Disease/Infection News

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Third-party to prepare FDA submittals for NanoLogix

NanoLogix Inc., an innovator in the accelerated detection, identification and antibiotic sensitivity determination of live bacteria announces that has instructed a third-party to prepare a total of six applications for submittal to the US FDA.

11 Jan 2012

Aid group tracks down likely first case in Haiti's cholera outbreak

"A mentally ill man who bathed in and drank from a contaminated river most likely was the first person to be infected" with cholera in the outbreak that began in Haiti in October 2010, researchers from Partners in Health said in a study published Monday in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Associated Press/Washington Post reports (1/9).

11 Jan 2012

Infectious disease-fighting drugs could be designed to block pathogen's entry into cells

New research shows that infectious disease-fighting drugs could be designed to block a pathogen's entry into cells rather than to kill the bug itself.

11 Jan 2012

Decorative fountain in hospital linked to 2010 Wisconsin outbreak of Legionnaires' disease

A 2010 outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Wisconsin has been linked to a decorative fountain in a hospital lobby, according to a study published in the February issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

11 Jan 2012

Warwick researchers and Canadian scientists partner in new project on antibiotic resistance

University of Warwick researchers have teamed up with Canadian scientists on a -2.2 million project to search for new antibiotics which will beat resistance in deadly "superbugs".

11 Jan 2012

END7 campaign aims to combat seven major NTDs by 2020

Launched today, the END7 campaign is dedicated to eliminating seven major neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) as a public health threat to poor communities by the end of 2020.

10 Jan 2012

Report on the value of 'Google Flu Trends' for emergency departments

Monitoring Internet search traffic about influenza may prove to be a better way for hospital emergency rooms to prepare for a surge in sick patients compared to waiting for outdated government flu case reports. A report on the value of the Internet search tool for emergency departments, studied by a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine over a 21-month period, is published in the January 9 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

10 Jan 2012

Nigerian leaders sign onto Gates immunization challenge

"Nigeria's 36 Executive Governors and the Federal Capital Territory have signed up to the Nigeria Immunization Challenge launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation last year," a Gates Foundation press release states.

10 Jan 2012

Concerns over using ARV therapy as prevention strategy

PSI's "Healthy Lives" blog reviews a recent Science magazine article written by James Shelton of USAID's Bureau of Global Health in which he raises concerns about the use of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) as a prevention strategy.

10 Jan 2012

Cases of totally drug-resistant TB reported in India

"For the first time in India, 12 people have been detected with totally drug-resistant lung tuberculosis (TDR-TB), a condition in which patients do not respond to any TB medication" and for which the mortality rate is 100 percent, the Hindustan Times reports.

10 Jan 2012

Haiti faces 'largest' cholera epidemic in modern history, PAHO says

"Almost two years after the devastating 7.0 earthquake destroyed much of Port-au-Prince, full recovery appears to be years away," the Miami Herald reports, noting that "thousands of people continue to live in makeshift shelters and tents and rubble from dilapidated buildings still line some streets."

10 Jan 2012

CMS increases NLA for T-SPOT.TB test's CPT code 86481

Oxford Immunotec, Inc. announces that, following a reconsideration request made by the company, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has increased the national limitation amount (NLA) for the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code 86481 which is used for the T-SPOT.TB test.

10 Jan 2012

Congressional delegation visits Africa to assess impact of U.S.-sponsored projects

A Congressional delegation consisting of six senators and one representative arrived in Africa on Thursday for an eight-day trip that "includes oversight of Department of Defense, Department of State, and USAID activities in Africa," the Daily Republic reports.

10 Jan 2012

Modified probiotics could one day decrease risk of Listeria infection

Modified probiotics, the beneficial bacteria touted for their role in digestive health, could one day decrease the risk of Listeria infection in people with susceptible immune systems, according to Purdue University research.

10 Jan 2012

CNBG, Aeras reach final agreement to develop new TB vaccines

The global fight against the tuberculosis epidemic receives a boost today as Aeras and the China National Biotec Group (CNBG) announce that they have reached final agreement to jointly develop new tuberculosis (TB) vaccines.

10 Jan 2012

Positive interim data from Idenix IDX184 12-week phase IIb trial on HCV

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, today announced interim data from a 12-week phase IIb clinical trial of IDX184, the Company's lead product candidate for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

9 Jan 2012

Idenix Pharmaceuticals makes progress with its HCV development pipeline

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, today announced the advancement of its hepatitis C virus development pipeline.

9 Jan 2012

Sangamo BioSciences starts Phase 2 clinical studies to develop functional cure for HIV/AIDS

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced today the initiation of two new Phase 2 clinical studies (SB-728-1101 and SB-728-902, Cohort 5) in its program to develop a "functional cure" for HIV/AIDS.

9 Jan 2012

Presidio completes PPI-668 Phase 1a study on hepatitis C

Presidio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the successful completion of a Phase 1a dose-ranging assessment of PPI-668, a potent, pan-genotypic second-generation hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A inhibitor, in healthy volunteers and subsequent advancement to a Phase 1b assessment of the dose-related efficacy in hepatitis C patients.

9 Jan 2012

Colby's JVRS-100 enhances immunogenicity, cross-protective efficacy of H5N1 influenza vaccine

Colby Pharmaceutical Company (CPC) today announced publication of new results showing that a single dose of JVRS-100 adjuvanted H5N1 influenza vaccine enhanced-immune responses, -dose sparing, and -cross-clade influenza virus protection.

9 Jan 2012