanding of "Project: Eclipse" that allowed them to thwart Sato's plans, safeguarding the city's future and igniting a spark of rebellion across the urban expanse.

"Neon Dreams: The Secret of Shin-Tokyo" became a symbol of hope, a story of courage against the darkness, reminding everyone that the power to change the world lies not in the weapons we wield but in the choices we make and the alliances we forge.

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