Disease/Infection News

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Coronavirus could turn into a new pandemic

With news that the coronavirus called 2019-nCoV is capable of spreading from human to human, many are concerned about the possibility of a new pandemic, and that is not outside the realm of possibility, according to Jeff Hogan, a professor and infectious disease expert at the University of Georgia, who studied the SARS coronavirus extensively.

24 Jan 2020

Something far deadlier than the Wuhan virus lurks near you

There's a deadly virus spreading from state to state. It preys on the most vulnerable, striking the sick and the old without mercy. In just the past few months, it has claimed the lives of at least 39 children.

24 Jan 2020

Researchers win 2019 AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize for malaria-fighting technology

A team of nine researchers based in the United States and Burkina Faso will receive the 2019 Newcomb Cleveland Prize, presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, for the development of a promising tool in the global fight against malaria and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, including dengue and Zika.

24 Jan 2020

Scientists detect Marburg virus in Sierra Leone fruit bats

Scientists have detected Marburg virus in fruit bats in Sierra Leone, marking the first time the deadly virus has been found in West Africa. Eleven Egyptian rousette fruit bats tested positive for active Marburg virus infection. Research teams caught the bats separately in three health districts.

24 Jan 2020

Infectious disease expert explains about Wuhan coronavirus

A new coronavirus virus, likely first transmitted to people from animals at a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is making international headlines as disease detectives work to uncover what it is, how it's transmitted, and how deadly the virus actually is.

24 Jan 2020

NIAID officials describe steps to control coronavirus that recently originated in China

The new cluster of viral pneumonia cases originating in Wuhan, China, marks the third time in 20 years that a member of the large family of coronaviruses (CoVs) has jumped from animals to humans and sparked an outbreak.

24 Jan 2020

Routine Zika vaccination could help prevent suffering and save money

Global climate change has raised concerns that mosquito-borne diseases could become increasingly prevalent in the United States as warmer temperatures lead to increased mosquito activity.

23 Jan 2020

New vaccine against African swine fever appears to be more effective than previous vaccines

Government and academic investigators have developed a vaccine against African swine fever that appears to be far more effective than previously developed vaccines. The research appears this week in the Journal of Virology, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology.

23 Jan 2020

Emerging public health concern about Wuhan coronavirus

Since December, a new coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has killed at least 17 people and sickened close to 600. Cases continue to spread globally, with one identified in Washington state.

23 Jan 2020

Researchers identify novel cellular entry factor for AAV vector types

Researchers led by a team at Massachusetts Eye and Ear have identified a novel cellular entry factor for adeno-associated virus vector (AAV) types--the most commonly used viral vectors for in vivo gene therapy. AAVs are vectors-or vehicles--that are created from a virus that is made harmless by molecular engineering, and have shown promise transporting genetic therapy treatments to affected tissues.

23 Jan 2020

Combination of two immune defense strategies could afford alternative approach to treating sepsis

The human immune system uses two pre-programmed strategies to tackle infection. One is fever, a resistance mechanism that tries to eliminate a pathogen by raising the body's temperature.

23 Jan 2020

Portable optical biosensor slashes sepsis diagnosis time

Sepsis claims one life every four seconds. It is the primary cause of death in hospitals, and one of the ten leading causes of death worldwide.

23 Jan 2020

Wuhan coronavirus: Disease timeline and on the ground response

The Wuhan coronavirus or 2019-nCoV, a novel coronavirus, is spreading from China to other countries, with the United States confirming its first case of the potentially fatal disease. The virus has killed 17 people in China, sickening more than 500 people across six countries, and leaving thousands of people in quarantine.

22 Jan 2020

Study findings have implications for meningococcal B vaccine programs globally

The results of the B Part of It study – the largest meningococcal B herd immunity study ever conducted – are published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

22 Jan 2020

Controlled-release opioids may lead to endocarditis in injection drug users

A new study from ICES, Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University suggests that injection drug users prescribed controlled-release hydromorphone are three times more likely to develop endocarditis, a serious bacterial heart infection, when compared to those prescribed other opioids.

22 Jan 2020

Scientists reverse HIV latency, take major scientific step toward curative therapies

Approximately 38 million people are infected with HIV worldwide, about 1.1 million people in the United States. Currently, people with HIV take antiretroviral therapy (ART), which can suppress HIV to undetectable levels in blood, but the virus persists throughout the body in latently infected resting CD4+ T cells.

22 Jan 2020

Study explains equal attraction of mosquitoes to flowers and humans

A new study published online on December 23 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports the discovery of the basis on which mosquitoes are drawn towards a type of orchid of which they are inordinately fond, resulting in its pollination.

22 Jan 2020

ECDC updates risk assessment of novel coronavirus outbreak for Europe

The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) identified in China is a new strain of coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans.

22 Jan 2020

Study provides key insights on potential origins of coronavirus outbreak in China

Emerging viral infections--from bird flu to Ebola to Zika infections--pose major threats to global public health, and understanding their origins can help investigators design defensive strategies against future outbreaks.

22 Jan 2020

UTHSC College of Pharmacy, Kroger Health partner to improve shingles vaccination completion rates

The College of Pharmacy at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center has partnered with Kroger Health, the healthcare arm of The Kroger Co., on a nationwide, randomized controlled study across more than 2,200 community pharmacy locations to improve second-dose vaccination completion rates for the shingles vaccine. Elements of the project are funded through a grant from GlaxoSmithKline.

22 Jan 2020