Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Ministers urged to rethink rather than repackage $2 billion global response to infectious diseases

As the first globally co-ordinated plan for the planet's gravest health threats is hatched by government ministers from around the world this weekend, a new report sets out a 10-point plan for this new, globalised approach to infectious diseases such as avian flu.

23 Oct 2008

Trius Therapeutics awarded $28 million to develop novel drugs targeting bacterial DNA Gyrase and Topoisomerase IV

Trius Therapeutics, Inc., today announced the award of a $28 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health, for the development of novel antibiotics directed against multiple Gram-negative bacterial pathogens.

22 Oct 2008

Google.org helps identify future disease hot spots

Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google, has announced grants of more than $14 million to support partners working in Southeast Asia and Africa to prevent the next pandemic.

21 Oct 2008

Better TB vaccine in the pipeline

Scientists in the U.S. believe they have a vaccine in the pipeline that offers better protection from tuberculosis (TB).

20 Oct 2008

$2 egg-beater - low-cost centrifuge replacement - could save lives in developing countries

Plastic tubing taped to a handheld egg-beater could save lives in developing countries, the Royal Society of Chemistry's journal Lab on a Chip reports.

16 Oct 2008

Discovery of earliest known cases of human tuberculosis in Neolithic village

The discovery of the earliest known cases of human tuberculosis (TB) in bones found submerged off the coast of Israel shows that the disease is 3000 years older than previously thought. Direct examination of this ancient DNA confirms the latest theory that bovine TB evolved later than human TB.

14 Oct 2008

Antiretroviral drug efavirenz associated with better outcomes in HIV-infected adults

A study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that HIV-infected patients taking the antiretroviral drug efavirenz were more likely to adhere to treatment and less likely to experience virologic failure and death compared to patients taking nevirapine.

14 Oct 2008

Steroids aid recovery from pneumonia, UT Southwestern researchers say

Adding corticosteroids to traditional antimicrobial therapy might help people with pneumonia recover more quickly than with antibiotics alone, UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have found.

14 Oct 2008

Experts say exotic pet pose health risks to young children

Experts say exotic pets such as reptiles and monkeys should be discouraged in homes with small children or people with immune system problems, as they pose a health risk.

7 Oct 2008

Canadian program provides care to HIV-positive pregnant women, aims to reduce mother-to-child transmission

The CP/Yahoo! News on Tuesday examined the Positive Pregnancy Programme, a Canadian initiative created to provide HIV-positive pregnant women with care, resources and support.

5 Oct 2008

100 years of HIV in humans

HIV has existed among human populations for about 100 years, decades earlier than previously believed, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, the Los Angeles Times reports (Engel, Los Angeles Times, 10/2).

5 Oct 2008

CDC officials did not know HPV vaccination recommendation for U.S. women also would affect prospective immigrants

Some of the CDC officials who supported a recommendation for young women in the U.S. to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine said they did not intend for it to lead to an immigration policy requiring young immigrant women to receive the vaccine, the Wall Street Journal reports (Jordan, Wall Street Journal, 10/1).

5 Oct 2008

DNA of good bacteria drives intestinal response to infection

A new study shows that the DNA of so-called "good bacteria" that normally live in the intestines may help defend the body against infection.

2 Oct 2008

Tuberculosis bacterium uses its sugar coat to sweeten its chances of living in lungs

Common strains of tuberculosis-causing bacteria have hijacked the human body's immune response to play tricks on cells in the lungs, scientists say.

29 Sep 2008

Deadly virus scrumpox a threat to rugby players wrestlers

Rugby players and wrestlers may be at risk of a potentially serious skin disease called "scrumpox".

29 Sep 2008

Existing anti-obesity drugs may be effective against flu, hepatitis and HIV

Viruses dramatically increase cellular metabolism, and existing anti-obesity drugs may represent a new way to block these metabolic changes and inhibit viral infection, according to a study published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

29 Sep 2008

Scrumpox - deadly rugby virus spreads in sumo wrestlers

Rugby players may get more than just the ball out of a scrum - herpes virus can cause a skin disease called "scrumpox" and it spreads through physical contact. Researchers have studied the spread of the disease among sumo wrestlers in Japan and have discovered that a new strain of the virus could be even more pathogenic, according to an article published in the October issue of the Journal of General Virology.

28 Sep 2008

Tuberculosis researchers discuss challenges, next steps for addressing XDR-TB, MDR-TB in Africa at TB symposium

As many as 30% of people with drug-resistant tuberculosis can be successfully treated with first-line drugs, Paul van Helden of the University of Stellenbosch's Center of Excellence for Biomedical TB Research said recently while presenting research on drug-resistant TB at a TB symposium in Maputo, Mozambique, Africa Science News Service reports.

22 Sep 2008

Genetic screening effective for initial HIV treatment

A major study from a team of researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and Massachusetts General Hospital has found that a recent change to HIV-treatment guidelines recommending genetic screening is cost-effective under certain conditions. The new recommendation suggests conducting a genetic screening test prior to prescribing the drug abacavir, one of the preferred first-line drugs for the treatment for HIV-infected adults.

17 Sep 2008

HIV rates in Australia up fifty percent in the past eight years

HIV rates in Australia have increased by almost fifty percent in the past eight years -- according to a national report compiled by University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers.

16 Sep 2008

Infectious Diseases News and Research

Ministers urged to rethink rather than repackage $2 billion global response to infectious diseases

Trius Therapeutics awarded $28 million to develop novel drugs targeting bacterial DNA Gyrase and Topoisomerase IV

Google.org helps identify future disease hot spots

Better TB vaccine in the pipeline

$2 egg-beater - low-cost centrifuge replacement - could save lives in developing countries

Discovery of earliest known cases of human tuberculosis in Neolithic village

Antiretroviral drug efavirenz associated with better outcomes in HIV-infected adults

Steroids aid recovery from pneumonia, UT Southwestern researchers say

Experts say exotic pet pose health risks to young children

Canadian program provides care to HIV-positive pregnant women, aims to reduce mother-to-child transmission

100 years of HIV in humans

CDC officials did not know HPV vaccination recommendation for U.S. women also would affect prospective immigrants

DNA of good bacteria drives intestinal response to infection

Tuberculosis bacterium uses its sugar coat to sweeten its chances of living in lungs

Deadly virus scrumpox a threat to rugby players wrestlers

Existing anti-obesity drugs may be effective against flu, hepatitis and HIV

Scrumpox - deadly rugby virus spreads in sumo wrestlers

Tuberculosis researchers discuss challenges, next steps for addressing XDR-TB, MDR-TB in Africa at TB symposium

Genetic screening effective for initial HIV treatment

HIV rates in Australia up fifty percent in the past eight years

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