Infectious Diseases News and Research

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How an opportunistic fungal pathogen knows when to attack

The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans inconspicuously lives in our bodies until it senses that we are weak, when it quickly adapts to go on the offensive. The fungus, known for causing yeast and other minor infections, also causes a sometimes-fatal infection known as candidemia in immunocompromised patients. An in vivo study, published in mBio, demonstrates how C. albicans can distinguish between a healthy and an unhealthy host and alter its physiology to attack.

25 Jul 2012

Cepheid launches new Xpert BCR-ABL Monitor test

Cepheid today announced the release of an updated Xpert BCR-ABL Monitor test, now incorporating lot-specific standardization using the WHO (World Health Organization) BCR-ABL standards.

25 Jul 2012

Community health campaigns reduce incidence of HIV virus levels in rural Uganda

Population-wide levels of HIV virus dropped substantially between 2011 and May 2012 in a rural part of southwestern Uganda, the site of two community health campaigns led by doctors at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH) and Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

25 Jul 2012

Human neutrophil peptide 1 effectively prevents HIV entry into cells in multiple ways

Human defensins, aptly named antimicrobial peptides, are made in immune system cells and epithelial cells (such as skin cells and cells that line the gut). One of these peptides, human neutrophil peptide 1, under certain circumstances hinders HIV infection, but exactly how it works remains unclear.

25 Jul 2012

Pennsylvania Hospital to participate in Best Fed Beginnings

Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH) has been selected to participate in Best Fed Beginnings, a first-of-its-kind national effort to significantly improve breastfeeding rates in states where rates are currently the lowest.

25 Jul 2012

New NIAID grant to support development of topical microbicide gel for HIV and HSV-2 infections

A new grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will support the development of a topical microbicide gel for drug delivery. The innovative gel formulation will be a combination therapy against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infections in women.

25 Jul 2012

Malaria misdiagnosis in parts of Asia

Substantial overdiagnosis and mistreatment of malaria is evident in south and central Asia, warns a study published on bmj.com today.

25 Jul 2012

Merck signs two licensing agreements for investigational HIV drug candidates

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the company has signed two licensing agreements for investigational HIV drug candidates.

25 Jul 2012

Little evidence exists for potential HPV type competition in cross-sectional study

Vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) are now recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for both teenage boys and girls. The vaccine protects against the two most common types of the virus that cause cervical cancer: HPV 16 and 18. Is there a chance that the increased number of people vaccinated might result in an increase of other types of HPV that cause cancer?

25 Jul 2012

Researchers discover bats as reservoir of infections

Measles, mumps, pneumonia, influenza and encephalitis in man, Carré's disease in dogs, Ovine Rinderpest (PPR)… all of these diseases are caused by viruses from the same family: Paramyxoviridae. A vast international study, carried out in collaboration with IRD researchers and published in Nature communications has led to the discovery of more than 60 new species of these dangerous infectious agents, almost double the number previously recorded. This family of highly diverse pathogens affects all animals, from canines to fowl, cattle and humans.

25 Jul 2012

LSDF announces $570,000 in awards to support commercialization of new health-related products

The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) today announced nearly $570,000 in awards in its inaugural corporate grant program to support commercialization of new health and health-care products by four early-stage Washington-based companies.

25 Jul 2012

Dapivirine Phase III trial now underway in Africa to treat HIV in women

A large clinical trial testing the long-term safety and effectiveness of a new approach for preventing HIV in women - a vaginal ring used once a month - is now underway in Africa, researchers announced today at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012).

25 Jul 2012

Merck, Chimerix sign license agreement for CMX157 to treat HIV infection

Chimerix, Inc. today announced the execution of a license agreement granting Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, exclusive worldwide rights to CMX157, Chimerix's novel lipid acyclic nucleoside phosphonate currently being evaluated to treat HIV infection.

24 Jul 2012

Durata closes initial public offering of 8,625,000 shares of common stock

Durata Therapeutics today announced the closing of its initial public offering of 8,625,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $9.00 per share, before underwriting discounts, including 1,125,000 shares of common stock issued upon the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount.

24 Jul 2012

Esophageal biopsy advised in children with foreign body impaction

Study findings suggest that a considerable number of children with esophageal foreign body or food bolus impaction have eosinophilic esophagitis.

24 Jul 2012

Findings cast doubt on sepsis drug withdrawal

A meta-analysis of clinical trial and real-world data suggests that drotrecogin alfa may in fact reduce mortality in patients with severe sepsis.

24 Jul 2012

Novel combination drug regimen could be more effective than existing treatments for TB

A novel approach to discover the first new tuberculosis (TB) combination drug regimen cleared a major hurdle when Phase II clinical trial results found it could kill more than 99 percent of patients' TB bacteria within two weeks and could be more effective than existing treatments, according to a study published today in the Lancet.

24 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 24, 2012

Today's headlines include news from the campaign season as well as reports from the international AIDS conference currently taking place in Washington, D.C.

24 Jul 2012

TB combination drug trials progress

A novel approach to discover the first new tuberculosis (TB) combination drug regimen cleared a major hurdle when Phase II clinical trial results found it could kill more than 99 percent of patients’ TB bacteria within two weeks and could be more effective than existing treatments, according to a study published today in the Lancet. These results add to a growing body of evidence that the new regimen could reduce treatment by more than a year for some patients.

24 Jul 2012

Study shows disturbing rates of new HIV infections among U.S. black MSM

Study results released today by the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) show disturbing rates of new HIV infections occurring among black gay and bisexual men in the U.S. (also known as men who have sex with men, or MSM), particularly young black MSM.

24 Jul 2012