Read AMA Morning Rounds®’ most popular stories in medicine and public health from the week of Aug. 3, 2026–Aug. 7, 2026.
Probiotic-associated invasive infections rare in very preterm infants, study finds
MedPage Today (7/31, Henderson) reports, “Probiotic-associated invasive infections were rare in very preterm infants, according to a large retrospective cohort study.” Investigators found that “among over 100,000 very preterm infants, 11 developed Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus invasive infections. Eight had been given probiotics (0.04%) while three had not (0.003%).” MedPage Today adds, “In overall unmatched and propensity-matched analyses, probiotic supplementation was associated with an absolute increase of 0.04% in Bifidobacterium or Lactobacillus infection (95% CI 0.01-0.06), equivalent to one invasive infection per roughly 2,500 supplemented infants (95% CI 1,667-10,000).” The findings were published in a research letter in JAMA Network Open.
Overall cost of containing 2025 New Mexico measles outbreak was nearly $5.4M
Reuters (8/3, Lapid) reports, “The overall cost of containing a 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico was nearly $5.4 million,” according to research carried out by the New Mexico Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figure “breaks down to an average of more than $53,000 for each of the 100 confirmed cases,” and it “includes expenses for medical care, public health services and lost productivity, not just for the 57 adult patients and for caregivers of the 43 infected children but also for 205 exposed and quarantined contacts and 133 public health responders.” The research was published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
You may also be interested in: AMA urges public to get vaccinated against measles as cases surge.
CDC expands cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states
The Washington Post (8/4, Roubein, Sun) reports the CDC is “expanding the largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states, adding six states where illnesses have been traced to shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, according to three individuals familiar with the investigation.” The added states are Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, and North Carolina. Federal investigators “so far have publicly linked illnesses to only a portion of the states where the company said the recalled lettuce was distributed. Federal officials are also investigating outbreaks and illness in more than two-dozen states that have not been linked to the 15-state outbreak.”
You may also be interested in: Stay informed with news and resources on Cyclospora.
Senate confirms Dr. Erica Schwartz to head CDC
The New York Times (8/5, Mandavilli) reports, “The Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz, a physician who has repeatedly affirmed the safety and efficacy of childhood vaccines, as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency’s first full-time leader in nearly a year.”
Reuters (8/5, Aboulenein) reports that Dr. Schwartz, the president’s “third pick to run the” CDC, “was confirmed 51-44.”
Three key health factors associated with nearly 13 additional dementia-free years
MedPage Today (8/6, George) reports, “Maintaining three key health factors during midlife—normal blood pressure, no diabetes, and not smoking—was associated with nearly 13 additional dementia-free years, a study of 12,000 people in the U.S. showed.” Investigators found that “individuals who met these criteria at age 55 lived an average 30.1 more years dementia-free.” However, “those who smoked, had hypertension, and had diabetes at age 55 had dementia-free survival of only 17.5 years.” Participants “with all three risk factors had a higher incidence of dementia (HR 2.69, 95% CI 1.94-3.73) and a higher incidence of dying before a dementia diagnosis (HR 5.61, 95% CI 4.67-6.74) compared with those who had no risk factors.” The findings were published in Neurology Open Access.
You may also be interested in: How to screen for, reduce risk of and treat Alzheimer’s disease,
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