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Researchers develop nanomimics of host cell membranes that trick malaria parasites

Malaria parasites invade human red blood cells, they then disrupt them and infect others. Researchers at the University of Basel and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute have now developed so-called nanomimics of host cell membranes that trick the parasites. This could lead to novel treatment and vaccination strategies in the fight against malaria and other infectious diseases.

9 Dec 2014

Rutgers researcher receives NIH grant to develop rapid test to diagnose Ebola

Rutgers researcher David Alland, working with the California biotechnology company Cepheid, has received a grant of nearly $640,000 from the National Institutes of Health to develop a rapid test to diagnose Ebola as well as other viruses that can cause symptoms similar to Ebola.

8 Dec 2014

Promising anti-malarial compound uses novel mechanism to kill malaria parasite

An international research collaborative has determined that a promising anti-malarial compound tricks the immune system to rapidly destroy red blood cells infected with the malaria parasite but leave healthy cells unharmed. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists led the study, which appears in the current online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

5 Dec 2014

Monash University, 60P Australia partner to develop Fenretinide drug for dengue fever

Monash University and 60P Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of 60° Pharmaceuticals LLC, have announced today an exclusive partnering deal, with 60P obtaining rights to develop the drug Fenretinide for dengue fever.

2 Dec 2014

Certain mosquito species genetically better at transmitting malaria

Certain species of mosquitoes are genetically better at transmitting malaria than even some of their close cousins, according to a multi-institutional team of researchers including Virginia Tech scientists.

28 Nov 2014

UTMB researchers receive awards at American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting

Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch were recognized with prestigious awards for their contributions in research at the annual American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting.

21 Nov 2014

Three-day global symposium on Ebola virus, other infectious diseases

The 11th annual International Consortium on Anti-Virals (ICAV) symposium, Infectious Diseases: Global Public-Health Challenges of the Next Decade, will put the challenges posed by several infectious diseases under the microscope, including the Ebola virus, the H7N9 influenza virus, MERS coronavirus and dengue viruses, as well as drug-resistant tuberculosis.

18 Nov 2014

Researchers find that yellow fever mosquitoes contain odor-detecting gene

One of the world's deadliest mosquitoes sustains its taste for human blood thanks in part to a genetic tweak that makes it more sensitive to human odor, according to new research.

13 Nov 2014

Chikungunya outbreak in Caribbean, Central and South America continues to spread

Fall in the United States means residents in most of the country will see fewer mosquitoes and less risk of the diseases they spread. However, the chikungunya outbreak in Caribbean and Central and South American countries continues to spread with no sign of slowing down. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning that the painful mosquito-borne disease will likely continue to infect travelers to the region during the rest of this year and beyond.

7 Nov 2014

Ebola outbreak emphasizes the importance of monitoring disease burden in developing countries

A study recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology shows that for Ebola, measles, syphilis and many other conditions with skin manifestations the mortality rates are hundreds of times higher in developing countries than they are in developed countries.

16 Oct 2014

Dengue fever cases in India 282 times higher than officially reported, study says

The annual number of dengue fever cases in India is 282 times higher than officially reported, and the disease inflicts an economic burden on the country of at least US$1.11 billion each year in medical and other expenses, according to a new study published online today in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.

7 Oct 2014

Scientists analyze current situation of malaria and dengue fever in Himalayas

Research by Nepalese and German scientists from the Nepal Health Research Council, Goethe University and the LOEWE Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre analyzes the current situation of these diseases in the Himalayan country of Nepal and highlights how they profit from climate change and globalization.

26 Sep 2014

GHIT Fund announces new grants to tackle malaria, chagas disease and dengue

The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund, a new public health partnership that is bringing Japanese know-how and investment to the global fight against infectious diseases, today announced seven grant investments totaling US$15.3 million to speed the development of promising drugs and vaccines to battle three insect-borne diseases-malaria, dengue and Chagas disease.

16 Sep 2014

Weak spot in complex life cycle of malaria could prevent spread of deadly disease

A new study has revealed a weak spot in the complex life cycle of malaria, which could be exploited to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

10 Sep 2014

SLU researchers work to prevent several serious infectious diseases

Saint Louis University researchers are attacking influenza on multiple fronts as they search for a universal vaccine that protects people from the flu virus that often mutates year to year with deadly consequences.

9 Sep 2014

Scientists identify number of compounds to treat cancer could add to anti-malarial arsenal

Scientists searching for new drugs to fight malaria have identified a number of compounds -- some of which are currently in clinical trials to treat cancer -- that could add to the anti-malarial arsenal.

26 Aug 2014

Injecting vaccine-like compound into mice effective in protecting from malaria

A study led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers found that injecting a vaccine-like compound into mice was effective in protecting them from malaria.

12 Aug 2014

Pennsylvania's first human case of West Nile Virus infection in 2014 detected

Pennsylvania's first probable human case of West Nile Virus (WNV) infection in 2014 has been detected. A Philadelphia County man was hospitalized due to WNV. He has since recovered.

9 Aug 2014

Newcomer among arboviruses: The zika virus

In the group of viruses that includes dengue and chikungunya, a newcomer now has people talking about it. Also originating in Africa, zika was isolated in humans in the 1970s. Several years earlier, only a few human cases had been reported.

25 Jul 2014

Researchers uncover how malaria parasite becomes resistant to fosmidomycin drug

Researchers have uncovered a way the malaria parasite becomes resistant to an investigational drug. The discovery, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, also is relevant for other infectious diseases including bacterial infections and tuberculosis.

24 Jul 2014