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New research sheds light on origins of cryptococcal fungal infection

New research has shed light on the origins of a fungal infection which is one of the major causes of death from AIDS-related illnesses. The study, published today in the journal PLoS Pathogens, funded by the Wellcome Trust and the BBSRC, shows how the more virulent forms of Cryptococcus neoformans evolved and spread out of Africa and into Asia.

4 May 2011

Peripheral venous catheters cause over 10% of catheter-related bloodstream infections

A new study from Rhode Island Hospital has found that more than one in 10 catheter-related bloodstream infections due to Staph aureus in hospitalized adults are caused by infected peripheral venous catheters (PVC). The study points out the substantial medical burden that arises from complications from these infections due to the large number of such catheters used in hospitalized patients.

4 May 2011

Bioniche Life Sciences opens new livestock vaccine manufacturing facility

Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., a research-based, technology-driven Canadian biopharmaceutical company, today officially opened its new Animal Health and Food Safety Vaccine Manufacturing Centre at its corporate headquarters in Belleville, Ontario, Canada.

30 Apr 2011

Food poisoning costs the United States billions: Report

According to a new report published Thursday, 14 different pathogens causing food poisoning cost the United States $14 billion annually in terms of human disease. The report comes from the University of Florida Emerging Pathogens Institute that found that out of all the pathogen-food combinations they studied, campylobacter in poultry was the single worst offender, causing more than 600,000 illnesses per year, hospitalizing more than 7,000 people and costing, annually, $1.3 billion and 9,500 quality-of-life years.

29 Apr 2011

NovaSterilis novel vaccine patent

NovaSterilis Inc., a leader in the development and commercialization of supercritical carbon dioxide technology, has been granted US Patent 7,919,096. The patent, dated April 5th 2011, is entitled “Inactivating Organisms Using Carbon Dioxide At or Near Supercritical Pressure and Temperature Conditions.”

25 Apr 2011

Researchers reveal how immune system distinguishes between beneficial and pathogenic organisms

The human gut is filled with 100 trillion symbiotic bacteria-ten times more microbial cells than our own cells-representing close to one thousand different species. "And yet, if you were to eat a piece of chicken with just a few Salmonella, your immune system would mount a potent inflammatory response," says Sarkis K. Mazmanian, assistant professor of biology at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

22 Apr 2011

TRIM5 cellular protein helps rhesus monkeys resist HIV

Thanks to a certain protein, rhesus monkeys are resistant to HIV. Known as TRIM5, the protein prevents the HI virus from multiplying once it has entered the cell. Researchers from the universities of Geneva and Zurich have now discovered the protein's mechanism, as they report in Nature. This also opens up new prospects for fighting HIV in humans.

21 Apr 2011

Furiex acquires full rights to JNJ-Q2, a novel broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic

Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has acquired full exclusive license rights to develop and commercialize the compound JNJ-Q2 under its existing development and license agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V.. Furiex acquired these rights as a result of Janssen's decision not to exercise its option under the agreement that gave Janssen the opportunity to continue development of JNJ-Q2.

20 Apr 2011

Drug resistant bug plaguing the meat industry: Study

It has been found that nearly half of the meat and poultry (47 percent) sold in U.S. grocery stores is contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus (“Staph”), a bacteria linked to a wide range of human diseases, and this bacteria is resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics in more than half (52 percent) of contaminated samples. This comes from a nationwide study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) published this week in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

17 Apr 2011

New in vitro study results show that wound dressing with ionic silver kills strains of highly-resistant bacteria

ConvaTec, a world-leading developer and marketer of innovative medical technologies for community and hospital care, today announced new in vitro study results showing that a wound dressing containing ionic silver is able to kill several strains of highly-resistant bacteria, commonly referred to as 'superbugs.'

16 Apr 2011

Chronic exposure to polluted air can lead to inflammation

Chronic inhalation of polluted air appears to activate a protein that triggers the release of white blood cells, setting off events that lead to widespread inflammation, according to new research in an animal model.

16 Apr 2011

Study finds 47% of meat and poultry samples contaminated with S. aureus

Drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria linked to a wide range of human diseases, are present in meat and poultry from U.S. grocery stores at unexpectedly high rates, according to a nationwide study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

15 Apr 2011

VIGILAIR air cleaning technology greatly reduces HAI in NICU: Study

VIGILAIR Systems, an industry leader in Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation technology was instrumental in a newly published, and first of its kind hospital study that demonstrated a dramatic reduction in patient Hospital Acquired Infections with the application of VIGILAIR® air cleaning technology in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

11 Apr 2011

Novartis' TOBI Podhaler receives Health Canada NOC for Pa treatment in CF patients

Novartis Canada announced today that it has received Health Canada Notice of Compliance for TOBI Podhaler, a fast and convenient inhaled therapy for cystic fibrosis patients aged six and over.

6 Apr 2011

Retrovirus XMRV may not be associated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the central nervous system

There has been substantial mystery surrounding the origins of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a condition affecting as many as four million Americans and marked by symptoms that include a sense of weariness that sleep does not improve and difficulty with memory and concentration.

6 Apr 2011

Experts to discuss on healthcare-associated infection at SHEA Annual Meeting

A special media phone briefing with leading infectious disease scientists and healthcare-associated infection experts who will headline the 2011 Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America's Annual Meeting

4 Apr 2011

Blocking TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand pathway partially reconstitutes HBV-specific T cells

A new study presented today at the International Liver Congress shows a novel pathway where activated natural killer (NK) cells expressing death ligands may excessively down-modulate the antiviral immune response in chronic HBV patients.

2 Apr 2011

EPIDEMICS³ International Conference on Infectious Disease Dynamics to take place in Boston, in Nov 2011

Following the inaugural Epidemics¹ Conference in Asilomar, USA in 2008, and the second conference Epidemics² in Athens, Greece in 2009, both highly successful meetings with both more than 230 participants, the organizers are pleased to announce that the Third International Conference on Infectious Disease Dynamics - EPIDEMICS³ - will take place in Boston, USA, in November 2011.

1 Apr 2011

Study: Pseudokinases can play a crucial role in pathogen-based disease

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Stanford University discovered that a supposedly inactive protein actually plays a crucial role in the ability of one the world's most prolific pathogens to cause disease, findings that suggest the possible role of similarly errant proteins in other diseases.