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13 INFECTION CONTROL White House shifts focus to air quality amid COVID-19 By Mackenzie Bean T he White House adjusted its COVID-19 prevention messaging to emphasize the role of indoor air quality, a move many experts say was long overdue, The Washington Post reported March 29. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy hosted a virtual discussion March 29 on the need to improve indoor air quality in schools, businesses and homes to reduce COVID-19 trans- mission. The discussion came six days after the office's head, Alondra Nelson, PhD, penned a blog post, acknowledging the virus is most commonly transmitted via tiny airborne particles that can trav- el long distances and remain in the air for hours. The CDC, World Health Organization and other health groups had initially maintained that the coronavirus primarily spread via large droplets that fell to the ground within a few feet of the per- son expelling them, according to the Post. Scientists praised the White House's focus on air quality but expressed frustration with its timing. "We should have done it earlier," Linsey Marr, PhD, an airborne virus expert at Virginia Tech in Blacks- burg, told the publication. "But, as far as this effort led by the White House, it's better late than never." n Scientists discover why C. diff is hard to eradicate, opening door for successful treatment By Gabrielle Masson S cientists have identified a structural reason why Clostridioides difficile may be so difficult to eradicate, according to findings published Feb. 25 in Nature Communications. Scientists from several U.K. universities outlined the structure of the main protein, SlpA, that forms links of flexible and protective armor of the super- bug. ey discovered the armor is made of a close-knit yet flexible outer lay- er similar to chain mail. e diarrhea-causing superbug Clostridium difficile uses the armor that covers the cell of the whole bacteria — the surface layer or S-layer — to protect itself from antibiotics and immune responses. "I started working on this structure more than 10 years ago — it's been a long, hard journey but we got some really exciting results" Paula Salgado, PhD, structural microbiologist and study author, said in a Feb. 25 news re- lease. "Surprisingly, we found that the protein forming the outer layer, SlpA, packs very tightly, with very narrow openings that allow very few molecules to enter the cells. S-layer from other bacteria studied so far tend to have wider gaps, allowing bigger molecules to penetrate. is may explain the success of C. diff at defending itself against the antibiotics and immune system molecules sent to attack it." Currently, C. diff is resistant to all but three drugs. Antimicrobial resistance, declared by the World Health Organization a top global public health threat, is a main problem when attempting to rid of the bacteria. "Excitingly, it also opens the possibility of developing drugs that target the interactions that make up the chain mail," Dr. Salgado said. "If we break these, we can create holes that allow drugs and immune system molecules to enter the cell and kill it." n Conditions are ripe for measles outbreaks, WHO and UNICEF warn By Mackenzie Bean M easles cases are rising globally amid a "perfect storm" of circumstances that could cause more large-scale outbreaks, the World Health Organi- zation and UNICEF warned April 27. In the first two months of 2022, 17,338 measles cases were reported worldwide, up 79 percent from the same period a year prior. WHO and UNICEF said pandemic-related disruptions, in- creasing inequalities in vaccine access and fewer resources for routine immunization programs are leaving children vul- nerable to measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Humanitarian crises that are displacing millions of people are increasing the risk for outbreaks, alongside countries loosening COVID-19 restrictions. "It is encouraging that people in many communities are beginning to feel protected enough from COVID-19 to return to more social activities," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "But doing so in places where children are not receiving routine vaccination creates the perfect storm for the spread of a disease like measles." n