Deadly Fungi Are the Newest Emerging Microbe Threat All Over the World

What's Going Around: Allergies, Viral Illnesses, Ticks, Infections

Here's our weekly round-up of what illnesses are spreading the most in Metro Detroit communities, according to our local doctors and hospitals.

Wayne County – Seasonal allergies, asthma flare-ups, viral illnesses, tick bites, strep throat, colds

Dr. Jaime Hope -- Medical director, Emergency Medicine, Beaumont Outpatient Campus – Livonia, a part of Corewell Health

"A milder virus is going around, causing either cold symptoms or GI upset. We are starting to see flu and COVID swabs come back negative for many patients. Additionally, lots of spring allergies are in the air. Use caution outside, wash up, and change clothes to avoid bringing allergens inside your home with you. It's a good idea to use gloves and caution with gardening equipment. NEVER touch a lawnmower or power equipment that is on! Lastly, we are seeing tick bites already due to the earlier-than-usual warmth. Use appropriate bug and tick-repellent spray, and after spending any time outdoors, even in your backyard, do a thorough check for ticks. People often don't feel them, even when latched on, so they can be easy to miss. Remember flea and tick prevention for pets too!"

Dr. Kelly Levasseur -- Medical Director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine at Children's Hospital of Michigan

"We're seeing lots of viral illness with vomiting, where dehydration is a concern. We're also still seeing many kids with strep throat, along with still some cases of kids with regular cough/colds. Thankfully, we're not seeing much flu or RSV anymore."

Dr. Kevin Dazy -- Pediatrician with Children's Hospital of Michigan

"With the Springtime weather and pollination season commencing, we're seeing a good amount of asthma flare-ups, which is typical for this time of year. Patients need to work with their doctor to have a plan to keep asthma under control."

Oakland County – Seasonal allergies, asthma & COPD flare-ups, stomach viruses, sore throats, sinus issues, influenza

Dr. Steve McGraw -- Director of Emergency Medicine, Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield and Novi Campuses

"I am seeing a lot of patients with asthma/COPD due to allergens like tree and grass pollen. We're seeing patients with viral gastroenteritis and viral pharyngitis. We're finally seeing less cases of Influenza A and B. We're seeing a lot of motor vehicle accidents. This is a reminder for everyone to slow down and watch out for each other."

Dr. Parag Patel -- Primary Care Physician, Corewell Health's Beaumont Hospital Troy

"While the last few months were extremely busy with flu and COVID, in terms of infectious disease, we are experiencing a bit of reprieve. Influenza is still out there, but in decreasing volume. We are seeing a lot of allergies and sinus issues, including sinus infections."

Emergency Department at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital

"Abdominal pain, chest pain and respiratory issues are still the highest in our emergency department. "

Washtenaw County – Seasonal allergies, COPD & asthma flare-ups, stomach viruses, upper respiratory infections, Covid, influenza

Dr. Brad Uren -- Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Michigan Medicine

"Much less URIs, covid, and flu this week. A little bit of GI illness still in circulation on the adult side. Recent high pollen counts have continued to cause problems for people that are susceptible such as those with COPD, asthma, etc."

Washtenaw County Health Department

"Influenza cases in Washtenaw County residents are currently at high levels, but appear to be decreasing. Most Influenza cases being reported in Washtenaw County are Influenza A, types A(H1N1) and A(H3). Sporadic cases of Influenza B are being reported. Influenza-related deaths in Washtenaw County adults have been reported this flu season. All individuals were older adults with confirmed Influenza A infection. Flu-related hospitalizations of Washtenaw residents are currently at high levels, but appear to be decreasing."

Monroe County – Influenza, Covid, viral illnesses, seasonal allergies, breathing problems

ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital – Emergency Center

"We are continuing to see an increase in influenza A, COVID-19, and viral illnesses."

Macomb County – Strep throat, seasonal allergies, sinus problems, asthma flare-ups, upper respiratory viruses, stomach viruses

Dr. Ali Saad -- Emergency physician at McLaren Macomb

"Consistent good weather and increased outdoor activities has led to a significant increase in minor orthopedic and soft tissue injuries. Weather has also increased allergies in the air and led to complications for asthma sufferers, with severe cases causing breathing difficulties. Though late in the traditional season, there are still a noticeable number of patients experiencing the symptoms of a viral upper respiratory infection, such as cough, congestion, runny nose, and slight fever. Also late in the season, some patients are still infected with a viral gastroenteritis, causing symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea."

Livingston County -- Did not report this week

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Immune Key To Chronic Viral Infections Discovered

Australian researchers have discovered a previously unknown rogue immune cell that can cause poor antibody responses in chronic viral infections. The finding, published today (9 April) in the journal, Immunity, may lead to earlier intervention and possibly prevention of some types of viral infections such as HIV or hepatitis.

One of the remaining mysteries of the human immune system is why a certain cell, called a B cell, which retains a memory for past infections -- ensuring we fight off diseases we have experienced before -- often only has a weak capacity to protect us from persistent infections.

Researchers from the Monash University Biomedicine Discovery Institute have essentially solved this mystery by discovering how chronic viral infection induces a previously unknown immune B memory cell that does not produce high levels of antibody.

Importantly the research team, led by Professor Kim Good-Jacobson and Dr Lucy Cooper, also determined the most effective time during the immune response for therapeutics such as anti-viral and anti-cancer drugs to better boost immune memory cell development.

