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Tamiflu resistant flu found in Newcastle, Australia

The influenza pandemic has gathered a lot of action, advice and coverage over the last few years. In 2009, an international H1N1 influenza pandemic led to concerns that there would be a repeat of the 1918 influenza pandemic which resulted in millions of deaths worldwide. The World Health Organization recorded over 37,000 cases of the H1N1 pandemic influenza in Australia and 193 confirmed deaths.

2 Sep 2011

MRSA ‘superbug’: Everyone at risk!

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacteria that does not respond to commonly used antibiotic treatments, is a type of infection that has been a problem in hospital settings for many years. Back in 2000 it began steadily making its way into the lives of otherwise healthy people, especially children, who are not typically at risk for the fast-moving bacteria.

2 Sep 2011

Guatemalan Syphilis study in 1940’s violated ethical standards: US presidential commission report

The U.S. presidential commission has found that U.S. government researchers violated ethical standards by deliberately infecting Guatemalan prison inmates and mental patients with syphilis for an experiment in the 1940s. This research did not treat Guatemalan participants as human beings and failed to inform them they were taking part in research study, calling into question the bioethics behind the study design.

31 Aug 2011

Eleven UvA researchers named as recipients of ERC Starting Grants

Eleven researchers from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have been named as recipients of Starting Independent Researcher Grants from the European Research Council.

31 Aug 2011

Medivir completes enrollment of three TMC435 phase 3 trials on CHC genotype-1 infection

MedivirAB is an emerging researchbased specialty pharmaceutical company focused on infectious diseases. Medivir today announced that its investigational protease inhibitor TMC435, developed by Tibotec Pharmaceuticals, has successfully completed enrollment of three ongoing global phase 3 trials and further reports that all patients are now on TMC435 or active control treatment.

31 Aug 2011

Infant rotavirus vaccination may provide indirect protection to older children, adults in the U.S.

Vaccinating infants against rotavirus also prevents serious disease in unvaccinated older children and adults, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

31 Aug 2011

IPS examines DNDi program to develop pediatric HIV drugs

Inter Press Service profiles a program launched by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) to develop antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) specifically designed for children living with HIV/AIDS.

31 Aug 2011

SAIC awards Selecta a subcontract to develop synthetic nanoparticle vaccine for malaria

Selecta Biosciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing an entirely new class of targeted vaccines and immunotherapies, today announced that Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has awarded Selecta a subcontract to develop a targeted synthetic vaccine particle product for malaria.

31 Aug 2011

Research shows numerous health benefits of Modified Citrus Pectin

New research published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine shows Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) packs a powerful immune punch.

31 Aug 2011

Chagas parasite infects 18M worldwide, often without detection

Chagas, which is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects 18 million people worldwide, but is particularly prevalent in Latin American countries, "where a bug called the vinchuga, sometimes known as the kissing bug, transmits the disease," the Atlantic reports. The parasite "remains dormant in peoples' bodies for up to 30 years, until it kills them suddenly by stopping their hearts or rupturing their intestines," the magazine writes.

31 Aug 2011

Stanford method identifies essential regions of Caulobacter's genome

A team at the Stanford University School of Medicine has cataloged, down to the letter, exactly what parts of the genetic code are essential for survival in one bacterial species, Caulobacter crescentus.

31 Aug 2011

Cost of second-line ARVs a 'huge barrier to care' in resource-poor countries

In this U.N. Dispatch blog post, Mark Leon Goldberg, managing editor of the blog, examines the costs of second-line antiretroviral treatments (ARVs), which "are several orders of magnitude more expensive than traditional, first-line ARV treatments" and are a "huge barrier to providing care" for resource-poor countries.

31 Aug 2011

UCLA develops dual-mode microscope that uses holograms instead of lenses

To serve remote areas of the world, doctors, nurses and field workers need equipment that is portable, versatile, and relatively inexpensive. Now researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) have built a compact, light-weight, dual-mode microscope that uses holograms instead of lenses.

31 Aug 2011

Scientists using molecular epidemiology to diagnose and track disease outbreaks

The New York Times examines "new methods of quickly sequencing entire microbial genomes that are revolutionizing the field" of molecularly epidemiology and could help public health officials identify and track disease outbreaks.

31 Aug 2011

Presidential panel reveals new details of 1940s syphilis experiments in Guatemala

"A presidential panel on Monday disclosed shocking new details of U.S. medical experiments done in Guatemala in the 1940s, including a decision to re-infect a dying woman in a syphilis study," the Associated Press/Seattle Times reports.

31 Aug 2011

Hospitalized children with colonized with MRSA more likely to develop full-blown infections

A Johns Hopkins Children's Center study of more than 3,000 hospitalized children shows that those colonized but not sick with the antibiotic-resistant bacterium MRSA are at considerable risk for developing full-blown infections.

31 Aug 2011

Racial, ethnic and poverty disparities in human papillomavirus vaccination completion

Barriers that hinder young African-American, Hispanic and poor women from completing a series of three vaccinations to prevent human papillomavirus infection (HPV) also leave them at higher risk for cervical cancer and death.

30 Aug 2011

Study may help explain plague's rapid evolution and aid in development of therapeutics

In the evolutionary blink of an eye, a bacterium that causes mild stomach irritation evolved into a deadly assassin responsible for the most devastating pandemics in human history. How did the mild-mannered Yersinia pseudotuberculosis become Yersinia pestis, more commonly known as the Plague?

30 Aug 2011

Iranian HIV physician released from Tehran prison

"Iranian HIV doctor Arash Alaei has been released from jail in Tehran after spending more than three years behind bars for allegedly conspiring against the regime, his U.S.-based brother said Monday," Agence France-Presse reports.

30 Aug 2011

Water and sanitation, NTD sectors should work together

In a post on the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases' "End the Neglect" blog, Kerry Gallo of Children Without Worms writes, "Effective control strategies for several NTDs such as soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH), trachoma, and schistosomiasis require that communities have access to water and latrines to break the cycle of infection," concluding, "The intertwined nature of water and sanitation issues and NTD control shows that our two sectors should work together in partnership to improve the health of communities and maximize impact".

30 Aug 2011

Disease/Infection News

Tamiflu resistant flu found in Newcastle, Australia

MRSA ‘superbug’: Everyone at risk!

Guatemalan Syphilis study in 1940’s violated ethical standards: US presidential commission report

Eleven UvA researchers named as recipients of ERC Starting Grants

Medivir completes enrollment of three TMC435 phase 3 trials on CHC genotype-1 infection

Infant rotavirus vaccination may provide indirect protection to older children, adults in the U.S.

IPS examines DNDi program to develop pediatric HIV drugs

SAIC awards Selecta a subcontract to develop synthetic nanoparticle vaccine for malaria

Research shows numerous health benefits of Modified Citrus Pectin

Chagas parasite infects 18M worldwide, often without detection

Stanford method identifies essential regions of Caulobacter's genome

Cost of second-line ARVs a 'huge barrier to care' in resource-poor countries

UCLA develops dual-mode microscope that uses holograms instead of lenses

Scientists using molecular epidemiology to diagnose and track disease outbreaks

Presidential panel reveals new details of 1940s syphilis experiments in Guatemala

Hospitalized children with colonized with MRSA more likely to develop full-blown infections

Racial, ethnic and poverty disparities in human papillomavirus vaccination completion

Study may help explain plague's rapid evolution and aid in development of therapeutics

Iranian HIV physician released from Tehran prison

Water and sanitation, NTD sectors should work together

How can super-resolution technology help study neurotransmission?

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

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