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Vertex VX-770 Phase 3 STRIVE study for cystic fibrosis demonstrates improvements in lung function

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced the final results from its pivotal Phase 3 STRIVE study that evaluated VX-770, a medicine in development that targets the defective protein that causes cystic fibrosis (CF).

10 Jun 2011

Free access to enteric pathogen's genetic regulation data

Just a few genes make enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) extremely dangerous to humans. If it were not for these genes, EHEC would hardly differ from harmless enteric bacteria. Bioinformatics scientists from the Saarbr-cken Cluster of Excellence want to exploit this similarity to find starting points for effective drugs against the EHEC pathogen.

10 Jun 2011

New vaccine leads to dramatic fall in meningitis A cases

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger report the lowest number of confirmed meningitis A cases ever recorded during an epidemic season this year following the successful introduction of a new vaccine that could eliminate the primary cause of the deadly disease from Africa's meningitis belt, announced the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) today, which spearheaded development of the vaccine.

9 Jun 2011

Ilex, Cerus partner to distribute INTERCEPT Blood System in Israel and South Africa

Cerus Corporation today announced today that it has entered into agreements with Ilex Biotech Limited to distribute Cerus' INTERCEPT Blood System for platelets and plasma in South Africa and Israel.

9 Jun 2011

Medical management preferred over surgery for pediatric orbital cellulitis

Researchers from Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, R.I., report that medical management may be preferred over surgery for children with orbital cellulitis, an acute infection of the tissues surrounding the eye. They have determined the criteria for surgical intervention should be dependent upon the size of a subperiosteal abscess (SPA).

9 Jun 2011

Food poisoning with E coli low but Salmonella high

According to public health officials this Tuesday, progress has been made in combating the microbes behind 50 million yearly U.S. food poisoning cases. These affect one in six Americans. This comes from the newest federal FoodNet report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that shows that total food-borne illnesses dropped by nearly a quarter in the last decade and a half, but salmonella infections have steadily refused to drop, climbing slightly in recent years.

8 Jun 2011

Therapeutic equivalent to replace penicillin

Antibiotics are among the greatest achievements of medical science. But lately the former multi-purpose weapon fails in the battle against infectious diseases. Bacteria are increasingly developing resistance to antibiotics. Researchers have now found a therapeutic equivalent which could replace penicillin and related phamaceuticals.

8 Jun 2011

Scientists discover four different bacteria that can live on caffeine

As it turns out, humans aren't the only organisms that turn to caffeine for a pick-me-up. University of Iowa scientists have identified four different bacteria that actually can live on caffeine.

8 Jun 2011

Guardian Air REME+ system helps reduce germs, allergens and airborne toxins

Hospitals, nursery schools, and other high-traffic indoor spaces have been acting as quiet proving grounds for an advanced new form of air purification. These are normally the kinds of places where germs, allergens and airborne toxins flourish. That's soon going to be a thing of the past.

7 Jun 2011

University of Perugia researcher to lead BioNanoFilter European clinical trial on Group B Strep

NanoLogix, a biotechnology innovator in the rapid detection and identification of live-cell bacteria and microorganisms, announced today its BioNanoFilter (BNF) technology will undergo a clinical trial, led by Dr. Gian Carlo Di Renzo of the University of Perugia in Italy.

7 Jun 2011

Pennsylvania reports first detection of West Nile encephalitis in Greene County

Pennsylvania has reported its earliest detection of a West Nile virus-carrying mosquito since testing began in 2000, the Department of Environmental Protection said today. The first detection of 2011 was a mosquito collection in Morgan Township, Greene County, on May 17.

7 Jun 2011

ITI receives FDA clearance for new Q fever assay kit

This week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the first nucleic acid amplification In vitro diagnostic (IVD) test that detects Coxiella burnetii, the bacteria that causes Q fever.

7 Jun 2011

E coli outbreak linked to tainted bean sprouts

It has been announced by German officials late Sunday that domestically grown bean sprouts may be the source of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) outbreak that has killed 22 people and sickened at least 1,600. All but one of the deaths occurred in Germany, the source of the entero haemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) outbreak that has affected 12 countries. The other victim died in Sweden.

5 Jun 2011

New E. coli outbreak alarms Europe

An Escherichia coli (E. coli) outbreak of disease in Germany has left 22 people dead and it is alarming populations across Europe.

5 Jun 2011

MRSA found in cow’s milk

Scientists have discovered a new strain of the drug-resistant germ known as MRSA in cow’s milk and some evidence that the animals could be a source of the infection in humans.

5 Jun 2011

Study: Only one third of people in the UK always wash their hands after using the toilet

With E.coli once again in the headlines, research by global hygiene experts, Initial, shows that only one in three Brits wash their hands after a visit to the toilet. As E.coli bacteria can spread from person to person by what is known as the 'faecal-oral' route, the transference possibilities of bacteria are immense.

4 Jun 2011

BGI genome sequencing identifies new super-toxic bacteria as cause of current European epidemic

The recent outbreak of an E. coli infection in Germany has resulted in serious concerns about the potential appearance of a new deadly strain of bacteria.

4 Jun 2011

MreB protein molecules assemble into larger units in bacterial cell wall

Almost all bacteria owe their structure to an outer cell wall that interacts closely with the supporting MreB protein inside the cell. As scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry and at the French INRA now show, MreB molecules assemble into larger units, but not - as previously believed - into continuous helical structures.

4 Jun 2011

UCLA pediatric investigators earn top accolades at TTCF Faculty Presentation Awards

A new therapy for type 1 diabetes? A promising treatment for deadly viruses? Does a common treatment for children with severe infection actually cause more harm than good? These are important questions being investigated by pediatric researchers at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA.

4 Jun 2011

New approach for treatment of infections of urinary tract

One in three women will be faced at least once in her life with cystitis, for some the start of a constantly recurring infection. Cystitis is caused by Escherichia coli bacteria which fasten on to the wall of the bladder by means of thread-like structures (pili).

4 Jun 2011