Disease/Infection News

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$3.4M grant for study to distinguish bacterial infections from viral infections in infants with fevers

Octavio Ramilo, MD, chief of Infectious Diseases at Nationwide Children's Hospital, is one of three principal investigators who will share in a five-year, $3.4 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Dr. Ramilo and a team of more than 50 physicians across the United States are investigating the use of novel technologies for distinguishing between bacterial and viral infections in infants with fevers within emergency departments.

4 Oct 2010

UCI awarded $10M grant to explore ways of preventing staph infections in people harboring MRSA bacteria

A UC Irvine infectious disease specialist has received a three-year, $10 million grant to explore the effectiveness of new methods to prevent staph infections in people who harbor MRSA bacteria when they're discharged from the hospital.

4 Oct 2010

Chronic infection with S. maltophilia bacterium may impact cystic fibrosis progression: Study

Exacerbations in cystic fibrosis (CF) may be linked to chronic infection with a bacterium called Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, which was previously thought to simply colonize the CF lung. The finding that chronic infection with S. maltophilia is independently linked with an increased risk of exacerbations gives clinicians and researchers a new potential measure of the health status of CF patients, as well as a new potential target in fighting their disease.

4 Oct 2010

Food allergies may contribute to asthma attacks: Study

Food allergies are more common among people with asthma and may contribute to asthma attacks, according to one of the most comprehensive surveys of food allergies ever undertaken.

4 Oct 2010

NIH announces it will share IP rights to some AIDS drugs in UNITAID Patent Pool

The NIH announced Thursday it will share intellectual property rights on some AIDS drugs in a patent pool designed to make treatments more widely available to the poor, Reuters reports.

4 Oct 2010

Researchers examine new genes to control mosquito-borne diseases

An Iowa State University researcher searched for new genes that are turned on during infection in a type of mosquito that is not only a pest, but transmits disease-causing pathogens.

4 Oct 2010

Research on immune system paves way to combat mother-to-infant HIV transmission

Researchers at Oregon Health &Science University may have uncovered a new weapon for combating HIV as it is passed from mother to newborn child. The research, which was led by researchers at OHSU's Oregon National Primate Research Center, will be published in the October 3rd online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

4 Oct 2010

Media outlets look ahead to next week's Global Fund replenishment meeting

Ahead of next week's replenishment meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in New York, IRIN/PlusNews examines the challenges associated with trying to ramp up programs worldwide to meet global health targets.

4 Oct 2010

WHO says polio outbreak in Angola must be stopped to avoid 'international consequences'

A polio outbreak in Angola, which started in 2007, could have "international consequences" if it is not stopped, Sona Bari, the WHO's spokesperson on polio eradication, said on Friday, Reuters reports.

4 Oct 2010

Study on immune system activation may help develop new drugs for infections

A new research report in the October 2010 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology sheds important light on how our immune systems detect invading organisms to be destroyed and removed from our bodies. The information from this research should ultimately help lead to the development of new drugs and treatments that allow health care providers to prevent runaway immune reactions that can have devastating consequences for people.

4 Oct 2010

Scientists identify a new way to cure food allergies

Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered a way to turn off the immune system's allergic reaction to certain food proteins in mice, a discovery that could have implications for the millions of people who suffer severe reactions to foods, such as peanuts and milk.

4 Oct 2010

Suspected hand, foot and mouth disease on Denver flight

Two children arrived on a flight from Mexico to Denver showing symptoms of the contagious illness called ‘hand, foot and mouth’ disease (HFMD) and were checked by paramedics. They were allowed to leave after experts said they were no threat to public health.

4 Oct 2010

Efforts against drug-resistant malaria along Thai-Cambodian border show progress, but more 'aggressive' approach needed, health officials say

Efforts to prevent the spread of drug-resistant malaria along the border between Cambodia and Thailand are showing signs of progress, but additional work is needed to contain the new strain, health officials said on Friday, Deutsche Presse-Agentur/M&C reports.

4 Oct 2010

Scientist discovers novel pathogen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex

Kathleen Alexander, associate professor of wildlife in Virginia Tech's College of Natural Resources and Environment, has discovered a novel tuberculosis (TB) species in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, a group of pathogens that have adapted by using mammals as hosts. It has been nearly two decades since a new organism was identified in this group; the majority were discovered in the early and mid 20th century.

3 Oct 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb to present multiple compounds’ data at AASLD annual meeting

New data on multiple Bristol-Myers Squibb Company compounds will be presented at the 61st annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in Boston from October 29 to November 2.

3 Oct 2010

Scientists find new replicating mechanism of Salmonella bacteria

New findings by National Institutes of Health scientists could explain how Salmonella bacteria, a common cause of food poisoning, efficiently spread in people. In a study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers describe finding a reservoir of rapidly replicating Salmonella inside epithelial cells. These bacteria are primed to infect other cells and are pushed from the epithelial layer by a new mechanism that frees the Salmonella to infect other cells or be shed into the intestine.

3 Oct 2010

GSA urges treatment of sepsis as a medical emergency

The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) is urging healthcare providers, patients and policymakers worldwide to treat sepsis as a medical emergency. "Tens of millions of people die from sepsis each year, making it the likely leading cause of death worldwide. Sepsis kills regardless of age, ethnicity, location and access to care," said Konrad Reinhart, M.D., Chairman of the GSA and director of the Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of the Friedrich Schiller, University of Jena, Germany.

1 Oct 2010

Healthy respect for flu this season

Flu season officially begins Friday, Oct. 1, and unlike last year's season when shortages lead to rationing, there will be plenty of vaccine on hand for everyone who wants a flu shot.

1 Oct 2010

FDA grants Emergent Fast Track Designation for AVP-21D9 anthrax monoclonal antibody development program

Emergent BioSolutions Inc. announced today that its anthrax monoclonal antibody development program investigating AVP-21D9 for the treatment of inhalational anthrax has been granted Fast Track Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Emergent recently commenced a Phase I clinical trial for AVP-21D9, which is a fully human monoclonal antibody product candidate being developed as a parenteral post-exposure therapeutic to treat symptoms of inhalational anthrax disease.

1 Oct 2010

New method for detecting spores of non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum

The Institute of Food Research has collaborated in the development of a new method for detecting spores of non-proteolytic Clostridium botulinum. This bacterium is the major health hazard associated with refrigerated convenience foods, and these developments give the food industry and regulators more quantitative information on which to base the procedures that ensure food safety.

1 Oct 2010