Fungal Infection News and Research

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Study finds link between severe sepsis and chronic diseases

It's a major cause of death, yet few of us have ever heard of it. Sepsis occurs when a patient's immune system overreacts to an infection, triggering a potentially fatal, system-wide inflammation. Severe sepsis strikes about 750,000 Americans each year, most of them older and often ill, with as many as half of these patients dying as septic shock shuts down their organs. Furthermore, patients in many Southern states are about twice as likely to develop sepsis for reasons unknown.

1 Nov 2012

FDA report says pharmacy knew about contamination problems

A federal inspection of a company whose tainted pain medicine has caused one of the worst public health drug disasters since the 1930s found greenish-yellow residue on sterilization equipment, surfaces coated with levels of mold and bacteria that exceeded the company's own environmental limits, and an air-conditioner that was shut off nightly despite the importance of controlling temperature and humidity.

29 Oct 2012

Meningitis outbreak spreads; Mass. revokes Compounding Center's license

The Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy has permanently revoked the license of the New England Compounding Center, the facility implicated in a nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis, Gov. Deval Patrick announced Tuesday. ... State Director of Healthcare Safety Madeleine Biondolillo said ... investigators witnessed "black particulate matter" in some vials of medicine returned amid the nationwide recall of NECC's products.

25 Oct 2012

NEJM report on best options for safe, effective patient treatment against fungal meningitis

As the number of fungal meningitis cases continues to rise, physicians across the country are faced with how best to provide the early treatment that can save lives.

24 Oct 2012

Federal agents raid drug compounding center

Food and Drug Administration investigators probe the Massachusetts pharmacy linked to a meningitis outbreak that has killed 16.

19 Oct 2012

GAPPS announces five new projects for prevention of preterm births

Five innovative research projects aiming to prevent premature birth were announced today by the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS), an initiative of Seattle Children's.

16 Oct 2012

ICU misdiagnosis alarmingly common in the acute care setting

Each year as many as 40,500 critically ill U.S. hospital patients die with an unknown medical condition that may have caused or contributed to their death, Johns Hopkins patient safety experts report in a recent study.

28 Aug 2012

Specialist referral unearths wide spectrum of adult primary immune deficiencies

The range of adult primary immune deficiencies is considerable and the majority of patients are diagnosed only after specialist referral, conclude Canadian scientists who identified two novel patient groups with humoral abnormalities.

20 Aug 2012

Scientists decipher molecular causes of life-threatening candida fungal infections

With infectious diseases, it is often not the pathogen itself, but rather an excessive inflammatory immune responses death, for instance as a result of organ damage. On intensive care units, sepsis is the second-most common cause of death worldwide. In patients with a severely compromised immune system specially, life-threatening candida fungal infections represent a high risk of sepsis.

30 Jul 2012

Mylan receives FDA approval for generic Sporanox ANDA

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Itraconazole Capsules, 100 mg.

27 Jul 2012

ZOLOFT holds promise against cryptococcal meningitis

New research conducted by biologists at Texas A&M University suggests that ZOLOFT, one of the most widely prescribed antidepressants in the world, also packs a potential preventative bonus - potent mechanisms capable of inhibiting deadly fungal infections.

26 Jul 2012

Sandoz acquires Fougera Pharmaceuticals

Sandoz has completed its USD 1.525 billion acquisition of specialty US dermatology company Fougera Pharmaceuticals on a cash and debt free basis.

23 Jul 2012

AOA honors Medical College of Georgia student with Kuckein Fellowship

A student at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Health Sciences University is among 47 recipients of the 2012 Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship from the national medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha.

19 Jul 2012

Caspase-11 enzyme plays an important role in Legionella infection

New research shows that an enzyme that has long been considered relatively useless to the immune response instead has an important role in setting up immune cells to kill infection-causing bacteria.

13 Jun 2012

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases important targets for development of new drugs against major diseases

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, are working to develop substances that can prevent parasites, bacteria and fungi from producing essential proteins, research that could, in the long term, lead to new drugs for several major diseases.

12 Jun 2012

Collaborative Cross project to develop lab mice with increased genetic diversity

With a 95 percent genomic similarity to humans, mice have long been used to learn about the genetic causes of human disease. Once researchers can shine a light on the genetic factors that cause disease in mice, they can start to develop prevention and treatment options to protect the human population.

6 Apr 2012

Basidiobolomycosis appears to be emerging in the Southwestern U.S.

An emerging fungal infection of the gastrointestinal tract that mimics cancer and inflammatory bowel disease appears to be emerging in the Southwestern United States and other desert regions, according to Mayo Clinic researchers in Arizona investigating the disease. The invasive fungus, Basidiobolus ranarum, is typically found in the soil, decaying organic matter and the gastrointestinal tracts of fish, reptiles, amphibians, and bats.

30 Mar 2012

Ingrown toenails the most common problem that results from high heels

High heels can cause a number of foot problems, yet most women aren't willing to give their shoes the boot, according to podiatrists at Loyola University Health System (LUHS). Ingrown toenails are among the most common problems that result from high heels. This condition, also known as onychocryptosis, occurs when the toes compress together making the big toenails grow into the skin.

27 Feb 2012

Virginia Tech professor to receive Costa Rica's 2011 National Technology Prize

Pablo Sobrado, assistant professor of biochemistry at Virginia Tech, has been awarded Costa Rica's 2011 National Technology Prize, administered by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

16 Feb 2012