Fungal Infection News and Research

RSS

Traditional autopsy is still the gold standard in determining cause of death

TV crime shows like Bones and CSI are quick to explain each death by showing highly detailed scans and video images of victims' insides. Traditional autopsies, if shown at all, are at best in supporting roles to the high-tech equipment, and usually gloss over the sometimes physically grueling tasks of sawing through skin and bone.

17 Jan 2012

Contaminated cantaloupes carrying listeria

According to federal health officials last week, at least 13 people are dead amid 72 sickened in 18 states in an outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to contaminated cantaloupes.

8 Jan 2012

Woman's ovarian cycle plays an important role in her susceptibility to infection

A new research report in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that a woman's ovarian cycle plays an important role in her susceptibility to infection.

4 Jan 2012

Enrollment complete in two Anacor's tavaborole Phase 3 trials on onychomycosis

Anacor Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has completed the enrollment of approximately 600 patients in the second of its two Phase 3 trials of tavaborole, a topical anti-fungal product candidate for the treatment of onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the nail and nail bed that affects approximately 35 million people in the United States.

23 Dec 2011

New book on clinical laboratory mycological identification

A new edition of the definitive practical resource for laboratory identification of fungal infections is now available. "The fully revised Medically Important Fungi: A Guide to Identification, 5th Edition," published by ASM Press, offers step-by-step guidance and textual descriptions that allow both novice and experienced lab technologists to accurately distinguish between fungi that display similar characteristics.

16 Dec 2011

Doctors underestimate worldwide burden of CPA, says public health expert

Researchers have discovered that over a million people worldwide diagnosed with TB go on to develop an incurable but manageable fungal infection which is usually left untreated because it is mistaken for a recurrence of the disease.

2 Dec 2011

Radioimmunotherapy shows promise against fungal diseases

Invasive fungal infections (IFI) are a major threat to individuals with cancer, transplants, HIV, and other conditions that weaken their immune system. New research has shown that radioimmunotherapy (RIT) could be a promising avenue for development of new types of treatment of fungal diseases, according to a paper published by scientists of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in collaboration with other researchers.

2 Dec 2011

Immune system stimulant used as suppressor to treat chronic graft-versus-host disease

In a study that seems to pivot on a paradox, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have used an immune system stimulant as an immune system suppressor to treat a common, often debilitating side effect of donor stem cell transplantation in cancer patients. The effect, in some cases, was profound.

1 Dec 2011

New creative uses of DNA 'barcoding'

The newfound scientific power to quickly "fingerprint" species via DNA is being deployed to unmask quack herbal medicines, reveal types of ancient Arctic life frozen in permafrost, expose what eats what in nature, and halt agricultural and forestry pests at borders, among other applications across a wide array of public interests.

28 Nov 2011

Enrollment complete in Anacor's first of two tavaborole Phase 3 trials for onychomycosis

Anacor Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has completed enrollment in the first of two Phase 3 trials of tavaborole (formerly known as AN2690), a topical anti-fungal product candidate for the treatment of onychomycosis.

9 Nov 2011

UCB to sponsor several key sets of Cimzia data on RA at ACR 2011 meeting

UCB, a leading biopharmaceutical company at the forefront of immunology treatment and research, is proud to sponsor several key sets of Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) data at the American College of Rheumatology's 2011 Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago, November 5-9.

7 Nov 2011

AHRQ awarded $34M in fiscal year 2011 to expand fight against HAIs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality announced that it has awarded $34 million in fiscal year 2011 for grants and contracts to hospitals, academic medical institutions, and health care research organizations to expand the fight against healthcare-associated infections.

5 Nov 2011

Pfizer releases Phase III study results comparing VFEND-ERAXIS combination to VFEND for IA

Pfizer Inc. today reported the top-line results of an international Phase III clinical trial which compared the combination of VFEND (voriconazole) and ERAXISTM (anidulafungin) to VFEND monotherapy for primary therapy of invasive aspergillosis, a life-threatening invasive fungal infection that can develop as a complication in patients with compromised immune systems.

1 Oct 2011

Contaminated Cantaloupes carrying listeria leads to one of the worst outbreaks

According to federal health officials Tuesday, at least 13 people are dead amid 72 sickened in 18 states in an outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to contaminated cantaloupes.

28 Sep 2011

Viamet commences VT-1161 Phase 1 clinical study to treat fungal infections

Viamet Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today that dosing has begun in a Phase 1 clinical study of VT-1161, an oral, potent and selective antifungal agent. VT-1161 is a novel small molecule discovered by Viamet Pharmaceuticals using its proprietary Metallophile Technology.

14 Sep 2011

Researchers discover how yeast cells identify, attach to human tissue and cause infection

Researchers are a step closer towards creating a new class of medicines and vaccines to combat drug-resistant and deadly strains of fungal infections, following a new study published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

6 Sep 2011

Kentucky jury rules in favor of doctor who amputated man’s penis without permission

A Kentucky doctor had amputated part of a truck driver's penis after finding cancer during what was expected to have been a routine circumcision surgery in 2007. The jury noted that he had acted in accordance this Wednesday.

25 Aug 2011

Minocycline, EDTA may combat catheter-related bacterial infections in dialysis patients

Antibiotics can help ward off serious bacterial infections in kidney disease patients who use tubes called catheters for their dialysis treatments. But if antibiotics are used too often, "super bugs" may crop up that are resistant to the drugs.

19 Aug 2011

Researchers identify novel sensory pathway that modulates pro-inflammatory cells

New research led by Derya Unutmaz, MD associate professor, the Departments of Pathology, Medicine, and Microbiology at NYU School of Medicine and Mark Sundrud, PhD, of Tempero Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has identified a novel sensory pathway that modulates the potency of Th17 cell responses.

11 Aug 2011

Novel link between two receptors mediates fungal recognition in macrophages

Whitehead Institute researchers have uncovered a novel association between two fungal recognition receptors on the surface of certain immune cells, called macrophages.

9 Aug 2011