(Boston)—Superspreading became a familiar concept to many during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior studies examining infectious disease epidemics, including those on COVID-19, have found that some individuals are much more likely to transmit infections to other people. Superspreading, when one person with an infection passes it to an unusually large number of other people, is a key feature of tuberculosis (TB) epidemiology. Most individuals with TB, the disease caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, cause very few secondary infections, and often cause no secondary infections at all. However, many studies, including groundbreaking studies in the 1950s and 1960s examining TB transmission observed that some individuals with TB are more highly infectious and cause many more secondary infections among their contacts. As a result, the overall impact on future transmission of diagnosing someone with TB and treating them with antibiotics (typically making them non-infectious within 1-2 weeks) can vary widely from person to person.

In a new perspective piece in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, researchers from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian and the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine examine both historical and contemporary evidence in M. tuberculosis superspreading. They argue it represents not only a critical challenge for global TB control, but also a potential opportunity for innovative prevention strategies. The authors introduce the idea of "superspreading niches", specific parts of community contact networks where highly infectious individuals intersect with highly susceptible contacts, as a key framework for understanding TB superspreading and designing new TB control interventions.

Meta-analysis of 37 studies totalling more than half a million pregnancies with antidepressant use found no significant link between common antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism/ADHD in children after adjusting for the mother’s mental health and other factors.

Before accounting for confounding factors, the study found a small association between antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism or ADHD in children. However, this link was also seen with antidepressant use in mothers before conception and in fathers during pregnancy, suggesting the association reflects parental mental health and genetics rather than the medication itself.

Authors say doctors and patients should weigh the benefit and risks of antidepressant use for moderate to severe depression in pregnancy with the potential harms of a depression relapse. They highlight that supporting good mental health for both mothers and fathers is beneficial for a child’s neurodevelopment.

Current evidence does not support a causal link between the use of almost all antidepressants during pregnancy and an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in children, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal.

Obesity and dietitian societies have joined forces to issue a new consensus statement on recommendations surrounding use of obesity drugs for weight loss treatment. The consensus statement is being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) in Istanbul, Turkey, and co-authored by lead author Dr Laurence Dobbie, Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Life Course & Population Sciences, King’s College London, UK as part of an international team of 26 authors.

A nationwide study from Denmark presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO2026) in Istanbul, Turkey, shows that use of semaglutide (Wegovy) for weight management is associated with a 7% reduction in the use of triptan-class drugs for treatment in migraine one year after initiation. A sex-specific effect was observed, with women demonstrating an 8% reduction and men showing no significant change. The study is by Professor Anton Pottegård and Assistant Professor Noémie Roland, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark, and colleagues including from Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Wegovy, who sponsored the study. 

A meta-analysis of 32 studies and 43,618 adults presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that use of new classes of obesity drugs for weight loss is associated with a clinically relevant drop in blood pressure (BP): a 0.34 mmHg reduction in systolic BP per 1% weight loss. The study is by Dr Marcel Muskiet at the Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands and Professor David Cherney and colleagues from the University Health Network / University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

UCLA Health will lead a $9 million, multi-institution research project to further elucidate the link between exposure to pollutants including certain pesticides, air pollution and the increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.

A study published this month in the American Journal of Managed Care explores how integrating behavioral health care into primary care can improve outcomes and be cost-effective for adults with depression, anxiety and chronic pain who are on long-term opioid therapy. 

Alternative therapies that aid the body’s immune system to fight bacteria have shown promise in addressing the global threat of antibiotic resistance.