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Tamiflu resistant flu on the rise: Study

According to World Health Organization researchers there is a rise in Australia in the number of seasonal influenza cases resistant to Tamiflu, the most commonly used antiviral drug. The rise in such cases involving the pandemic 2009 A (H1N1) flu strain, also known as swine flu, took place during Australia's most recent winter: May through August of 2011.

2 Jan 2012

Chinese man dies of bird flu

A 39 year old Chinese bus driver tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu virus and died Saturday in a city bordering Hong Kong. According to health officials this is the country’s first reported case of the disease in humans in 18 months.

2 Jan 2012

Mosquito borne Murray Valley Encephalitis warnings for NSW and North Victoria

The NSW Health authorities are warning residents and visitors in southern and western NSW to take extra precautions and protect themselves against mosquitoes following the detection of the Murray Valley Encephalitis (or MVE) virus in NSW. Residents and visitors to North Victoria are also similarly warned.

1 Jan 2012

Columbus’s crew may have brought back syphilis: Study

New research shows that syphilis – a sexually transmitted disease was carried to Europe aboard Christopher Columbus' ships as they sailed home from the New World. The disease was not spread through sexual contact at the time, but adapted to survive once it got to Europe, Emory University researchers say.

1 Jan 2012

FDA approves Prevnar 13 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for adults 50 and older

Prevnar 13, a pneumococcal 13-valent conjugate vaccine, was approved today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for people ages 50 years and older to prevent pneumonia and invasive disease caused by the bacterium, Streptococcus pneumoniae.

31 Dec 2011

FDA approves Pfizer's Prevnar 13 pneumococcal conjugate vaccine as a single dose for adults

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval of the Company's pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Prevnar 13 (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine [Diphtheria CRM197 Protein]) as a single dose for use in adults.

31 Dec 2011

Prion protein uptake associated with development of Scrapie disease

Scrapie is a neurodegenerative disease which can function as a model for other diseases caused by an accumulation of proteins resulting in tissue malformations (proteinpathies), such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

30 Dec 2011

Individuals with diverse skin microbiota at lower risk of contracting malaria

The microbes on your skin determine how attractive you are to mosquitoes, which may have important implications for malaria transmission and prevention, according to a study published Dec. 28 in the online journal PLoS ONE.

29 Dec 2011

Speedy drug metabolism more likely to cause multidrug-resistant TB

A UT Southwestern Medical Center study using a sophisticated "glass mouse" research model has found that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is more likely caused in patients by speedy drug metabolism rather than inconsistent doses, as is widely believed.

29 Dec 2011

Drinking untreated water increases risk of mycobacterial infection

Infections caused by mycobacteria (bacteria which are the cause of diseases such as tuberculosis in humans and animals) have a great impact on public health, animal health and the health of ecosystems in rural areas of Uganda.

29 Dec 2011

Bali tattoo and HIV transmission scare

Tourists who have gotten themselves tattooed or pierced whilst in Bali are being warned to seek medical advice after a Western Australian man reportedly contracted HIV during a recent holiday trip.

28 Dec 2011

Study linking chronic fatigue syndrome with virus infection retracted

The study published in the journal Science in October 2009, which found an association between the illness and a mouse leukemia retrovirus known as XMRV, was retracted last week by the editors of the journal.

28 Dec 2011

Critical considerations for adenovirus-based HIV vaccine trials

A clinical trial testing a candidate HIV vaccine known as the STEP study was halted in September 2007 after interim analysis indicated that the vaccine did not work. Moreover, subsequent analyses indicated that the vaccine made some individuals more susceptible to HIV, in particular individuals who had pre-existing immune effectors (antibodies) that recognized a component of the vaccine (adenovirus serotype 5 [Ad5]).

28 Dec 2011

Pioneer in infectious disease medicine shares his perspectives in new podcast series

Beginning this month, the journal Medicine launches a series of podcasts featuring pioneering infectious disease physician John Bartlett, MD. Medicine is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

28 Dec 2011

FDA clears Meridian Bioscience's new Clostridium difficile assay

Meridian Bioscience, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio today announced it has received FDA clearance for a new Clostridium difficile assay, ImmunoCard C. difficile GDH.

27 Dec 2011

FDA accepts Gilead's Quad HIV regimen NDA for review

Gilead Sciences, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the New Drug Application (NDA) for the Quad, a complete single-tablet HIV regimen containing elvitegravir, cobicistat, emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate.

26 Dec 2011

TheraBiogen launches Social Media campaign

TheraBiogen, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of homeopathic nasal sprays for aiding in the relief of allergies, cold and flu symptoms and migraine headaches, announced today the launch of its Social Media campaign as part of its ongoing product marketing program.

26 Dec 2011

LANL's top 10 science stories of 2011

Los Alamos National Laboratory's top 10 science stories of 2011 illustrate the broad variety of scientific excellence that's the hallmark of the Laboratory. This year's stories include alternative energy research, world record magnetic fields, disease tracking, the study of Mars, climate change, fuel cells, solar wind, and magnetic reconnection.

26 Dec 2011

Roundup: HIV staff to be cut in Ga.; Abortion news in N.J., Mo.; Wis. Medicaid coverage in limbo

A loss of $3.7 million in federal funds is forcing Georgia to reduce its workforce for HIV prevention. After an inquiry by Georgia Health News, the Department of Public Health this week acknowledged that 20 people in state health districts have been notified they will probably lose their jobs in January, and that an unspecified number of staffers at the department level have received the same notification.

23 Dec 2011

Science names HIV prevention trial as '2011 Breakthrough of the Year'

"The journal Science has chosen the HPTN 052 clinical trial, an international HIV prevention trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)," which found that early treatment with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) reduced the risk of transmission among sero-discordant partners by 96 percent, as the "2011 Breakthrough of the Year," an NIH press release states (12/22).

23 Dec 2011