Disease/Infection News

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Incidence of needlestick injuries appears to be lower among employees at retail pharmacy chain

Vaccinations for flu, tetanus and other common vaccines are increasingly taking place in non-medical settings such as supermarkets and drug stores. This added responsibility for pharmacists increases the risk of needlestick injuries (NSIs), puncture wounds often suffered while preparing or after use of a needle. NSIs can transmit bloodborne pathogens, including hepatitis C and HIV, from an infected patient to the person administering the vaccine.

8 Oct 2012

Study determines impact of HIV on anal cancer incidence in the U.S.

The increase in anal cancer incidence in the U.S. between 1980 and 2005 was greatly influenced by HIV infections in males, but not females, according to a study published October 5 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

8 Oct 2012

CytoDyn announces update on feline immunodeficiency virus therapeutic antibody program

CytoDyn Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of new therapies for combating infection with immune deficiency viruses, announced today that it is presenting an update on its Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) therapeutic antibody program at the 19th West Coast Retrovirus meeting in Palm Springs, California.

8 Oct 2012

Significant increase in genomic Replikin Count of human SARS virus

The identification of the virus responsible for a second case of SARS-like respiratory virus, "London1_novel CoV 2012", has raised concerns over the risk of the disease spreading. These concerns may be justified given the observed rise in virus's genomic Replikin Count.

6 Oct 2012

FMCNA urges dialysis patients to get flu shots

With flu season just around the corner, Fresenius Medical Care North America (FMCNA), the nation's leading network of dialysis facilities, is urging dialysis patients to get flu shots to protect themselves against this common infectious disease. In October, FMCNA will begin offering at no cost to all of its dialysis patients and staff, flu vaccinations, which protect against both seasonal flu and H1N1 swine flu.

6 Oct 2012

Study demonstrates efficacy of genotyping technology in identifying source of clinic infection outbreak

Researchers from East Carolina University used a new technique of genotyping to identify the source of a hematology clinic outbreak of Mycobacterium mucogenicum, a gram-positive, acid-fast bacteria found in tap water. This is the first outbreak of M. mucogenicum in an ambulatory care setting; five other outbreaks have been reported in hospital settings since 1995.

6 Oct 2012

Vaccination campaign in Africa aims to protect 50M people against meningitis

"A huge vaccination campaign to protect 50 million people against meningitis has been launched in seven African countries aiming to stamp out the deadly virus, health officials said on Thursday," Sapa/AFP/IOL News reports.

6 Oct 2012

Opiate substitution therapies linked to reduced risk of HIV transmission

Methadone reduces the risk of HIV transmission in people who inject drugs (PWID), as reported by an international team of researchers in a paper published today in the online edition of the British Medical Journal. This team included Dr. Julie Bruneau from the CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) and the Department of Family Medicine at the Universit- de Montr-al.

6 Oct 2012

Perplexing evolutionary history of malaria transmitting mosquito species

An African mosquito species with a deadly capacity to transmit malaria has a perplexing evolutionary history, according to discovery by researchers at the Fralin Life Science Institute at Virginia Tech.

6 Oct 2012

Combination pill to treat malaria pre-approved by WHO

"A malaria drug made by India's Cipla has been pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), an important step towards its roll-out across Asia, where millions of people are infected with the mosquito-borne disease every year," Reuters reports.

6 Oct 2012

Two genes linked to increased risk of diabetes-associated kidney disease

An international group of researchers has discovered two genes that increase the risk of developing diabetes-associated kidney disease.

6 Oct 2012

Progress toward preventing initial and recurrent episodes of C. diff infection

Surgeons are making progress toward preventing initial and recurrent episodes of clostridium difficile colitis (C. difficile or C. diff), a vicious bacterial infection that is estimated to affect about 336,000 people each year, typically patients on antibiotics.

6 Oct 2012

Uganda declares end of Ebola outbreak

"Uganda is now free from Ebola, the Health Ministry said, two months after an outbreak of the deadly virus killed at least 16 people," Reuters reports. "'The Ministry of Health has ... officially declared an end of the Ebola outbreak that broke out in Kibaale district in July.

6 Oct 2012

HIV transmission can be reduced by using opioid substitution treatments instead of injection drug use

People who inject drugs (PWID) can significantly reduce their risk of HIV infection with the use of opiate substitution treatments such as methadone, as suggested by an international team of researchers in a paper published today on bmj.com.

5 Oct 2012

Emergent receives BARDA contract to advance development of novel rPA anthrax vaccine

Emergent BioSolutions announced today that, after completion of an inter-agency In Process Review, the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has exercised a contract option to further advance the development of PreviThrax (Recombinant Protective Antigen Anthrax Vaccine, Purified), the company's novel rPA anthrax vaccine candidate.

5 Oct 2012

Britons least likely to adopt protective behaviours against flu

A new international survey published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases has revealed that during the H1N1 influenza pandemic in 2009, people in Britain lagged far behind other countries in adopting protective behaviours, such as increasing their practice of covering their mouth with a tissue when sneezing or coughing.

5 Oct 2012

I COUGH program reduces likelihood of respiratory complications in surgical patients

Respiratory complications—including pneumonia and ventilator dependency—are among the most common complications that occur after operations. But a simple and inexpensive postoperative pulmonary care program known as "I COUGH" reduces the likelihood of those life-threatening and costly complications, researchers from Boston University Medical Center reported today at the 2012 American College of Surgeons (ACS) Annual Clinical Congress.

5 Oct 2012

Report finds increase in occurrence of MRSA bacteria in Denmark

In 2011, more Danes became infected with MRSA bacteria, and the number was the highest in over 25 years. The increase was primarily seen in otherwise healthy people without any hospital relation. Although the number of MRSA positive pig herds is on a par with the level seen in 2010, significantly more pigs at slaughter were found to be infected with the so-called pig MRSA, and the number of people infected with pig MRSA is increasing. This appears from the Danish surveillance report, DANMAP, for 2011.

5 Oct 2012

Risk of Lyme disease to increase this fall: CAPC

Leading parasitologists with the nonprofit Companion Animal Parasite Council say the risk of Lyme disease will increase this fall.

5 Oct 2012

New technique has potential to kill off hospital superbugs

Scientists at Queen's University Belfast have developed a new technique which has the potential to kill off hospital superbugs like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, C. difficile and MRSA.

5 Oct 2012