Insect Bite News and Research

RSS

Insect bites and stings may cause minor pain and irritation but some may be extremely painful and may also trigger a serious allergic reaction.

Engineered HBLs could prevent deadly allergic reactions

Researchers from the University of Notre Dame have announced a breakthrough approach to allergy treatment that inhibits food allergies, drug allergies, and asthmatic reactions without suppressing a sufferer's entire immunological system.

14 Oct 2011

Tips to minimize risk of bug bites and related illnesses

While the image of a bug crawling on your arm or a creepy crawler snuggling up in your bed is enough to make you flinch, most bug bites are harmless and disappear on their own in a matter of days. Other insects, however, can spread disease and cause severe reactions that require medical attention.

4 Aug 2011

New molecular diagnostic test precisely identifies insect venom allergy

Bees, wasps and bumble bees pose a real health threat to individuals with venom allergy. One sting from these insects may cause potentially life-threatening anaphylactic reactions in people with these conditions.

14 Jun 2011

ACAAI issues updated guidelines for treating stinging insect hypersensitivity

Spring and summer bring bees, wasps, hornets and yellow jackets and, this year, updated advice for those who are allergic to these pesky stinging insects. More than half a million people go to emergency rooms and at least 50 die each year from insect stings.

9 Jun 2011

AHRQ: Rural Americans more likely to be treated in emergency departments for eye injury

Rural Americans were five times more likely than urban residents to be treated in emergency departments for eye injuries in 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

13 May 2011

UIC receives federal contract to develop antibiotics against three bacterial infections

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology have been awarded a federal contract for up to $13.8 million to develop antibiotics to treat anthrax, tularemia and plague.

28 Apr 2011

Proper diagnosis and antibiotic treatment are the best way to prevent Lyme arthritis

Early, correct diagnosis is the best way to prevent the development of Lyme arthritis in individuals with the tick-borne illness, according to a paper published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In patients who do develop the condition, most cases can be treated successfully with antibiotics, the review found.

3 Feb 2011

Queensland’s flooded residents warned against insect bites

The Queensland Health authorities have issued warnings to residents and tourists in the Emerald region regarding mosquitoes, biting midges (commonly known as sand flies) and black flies in areas affected by flooding. The Council insect control programs are helping with reducing the number of insects, say authorities but people still need to protect themselves to reduce the risk of being bitten in the next few weeks.

6 Jan 2011

Insecticidal nets do not always work against diseases transmitted by insect bites

Longlasting insecticidal nets yielded an important breakthrough in malaria prevention, but this does not automatically mean they always work against diseases transmitted by insect bites. Against the transmission of kala azar disease in India and Nepal they did not have an effect. This was reported by an international group of researchers, led by Marleen Boelaert of the Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, in the reputed British Medical Journal.

5 Jan 2011

RegeneRx receives patent for Tβ4 to prevent immunological responses from toxic agents

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the Company received a patent in Australia using thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4), and various fragments and anologues of Tβ4, to treat or prevent biological and immunological responses to reactive chemical, biological or toxic agents.

2 Dec 2010

Emergency treatment of anaphylaxis with epinephrine by trained non-medical professionals endorsed

The Epinephrine Roundtable was convened during the 25th Annual Meeting of the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) in 2008 to explore areas of consensus and uncertainty in the field treatment of anaphylaxis. The panel endorsed the administration of epinephrine to treat anaphylaxis in the field under emergency conditions by trained non-medical professionals. Anaphylaxis, an acute allergic reaction, is sudden in onset and requires immediate treatment. The recommendations of the panel are published in the September issue of Wilderness & Environmental Health.

29 Sep 2010

Dengue fever emerges as major health threat in Gulf coast cities

Several cases of dengue fever, a potentially fatal viral disease transmitted by the bite of urban dwelling Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, have recently been reported in the continental United States. Prevalent in Central America and the Caribbean, dengue fever's most common symptoms include fever, chills, headache, and body aches lasting several days. The disease's more threatening form, dengue hemorrhagic fever, can cause internal bleeding, loss of blood pressure, and death. Over the past five years, outbreaks of both forms of the disease have been reported in Texas and Florida.

28 Jul 2010

People needing non-emergent care can now turn to walk-in centers

For many, summer time means cook-outs, family hikes, and trips to the beach. However, while the good weather brings an increase in outdoor activities, for some it can also mean a trip to the local emergency room.

17 Jul 2010

DEET-based repellents effective against insect and tick borne diseases

As summer nears, health experts are recommending insect repellents to help prevent mosquito and tick bites and the diseases that these bites sometimes transmit.

4 Jun 2010

Red Cross survey: 68% of Americans involved in some kind of summer emergency

A new Red Cross survey shows that 68 percent of Americans have been involved in some kind of summer emergency, ranging from insect bites, heat stroke and broken bones to more life-threatening situations. One in every four people say they have been in a situation where someone needed CPR.

21 May 2010

Homeopathy – Is it a safer and effective alternative?

Studies have shown that nearly 45% Britons rely on Homeopathy, a branch of medicine that has been doubted by many and loved by an equal number.

20 Apr 2010

Researchers describe how PDNF protein prolongs the life of T. cruzi parasite

The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi (or T. cruzi), which causes Chagas' disease, will go to great lengths to evade death once it has infected human host cells, researchers have discovered. In a study published in the November 17 online issue of Science Signaling, the researchers describe how a protein called parasite-derived neurotrophic factor (PDNF) prolongs the life of the T. cruzi parasite by activating anti-apoptotic (or anti-cell-death) molecules in the host cell. These protective mechanisms help to explain how host cells continue to survive despite being exploited by T. cruzi parasites.

9 Dec 2009

UIC receives federal grant to develop new antibiotics against anthrax, tularemia and plague

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have received a $4 million federal grant to develop new antibiotics to treat anthrax, tularemia and plague.

11 Nov 2009

Dey Pharma launches EpiPen Auto-Injector

Dey Pharma, L.P., a subsidiary of Mylan Inc., today launched a newly designed, patient-friendly EpiPen® Auto-Injector 0.3/0.15 mg. This next-generation EpiPen Auto-Injector maintains the simplicity, speed, safety and reliability of EpiPen Auto-Injector with several new, user-friendly features, including being the only auto-injector with needle-protection before and after use.

26 Oct 2009

NovaBay begins clinical studies for treating impetigo skin infection

NovaBay(R) Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE-Amex: NBY), (http://www.novabaypharma.com), a clinical stage company developing novel anti-infective compounds for the treatment or prevention of a wide range of bacterial, viral and fungal infections, announced today the start of a Phase 2a proof-of-concept study of its lead Aganocide(R) compound NVC-422 in impetigo.

10 Sep 2009