Disease/Infection News

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Rising number of malaria deaths likely to exceed total number of Ebola deaths

Around 74000 fewer malaria cases than expected were seen at health facilities in Guinea in 2014 compared with pre-Ebola years, new research published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal has found.

25 Jun 2015

GSK welcomes U.S. CDC's vote on use of meningococcal group B vaccines

GlaxoSmithKline announced today that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted for a Category B recommendation for meningococcal group B vaccination, including BEXSERO (Meningococcal Group B Vaccine), in individuals aged 16 to 23 (with a preferred age of 16-18).

25 Jun 2015

WHO prequalifies new male circumcision device to prevent HIV

The ShangRing, a novel medical device for voluntary medical male circumcision, has received prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO) for use.

25 Jun 2015

Implementation of needle exchange programs can prevent HIV outbreaks in Indiana

Congress needs to immediately lift the ban on federal funding for needle exchange programs to counter the threat of HIV outbreaks among injection drug users like the one that has seen an alarming number of new cases erupt in a single rural Indiana county.

25 Jun 2015

Study: Acellular vaccines may have contributed to recent pertussis outbreak

Whooping cough has made an astonishing comeback, with 2012 seeing nearly 50,000 infections in the U.S. (the most since 1955), and a death rate in infants three times that of the rest of the population.

25 Jun 2015

Computational models can forecast outbreak and spread of Ebola

The 2014 outbreak of Ebola virus disease, the worst since the disease first appeared in 1976, has claimed more than 11,000 lives in the West African nations of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and a handful more in nearby Nigeria and Mali.

24 Jun 2015

Discovery provides basis for new pertussis treatments

The worldwide spreading of the whooping cough, also known as pertussis, has substantially increased since 2010. Researchers from the Biozentrum, University of Basel, have investigated structure and function of an important membrane protein of the bacterium causing pertussis. They discovered that the protein structure differs from a previously postulated model.

24 Jun 2015

Generic heart disease drugs show promise in patients affected by Ebola virus

Generic medications used frequently in the management of heart disease patients also have the potential to bolster the immune systems of patients with Ebola virus and some other life-threatening illnesses, researchers report this week in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

23 Jun 2015

Purdue University-led study could lead to better treatments for people infected with MERS virus

A Purdue University-led team of researchers studying the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, have found molecules that shut down the activity of an essential enzyme in the virus and could lead the way to better treatments for those infected.

23 Jun 2015

Experimental vaccine candidate can stimulate immune system activity to prevent HIV infection

New research led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and The Rockefeller University shows in mice that an experimental vaccine candidate designed at TSRI can stimulate the immune system activity necessary to stop HIV infection. The findings could provide key information for the development of an effective AIDS vaccine.

22 Jun 2015

Planning for first clinical trial of MERS-CoV vaccine candidate now underway

Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet in Munich have demonstrated, in a preclinical setting, the protective effect of a candidate vaccine directed against the coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Planning for the first clinical trial is now underway.

22 Jun 2015

New book examines all aspects of HBV and HDV infections

Despite the availability of an effective vaccine for hepatitis B, hundreds of millions of people worldwide are infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This virus can cause serious liver damage and cancer in chronically infected patients. Hepatitis delta virus (HDV), a satellite of HBV, can exacerbate the disease.

19 Jun 2015

Analysis of transportation data could help predict spread of flu epidemic across the U.S.

To predict how a seasonal influenza epidemic will spread across the United States, one should focus more on the mobility of people than on their geographic proximity, a new study suggests.

19 Jun 2015

Australian researchers launch global search to discover antibiotics against superbug bacteria

Australian researchers from The University of Queensland have launched a global search to discover antibiotics capable of combating superbug bacteria that are resistant to current antibiotics.

19 Jun 2015

Three studies describe advances toward development of antibodies to stop HIV

A trio of studies being published today in the journals Science and Cell describes advances toward the development of an HIV vaccine. The three study teams all demonstrated techniques for stimulating animal cells to produce antibodies that either could stop HIV from infecting human cells in the laboratory or had the potential to evolve into such antibodies.

19 Jun 2015

Sequence of immunizations could be the promising route to HIV vaccine

The secret to preventing HIV infection lies within the human immune system, but the more-than-25-year search has so far failed to yield a vaccine capable of training the body to neutralize the ever-changing virus. New research from The Rockefeller University, and collaborating institutions, suggests no single shot will ever do the trick. Instead, the scientists find, a sequence of immunizations might be the most promising route to an HIV vaccine.

19 Jun 2015

Survey finds first evidence of MRSA in sausages, minced pork from supermarkets in the UK

A survey carried out earlier this year has found the first evidence of the 'superbug' bacteria Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in sausages and minced pork obtained from supermarkets in the UK. However, researchers stress that this does not pose a significant immediate risk to the public.

19 Jun 2015

New review highlights strategies to inhibit infections during the laundering process of HCT

Proper laundering and handling are important in achieving and maintaining the hygienically-clean quality of healthcare fabrics and textiles delivered to the point of care, according to a new review that highlights evidence-based strategies to inhibit potentially serious contamination.

19 Jun 2015

Experimental AIDS vaccine candidate stimulates immune system to block infection in animal model

New research led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and The Rockefeller University shows that an experimental vaccine candidate can stimulate the immune system to block HIV infection in mice.

18 Jun 2015

Scientists create new model to study latent HIV infection in brain cells

Over 35 million people worldwide are currently infected by HIV. Antiviral therapies can keep the virus from multiplying. However, no drug can cure infection so far, because various cell types continue to carry the virus in a latent, i.e. quiescent, state. Scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München have now established a model for latent HIV infection of brain cells.

18 Jun 2015