Disease/Infection News

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Preventative HIV vaccines induce robust, comparable immune responses in humans and monkeys

More than three decades after the identification of the human immunodeficiency virus, scientists are still working to develop a preventative vaccine that could finally put an end to the epidemic for which there are nearly two million new infections each year.

9 Jul 2018

Researchers trace history of human Hepatitis B in the Bronze Age

Thanks to viral traces in the genomes of ancient people, researchers from South Ural State University were able to determine that man has been suffering from Hepatitis B since at least the Bronze Age.

9 Jul 2018

State prisons fail to offer cure to 144,000 inmates with deadly hepatitis C

State prisons across the U.S. are failing to treat at least 144,000 inmates who have hepatitis C, a curable but potentially fatal liver disease, according to a recent survey and subsequent interviews of state corrections departments.

9 Jul 2018

Step towards an HIV/AIDS vaccine

There has been a four decades long challenge to develop a vaccine against the deadly HIV virus that causes AIDS. Last Saturday the research bore fruit when a team of scientists announced that a trial drug has shown immune response in humans and also protected laboratory monkeys from HIV infection.

9 Jul 2018

Researchers discover biomarkers that accurately identify hypervirulent K. pneumoniae

Imagine a pathogen that infects completely healthy people and can cause blindness in one day and flesh-eating infections, brain abscesses and death in just a few days.

9 Jul 2018

NIH researchers identify natural lipid that acts as potent anti-inflammatory

National Institutes of Health researchers have identified a naturally occurring lipid--a waxy, fatty acid--used by a disease-causing bacterium to impair the host immune response and increase the chance of infection. Inadvertently, they also may have found a potent inflammation therapy against bacterial and viral diseases.

9 Jul 2018

Research suggests new target for malaria vaccine

Researchers have shown that higher levels of Plasmodium falciparum antibodies are protective against severe malaria in children living in Papua New Guinea.

9 Jul 2018

Fourth-generation retinoid may have improved efficacy and safety profile to treat acne

Topical retinoids, which target retinoic acid receptors, are commonly used to treat acne. New research published in theBritish Journal of Dermatologyreveals that trifarotene, a fourth-generation retinoid with potent and selective activity against only one particular retinoic acid receptor, may have an improved efficacy and safety profile compared with less selective retinoids.

6 Jul 2018

Bacteria adapted to the human body may become more susceptible to antibiotics

A new study published today in Nature Communications, led by scientists at the University of Liverpool in collaboration with the University of Salford, finds evidence that as bacteria adapt to the human body, they can sometimes become more susceptible to antibiotics and therefore easier to kill.

6 Jul 2018

Pneumococcal genes predict course of disease

Pneumococcus is an important cause of pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis. This bacterium commonly resides in the nasal cavity.

6 Jul 2018

Scientists take a deep dive into differences between Zika and dengue virus

More than two years after reports of skyrocketing Zika rates surfaced worldwide, questions still loom about this complicated virus.

6 Jul 2018

Scientists discover potential new drug to treat two life-threatening tropical diseases

Derived from nature, a potential new drug to treat two life-threatening tropical diseases has been discovered as a result of collaboration between two Welsh universities.

5 Jul 2018

New analysis reveals link between fast food consumption and increased risk of allergic diseases

A new Respirology review and analysis of published studies reveals a link between fast food consumption and an increased likelihood of having asthma, wheeze, and several other allergic diseases such as pollen fever, eczema, and rhino-conjunctivitis.

5 Jul 2018

Scientists use stem cells to uncover why the Zika virus is so infective

Researchers have made an important discovery about the Zika virus that could lead to the development of more effective measures to protect people.

5 Jul 2018

Scientists discover brain cell critical to learning and memory

A new study published today reports the identification of a type of brain cell that plays a crucial role in memory and learning processes.

5 Jul 2018

New clues may lead to rapid detection of sepsis

Sepsis is an infection that kills as many Americans each year as stroke and Alzheimer's combined-about 250,000-but very little has changed in the treatment of this age-old scourge.

3 Jul 2018

Simple, accurate and reproducible assay to measure antibodies against malaria

Antibodies against multiple Plasmodium falciparum proteins (or antigens) can be measured using a simple, accurate and reproducible assay that requires very small amounts of blood.

3 Jul 2018

Study explores relation between hospital occupancy levels and infection risk

Hospitals today spend a lot of time and effort to protect their patients from developing new infections while they're hospitalized - especially the most dangerous types that can threaten their health even more than the problem that sent them to the hospital in the first place.

2 Jul 2018

Scoring system based on PIRO helps predict mortality in surgical ICU patients with severe sepsis

A new classification system that scores the variables associated with mortality rates for patients who develop intra-abdominal sepsis after surgery may help guide care and improve outcomes

2 Jul 2018

New research project could reduce chance of infection after orthopedic surgery

South Australian researchers are embarking on a $20 million medical and manufacturing research project which could reduce the chance of infection after orthopaedic surgery, thanks to a little help from the humble dragonfly.

2 Jul 2018