Gastroenteritis News and Research

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Gastroenteritis (also known as gastro, gastric flu, and stomach flu) refers to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, involving both the stomach and the small intestine and resulting in acute diarrhea. The inflammation is caused most often by infection with certain viruses, less often by bacteria or their toxins, parasites, or adverse reaction to something in the diet or medication.

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma treatment may reduce risk of transmitting norovirus

Treating surfaces with cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) may reduce the risk of transmitting norovirus, a contagious virus leading to stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea, according to a new study.

14 Jan 2015

Fast-track diagnostics releases CE-labelled Real-time PCR kit to detect Zaire Ebolavirus

Fast-track diagnostics, a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of infectious disease detection kits, has released a CE labelled Real-time PCR kit for the detection of the Zaire Ebolavirus – the strain responsible for the current outbreak in West Africa.

8 Jan 2015

Cepheid gets FDA clearance to market Xpert Norovirus

Cepheid today announced it has received clearance from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to market Xpert Norovirus, a qualitative in vitro diagnostic test for expeditious identification and differentiation of Noroviruses genogroup I (GI) and genogroup II (GII).

1 Dec 2014

Specific complex carbohydrates in human milk protect against Norovirus

Norovirus is the most common cause of viral epidemic gastroenteritis. About 18% of all gastroenteritis infections are caused by Norovirus affecting 267 million people worldwide every year. According to information of the Robert Koch-Institute more than 200.000 Norovirus-infections were registered in Germany during 2012 and 2013. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report up to 21 million Norovirus-infections per year in the USA.

30 Oct 2014

Web-based system could help improve detection of disease outbreaks, say researchers

A web-based system that allows preschools and child care centers to report illnesses to local public health departments could improve the detection of disease outbreaks and allow resources to be mobilized more quickly, according to University of Michigan research to be presented Saturday, Oct. 11 at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition in San Diego.

13 Oct 2014

European experts publish common vision of priorities for marine research

Some 340 European scientists, policy-makers and other experts representing 143 organizations from 31 countries spoke with one voice today, publishing a common vision of today's most pressing marine-related health and economic threats and opportunities.

9 Oct 2014

UPM researchers find way to enhance detection of rotavirus

Researchers at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid have found a way to enhance detection capacity of small concentrations of rotavirus. All this thanks to a new way to assess the biosensing response applied to an interferometric device.

3 Oct 2014

Luminex gets FDA approval to add three new targets to xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel

Luminex Corporation today announced it has received U.S. FDA clearance to add three new targets to its xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (GPP). The targets include Adenovirus 40/41, Entamoeba histolytica and Vibrio cholerae.

From Luminex 30 Sep 2014

Norovirus vaccines: an interview with Dr Benjamin Lopman, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA

Noroviruses are a group of viruses. They're the leading cause of gastroenteritis, which causes diarrhea and vomiting. They affect the whole age range from young children to the elderly, and, in the US, they cause about 20 million cases annually.

28 Jul 2014

CRISPR system involved in promoting antibiotic resistance

CRISPR, a system of genes that bacteria use to fend off viruses, is involved in promoting antibiotic resistance in Francisella novicida, a close relative of the bacterium that causes tularemia.

15 Jul 2014

Multicenter trial aims to find safety, effectiveness of probiotics in infants with stomach flu

Consumers worldwide spend billions of dollars each year on probiotic foods and supplements. But studies evaluating probiotics - microorganisms believed to aid digestive health - have been limited.

4 Jul 2014

Research shows foodborne pathogen can cause disease in some breeds of poultry

Contrary to popular belief, the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni is not a harmless commensal in chickens but can cause disease in some breeds of poultry according to research published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

1 Jul 2014

New estimates highlight the importance of developing norovirus vaccines

Noroviruses are a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (diarrhoea and vomiting) across all age groups, responsible for almost a fifth (18%) of all cases worldwide. New estimates, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, highlight the importance of developing norovirus vaccines, say the authors.

28 Jun 2014

Noroviruses responsible for almost a fifth of all cases of acute gastroenteritis

27 Jun 2014

Promedior reports positive preliminary data from PRM-151 Phase 2 trial for myelofibrosis

Promedior, Inc., today announced positive preliminary data from its Phase 2 trial of PRM-151, an anti-fibrotic immunotherapy, in patients with myelofibrosis which demonstrated biologic activity with improvements across clinically relevant measures, including bone marrow fibrosis, hemoglobin, platelets, spleen, and symptoms.

31 May 2014

FDA-cleared BD MAX Enteric Bacterial Panel now available to detect bacterial pathogens

BD Diagnostics, a segment of leading global medical technology company BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), announced today the availability of the FDA-cleared BD MAX Enteric Bacterial Panel for use on the BD MAX System.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 7 May 2014

Researchers study evolution of harmful organisms from 1 bacterial family

For the first time, researchers have studied the Black Death bacterium's entire family tree to fully understand how some of the family members evolve to become harmful.

22 Apr 2014

Frail elderly people are at increased risk of death from outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis

Frail elderly people living in residential care facilities are at increased risk of severe illness or death from outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis.

3 Apr 2014

Amgen announces results from Phase 3 TESLA Trial of evolocumab in patients with HoFH

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced that the Phase 3 TESLA (Trial Evaluating PCSK9 Antibody in Subjects with LDL Receptor Abnormalities) trial evaluating evolocumab met its primary endpoint of the percent reduction from baseline at week 12 in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).

19 Mar 2014

Findings suggest that IBS is linked to detectable gut microbiota alterations

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) belongs to the most widespread diseases in Western countries, causing up to sixty per cent of the workload of gastrointestinal physicians. One of the most frequent symptoms of IBS is bloating, which reduces quality of life considerably as patients perceive it as particularly bothersome.

10 Mar 2014