Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Newsweek examines the effect of aging on people living with HIV/AIDS

Newsweek on Thursday examined the effects of aging on HIV-positive people older than age 50, who currently comprise the fastest-growing group of people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. From 1990 to 2005, the number of HIV cases among people older than 50 increased by more than 700%, according to local Department of Health studies.

22 Sep 2008

Supply shortages, poverty interrupt antiretroviral treatments in Swaziland

Health facilities in Swaziland are experiencing shortages in antiretroviral drugs and other medications despite insistence from the country's health department that the shortage has been resolved, IRIN/PlusNews reports.

22 Sep 2008

China should provide medical care, compensation to HIV-positive blood donors, Piot says

UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot on Thursday encouraged the Chinese government to provide compensation and medical care to thousands of people who contracted HIV through the government-supported blood transfusions in the late 1990s and early 2000s, AFP/AsiaOne News reports.

22 Sep 2008

Australian men picking HIV up from unsafe sex overseas

A conference in Perth, Australia, has heard that six men in Cairns have contracted HIV after travelling to Papua New Guinea and the news has alarmed health authorities and raised concern that there may be more undetected cases in the area.

17 Sep 2008

Combo of flu shot and COLD-FX cuts cold and flu by a third

A new study has shown the benefit of annual flu vaccinations for seniors along with Canada's top cold and flu-fighting product COLD-FX.

17 Sep 2008

Indian High Court forms committee to address HIV/AIDS in prisons

The high court in Mumbai, India, on Thursday formed a committee to create guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of HIV in prisons in response to the increasing spread of the virus among inmates, the Daily News & Analysis reports.

16 Sep 2008

Herpes drug Acyclovir could help control HIV

Acyclovir -- a low-cost, generic drug used to treat herpes -- also might help control HIV in people living with both viruses, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal ell Host and Microbe, Reuters reports.

15 Sep 2008

Expanded AIDS research consortium

A national AIDS research consortium led by the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has two new university partners.

11 Sep 2008

Herpes virus changes anti-herpes drug acyclovir to form that hinders AIDS virus

The drug acyclovir has long been used to suppress outbreaks of oral and genital herpes. Herpes viruses change acyclovir to a form that prevents them from reproducing.

10 Sep 2008

Houston Chronicle examines Baylor pediatric HIV/AIDS program in Burkina Faso

The Houston Chronicle on Saturday examined the Baylor College of Medicine's International Pediatric AIDS Initiative in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

10 Sep 2008

Refined Pap smear test more accurate

Italian researchers have found that a new method of testing for cervical cancer is more accurate than a pap smear and also picks up more dangerous lesions.

10 Sep 2008

Discovery of gene that could help develop HIV/AIDS vaccine

In an article published in the journal Science on Thursday, researchers announced that they have discovered a gene, called Apobec3, that might help in the development of an HIV/AIDS vaccine, Reuters Health reports.

9 Sep 2008

Study identifies proteins that help provide immunity against HIV among commercial sex workers in Kenya

In a study published Wednesday in the Journal of Proteome Research, researchers from the University of Manitoba, along with participants from Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory and the University of Nairobi, indentified more than 15 proteins in a group of Kenyan commercial sex workers thought to have a natural immunity to HIV, the Winnipeg Free Press reports (Tremain, Winnipeg Free Press, 9/4).

9 Sep 2008

Vaginal rings provide new HIV protection for women

Vaginal rings, similar to those used for contraception and hormone replacement therapy, could protect women from sexually-transmitted HIV, according to research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester.

8 Sep 2008

Universal flu vaccine the 'Holy Grail' of flu shots

Scientists say a universal flu vaccine still in the pipeline could see an end to the annual flu shot.

8 Sep 2008

Land clearing and deforestation mean more mosquito-borne diseases

Australian researchers are blaming land clearing and deforestation for the potential increase in mosquito-borne diseases.

8 Sep 2008

Binge drinking women often engage in risky sex

According to new research from the U.S., women who binge drink are more likely to indulge in unsafe sex.

8 Sep 2008

Seattle department finds OraSure HIV test to be less accurate than label claims

A report by Public Health -- Seattle and King County in Washington state has found that testing with OraSure Technologies' OraQuick test provides less accurate results than the label claims, Bloomberg reports.

7 Sep 2008

Press Trust of India examines HIV/AIDS among Indian populations living in Mauritius

The Press Trust of India on Tuesday examined HIV/AIDS among Indian populations on the island of Mauritius.

5 Sep 2008

FDA approves DNA test to measure hepatitis B viral load

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first nucleic acid test for hepatitis B virus (HBV) that measures the amount of viral DNA (viral load) in a patient's blood. Assessing a patient's viral load provides health care professionals with a highly sensitive method for gauging the progress of antiviral therapy in patients with chronic HBV infections.

5 Sep 2008