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Virginia Tech researchers identify leptospirosis as a major health threat in Botswana

The newest public health threat in developing countries may not be a cinematic-quality emerging disease but actually a disease from animals that was identified more than 100 years ago.

15 May 2013

New study provides clear picture of the impact and causes of diarrheal diseases

A new international study published today in The Lancet provides the clearest picture yet of the impact and most common causes of diarrheal diseases, the second leading killer of young children globally, after pneumonia.

14 May 2013

Genetic loci associated with H pylori bacteria are linked to stomach cancer

Two genome-wide association studies and a subsequent meta-analysis have found that certain genetic variations are associated with susceptibility to Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that is a major cause of gastritis and stomach ulcers and is linked to stomach cancer, findings that may help explain some of the observed variation in individual risk for H pylori infection, according to a study in the May 8 issue of JAMA.

8 May 2013

Scientists uncover unknown virulence factor in respiratory pathogen

To infect its host, the respiratory pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa takes an ordinary protein usually involved in making other proteins and adds three small molecules to turn it into a key for gaining access to human cells.

7 May 2013

New approach could democratize viral surveillance, says UCSF scientist

The tick-borne Lone Star virus has been conclusively identified as part of a family of other tick-borne viruses called bunyaviruses, which often cause fever, respiratory problems and bleeding, according to new research led by scientists at UC San Francisco.

3 May 2013

Scientists study repeating patterns in nature to better understand role of immune system in cancer

Can the patterns in tree branches or the meandering bends in a river provide clues that could lead to better cancer therapies? According to a new study from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, these self-similar, repeating patterns in nature known as fractals help scientists better understand how the immune system is organized and may one day be used to help improve stem cell transplant outcomes in leukemia patients by predicting the probability of transplant complications.

2 May 2013

Specific inflammatory pattern found in patients with pneumonia and COPD

Patients with community-acquired pneumonia on a background of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have a different early inflammatory pattern than patients with CAP only, a prospective study shows.

30 Apr 2013

Specific inflammatory pattern found in patients with pneumonia and COPD

Patients with community-acquired pneumonia on a background of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have a different early inflammatory pattern than patients with CAP only, a prospective study shows.

29 Apr 2013

Cempra demonstrates solithromycin's potential against urogenital infections at ECCMID

Cempra, Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing differentiated antibiotics to meet critical medical needs in the treatment of bacterial infections, today announced that it will present data at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in Berlin, demonstrating solithromycin's potential to treat urogenital infections and combat challenging pathogens such as enterococci and Legionella pneumophila.

29 Apr 2013

Protein C4BP is possibly suitable as transporter for drugs, say researchers

The protein C4BP is similar to a spider in its spatial form with eight "arms". The structure of the "spider body" has recently been described in detail by researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig and the Technische Universit-t Darmstadt.

29 Apr 2013

Study reveals humans are passing antibiotic resistance to wildlife in protected areas

A team of Virginia Tech researchers has discovered that humans are passing antibiotic resistance to wildlife, especially in protected areas where numbers of humans are limited.

25 Apr 2013

GeneCapture developing new device with one-hour pathogen testing capabilities

A company hatched as a partnership between The University of Alabama in Huntsville and chemical engineering professor Dr. Krishnan Chittur is in the design phase for a device that can provide physicians one-hour pathogen testing capabilities.

23 Apr 2013

DNAzymes, gold nanoparticles and disease detection: an interview with Dr Chan and Kyryl Zagorovsky, University of Toronto

Gold nanoparticles are tiny spherical particles made out of gold atoms with sizes on nanometre scale. This is around 1,000 times smaller than the thickness of human hair.

23 Apr 2013

Study confirms effectiveness of UV-C-emitting device in combating pathogens in hospital environment

A recent study funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epicenters Program and published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ( Deverick H. Anderson , M.D., MPH et al., 2013) supports and expands on previously published studies confirming the effectiveness of an automated UV-C-emitting device to combat the pathogens Clostridium difficile (C. diff.), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and Acinetobacter spp. – some of the common culprits of health care-associated infections drawing increased attention for hospitals across the country.

20 Apr 2013

Dr. Stefano Vanin investigates the Fardos mummies of pre-Columbian Peru

The mummified bodies of Peruvians who died up to 1,000 years ago will yield up their secrets, thanks to a prestigious research project by the University of Huddersfield's Dr Stefano Vanin and two of his students in collaboration with the University of Pisa and the Ancient World Society.

19 Apr 2013

Circumcision offers men some protection against HIV, discovers TGen-led study

Male circumcision reduces the abundance of bacteria living on the penis and might help explain why circumcision offers men some protection against HIV, according to a study led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

17 Apr 2013

Pneumococcal vaccine: an interview with Graham Clarke, CEO ImmBio

The pathogen that we are talking about is called streptococcus pneumoniae. That is a fairly common bacteria and if you did a nasal swab you would find that quite a lot of people have this bacterium living in their nasal passages.

16 Apr 2013

Luminex's MAGPIX instrument gets FDA approval

Luminex Corporation today announced it has received U.S. FDA clearance of its MAGPIX instrument, with its xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel.

From Luminex 16 Apr 2013

Gates Foundation's programs complement new global plan to prevent 2M child deaths

John Grove, a senior program officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gretchen Meller, a program officer at the foundation, write in the group's "Impatient Optimists" blog, "By addressing [pneumonia and diarrhea] together, the [Integrated Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Pneumonia and Diarrhea] goes to the heart of the matter: both diseases are caused by a range of pathogens, and no single intervention alone will eliminate either disease.

15 Apr 2013

Genetic analysis of H7N9 portrays that virus evolves to adapt to human cells

A genetic analysis of the avian flu virus responsible for at least nine human deaths in China portrays a virus evolving to adapt to human cells, raising concern about its potential to spark a new global flu pandemic.

15 Apr 2013

Pathogen News and Research

Virginia Tech researchers identify leptospirosis as a major health threat in Botswana

New study provides clear picture of the impact and causes of diarrheal diseases

Genetic loci associated with H pylori bacteria are linked to stomach cancer

Scientists uncover unknown virulence factor in respiratory pathogen

New approach could democratize viral surveillance, says UCSF scientist

Scientists study repeating patterns in nature to better understand role of immune system in cancer

Specific inflammatory pattern found in patients with pneumonia and COPD

Specific inflammatory pattern found in patients with pneumonia and COPD

Cempra demonstrates solithromycin's potential against urogenital infections at ECCMID

Protein C4BP is possibly suitable as transporter for drugs, say researchers

Study reveals humans are passing antibiotic resistance to wildlife in protected areas

GeneCapture developing new device with one-hour pathogen testing capabilities

DNAzymes, gold nanoparticles and disease detection: an interview with Dr Chan and Kyryl Zagorovsky, University of Toronto

Study confirms effectiveness of UV-C-emitting device in combating pathogens in hospital environment

Dr. Stefano Vanin investigates the Fardos mummies of pre-Columbian Peru

Circumcision offers men some protection against HIV, discovers TGen-led study

Pneumococcal vaccine: an interview with Graham Clarke, CEO ImmBio

Luminex's MAGPIX instrument gets FDA approval

Gates Foundation's programs complement new global plan to prevent 2M child deaths

Genetic analysis of H7N9 portrays that virus evolves to adapt to human cells

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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