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Fiji ban on gatherings to curb typhoid outbreak

The health ministry of Fiji has issued a ban on public gatherings in the province of Bua due to an outbreak of typhoid. It has been reported that since January, 41 cases were recorded in Bua, in the northern island of Vanua Levu, with many concentrated in small villages. Fiji's main island of Viti Levu bore the brunt of a major Typhoid outbreak this time last year. At this stage, there have only been isolated cases.

15 May 2011

Cockroaches are a leading trigger of allergies and asthma attacks

May marks National Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month, and the National Pest Management Association warns families that cockroaches are a leading trigger of allergies and asthma attacks. The pests' saliva, droppings and decomposing bodies contain allergen proteins known to trigger allergies and increase the severity of asthma symptoms, especially in children.

13 May 2011

PCR testing for B. burgdorferi bacteria in joint fluid may confirm Lyme arthritis diagnosis

New research shows that polymerase chain reaction testing for Borrelia burgdorferi DNA—the spirochetal bacteria transmitted by deer ticks—in joint fluid may confirm the diagnosis of Lyme arthritis, but is not a reliable indicator for active joint infection in patients whose arthritis persists after antibiotic therapy. Findings of this study are published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

13 May 2011

Shared wind instruments may cause sickness

Germs survive for several days in wind instruments including the clarinet, flute, and saxophone, according to a pilot study published in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research. The researchers, led by Stuart Levy, MD, of Tufts University School of Medicine, urge proper cleaning of these instruments.

13 May 2011

Tips for fighting drug-resistant superbugs

Superbug CRKP is just the latest in emerging strains of drug-resistant bacteria. While new drugs to combat these stealthy microbes like MRSA and CRKP remain in development what can we do to prevent catching and spreading these dangerous bugs?.

13 May 2011

Gene manipulation can improve survival rates during sepsis infection

Sepsis is a major killer in hospital intensive care units. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found that manipulating a genetic factor that can launch or throttle the body's defenses can improve survival rates during bacterial infection.

13 May 2011

Mosquito's midgut bacteria can inhibit malaria parasite development

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have identified a bacterium in field-caught mosquitoes that, when present, stops the development of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria in humans.

13 May 2011

New clinical data affirms safety profile of PolyMedix's PMX-30063 in treatment of Staph infections

PolyMedix, Inc., an emerging biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat life-threatening infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders, presented new clinical and pre-clinical data related to the safety and efficacy of its novel, lead defensin-mimetic antibiotic, PMX-30063.

12 May 2011

CrystalGenomics receives draft CSR for CG400549 Phase I MAD study in Staph infections

CrystalGenomics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company with 3 clinical stage candidates, has announced today that the draft Clinical Study Report from CG400549's Phase I Multiple Ascending Dose Study has just been received.

12 May 2011

Salmonella enterica bacterium activates virulence genes through Fur protein

Salmonella enterica, one of the main causes of gastrointestinal infections, modulates its virulence gene expression, adapting it to each stage of the infection process, depending on the free iron concentration found in the intestinal epithelium of its host.

12 May 2011

Sugar boosts effectiveness of first-line antibiotics against chronic bacterial infections

James Collins, a pioneering researcher in the new field of systems biology and a MacArthur Genius, says: "You know the old saying: 'a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down?' This is more like 'a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine work.'

12 May 2011

Healthy alternatives to vitamin D

The recent increase in recommended vitamin D intake from the Food and Nutrition Board may prompt some to seek more summer sun. But, experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center say there's no safe amount of time people can stay in the sun without increasing skin cancer risks.

12 May 2011

Irritable Bowel Syndrome linked to bacterial overgrowth, food poisoning

Cedars-Sinai researchers have reported two advances in the understanding of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the most common gastrointestinal disorder in the United States, affecting an estimated 30 million people.

12 May 2011

Insight into probiotic bacteria can help improve intestinal disease treatments

The gut may need bacteria to provide a little bit of oxidative stress to stay healthy, new research suggests. Probiotic bacteria promote healing of the intestinal lining in mice by inducing the production of reactive oxygen species, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown.

11 May 2011

Novel two-drug combination cures young patient with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis

Belgian physicians report they have cured a young patient with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) using a novel two-drug combination developed by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The report, published in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, marks the first known clinical use of this treatment for XDR-TB, the most deadly form of the disease.

11 May 2011

16-year-old uses supercomputing network to invent new drug cocktail for cystic fibrosis

While many 16-year-olds are content with PlayStation, Toronto-area student Marshall Zhang used the Canadian SCINET supercomputing network to invent a new drug cocktail which could one day help treat cystic fibrosis.

11 May 2011

3M introduces Clean-Trace Hygiene Management System for healthcare facilities

As part of its effort to offer a wide range of environmental hygiene solutions for healthcare facilities, 3M Infection Prevention today announced its 3M™ Clean-Trace™ Hygiene Management System. This solution is designed to help hospitals assess the cleanliness of a surface and validate the efficacy of cleaning protocols and worker performance in less than one minute

11 May 2011

FDA clears Meridian's new C. difficile immunoassay

Meridian Bioscience, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio today announced that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a new Clostridium difficile immunoassay named Premier C. difficile GDH.

11 May 2011

Dalbavancin surveillance antibiotic results for Gram-positive pathogens presented at ECCMID meeting

Durata Therapeutics today announced surveillance data demonstrating potency of the Company's lead antibiotic product, dalbavancin, a long-acting, intravenous lipoglycopeptide, against a broad spectrum of gram-positive bacteria prevalent in recent years.

10 May 2011

Study confirms LcS-fermented milk reduces fever linked with acute norovirus gastroenteritis

The Laboratory Department for Probiotics Research at the Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine studied supplementation of probiotic fermented milk containing Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota in elderly individuals living at a nursing home and confirmed reduced fever associated with acute norovirus gastroenteritis.

10 May 2011

Bacteria News and Research

Fiji ban on gatherings to curb typhoid outbreak

Cockroaches are a leading trigger of allergies and asthma attacks

PCR testing for B. burgdorferi bacteria in joint fluid may confirm Lyme arthritis diagnosis

Shared wind instruments may cause sickness

Tips for fighting drug-resistant superbugs

Gene manipulation can improve survival rates during sepsis infection

Mosquito's midgut bacteria can inhibit malaria parasite development

New clinical data affirms safety profile of PolyMedix's PMX-30063 in treatment of Staph infections

CrystalGenomics receives draft CSR for CG400549 Phase I MAD study in Staph infections

Salmonella enterica bacterium activates virulence genes through Fur protein

Sugar boosts effectiveness of first-line antibiotics against chronic bacterial infections

Healthy alternatives to vitamin D

Irritable Bowel Syndrome linked to bacterial overgrowth, food poisoning

Insight into probiotic bacteria can help improve intestinal disease treatments

Novel two-drug combination cures young patient with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis

16-year-old uses supercomputing network to invent new drug cocktail for cystic fibrosis

3M introduces Clean-Trace Hygiene Management System for healthcare facilities

FDA clears Meridian's new C. difficile immunoassay

Dalbavancin surveillance antibiotic results for Gram-positive pathogens presented at ECCMID meeting

Study confirms LcS-fermented milk reduces fever linked with acute norovirus gastroenteritis

Microbiology eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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