Disease/Infection News

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Initial use of ART alters host environment to allow formation of long-lived HIV reservoir

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can suppress HIV to the point where the virus is nearly undetectable, and people on medication can live many years. But therapy cannot completely eradicate the virus; it persists in reservoirs inside immune cells, a phenomenon called "latency."

9 Oct 2019

Army scientists develop new weapon to combat super-bugs

Antibiotic resistance is a one of the world's most pressing public health problems. Army scientists have developed a new weapon to combat super-bugs, which could protect Soldiers and fight resistance.

9 Oct 2019

Researchers discover most virulent representatives of listeriosis pathogen

The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a life-threatening infection in animals and humans. Contaminated food is a frequent source of infection. Elderly people, people with a weakened immune system and pregnant women are particularly at risk with a mortality rate of up to 30 per cent.

9 Oct 2019

Study highlights potential impact of chlamydia infection on men's fertility

The potential impact of undiagnosed sexually transmitted chlamydia infection on men's fertility has been highlighted in a study led by Queensland University of Technology (QUT), which for the first time found chlamydia in the testicular tissue biopsies of infertile men whose infertility had no identified cause.

9 Oct 2019

New discovery brings scientists closer to developing an RSV vaccine

Scientists have made an important discovery that could lead to a vaccine that will protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

9 Oct 2019

Vaccine for deadly RSV could be on the way, scientists say

A vaccine for the common and sometimes deadly RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) has been elusive, but scientists say a new discovery puts them much closer to success.

9 Oct 2019

Statin use associated with increased risk of diabetes, skin infections

Statins have been reported to be beneficial for infections such as pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

9 Oct 2019

CDC advises vaccination for pregnant women against flu and whooping cough

The Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) has recommended that all pregnant women should be vaccinated against influenza and whooping cough to provide protection to the baby against these deadly infections during the first few months of their lives. The CDC recommendation released this week Tuesday (8th of October 2019), is that these vaccines against flu and whooping cough are safe for pregnant women and do not affect their unborn babies adversely.

9 Oct 2019

Scientists discover new patterns in the evolution of the influenza virus

Researchers from Skoltech have found that the devious influenza virus is capable of new patterns of evolution and mutation in order to escape treatment with the currently available drugs and prevention with the currently available vaccines. This discovery however could help researchers predict the potential mutations in the genome of the virus and ultimately help them develop and design more effective vaccines against influenza.

9 Oct 2019

Congenital syphilis continues to rise at an alarming rate

One of the nation's most preventable diseases is killing newborns in ever-increasing numbers.

8 Oct 2019

New patterns discovered in the evolution of influenza virus

Skoltech scientists discovered new patterns in the evolution of the influenza virus. This may help predict mutations in the viral genome and ultimately help design better vaccines.

8 Oct 2019

Health care market fails to support new antibiotics against superbugs, study finds

The health care market is failing to support new antibiotics used to treat some of the world's most dangerous, drug-resistant "superbugs," according to a new analysis by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine infectious disease scientists.

8 Oct 2019

Air pollution may be causing your hair to fall out

Exposure to particulate matter has been linked to human hair loss for the first time in research presented at the 28th EADV Congress in Madrid.

8 Oct 2019

Cholera-causing bacteria steal large stretches of intact DNA to become more efficient

A new paper shows that the cholera germ is an inveterate and rapacious gene stealer, robbing other competing bacteria of up to 150 genes (over 150,000 base pairs) in a single attack. To put this in perspective, the cholera pathogen carries only about 4,000 genes altogether.

8 Oct 2019

New way to prevent malaria bugs from breeding

A new international collaboration reports that the compound called TCMDC-135051 is capable of preventing the synthesis of a protein that is required for growth in Plasmodium falciparum, one of the species of the Plasmodium parasite that causes malaria. The study, reported in the journal Science, could lead to the development of a new antimalarial drug.

8 Oct 2019

Computational analysis identifies key uncertainties for models of mosquito distribution in the U.S.

A computational analysis has identified key regions in the United States where model-based predictions of mosquito species distribution could be improved. Andrew Monaghan of the University of Colorado Boulder and colleagues present these findings in PLOS Computational Biology.

From PLOS ONE 8 Oct 2019

30 percent of the world’s children not protected against rubella

A new study carried out by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that a historic milestone has been crossed – over 50% of the world’s babies are now safe from rubella, or German measles. The disease has not been detected for a year or more in more than 80 countries all over the world.

7 Oct 2019