Meningitis News and Research

Latest Meningitis News and Research

Polyphenols in wine may help prevent cavities

A class of chemicals in red wine grapes may significantly reduce the ability of bacteria to cause cavities, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

3 Jan 2008

Researchers seek to make cavity-causing bacteria self-destruct

Bacteria that eat sugar and release cavity-causing acid onto teeth may soon be made dramatically more vulnerable to their own acid.

3 Jan 2008

Authorities in the U.S. say hold back on children's Hib vaccine

Health authorities in U.S. are advising doctors to defer giving booster shots of a childhood vaccine following suspicions that production equipment may not have been properly sterilized.

20 Dec 2007

Genetic cause of Kawasaki disease

Researchers from Japan's RIKEN SNP Research Center, collaborating with a team at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), have discovered a new genetic variation that affects a child's risk of getting Kawasaki disease (KD), an illness characterized by acute inflammation of the arteries throughout the body.

17 Dec 2007

Denial of care for HIV+ detainees 'unacceptable,' says AHF

On the heels of the Human Rights Watch report descrying the treatment of HIV-positive immigrant detainees, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has criticized the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for its callous disregard for the health and well-being of people living with HIV/AIDS in its care.

10 Dec 2007

Benzethonium chloride products identified as best for killing MRSA

One type of over-the-counter product for topical wound care is more effective than others in killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, or MRSA, which is potentially deadly and in recent years has moved from its historic hospital setting to a much broader public concern.

4 Dec 2007

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines can improve the lives of HIV-infected children

An international team of experts has published the first comprehensive review of evidence on pneumococcal conjugate vaccination (PCV) for children with HIV infection.

29 Nov 2007

Uptake of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine among children in the 1998-2002 United States birth cohorts

Since its addition to the list of routine immunizations in 2000, one childhood vaccine has helped prevent some pneumococcal-related illness, including pneumonia and otitis media.

27 Nov 2007

Gamma interferon could aid fight against fungal infections

Interferon, the "superhero" cure for viral infections, may be a strong weapon in the battle against fungal infections in immunocompromised patients, according to an article in the November issue of Microbiology Today.

1 Nov 2007

Sanofi Pasteur receives FDA approval of Menactra meningococcal vaccine for children

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted licensure to expand the indication for its meningococcal conjugate vaccine, Menactra (Meningococcal [Groups A, C, Y and W-135] Polysaccharide Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine), to include children 2 years through 10 years of age.

22 Oct 2007

Parents panic over MRSA

The death of a 17-year-old high school student in Virginia from the superbug MRSA has prompted the closure of 21 schools in the state for cleaning and has many parents worried.

22 Oct 2007

FDA expands approved age range for Menactra, bacterial meningitis vaccine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approved age range for Menactra, a bacterial meningitis vaccine, to include children ages 2 to 10 years.

19 Oct 2007

Evidence of same-sex mating in nature

Cryptococcus neoformans is a major cause of fungal meningitis in predominantly immunocomprised individuals.

19 Oct 2007

Ear infection superbug found to be resistant to all pediatric antibiotics

Researchers have discovered a strain of bacteria resistant to all approved drugs used to fight ear infections in children, according to an article to be published tomorrow in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

17 Oct 2007

How clean are biometric devices?

While biometric equipment is gaining popularity in a variety of applications, such as ensuring secure access to buildings, industries are finding that many users believe the devices are unsanitary and a potential source of germs that could cause illness.

10 Oct 2007

Central nervous system infections after heart transplants

Central nervous system infections develop infrequently following heart transplants but are a significant predictor of death, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the December 2007 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

9 Oct 2007

Brain eating amoeba in lake kills sixth victim

A Texas boy has become the sixth person this summer to die from brain eating amoeba.

7 Oct 2007

Testing women for group B strep during pregnancy could save Britain GBP37 million a year

A research paper confirms what medical charity Group B Strep Support has been saying for years - that testing pregnant women for group B strep would save lives and save the government money.

1 Oct 2007

U.S. hospitals report infections increasing in frequency and cost

A new review of inpatient data from US hospitals shows that the number of infections caused by a common bacterium increased by over 7 percent each year from 1998 to 2003.

26 Sep 2007

Cases of invasive pneumococcal disease in children reduced

The number of cases of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children has fallen since the introduction of a new vaccine a year ago. Enhanced surveillance by the UK's Health Protection Agency has shown that cases of IPD caused by the seven major types of the pneumococcus bacteria which the new pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) protects against have gone down by almost 50%.

20 Sep 2007