Infectious disease Archives

VereFlu portable lab-on-chip for detection of bird flu

STMicroelectronics and Veredus Laboratories Launch Market?s First Lab-on-Chip for Rapid Molecular Flu Detection at Point of Need – Following the success of the evaluation trials conducted at the prestigious National University Hospital of Singapore, Veredus Laboratories and STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) announced the commercial availability of VereFlu, a portable lab-on-chip application for rapid detection of all major influenza types at the point of need.

Men prefer meat, women prefer fruits and vegetables

Men are more likely to report eating meat and poultry items and women are more likely to report eating fruits and vegetables. – When it comes to what we eat, men and women really are different according to scientific research presented at the 2008 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta, Georgia. In general, men are more likely to report eating meat and poultry items and women are more likely to report eating fruits and vegetables.

MRSA and community acquired staph pneumonia more common

Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium may be more common than originally suspected, including that caused by antibiotic resistant strains. – Preliminary research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that community acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium may be more common than originally suspected, including that caused by antibiotic resistant strains.

Schistosomiasis more debilitating than estimated

The health effects of one strain of schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease common in developing countries, are seven to 46 times greater than previously estimated, according to new Brown University research. – The health effects of one strain of schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease common in developing countries, are seven to 46 times greater than previously estimated, according to new Brown University research.

Anti HIV gel Tenofovir proven safe for women

A gel using anti-HIV drug tenofovir to shield women from AIDS has been proven safe for daily use and acceptable to women. – An experimental anti HIV gel is safe for women to use on a daily basis, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Emerging infectious diseases are on the rise

Emerging infectious diseases such as HIV, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), West Nile virus and Ebola are indeed on the rise. – A team of scientists has shown that emerging infectious diseases such as HIV, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), West Nile virus and Ebola are indeed on the rise. The team ? including University of Georgia professor John Gittleman and scientists from the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, the Institute of Zoology (London) and Columbia University ? recently published their findings in leading scientific journal Nature.

Many maternal deaths worldwide are preventable

A study published in PLoS Medicine this week suggests that of women who die during pregnancy and childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa, more may die from treatable infectious diseases than from conditions directly linked to pregnancy. – Women who die during pregnancy and childbirth in sub-Saharan Africa, more may die from treatable infectious diseases than from conditions directly linked to pregnancy, revealed by researchers.

Herpes virus link to complications in pregnancy

Exposure to viral infection – especially viruses of the herpes group – may be associated with pregnancy-induced hypertensive disease (pre-eclampsia) and also with pre-term birth. – Viral infection with high blood pressure during pregnancy may lead to pre-term birth, revealed by researchers at Adelaide’s Women’s & Children’s Hospital and the University of Adelaide.

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.

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).

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.