Diphtheria News and Research

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Diphtheria is a disease caused by a bacterium, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, that usually affects the tonsils, throat, nose and/or skin. It is passed from person to person by droplet transmission, usually by breathing in diphtheria bacteria after an infected person has coughed or sneezed. Although diphtheria disease is rare in the U.S., it appears that C diphtheriae continues to circulate in areas of the country with previously endemic diphtheria. Diphtheria also occurs in many other parts of the world.

Children up to date on pertussis vaccine schedule have low risk of developing whooping cough

In a large new Kaiser Permanente study, children who were up to date on their pertussis vaccine schedule were far less likely to develop the disease than unvaccinated children.

11 Jun 2019

UGA researchers create statistical method to better predict disease reemergence

Several University of Georgia researchers teamed up to create a statistical method that may allow public health and infectious disease forecasters to better predict disease reemergence, especially for preventable childhood infections such as measles and pertussis.

22 May 2019

Developing effective needleless vaccine to protect children from dangerous viruses

Millions of people are infected with hepatitis B every year. Hundreds of thousands die. And small children are particularly at risk.

3 May 2019

Study: Despite substantial progress, many African countries have wide discrepancies in vaccine coverage

Many African nations have made substantial progress in vaccinating children against life-threatening diseases, however, within countries wide discrepancies remain, according to a new scientific study.

12 Apr 2019

Several low-and middle-income countries need more effective child vaccination strategies

A study by the University of Southampton shows that several low-and middle-income countries, especially in Africa, need more effective child vaccination strategies to eliminate the threat from vaccine-preventable diseases.

11 Apr 2019

New study provides overview of potential risks of vaccinating breastfeeding women

In light of the continuing anti-vaccination movement, a provocative new article provides a comprehensive overview of the potential risks of vaccinating breastfeeding women.

11 Apr 2019

Pollutants appear to weaken immune system and increase pathogen virulence

Many people view pollutants and pathogens as separate causes of illness. However, recent research indicates that the two can interact, changing how people and animals respond to infectious diseases.

21 Mar 2019

Anti-vaccination activists are misusing new scientific breakthroughs on beneficial microbes

Anti-vaccination activists are capitalizing on radical new scientific insights into the beneficial effects of microbes in the human body, according to new research from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

8 Mar 2019

Study identifies a close relative of diphtheria causing bacterium in hedgehogs

As cultural successors, hedgehogs reside in close proximity to humans. Close contacts, however, are not only beneficial but also bear risks for animals and humans. Road traffic, lawn mowers and infectious agents threaten the prickly insect eaters.

4 Mar 2019

New forms of older anti-cancer agent appear to enhance immune response to fight melanoma

Researchers at the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Johns Hopkins and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine report two new forms of an older anti-cancer agent they developed appear to enhance the immune system's ability to fight melanoma in mice.

20 Feb 2019

Megaphages detected in the intestinal tract of humans who eat high-fiber, low-fat diet

Viruses plague bacteria just as viruses like influenza plague humans. Some of the largest of these so-called bacteriophages have now been found in the human gut, where they periodically devastate bacteria just as seasonal outbreaks of flu lay humans low, according to a new study led by University of California, Berkeley, scientists.

29 Jan 2019

WHO identifies non-communicable diseases as major threat to human health

Second on the list are non-communicable diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes etc. The WHO report states that around 70 percent of the deaths are caused by these non-communicable diseases.

21 Jan 2019

Enemy number 1 - Air pollution and climate change top of WHO agenda

The World Health Organization (WHO has come up with a list of 10 major threats that are to affect the global population in 2019. Some of these include problems arising from air pollution and climate change which is slated to be the top threat.

21 Jan 2019

Study finds critically low HPV vaccination rates among younger adolescents in the U.S.

Only about 16 percent of U.S. adolescents have been fully vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) by the time they turn 13, despite national recommendations that call for vaccination at 11 to 12 years of age.

18 Jan 2019

Newly discovered toxin stands out from others in the battle for microbial domination

A newly discovered toxin that some bacteria deploy to fend off competing bacteria stands out from others in the battle for microbial domination. While many deadly substances have been identified among bacteria, this previously unknown toxin behaves in a familiar way.

19 Oct 2018

Maternal Tdap immunization during third trimester linked with higher levels of pertussis antibodies in newborns

Risk of whooping cough (pertussis) is highest in infants too young to have completed their primary immunization series (6 months old or younger) and they are at highest risk of developing life-threatening complications.

10 Oct 2018

Fina Biosolutions receives patent for expression and purification of the conjugate vaccine protein

Fina Biosolutions announces that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent for expression and purification of the conjugate vaccine protein CRM197 in E. coli.

27 Sep 2018

Kids with mild or moderate adverse events following immunization can be safely reimmunized

Children who experience some type of adverse event following initial immunization have a low rate of recurrent reactions to subsequent vaccinations, reports a study in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, the official journal of The European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases.

14 Sep 2018

Mouse study suggests new therapeutic approach to treat heart failure

A heart attack triggers an acute inflammatory response, followed by resolution of inflammation and wound healing. A severe heart attack, however, can cause chronic and sustained inflammation that leads to heart failure and death.

10 Sep 2018

New method of cervical cancer screening eliminates Pap test

The United States Preventive Services Task Force has released new recommendations on screening for cervical cancer.

22 Aug 2018