Disease/Infection News

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Research opens door to better treatment for common cause of diarrhea

One of the most common causes of diarrhea worldwide – accounting for millions of cases and tens of thousands of deaths, mostly of small children – is the parasiteCryptosporidium.

20 Jun 2019

Scientists identify early signs of Parkinson’s disease years before symptoms develop

Scientists have identified the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease in the brain up to 20 years before patients present with any symptoms.

20 Jun 2019

Vitamin D supplementation may not reduce the risk of heart disease

Scientists have confirmed that taking vitamin D supplements does not reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

20 Jun 2019

Dangerous brain parasite invades host cell, maintains steady nutrient supply

A team of researchers has found that a dangerous type of parasite that affects the brain, maintains a stable supply of essential nutrients as it replicates in the host cell. In an unexpected turn of events, the body itself delivers food to the harmful predator.

20 Jun 2019

Men who eat yogurt twice a week are less likely to develop bowel cancer

Eating two or more servings of yogurt (over 245g) per week can reduce the risk of men developing pre-cancerous growths that can lead to bowel cancer.

19 Jun 2019

Researchers identify genetic mutation that causes fatal response to HAV infection

Researchers have identified a genetic mutation that caused an 11-year-old girl to suffer a fatal reaction to infection with the Hepatitis A virus.

18 Jun 2019

Many healthcare workers often care for patients while sick, study finds

Large numbers of healthcare workers risk transmitting respiratory viruses to patients and co-workers by attending work even when they have symptoms, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

18 Jun 2019

Consortium receives EU grant to develop new treatment for leishmaniasis

Professor Sanjeev Krishna and colleagues at St George's, University of London are heading a consortium that has been awarded EUR3.75 million to develop a treatment for one of the world's most neglected tropical diseases, leishmaniasis.

18 Jun 2019

Nurses more likely to conduct HIV screenings when practice setting supports routine testing

Nurse practitioners are more likely to conduct HIV screenings if they feel that their colleagues support routine screenings, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. This comes in advance of National HIV Testing Day, taking place June 27.

17 Jun 2019

NHS braces itself for more deaths following listeria outbreak

The NHS is bracing itself for more deaths following an outbreak of listeria due to contaminated pre-packaged sandwiches given to hospital patients.

17 Jun 2019

Wearable sensors show how antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread through hospital wards

More than just strict hand hygiene practices are needed to control the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, say researchers.

17 Jun 2019

Human contact responsible for spread of hospital infections

An observational study conducted in a French hospital showed that human contact was responsible for 90 percent of the spread of one species of antibiotic-resistant bacteria to new patients, but less than 60 percent of the spread of a different species.

17 Jun 2019

Warning issued by FDA after patient dies following fecal transplant

A warning from the U.S FDA was issued yesterday after a patient died due to receiving a fecal transplant that contained drug-resistant bacteria.

14 Jun 2019

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