Disease/Infection News

RSS

ECDC whole genome sequencing study helps understand prevalence of drug-resistant gonorrhea

Can whole genome sequencing illustrate changes in drug susceptibility of gonorrhoea to antimicrobials used for treatment and so help to define more effective treatment regimens? The first study of this kind within an international surveillance programme for sexually transmitted infections shows distribution of drug-resistant gonorrhoea strains across Europe.

17 May 2018

First genomic survey of gonorrhea maps antibiotic resistance across Europe

The first European-wide genomic survey of gonorrhea has mapped antibiotic resistance in this sexually transmitted disease throughout the continent.

16 May 2018

Drug-resistant staph infections found to be deadly, but less costly

Staph infections, whether MRSA (resistant to methicillin) or susceptible, are important and deadly. Drug-resistant staph infections continue to be deadlier than those that are not resistant and treatable with traditional antibiotics, but treatment costs surprisingly are the same or slightly less, a new national analysis shows.

15 May 2018

Volatile biomarkers could help detect acute and asymptomatic malaria infections

Malaria is still a deadly disease in tropical and subtropical regions. Every year the disease infects more than 200 million people worldwide, claiming several hundred thousand victims.

15 May 2018

Study provides new clues to how Ebola virus causes damage in the retina

A new study, conducted by the researchers from the University of Liverpool, published in JAMA Ophthalmology identifies the specific characteristics of Ebola retinal lesions, which provide further clues as to how the virus travels to the retina and causes damage.

15 May 2018

Immune system can produce 'universal antibodies' against various microorganisms

Bacteria and other microorganisms display structures from sugar molecules on their surfaces. These sugar structures play an important role for immune defense.

15 May 2018

Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome: How HCP’s can Support Patients with Rare Diseases

Dr Robert Cramb gives an introduction to the rare disease FCS, and how HCP's can best advise and support patients with the condition.

15 May 2018

Computer models provide valuable insight to structure and function of Ebola, Zika viruses

The viruses that cause Ebola and Zika, daunting diseases that inspire concern at every outbreak, share a strong similarity in how they first infiltrate a host's cells. Through the computer modeling capabilities of Los Alamos National Laboratory, the molecular calisthenics involved in invading a cell are visually documented, an essential step toward vaccine and therapeutic medicine development.

15 May 2018

New study aims to turn MRSA’s strength against it

Antibiotic-resistant infections cause more than 30,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone. The majority of those are caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, more commonly known as MRSA, which can turn routine medical operations into near-death battles.

15 May 2018

Study: Antibodies against hemorrhagic fever disarm two viruses of same family

Hemorrhagic fever viruses, so named for their ability to induce massive, and at times fatal, internal bleeding, captured the world's attention during the Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016 in West Africa.

15 May 2018

Researchers lab-test molecule that may combat common cold virus

Researchers have lab-tested a molecule that can combat the common cold virus by preventing it from hijacking human cells.

15 May 2018

Researchers find new pig virus to be possible threat to humans

A recently identified pig virus can readily find its way into laboratory-cultured cells of people and other species, a discovery that raises concerns about the potential for outbreaks that threaten human and animal health.

15 May 2018

Phase 1/2 study evaluates safety, tolerability of multiple-ascending doses of ARO-HBV in hepatitis B patients

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced that it has dosed the first 3 hepatitis B virus patients in the multiple-ascending dose portion of its ongoing Phase 1/2 study of ARO-HBV, the company's third generation subcutaneously administered RNA interference therapeutic being developed as a potentially curative therapy for patients with chronic HBV infection.

14 May 2018

Research may pave way for new C. diff antitoxins and anti-cancer drugs

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine and Harvard University have discovered how the Clostridium difficile toxin B recognizes the human Frizzled protein, the receptor it uses to invade intestinal cells and lead to deadly gastrointestinal infections.

14 May 2018

Study explains anti-obesity effects of melatonin

A new study has revealed the mechanism behind the anti-obesity effects of melatonin, a hormone that is released by the pineal gland in the brain overnight.

11 May 2018

Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance Through Industry

Antimicrobial resistance is currently one of the biggest health threats in the world. Gary Cohen and Steve Conly discuss the role of Becton, Dickinson & Co and other organizations in the private sector in combating the spread of resistance.

11 May 2018

Scientists discover a mechanism through which HIV determines the fate and function of cells

A stem cell is one with infinite possibilities. So, for decades, scientists have puzzled over how the cell chooses to keep being a stem cell and continue dividing, or specialize into a specific cell type, like a heart or brain cell.

11 May 2018

New studies use proteomics to shed light on pathogenic mechanisms

Recent studies in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics have shed light on pathogenic mechanisms of the sexually-transmitted parasite Trichomonas vaginalis and the HIV-associated opportunistic lung fungus Aspergillus.

11 May 2018

New study shows MRSA is no more expensive to treat than MSSA

A new study from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, with collaborators from Johns Hopkins University and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, found that infections caused by one of the most common drug resistant bacteria in the US--methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA--are no more expensive to treat than MSSA, the methicillin-susceptible version of the same bacteria.

10 May 2018

Poison ivy and poison oak can cause mild to severe allergic reactions

April showers might bring May flowers, but they also bring the arrival of troublesome plants such as poison ivy and poison oak that can cause mild to severe allergic reactions.

9 May 2018