Disease/Infection News

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Long-acting contraceptives do not increase risk of HIV, concludes new study

One of the largest and most robust studies on HIV infection rates has concluded that long-acting contraceptives do not increase the risk of contracting HIV.

14 Jun 2019

Virus employs powerful strategy to inhibit natural killer cell function

The virus responsible for chickenpox and shingles employs a powerful strategy of immune evasion, inhibiting the ability of natural killer cells to destroy infected cells and produce molecules that help control viral infection, according to a study published June 13 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Allison Abendroth of the Discipline of Infectious Diseases and Immunology in the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 14 Jun 2019

Study estimates the number of undetected Ebola outbreaks

An estimated half of Ebola virus disease outbreaks have gone undetected since it was discovered in 1976, according to research published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

From PLOS ONE 14 Jun 2019

AMA adopts new policies aimed at improving health of the nation

The American Medical Association, the premier national physician organization in the country, voted this week to adopt new policies aimed at improving the health of the nation.

14 Jun 2019

Developing new immunotherapeutic treatments for emerging viral diseases

Emerging viral diseases is a term used to refer to diseases caused by pathogens such as the Ebola virus. Whilst vaccines can protect people against these diseases, there is an urgent need for treatment options after infection.

14 Jun 2019

Experimental antiviral drug cures mice infected with deadly tick-borne virus

Only a few cases of the newly discovered Bourbon virus have been reported, and two of them ended in death, partly because no specific treatments are available for the tick-borne illness.

14 Jun 2019

Ebola spread to Uganda could threaten international health

After smouldering in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for almost a year, killing near 1,000 people, the deadly Ebola virus crossed the border to Uganda in June 2019. This virus causes sudden high fever and sore throat, with severe weakness and muscle pain.

14 Jun 2019

UK government to consider fortifying flour with folic acid to combat neural tube defects

A 12-week consultation has been launched to discuss whether folic acid should be added to flour in the UK.

13 Jun 2019

Scientists turn type A blood into universal type O, potentially doubling blood transfusion stocks

Researchers have developed a technique for turning type A blood into universal type O blood. The development could boost blood stocks dramatically.

13 Jun 2019

Engineers crack the code to quickly diagnose anti-malarial drug resistance

One of the keys to quickly diagnosing anti-malarial drug resistance -- potentially saving lives -- lies in testing whole blood instead of extracting DNA, eliminating processing steps that can take hours or days.

13 Jun 2019

New assay uses a drop of blood to detect patients' resistance to antimalarial drugs

Antimalarial drugs appear to follow a typical pattern, with early effectiveness eventually limited by the emergence of drug resistance.

13 Jun 2019

Findings indicate indirect link between consumption of cattle related foods and cancer

In February 2019, the German Cancer Research Centre presented findings on new infection pathogens that go by the name of “Bovine Milk and Meat Factors”.

12 Jun 2019

Researchers develop new gene-targeted approach to study chronic wasting disease in mice

Infectious proteins called prions cause a group of related, fatal and incurable neurodegenerative disorders, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy or Mad Cow disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, both of which affect humans.

12 Jun 2019

Study finds triple the number of Legionnaire's cases than previously reported

The first New Zealand-wide study of the burden of Legionnaire's disease has found triple the number of cases of this form of pneumonia than previously reported.

11 Jun 2019

Why sleeping with the TV on could cause weight gain

Exposure to artificial light at night while sleeping may be a risk factor for weight gain and the development of obesity, say researchers.

11 Jun 2019

Researchers succeed in conquering chronic infection with hepatitis B virus

Researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich, working in collaboration with researchers at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and the University Hospital Heidelberg, have for the first time succeeded in conquering a chronic infection with the hepatitis B virus in a mouse model.

11 Jun 2019

New study suggests bacteria-loaded mosquitoes may halt spread of Dengue fever

Dengue fever stopped spreading in an Australian city, called Townsville, after an army of mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacterium was released on it.

11 Jun 2019

Researchers map the most common bacterial cause of pneumonia around the world

Researchers have mapped the most common bacterial cause of pneumonia around the world and revealed how these bacteria evolve in response to vaccination.

11 Jun 2019

Scorpion venom contains compounds that could help fight Staph and tuberculosis bacteria

Researchers at Stanford University and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) have found that a scorpion found in Eastern Mexico has a venom that could have antibacterial properties.

10 Jun 2019

Proteasome inhibitors show potential for combating multidrug-resistant malaria

Proteasome inhibitors have significant promise as components of novel combination therapies to treat multidrug-resistant malaria, according to a study published June 6 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by David Fidock, Caroline Ng, and Barbara Stokes of Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Matthew Bogyo of Stanford University School of Medicine, and colleagues.

From PLOS ONE 10 Jun 2019