"What we discovered was a previously unknown cell that is produced by chronic viral infection. We also determined that early intervention with therapeutics was the most effective to stop this type of memory cell being formed, whereas late intervention could not," Professor Good-Jacobson said.

According to Dr Cooper, chronic viral infections have been known to alter our ability to form effective long-term protective antibody responses, but how that happens is unknown.

"In the future, this research may result in new therapeutic targets, with the aim to reduce the devastating effect of chronic infectious diseases on global health, specifically those that are not currently preventable by vaccines," she said.

"Revealing this new immune memory cell type, and what genes it expresses, allows us to determine how we can target it therapeutically and whether that will lead to better antibody responses."

The research team are also looking to see whether this population is a feature of long COVID, which results in some people having a reduced capacity to fight off the symptoms of COVID infection long after the virus has dissipated.

Can Neosporin In The Nose Help Prevent Viral Infections?

A tube of Neosporin antibiotic ointment in Illinois on April 14, 2016. Credit - Daniel Acker/Bloomberg—Getty Images

For years, researchers have been working on vaccines that aim to prevent viral infections by strengthening immune defenses at viruses' doorway to the body: the nose.

A small study recently published in PNAS presents a similar, if lower-tech, idea. Coating the inside of the nose with the over-the-counter antibiotic ointment Neosporin seems to trigger an immune response that may help the body repel respiratory viruses like those that cause COVID-19 and the flu, the study suggests.

The research raises the idea that Neosporin could serve as an "extra layer" of protection against respiratory illnesses, on top of existing tools like vaccines and masks, says study co-author Akiko Iwasaki, an immunobiologist at the Yale School of Medicine and one of the U.S.' leading nasal vaccine researchers.

The study builds upon some of Iwasaki's prior research—which has shown that similar antibiotics can trigger potentially protective immune changes in the body—but it's still preliminary, she cautions. For the new study, her team had 12 people apply Neosporin inside their nostrils twice a day for a week, while another seven people used Vaseline for comparison. At several points during the study, the researchers swabbed the participants' noses and ran PCR tests to see what was going on inside.

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They found that Neosporin—and specifically one of its active ingredients, the antibiotic neomycin sulfate—seems to stimulate receptors in the nose that "are fooled into thinking there's a viral infection" and in turn create "a barrier that's put up against any virus," Iwasaki explains. In theory, she says, that means it could protect against a range of different infections.

Right now, though, that's just a theory. For this study, Iwasaki's team didn't take the next step of testing whether that immune response actually prevents people from getting infected when they're exposed to viruses—in part because it's ethically questionable to intentionally expose people to pathogens for research. (They did, however, demonstrate that rodents whose noses were coated with neomycin were protected from the virus that causes COVID-19.)

On its website, the maker of Neosporin says that the product has not "been tested or formulated to prevent against COVID-19 or any other virus," and also note that they do not advise putting the product inside the eyes, nose, or mouth.

Dr. James Crowe, who directs the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center and was not involved in the research, says the study is "intriguing," but he'd need to see more human data before he gets excited. "I'm skeptical it would be strongly effective in people," Crowe says. "If you have a modest effect on the virus, is that enough to really benefit you clinically?"

It is somewhat counterintuitive to think that an antibiotic, which kills bacteria, could do anything to protect people from viruses. It's not that the antibiotic has a direct effect against viruses, Iwasaki explains. Instead, it seems that neomycin, when applied topically, provoke changes in the body that help it fight off viruses—essentially, triggering a natural antiviral effect.

So should you smear Neosporin in your nose next time a COVID-19 wave hits? Not so fast, says Dr. Benjamin Bleier, who specializes in nasal disorders at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and has studied nasal immunity.

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Bleier, who was not involved in the new study, calls the research "very well done," but says there are questions that need to be answered before it hits "clinical prime time." First, could the body develop tolerance or resistance to neomycin if the antibiotic were regularly used in this way? (Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern, and overusing or inappropriately prescribing antibiotics is a contributor to the problem.) Second, could the average person apply neomycin deeply and thoroughly enough for meaningful protection? And finally, could this approach damage the delicate inner nose or have other side effects over time? (Even in the small study, one of the people who used intranasal Neosporin dropped out due to minor side effects, apparently related to a drug allergy.)

"It's great science, but there's still a long way to go before we should put it in our noses," agrees Dr. Sean Liu, an infectious disease physician at New York's Mount Sinai health system who was also not involved in the study.

Iwasaki agrees that more research is necessary. She says the next step is testing higher doses of neomycin, since Neosporin contains a fairly small amount that may not be enough to provide robust protection for humans. To gather more data, she says, researchers could track people going about their normal lives—except that some apply neomycin to their noses and some apply Vaseline—and see if one group gets sick less often than the other, though that would require a lot of time and people.

Despite the difficulties, Liu says there's good reason for further study. Finding new uses for affordable, widely accessible medications is good for public health, and any progress toward neutralizing viruses is welcome. If the approach is proven to work, it could also be useful to have a tool that's effective against a broad range of viruses and could potentially be paired with other drugs to strengthen its efficacy, Crowe adds.

Plus, Iwasaki says, additional disease-prevention tools could help people who are especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases—such as those who are immunocompromised—and need additional protection to feel safe. If further research proves promising, Iwasaki says, she could imagine neomycin serving as an additional disease-fighting tool when people are in particularly germy places, like a crowded party or an airport.

Write to Jamie Ducharme at jamie.Ducharme@time.Com.

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