Infection Archives

Cholesterol lowering drug may fight staph infection

Cholesterol lowering drug could offer a new direction for therapies against staph infection – a bacterium that’s becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. – An international team of researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has blocked staph infections in mice using a drug previously tested in clinical trials as a cholesterol-lowering agent. The novel approach, described in the February 14 online edition of Science, could offer a new direction for therapies against a bacterium that’s becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics.

HIV persists in gut despite long term HIV therapy

Even with effective anti-HIV therapies, doctors still have not been able to eradicate the virus from infected individuals who are receiving such treatments, largely because of the persistence of HIV in hideouts known as viral reservoirs. – HIV virus is not usually eradicated from infected individuals even after long term HIV therapy because of the persistence of HIV in hideouts known as viral reservoirs. One important reservoir is the gut, where HIV causes much of its damage due to the large number of HIV target cells that reside there.

Corneal transplant success depends on donor’s health

Corneal grafts with eye tissue obtained from donors dying in the hospital or with cancer may have an increased risk of postsurgical endophthalmitis, possibly due to donor-to-host microbial transmission. Together with donor screening and processing, improvements in microbiological control may reduce infection associated with corneal transplant. – Corneal grafts obtained from donors dying in the hospital or with cancer may be associated with an increased risk of infection for the recipient, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Scientists identify new cellular receptor for HIV

NIAID Scientists identified new cellular receptor for HIV, and it may help further elucidate the complex mechanisms of the pathogenesis of HIV infection. – A cellular protein that helps guide immune cells to the gut has been newly identified as a target of HIV when the virus begins its assault on the body’s immune system, according to researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

HIV can be transmitted through pre-chewed food

AIDS virus can be spread by a mother pre-chewing her infant’s food. – HIV can be transmitted to infants through food that is pre-chewed by an HIV-positive parent or caregiver, CDC researchers said Wednesday at the 15th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, the New York Times reports. Specific findings from the study have not been released, the Times reports.

DNA sequencing found virus killing transplant recipients in Australia

DNA sequencing establishes high throughput genetic sequencing as powerful tool for pathogen discovery; technology enables improvements in screening for transplant safety. – In the first application of high throughput DNA sequencing technology to investigate an infectious disease outbreak, link the discovery of a new arenavirus to the deaths of three transplant recipients who received organs from a single donor in Victoria, Australia in April 2007.

New hope for hepatitis C sufferers

Adelaide scientists will lead a $2 million five-year project to develop new vaccines and explore better treatment options for hepatitis C sufferers. – University of Adelaide virologists Dr Michael Beard and Dr Karla Helbig will work with colleagues from the University of NSW to develop new strategies to treat and prevent hepatitis C, which infects more than 170 million people around the world.

First decellularized heart valve approved in US

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared for marketing the first replacement heart valve from donated human tissue in which the cells have been removed. – CryoLife, Inc., (NYSE: CRY) a biomaterials, medical device and tissue processing company, today announced that it has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its CryoValve(R) SG pulmonary human heart valve processed with the Company’s proprietary SynerGraft technology.

Researchers cracking the code of bird flu time bomb

Australian scientists say they have found a safer way to study the bird flu virus, giving researchers a greater chance to solve the H5N1 strain. – Researchers at Griffith University Institute for Glycomics, Queensland led by Professor Mark von Itzstein have developed a technique to ‘crack-the-code’ of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus. It will enable influenza virus specialists and drug researchers to interrogate one of the virus’ key surface proteins without risk of infection.

Breastfeeding safer for infants of HIV mothers with Nevirapine

First solid evidence that viral transmission through breast milk can be prevented by a drug Nevirapine HIV drug. – An antiretroviral drug already in widespread use in the developing world to prevent the transmission of HIV from infected mothers to their newborns during childbirth has also been found to substantially cut the risk of subsequent HIV transmission during breast-feeding.

Chronic drinking can lead to pneumonia after surgery

Consistent alcohol consumption can impair immunity functions following surgery. Study authors recommend that patients considering surgery control their drinking habits, and also be very honest with their doctors about their drinking habits, prior to surgery. – People who drink often have immune-function problems following surgery. For example, patients who consume alcohol long-term have a two- to five-fold greater chance of post-operation infection complications. A new rodent study has found that chronic consumption ? in this case, the equivalent of prolonged moderate drinking ? can result in a more severe form of pneumonia following surgery.

Genetic mutation increases risk of preterm birth

Mutations in immune system gene linked to placental injury common in preterm babies – Genetic mutations in the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene appear to have significant association with inflammatory injury to the placenta and developing baby, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh’s department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences report at the 28th annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Scientific sessions continue through Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Dallas Hyatt Regency at Reunion.