Infectious disease can be any disease caused by invasion by a pathogen which subsequently grows and multiplies in the body. Infectious diseases are the result of damaging microorganisms obtaining access to the body, and not being repelled or destroyed by the immune system.
Study may explain why HIV progresses faster in women than in men with same viral load — Pathways related to elevated immune activation could lead to new treatment strategies. – One of the continuing mysteries of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is why women usually develop lower viral levels than men following acute HIV-1 infection but progress faster to AIDS than men with similar viral loads.
Shared computer keyboards breeding grounds for bacteria – Shared computer keyboards can be breeding grounds for bacteria, revealed by researchers. As the popularity of internet cafes and multi-user computer facilities increases, computer keyboards may be become one of the sources of transferring germs of infectious diseases.
FDA Warns Consumers Not to Use Skin Products Made by Clarcon Due to Bacterial Contamination Risk – Products marketed under various names. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory Inc. of Roy, Utah, is voluntarily recalling some skin sanitizers and skin protectants marketed under several different brand names because of high levels of disease-causing bacteria found in the product during a recent inspection.
New accurate diagnostic test for swine H1N1 influenza using RT-PCR technology – A new, easy-to-perform method for detecting both seasonal influenza A virus and the emerging H1N1 swine-derived influenza A virus in human clinical samples offers a fast, sensitive, and cost-effective diagnostic test that runs on standard laboratory equipment.
Government of Canada announces funding for research to further protect Canadians from the H1N1 flu virus – The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, is pleased to announce another measure to address the H1N1 flu virus. The Government of Canada will fund a national influenza research network focused on pandemic vaccine evaluation.
Australian scientists develop a new low-cost, point-of-care HIV monitoring treatment – Scientists at the Burnet Institute, Australia’s leading medical research and public health institute focused on infectious diseases, have developed a prototype low-cost HIV monitoring test designed for field use in remote settings.
GARDASIL? is First Cervical Cancer Vaccine to Receive WHO Pre-qualification — WHO Pre-qualification Will Help to Facilitate Expanded Global Access and Implementation of HPV Vaccination Programs. – GARDASIL [Human Papillomavirus Quadrivalent (Types 6, 11, 16 and 18) Vaccine, Recombinant], Merck’s cervical cancer vaccine, has been awarded World Health Organization (WHO) pre-qualification. GARDASIL is the first cervical cancer vaccine to receive WHO pre-qualification.
The Indian skeleton represents both the earliest archaeological evidence for human infection with Mycobacterium leprae in the world and the first evidence for the disease in prehistoric India. – A biological anthropologist from Appalachian State University working with an undergraduate student from Appalachian, an evolutionary biologist from UNC Greensboro, and a team of archaeologists from Deccan College (Pune, India) recently reported analysis of a 4000-year-old skeleton from India bearing evidence of leprosy.
Novel vaccine approach offers hope in fight against HIV – Gene transfer technology may lead to an HIV vaccine. – A research team may have broken the stubborn impasse that has frustrated the invention of an effective HIV vaccine, by using an approach that bypasses the usual path followed by vaccine developers.
Study indicates that a common virus could cause high blood pressure – Cytomegalovirus affects majority of adults worldwide. – A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common viral infection affecting between 60 and 99 percent of adults worldwide, is a cause of high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.
AIDS patients with serious complications benefit from early retroviral use, Stanford study shows – HIV-positive patients who don’t seek medical attention until they have a serious AIDS-related condition can reduce their risk of death or other complications by half if they get antiretroviral treatment early on, according to a new multicenter trial led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
UCI awarded $45 million for infectious disease research. Facility seeks to improve detection, treatment and vaccine development. – The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded UC Irvine $45 million over five years for infectious disease research.
