Pathogen News and Research

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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.

1 Apr 2011

Nanotechnology-based biosensor may allow early cancer, pathogen detection

A nanotechnology-based biosensor being developed by Kansas State University researchers may allow early detection of both cancer cells and pathogens, leading to increased food safety and reduced health risks.

30 Mar 2011

Scientist develops new model to understand peoples' behaviors during flu outbreaks

When influenza pandemics arrive, the specter of disease spread through person-to-person contact can mean that schools close, hand sanitizer sales rise, and travellers stay home. But is severing social and business interactions with our neighbors really better than taking a chance on getting sick?

29 Mar 2011

Researchers find high rates of multi-drug resistant pathogen among LA population

Researchers with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have found high rates of the multi-drug resistant pathogen, carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae among the patient population in long-term acute care hospitals compared to general acute care hospitals across the county.

25 Mar 2011

Tick-borne disease identified as emerging threat

Five years ago, large numbers of farmers in central China began falling victim to an mysterious disease marked by high fever, gastrointestinal disorder and an appalling mortality rate - as high as 30 percent in initial reports. Investigators from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention hurried to the scene of the outbreak. On the basis of DNA evidence, they quickly concluded that it had been caused by human granulocytic anaplasmosis, a bacteria transmitted by tick bites.

24 Mar 2011

Strong 'innate immunity' effective in chikungunya patients

Chikungunya is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. The disease is spreading in the world and periodically sparks new outbreaks. Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean and even Southern Europe are now affected.

23 Mar 2011

Study sheds light on how vitamin A contributes to immune responses in gastrointestinal tract

Although it has been known for some time that vitamin A deficiency is linked with an impaired ability to resist infections, exactly how vitamin A and its metabolites contribute to the immune response is not well understood.

18 Mar 2011

Experimental vaccine against human norovirus generates strong, safe immune response in mice

Scientists have shown that an experimental vaccine against the human norovirus - the bug behind about 90 percent of highly contagious nonbacterial illnesses that cause diarrhea and vomiting - can generate a strong immune response in mice without appearing to cause the animals any harm.

16 Mar 2011

FDA clears Intralytix phage-based EcoShield food safety product

Intralytix, Inc. announced today that it has received regulatory clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for its phage-based EcoShield food safety product, effective against E. coli O157:H7.

16 Mar 2011

Researchers uncover new disease mechanism in patients with CGD

Infection researchers at Umeå University have uncovered a new disease mechanism in patients with Chronic Granulomatous Disease in an international clinical collaboration with the Children's Hospital in Zurich.

11 Mar 2011

Intercell reports EUR 255.2m net loss for full year 2010

Today Intercell AG announced its financial results for Q4 and the preliminary results for the full financial year 2010 and presented an update on the Company's development programs.

1 Mar 2011

New research reveals how maternal antibodies block immune response to measles virus

New research that reveals how maternal antibodies block an immune response to the measles virus is a first step toward improving current childhood vaccination practices, scientists say.

1 Mar 2011

Scientists identify new pathogen linked to childhood dental disease

Researchers at The Forsyth Institute have made a significant discovery about the nature of childhood dental disease. The scientific studies led by Anne Tanner, BDS, Ph.D., identified a new pathogen connected to severe early childhood caries.

28 Feb 2011

NIH-funded study finds way to reduce transmission of malaria to humans

Spraying malaria-transmitting mosquitoes with a genetically modified fungus can kill the malaria parasite without harming the mosquito, potentially reducing malaria transmission to humans, according to a new study published in the journal Science. Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, the study was led by Raymond J. St. Leger, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland, College Park.

25 Feb 2011

Transgenic fungal approach can fight against malaria and bug-borne diseases

New findings by a University of Maryland-led team of scientists indicate that a genetically engineered fungus carrying genes for a human anti-malarial antibody or a scorpion anti-malarial toxin could be a highly effective, specific and environmentally friendly tool for combating malaria, at a time when the effectiveness of current pesticides against malaria mosquitoes is declining.

24 Feb 2011

New nanoparticle can help develop vaccines against HIV, malaria

MIT engineers have designed a new type of nanoparticle that could safely and effectively deliver vaccines for diseases such as HIV and malaria.

23 Feb 2011

Vical extends relationship with U.S. NMRC for emerging disease vaccine platform

Vical Incorporated announced today that the company has extended its relationship with the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center to develop its platform technology for the rapid development and production of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases.

22 Feb 2011

Metallic copper surfaces kill bacteria on contact

Metallic copper surfaces kill microbes on contact, decimating their populations, according to a paper in the February 2011 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. They do so literally in minutes, by causing massive membrane damage after about a minute's exposure, says the study's corresponding author, Gregor Grass of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. This is the first study to demonstrate this mechanism of bacteriocide.

17 Feb 2011

EMBL scientists reveal new insights into bacterial enzymes that causes tuberculosis

In a paper published today in PNAS, scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, reveal new insights into the workings of enzymes from a group of bacteria including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.

15 Feb 2011

First evidence of human DNA fragment in bacterial genome

If a human cell and a bacterial cell met at a speed-dating event, they would never be expected to exchange phone numbers, much less genetic material. In more scientific terms, a direct transfer of DNA has never been recorded from humans to bacteria.

14 Feb 2011