Microbial Testing News and Research

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Ceftolozane/tazobactam combo broadens the range of antibiotic therapy, but shows no hint of added benefit

The combination of ceftolozane with tazobactam broadens the range of antibiotic therapy in adults with severe infections of the lungs, the urinary tract, the renal pelvis and the abdominal cavity.

2 Jul 2020

A 'quick and easy' COVID-19 test developed for population-scale screening

Global endeavors to fight the Covid-19 pandemic heavily rely on accurate, fast and frequent tests for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 - "test, test, test", as the World Health Organization has bluntly put it.

24 Jun 2020

SARS-CoV-2 found in river water, flags risk for humans, wildlife and livestock

Now, a new study by scientists in Ecuador and published on the preprint server medRxiv in June 2020 shows that the virus is present in river water too, which could imply a significant transmission risk in developing countries with inadequate sanitation facilities.

17 Jun 2020

Genomic analysis of medieval skeletons has important implications for syphilis history in Europe

Mass burials are common remnants of the many plague outbreaks that ravaged Medieval Europe. A number of these graveyards are well documented in historical sources, but the locations of most, and the victims they contain, have been lost to the pages of time. In Vilnius, Lithuania, one such cemetery was found in a typical way: accidental discovery during a routine city construction project.

12 Jun 2020

FAO issues global call for zero tolerance on food waste

Minimizing food waste is top of mind right now during the COVID-19 global pandemic, with the public concerned about the potential ramifications for our food supply chain.

15 May 2020

RIT researchers develop miniature lab device to detect bacteria, viruses

Engineering researchers developed a next-generation miniature lab device that uses magnetic nano-beads to isolate minute bacterial particles that cause diseases.

18 Apr 2020

PREDICT receives extension to provide emergency support for COVID-19 outbreak response

PREDICT will provide emergency support to other countries for outbreak response including technical support for early detection of SARS CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, through a six-month extension from the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, effective April 1.

1 Apr 2020

Intravenous sodium nitrite does not help out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients

Among patients who had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, intravenous sodium nitrite given by paramedics during resuscitation did not significantly improve their chances of being admitted to or discharged from the hospital alive, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology.

29 Mar 2020

New NGS technique offers quick, accurate diagnosis of sepsis

A report in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier, describes a new technique that uses real-time next-generation sequencing to analyze tiny amounts of microbial cell-free DNA in the plasma of patients with sepsis, offering the possibility of accurate diagnosis of sepsis-causing agents within a few hours of drawing blood.

5 Mar 2020

New clue behind chronic diseases and food spoilage discovered

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have made a surprising discovery that could help explain our risk for developing chronic diseases or cancers as we get older, and how our food decomposes over time.

26 Feb 2020

Marburg virus detected in fruit bats of Sierra Leone

The Marburg virus is a close relative of the Ebola virus explain researchers. It may also lead to the deadly life threatening hemorrhagic disease in patients as seen with Ebola. Until now there have been no reported cases of Marburg infection in Sierra Leone say health officials. The detection in the bats however could signal the risk the local population might be at or getting infected.

26 Jan 2020

Scientists detect Marburg virus in Sierra Leone fruit bats

Scientists have detected Marburg virus in fruit bats in Sierra Leone, marking the first time the deadly virus has been found in West Africa. Eleven Egyptian rousette fruit bats tested positive for active Marburg virus infection. Research teams caught the bats separately in three health districts.

24 Jan 2020

New way to thwart HIV infection at early stages

1.7 million. That's how many people are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) each year worldwide. 1.7 million people who are condemned to lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) or risk developing fatal AIDS . Out of the 37.9 million people living with HIV (PLWH), 22.3 million have access to ART, allowing them to have an almost normal lifespan.

26 Nov 2019

FDA keeps brand-name drugs on a fast path to market ― despite manufacturing concerns

After unanimously voting to recommend a miraculous hepatitis C drug for approval in 2013, a panel of experts advising the Food and Drug Administration gushed about what they'd accomplished.

5 Nov 2019

New approach to detection reveals unreported Zika outbreak in 2017

Public health experts in the US have discovered that the Zika virus may still be spreading in the Americas, despite case reporting having approached close to zero.

23 Aug 2019

Researchers discover antibiotic that could prevent diarrhea caused by C. difficile

In Australia, more than 10,000 patients a year acquire a serious bacterial infection called Clostridioides difficile, often while in hospital, resulting in the death of up to 300 people per year.

13 Aug 2019

LexaGene’s beta prototype achieves 98.2% consistency with reference lab data

LexaGene Holdings, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops genetic analyzers for rapid pathogen detection and other molecular markers, announced today the test results from its first beta prototype placed at the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn, MA. Mass Vet is one of 24 hospitals owned and operated by Ethos Veterinary Health.

15 Jul 2019