Viral Disease News and Research

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Lassa Fever, not seen in US for 15 years re-emerges

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services reported today that a 38-year-old Mercer County man died on August 28 from an acute viral disease called Lassa fever, a condition that is rare in the U.S., but endemic to West Africa.

23 Sep 2004

Nanowires could be used to sense thousands of different viruses

Harvard University scientists have found that ultra-thin silicon wires can be used to electrically detect the presence of single viruses, in real time, with near-perfect selectivity.

22 Sep 2004

Advances in gene silencing on the agenda

Recent advances in using 'RNA interference' (RNAi) to improve plant, animal and human health will be the major focus of the CSIRO-hosted Horizons in Livestock Sciences Conference on the Gold Coast from 12-15 September.

8 Sep 2004

Epimmune presents SIV vaccine study data showing control of virus despite the presence of viral mutations

Epimmune today presented preliminary data from its ongoing SIV rhesus macaque vaccine study at the AIDS Vaccine 2004 conference in Lausanne, Switzerland.

31 Aug 2004

Rabies case in South-West France

The Health Protection Agency has today become aware of a case of confirmed rabies, diagnosed in a dog in South-West France. The dog, which has died, had been imported illegally into the European Union through Spain from Morocco and then onto France.

29 Aug 2004

Nucleic acid-amplification testing has improved the safety of the nation's blood supply

State-of-the-art testing systems to screen donated blood have improved the safety of the nation's blood supply by preventing the transmission of potentially deadly viruses, according to a new study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

18 Aug 2004

Reminder to avoid handling bats for risk of rabies

In the wake of an increase in calls reporting human and pet contacts with bats, the Washington Department of Health has reminded people that avoiding bats can protect them from rabies. Bats are not aggressive animals and they generally do not intentionally attack humans.

9 Aug 2004

Self-recovery from Hep C infection linked to genes that suppress action of killer immune cells

In a study to be published in Science online Aug. 6, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that genes involved in suppressing the body's defensive "killer" immune cells are a potential key factor in spontaneous recovery from hepatitis C.

5 Aug 2004

Animal bone implants that resemble natural bone

A team of researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) has moved one step closer to developing an ideal bone scaffold for reconstructive surgery.

15 Jul 2004

Genetic mutation is a major contributor to type 1 diabetes

A natural mutation of a gene that helps regulate the reactivity of the immune system is a major contributor to type 1 diabetes, Medical College of Georgia researchers have found.

12 Jul 2004

Unexplained neurological illness in cattle and sheep – assessing the potential risks to human health

Dr Dilys Morgan who led the group on behalf of the Agency said; “It is reassuring that the cause of illness in the heifer has been identified. Enteroviruses are a common cause of illness in both animals and humans, however they do not usually cross between species.

29 Jun 2004

Ingredient of human breast milk may be a new treatment for warts

New Swedish research suggests that HAMLET or "Human-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells" an ingredient of human breast milk may be a new treatment for warts.

24 Jun 2004

SARS siRNA studied further to help many respiratory diseases including lung cancer

Intradigm Corporation, has announced achievement of prophylactic and therapeutic effects of siRNA (small interfering RNA) inhibitors of SARS-CoV in non-human primate cells. The results are published in the June 2004 issue of Antiviral Therapy (International Medical Press).

15 Jun 2004

Possible new type of zoonose in England

A short item was considered by the UK Zoonoses Group on a nervous condition in a heifer which had suffered partial leg paralysis. It was initially diagnosed as suspected botulism.

9 Jun 2004

Double-punch approach to vaccine design more effective

A study revealing new information about how viral proteins move between cells and alert the immune system suggests that a double-punch approach to vaccine design would make them more effective.

1 Jun 2004

Pediatric asthma patients given a certain inhaled corticosteroid had a 29 percent lower risk of ending up in emergency

A study presented today at the 100th International Conference of the American Thoracic Society in Orlando shows pediatric asthma patients given a certain inhaled corticosteroid had a 29 percent lower risk of ending up in the emergency department (ED) or being admitted into the hospital.

25 May 2004

Benitec acquires Avocel to focus on rapid development of hepatitis C therapeutics

Benitec Ltd. today announced the acquisition of Avocel, Inc. of Sunnyvale, CA, a leading RNAi therapeutics company, and the establishment of its wholly-owned US subsidiary, Benitec, Inc. Through the acquisition, Benitec gains its first in-house advanced therapeutic development program using DNA-directed RNAi (ddRNAi) to target the Hepatitis C virus.

18 May 2004

Matching method allows surgeons to successfully transplant kidneys that would otherwise be discarded

By carefully matching the estimated function of kidneys from deceased donors with the needs of potential recipients, surgeons can successfully transplant kidneys that would otherwise be discarded, according to a report from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. The center was able to double its transplant volume within a year.

18 May 2004

Cholesterol-lowering drugs could treat multiple sclerosis

Drug treatments for MS are expensive and only partially effective. Recent knowledge that statins promote an anti-inflammatory response from the immune system suggest a potential in the treatment of MS.

13 May 2004

Belarus to collaborate with GenoMed on West Nile virus encephalitis

GenoMed, Inc. has announced that the leading experts in West Nile virus encephalitis in Belarus will collaborate with the Company in treating cases of suspected West Nile virus encephalitis this summer. Belarus, formerly part of the USSR, is now a democratic country of 10.5 million people lying between Poland and Russia; its capital is Minsk.

7 May 2004