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Study explains why some people experience repeated infections of Lyme disease

The bacteria that cause Lyme disease, one of the most important emerging diseases in the United States, appear to hide out in the lymph nodes, triggering a significant immune response, but one that is not strong enough to rout the infection, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.

17 Jun 2011

Specific lipid mixtures can overcome lethal effects of multidrug-resistant bacteria

"Super bugs," which can cause wide-spread disease and may be resistant to most, if not all, conventional antibiotics, still have their weaknesses. A team of Canadian scientists discovered that specific mixtures of antimicrobial agents presented in lipid (fatty) mixtures can significantly boost the effectiveness of those agents to kill the resistant bacteria.

17 Jun 2011

UTHealth receives $1M FEMA grant to examine link between Ad-36 infection, obesity

Researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) have been awarded nearly $1 million to investigate Adenovirus-36 (Ad-36) infection as a novel risk factor for obesity.

17 Jun 2011

Scientists uncover how immune system responds to invading anthrax bacteria

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have uncovered how the body's immune system launches its survival response to the notorious and deadly bacterium anthrax.

17 Jun 2011

Public Health Grid technology could address specific surveillance needs for pandemic disease control

An evaluation of the Public Health Grid (PHGrid) technology during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic could enhance the capabilities of epidemiologists and disease-control agencies when the next emergent disease appears, according to a study published in the International Journal of Grid and Utility Computing.

17 Jun 2011

BGI releases first complete map of Germany E. coli O104:H4 genome

Building upon previous efforts producing a high-quality de novo genome assemblies of deadly 2011 E. coli O104:H4 outbreak strain, the BGI and their collaborators at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf have now released the first complete map of the genome and plasmids without any assembly gaps.

17 Jun 2011

Positive results from Cubist CXA-201 and CB-183,315 Phase 2 studies for complicated intra-abdominal infections

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading acute care therapeutics company, today announced positive top-line results from the recently completed Phase 2 studies of its CXA-201 and CB-183,315 antibiotic pipeline candidates. CXA-201 was studied for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) in adults.

16 Jun 2011

ASEAN region recognizes first Dengue Day to raise awareness

"The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) at the launch of Dengue Day on Wednesday called on all sectors of society to unite in the battle against the disease, which has developed into a formidable threat to health in Asia, a press statement said," Xinhua reports.

16 Jun 2011

Positive results from BiondVax Multimeric-001 Phase IIa trial against influenza

BiondVax Pharmaceuticals Ltd. today announced positive results from its first Phase II clinical trial of the Multimeric-001 Universal Influenza Vaccine.

16 Jun 2011

Geisinger uses mandatory approach to improve healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates

Geisinger Health System vaccinated more than 92% of all employees against influenza this season, with a modification of a mandatory program. On average, fewer than half of all healthcare workers receive flu vaccinations.

16 Jun 2011

University of Houston chemist develops two different materials against E. coli

A University of Houston (UH) chemist who is developing materials for detecting and repelling E. coli has published papers in two high-impact journals this month.

16 Jun 2011

UCLA researchers find new potential therapeutic target for preventing HIV

Specific types of "helper" T cells that are crucial to maintaining functioning immune systems contain an enzyme called PDI. This enzyme affects how proteins fold into specific shapes, which in turn influences how the T cells behave.

16 Jun 2011

AFP says battle against AIDS not over in India

Though the country has reduced by half the number of new infections since 2001, "UNAIDS coordinator in India, Charles Gilks, said that while the authorities should be commended for tackling the problem, the country had not yet won the battle," the news agency reports.

16 Jun 2011

Study: Glowing gel improves children's hand hygiene

Use of a glowing gel that shows kids how well they wash their hands by illustrating bacteria they missed while washing and may significantly improve hand hygiene, according to a study published in the July issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

16 Jun 2011

Serious RSV infections may occur in previously healthy infants and children

For most parents, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) isn't a familiar term. But it's a common cause of serious respiratory infections with a major impact on the health of infants and young children worldwide, according to a special CDC Review Article in the June issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Jun 2011

Scientists discover new cell type in the immune system

A team of Australian scientists has discovered a new type of cell in the immune system. The new cell type, a kind of white blood cell, belongs to a family of T-cells that play a critical role in protection against infectious disease.

16 Jun 2011

Inviragen commences INV21 Phase 1 trial against Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Inviragen announced today the initiation of the first clinical trial of the Company's proprietary Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) investigational vaccine, INV21, a highly purified virus particle preparation designed to protect against HFMD caused by enterovirus 71.

16 Jun 2011

Simple and cheap Syphilis test could save the lives of millions of babies

Syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease that has been a taboo for decades, kills an estimated one million newborn and stillborn babies every year. However a simple test for every pregnant woman followed by antibiotics for those infected would stop the deaths.

16 Jun 2011

Low-level antibiotic exposure may cause E. coli bacteria to develop resistance

E. coli bacteria exposed to three common antibiotics were more likely to develop antibiotic resistance following low-level antibiotic exposure than after exposure to high concentrations that would kill the bacteria or inhibit their growth, according to a timely article in Microbial Drug Resistance, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

15 Jun 2011

Intralytix obtains FDA, FSIS regulatory clearance for bacteriophage-based product against E. coli

Intralytix, Inc. announced today that it has completed regulatory clearance from both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for its phage-based EcoShield food safety product, effective against E. coli O157:H7.

15 Jun 2011