Pathogen News and Research

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Key advance in understanding the proteins and mechanisms involved in the spread of Lyme Disease

Virginia Commonwealth University scientists have made a key advance in understanding the proteins and mechanisms involved in the spread of Lyme Disease, a finding that could lead to a vaccine against the tick-borne illness that affects thousands of people each year.

16 Dec 2004

Discovery of key immune system molecules that helps determine how effectively a person resists HIV infection

A team of researchers based partly in South Africa has identified a key set of immune system molecules that helps determine how effectively a person resists infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

8 Dec 2004

Fossil record of the human immune system reveals antibodies that block cancer metastasis

A team of researchers at The Scripps Research Institute has reconstructed the "fossil record" of the immune systems of a group of human cancer patients to investigate if they had ever produced antibodies against their disease.

4 Dec 2004

Report finds Listeria Rule sparks major industry changes

A report outlining the impact of the interim final rule designed to further reduce the incidence of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat and poultry products and making recommendations for possible future actions was released for public comment by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

3 Dec 2004

Oral administration of saline spray may stop spread of influenza, tuberculosis, and SARS

Some individuals exhale many more pathogen-laden droplets than others in the course of ordinary breathing, scientists have found, but oral administration of a safe saline spray every six hours might slash exhalation of germs in this group by an average 72 percent.

29 Nov 2004

Salmonella pathogen uses molecular hydrogen to grow and become virulent

New research, headed by microbiologists from the University of Georgia, show for the first time that Salmonella – a widespread and often deadly bacterial pathogen – use molecular hydrogen to grow and become virulent.

29 Nov 2004

Research opens up new avenues to diagnosis and treat Lyme disease

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have identified a Lyme disease receptor called TROSPA that is used by disease agents to invade ticks.

14 Nov 2004

Nanogen announces clinical diagnostic to simultaneously detect multiple respiratory viruses

Nanogen announced today that it is developing new analyte specific reagents (ASRs) for clinical reference laboratories to develop and validate a single test to detect six of the most common respiratory viruses.

10 Nov 2004

$73 million to tackle infectious diseases such as West Nile virus and influenza

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has awarded 14 contracts totaling more than $73 million to fund the Large-Scale Antibody and T Cell Epitope Discovery Program, an initiative aimed at quickly identifying the regions of selected infectious agents that elicit immune reactions.

1 Nov 2004

Studies show Pfizer's Azithromycin Microspheres effective as treatment for respiratory tract infections

Pfizer Inc.'s new investigational microsphere formulation of azithromycin, which is dosed as a one-time-only oral antibiotic, is comparable to other frequently prescribed treatments for some of the most common respiratory tract infections in adult patients.

1 Nov 2004

Scientists decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans

A team of scientists at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine has helped decode the genome sequence of Cryptosporidium hominis, an insidious parasite identified as one of the most common causes of waterborne diseases in humans and classified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a potential bioterrorist agent.

29 Oct 2004

Study could lead to new, more effective treatments for urinary tract infections

Anyone who thinks scientists lead a glamorous, exciting life should talk to Jennifer Snyder, a graduate student at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine.

25 Oct 2004

QIMR researchers have received a 5 year grant to develop a vaccine against Group A streptococcus

QIMR researchers have received a 5 year grant from the National Institutes of Health in the USA to develop a vaccine against Group A streptococcus. This extremely prestigious grant makes QIMR one of the most successful recipients of NIH funding in Australia.

18 Oct 2004

Bionanotechnology that combines the strengths of nanotechnology and biochemistry to generate a new type of bionanomaterial

A team of University of Florida researchers has created tiny hybrid particles that can speedily root out even one isolated E. coli bacterium lurking in ground beef or provide a crucial early warning alarm for bacteria used as agents of bioterrorism and for early disease diagnosis.

11 Oct 2004

Discovery of a central memory form of helper T cells that can offer immunity to leishmaniasis

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a "central memory" form of "helper" T cells that can offer immunity to leishmaniasis, a disease that causes considerable death and disfigurement across the globe and has been found in U.S. military personnel returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.

8 Oct 2004

Significant progress in development of an animal model of smallpox that closely resembles human disease

Scientists have made significant progress in developing an animal model of smallpox that closely resembles human disease, which will be necessary for testing of future vaccines and potential treatments.

5 Oct 2004

First generation of human retinal cells in the laboratory from human embryonic stem cells

Some of these retinal tissues such as Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for such devastating diseases as macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and other retinal degenerative diseases.

23 Sep 2004

Streptococcus bacteria uses sword and shield to fight white blood cells

A single gene called cylE within the important bacterial pathogen Group B Streptococcus (GBS), controls two factors that act together as a “sword” and “shield” to protect the bacteria from the killing effects of the immune system’s white blood cells

21 Sep 2004

Scientists decipher genetic code of ancient pathogen that causes the horse disease

More than 2,400 years after Hippocrates, the Greek physician born in 460 BC first described the symptoms of glanders, scientists have deciphered the genetic code of the ancient pathogen that causes the horse disease: Burkholderia mallei.

20 Sep 2004

Global health is recurrently being threatened by new and re-emerging infectious diseases

Global health is recurrently being threatened by new and re-emerging infectious diseases. Examples of new and re-emerging infectious diseases include SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), new variant CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease), avian flu and Ebola.