Scientists discover why plague is so lethal
May 4, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Bacteria that cause the bubonic plague may be more virulent than their close relatives because of a single genetic mutation, according to research published in the May issue of the journal Microbiology.
Potential viral therapy weapon for difficult cancers is safe and effective in study
April 22, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Study led by Cincinnati Children’s proposes further development to advance treatment
Combining a herpes virus genetically altered to express a drug-enhancing enzyme with a chemotherapy drug effectively and safely reduced the size of highly malignant human sarcoma grafted into mice. This new finding may add to the growing arsenal of so called oncolytic viruses under development as novel cancer treatments, especially for difficult, inoperable tumors, according to a research led by Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center and published April 24 in Molecular Therapy.
New strategies against bird flu
April 17, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Austrian scientists identify the common mechanism underlying acute respiratory disease syndrome ARDS
The Spanish flu outbreak of 1918 killed between 30 and 50 million people. In the infected patients, the ultimate cause of death was acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This fatal condition is a massive reaction of the body during which the lung becomes severely damaged. ARDS can be induced by various bacterial and viral infections, but also by chemical agents. These could be toxic gases that are inhaled or gastric acid when aspirated. Once ARDS has developed, survival rates drop dramatically. Among patients infected with H5N1 bird flu, about 50 percent die of ARDS.
Researchers pilot new electronic system for infectious illness
April 10, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Researchers at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Harvard Medical School, Atrius Health, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health have created and tested a set of computer programs that use electronic medical records to help clinicians detect contagious illness and automatically report them to public health departments.
Gator blood could take bite out of superbugs!
April 9, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Proteins in alligator blood could lead to new drugs that fight the super infections that plague humans, Louisiana researchers says.
Alligators often get banged up in battles over territory or food, but Mark Merchant of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., noticed they never seem to get infected, despite slimy living conditions in bacteria-filled swamps.
Vaccine for Ebola virus
March 31, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
One of the worlds deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use.
Scientists uncover how superbug Staph aureus resists our natural defenses
March 25, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Researchers at the University of Washington have uncovered how the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, including the notorious MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staph aureus) superbug strains, resists our body’s natural defenses against infection. The work, which was featured on the cover of the March 21 issue of Science, could lead to new ways to fight the bacteria.
What are the predominant bacilli in the intestines ducklings infected with S. enteritidis?
March 13, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
The enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-PCR (ERIC-PCR) method has been used to fingerprint the kinetics of microbial community of fecal samples of ducklings orally infected with S. enteritidis. This has yielded valuable insights towards fully understanding the pathogenesis of S. enteritidis infection.
Research could put penicillin back in battle against antibiotic resistant bugs that kill millions
March 12, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Streptococcus pneumoniae has become resistant to the antibiotic penicillin. The same research could also open up MRSA to attack by penicillin and help create a library of designer antibiotics to use against a range of other dangerous bacteria.
Engineered protein shows potential as a strep vaccine
March 6, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
A University of California, San Diego-led research team has demonstrated that immunization with a stabilized version of a protein found on Streptococcus bacteria can provide protection against Strep infections, which afflict more than 600 million people each year and kill 400,000.
