Tropical Disease News and Research

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Tropical diseases encompass all diseases that occur solely, or principally, in the tropics. In practice, the term is often taken to refer to infectious diseases that thrive in hot, humid conditions, such as malaria, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, Chagas disease, African trypanosomiasis, and dengue.

Newly launched TB-PACTS could be a valuable tool to combat world's leading infectious killer

The Critical Path Institute, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, TB Alliance, and St. George's, University of London, are pleased to announce the launch of the TB-Platform for Aggregation of Clinical TB Studies.

19 Apr 2016

PATH and SD/Alere announce commercial availability of two diagnostic tools for NTDs

PATH and Standard Diagnostics/Alere announced today the commercial availability of two rapid diagnostic tools for onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. Designed for use in disease surveillance, the antibody-based tests are part of a suite of diagnostic innovations intended to support the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of illnesses that affect more than a billion people worldwide.

12 Apr 2016

New study suggests that Neanderthals across Europe may have diseases carried out of Africa

A new study suggests that Neanderthals across Europe may well have been infected with diseases carried out of Africa by waves of anatomically modern humans, or Homo sapiens. As both were species of hominin, it would have been easier for pathogens to jump populations, say researchers. This might have contributed to the demise of Neanderthals.

11 Apr 2016

GHIT Fund invests in two innovative malaria eradication tools

The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund) announced today that it’s investing US$1,383,785 in a pair of innovative malaria eradication tools—a vaccine that could block transmission of two species of the deadly disease and a rapid field test that can reveal a malaria infection in minutes.

1 Apr 2016

Zika threat to Olympics attendees? An interview with Prof. Eskild Petersen

The risk in terms of the Olympics, especially for travelling populations remains low – with the notable exception of pregnant women.

31 Mar 2016

Guardian system can predict risk of dangerous diseases

If an infectious disease outbreak or an attack using an agent such as anthrax were to occur in Chicago, it most likely first will be noticed in emergency rooms throughout the city. Swift identification of the cause of an incoming patients' illness could be crucial to public health and safety personnel being able to intervene in time to save lives.

23 Mar 2016

Addition of just two DNA bases to LdAQP1 gene helps Black Fever parasite to overcome antimonial drugs

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute scientists show how the parasite responsible for the neglected tropical disease Black Fever (visceral leishmaniasis) can become resistant to drug treatment. Studying the whole genomes of more than 200 samples of Leishmania donovani revealed that the addition of just two bases of DNA to a gene known as LdAQP1 stops the parasite from absorbing antimonial drugs.

23 Mar 2016

Parasitic flatworm rejuvenates its skin to survive in human bloodstream

A parasitic flatworm that infects hundreds of millions of people in the developing world is able to survive in the bloodstream for decades by constantly renewing its skin - a mechanism that could inform potential new treatments against infection.

23 Mar 2016

Biological change in mosquito mating could be used to fight mosquito-borne diseases

Genetic cues from male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes passed on during sex affect which genes are turned on or off in a females' reproductive tract post-mating, including genes related to blood feeding, egg development and immune defense, according to new Cornell research.

14 Mar 2016

Study highlights new approach to produce coral snake antivenom from synthetically designed DNA

Coral snake venom carries significant neurotoxicity and human injuries can be severe or even lethal. Despite this, antivenom treatments are scarce due to challenges collecting adequate amounts of venom needed to produce anti-elapidic serum. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases highlights exciting new research from the Butantan Institute in Brazil using synthetically designed DNA to produce coral-snake antivenom.

4 Mar 2016

WRAIR researchers publish results from Plasmodium vivax malaria vaccine study

Walter Reed Army Institute of Research researchers recently published the results of testing a Plasmodium vivax malaria vaccine candidate in a human challenge model.

27 Feb 2016

Genome sequencing shows association between STIs and Trachoma

For the first time, genome sequencing has been carried out on Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), a bacteria responsible for the disease Trachoma - the world's leading infectious cause of blindness, according to a study in Nature Communications.

26 Feb 2016

UF study shows effective way to control damaging health impacts of mosquito-borne diseases

A common toxin used to kill yellow fever mosquito larvae - the most prevalent transmitter of dengue, chikungunya and zika viruses - is highly effective. While there are some fitness advantages to surviving adults, this is still an effective way to control the damaging health impacts of these mosquito-borne diseases, a new University of Florida study shows.

15 Feb 2016

Australian researchers identify genetic map of human parasitic scabies mite

Australian researchers have used cutting-edge genome technologies to reveal the genetic makeup of a widespread skin parasite causing serious health problems in Aboriginal communities.

15 Feb 2016

University of Oxford, SomaLogic partner to discover protein biomarkers for clinical diseases and conditions

The University of Oxford and SomaLogic announced today that they have agreed to undertake a number of collaborative projects that will employ SomaLogic's proprietary SOMAmer reagents and SOMAscan assay technologies to discover and characterize protein biomarkers for a range of clinical diseases and conditions.

8 Feb 2016

Zika virus expected to spread across the U.S., says WHO

On Monday (Jan. 25, 2016), the World Health Organization announced that Zika virus, a mosquito-borne illness that in the past year has swept quickly throughout equatorial countries, is expected to spread across the Americas and into the United States.

27 Jan 2016

Researchers take major step towards developing vaccine for river blindness

The world's first vaccine for a disease that causes misery for millions in Africa could be tested within five years.

12 Jan 2016

Researchers use quick screening method to identify, test promising anti-Ebola drugs

A quick screening method has been used for the first time in a standard open laboratory to identify and test promising anti-Ebola drugs. This approach increases the possibility of finding new therapies faster.

12 Jan 2016

UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Janssen R&D partner to identify new therapeutic targets for Chagas disease

Researchers at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego have entered into a research collaboration with Janssen Research & Development, LLC, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, to identify new therapeutic targets for Chagas disease, a parasitic infection that is the leading cause of heart failure in Latin America.

8 Jan 2016

Treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis with regimens may improve outcomes

Treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) with regimens that include a greater number of drugs may improve outcomes, and baseline drug susceptibility testing (DST) could identify drugs with the greatest likelihood of success, according to a paper published this week in PLOS Medicine.

30 Dec 2015

Tropical Disease News and Research

Further Reading

Newly launched TB-PACTS could be a valuable tool to combat world's leading infectious killer

PATH and SD/Alere announce commercial availability of two diagnostic tools for NTDs

New study suggests that Neanderthals across Europe may have diseases carried out of Africa

GHIT Fund invests in two innovative malaria eradication tools

Zika threat to Olympics attendees? An interview with Prof. Eskild Petersen

Guardian system can predict risk of dangerous diseases

Addition of just two DNA bases to LdAQP1 gene helps Black Fever parasite to overcome antimonial drugs

Parasitic flatworm rejuvenates its skin to survive in human bloodstream

Biological change in mosquito mating could be used to fight mosquito-borne diseases

Study highlights new approach to produce coral snake antivenom from synthetically designed DNA

WRAIR researchers publish results from Plasmodium vivax malaria vaccine study

Genome sequencing shows association between STIs and Trachoma

UF study shows effective way to control damaging health impacts of mosquito-borne diseases

Australian researchers identify genetic map of human parasitic scabies mite

University of Oxford, SomaLogic partner to discover protein biomarkers for clinical diseases and conditions

Zika virus expected to spread across the U.S., says WHO

Researchers take major step towards developing vaccine for river blindness

Researchers use quick screening method to identify, test promising anti-Ebola drugs

UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy, Janssen R&D partner to identify new therapeutic targets for Chagas disease

Treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis with regimens may improve outcomes

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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