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A newly-emerging species of C. difficile highly adapted to spread in hospitals

Scientists have discovered that the gut-infecting bacterium Clostridium difficile is evolving into two separate species, with one group highly adapted to spread in hospitals.

12 Aug 2019

Water treatment appears to be most effective at reducing roundworm infections

Roundworm infections can be reduced significantly simply by improving the treatment and quality of drinking water in high risk regions, according to an international team of researchers led by Tufts University.

3 Aug 2019

Insecticide-treated bed net use is higher during rainy season, study finds

The more rainfall a region in sub-Saharan Africa gets, the more mosquitoes proliferate there and the more likely its residents will sleep under their insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria transmission, a new study from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs suggests.

30 Jul 2019

Extremely drug resistant bacteria spreading through hospitals

A new study found that a common bacterium responsible for chest infections and sepsis in sick people, and which fails to respond to the strongest antibiotics, is spreading through hospital contacts.

30 Jul 2019

Antibiotic-resistant strains of K. pneumoniae spread through hospitals in Europe

New research has found that antibiotic-resistant strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, an opportunistic pathogen that can cause respiratory and bloodstream infections in humans, are spreading through hospitals in Europe.

29 Jul 2019

Whole-genome sequencing could transform salmonella detection

Salmonella is among the most common organisms responsible for symptomatic and serious food poisoning. Methods to detect this have evolved from crude microscopic identification to serotype detection.

29 Jul 2019

90% of hepatitis cases, 65% hepatitis deaths preventable by 2030

A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that 4.5 million deaths could be prevented by 2030, and 26 million beyond that, if 67 countries in the low- and middle-income bracket invest $6 billion a year towards abolishing hepatitis. Hepatitis is a completely preventable and treatable illness at present, and in fact, hepatitis C is completely curable.

29 Jul 2019

Tohoku University professor awarded 2019 Yngve Ericsson Prize

Professor Nobuhiro Takahashi of the Graduate School of Dentistry has been awarded the 2019 Yngve Ericsson Prize in the field of preventive odontology, the first researcher in Asia to receive the honor.

27 Jul 2019

Age is just a number when considering presidential candidates, study says

Age is not a relevant factor in judging the fitness of presidential candidates to hold the nation's highest office, according to the first-ever study that estimates the longevity and survival probabilities of candidates seeking the White House.

27 Jul 2019

Early exposure to farm animals may lead to robust immune system development

Getting up close - and a little dirty - with farm animals just might help us fend off illness, say researchers who've further demonstrated the benefits of early exposure to a wide variety of environmental bacteria.

23 Jul 2019

Continuation of community-wide HIV testing could lead to reductions in new HIV cases

Continuation of community-wide HIV testing and prompt initiation of treatment as delivered in the HPTN 071 study in South Africa and Zambia could lead to substantial reductions in new HIV cases, be cost-effective, and help to achieve the UNAIDS 2030 targets, according to projections from mathematical modeling and cost-effectiveness analyses presented today at the 10th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science in Mexico City.

23 Jul 2019

Understanding how anti-malarial drug primaquine works lead to more effective malarial therapies

Researchers at LSTM have taken significant steps in understanding the way that the anti-malarial drug primaquine works, which they hope will lead to the development of new, safer and more effective treatments for malaria.

22 Jul 2019

Multiple breaches of injection safety practices identified in New Jersey septic arthritis outbreak

Multiple violations of injection safety and infection prevention practices--from lack of handwashing to inappropriate re-use of medication vials--were identified after an outbreak of septic arthritis at a New Jersey outpatient facility in 2017, according to an investigation published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

17 Jul 2019

Heart disease is still the number 1 killer in Australia, according to latest figures

The latest report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reveals that heart disease and heart attacks are still the most common causes of death.

17 Jul 2019

Removing bacterial armor could be new way to fight anthrax

A new study led by Dr. Antonella Fioravanti in the lab of Prof. Han Remaut (VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology) has shown that removing the armor of the bacterium that causes anthrax slows its growth and negatively affects its ability to cause disease.

16 Jul 2019

Australian seagulls carry superbugs

In a surprising observation, a team of Australian scientists found that one in five silver gulls in Australia harbored antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which could cause a wave of serious human infections. This comes against a background of increasing alarm over the emergence of antibiotic resistance in many common bacterial species.

11 Jul 2019

Fight for Sight poll: Brits put their eyesight at risk through unsafe contact lens habits

Poll results released today by charity Fight for Sight highlight that many Brits are frequently putting their eyesight at risk through unsafe contact lens habits, unaware that these could lead to a painful and sight-threatening eye infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis.

10 Jul 2019

Removing asbestos from schools likely to increase cases of mesothelioma

Removing asbestos from every school in the UK could result in more deaths from mesothelioma than if the asbestos was left in place, claims expert.

9 Jul 2019

Common antibacterial agent may be bad news for bone health

The antibacterial agent triclosan has been linked with an increased risk for osteoporosis among females in the US, particularly postmenopausal women.

4 Jul 2019

New statement lays down recommendations to combat fall in vaccination rates

Search engines and social media organizations must do more to prevent the spread of inaccurate information on childhood vaccination, and governments must better support mandatory immunization programs, says an international group of leading public health scientists in a statement published in the Journal of Health Communication.

2 Jul 2019