EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases

UV lotion lights the way to cleaner facilities

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(BioMed Central) Hospital cleaners should watch out because the toilet police are patrolling with their new secret weapon: invisible markers

APIC conference to focus on patient safety and 'Targeting Zero' initiatives to reduce HAIs

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Association for Professionals in Infection Control) Strategies for infection prevention, best practices, the changing legal landscape of healthcare-associated infections and emerging multidrug-resistant bacteria are among the topics that will be covered at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology 35th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting, June 15-19 in Denver, Colo. The meeting is the largest annual gathering of infection prevention and control professionals from around the world.

NIH awards LIAI major grant to test safety of new smallpox treatment

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology) The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology has received a $7.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund safety and effectiveness testing of an antibody treatment that quickly fights the smallpox virus. The treatment could be the nation's first line of defense in protecting against a terrorist-originated smallpox outbreak and may eventually be stockpiled nationwide alongside the smallpox vaccine.

Taking the sex out of sexual health screening

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(BioMed Central) Young women would accept age-based screening for the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia, but would want this test to be offered to everyone, rather than to people "singled out" according to their sexual history.

New United States Postal Service stamp honors an American scientist

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Trudeau Institute) On May 12, 2008, the United States Postal Service will issue its eleventh stamp in the Distinguished Americans series. The new stamp will honor famed Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau (1848-1915).

Superbug genome sequenced

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Bristol) The genome of a newly-emerging superbug, commonly known as Steno, has just been sequenced. The results reveal an organism with a remarkable capacity for drug resistance. The research was carried out by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge and the University of Bristol.

First analysis of platypus genome may impact disease prevention

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Louisiana State University) LSU's Mark Batzer, along with an international consortium of scientists led by Wes Warren at Washington University in Saint Louis, Mo., has proven that platypus looks aren't only skin-deep -- their DNA is an equally cobbled-together array of bird, reptile and mammalian lineages.

Molecular espionage shows a single HIV enzyme's many tasks

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Harvard University) Using ingenious molecular espionage, scientists have found how a single key enzyme, seemingly the Swiss army knife in HIV's toolbox, differentiates and dynamically binds both DNA and RNA as part of the virus' fierce attack on host cells. The work is described this week in the journal Nature.

Prions show their good side

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Rockefeller University) Prions, the infamous agents behind mad cow disease and its human variation, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, also have a helpful side. According to new findings from Gerald Zamponi and colleagues, normally functioning prions prevent neurons from working themselves to death. The findings appear in the May 5 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology.

Pilot study reinforces use of portable anteroom HEPA filtration

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Association for Professionals in Infection Control) Amidst an increase in new tuberculosis cases, researchers have begun investigating the effectiveness of new operating room filtration systems designed to protect staff and patients. According to pilot study findings published in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, a supplemental portable anteroom high-efficiency particulate air (PAS- HEPA) filter unit placed outside operating room suites may prevent secondary transmission of airborne microorganisms like Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis).

Steroids provide no survival benefit for children with bacterial meningitis

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) Corticosteroids given to children who are hospitalized for bacterial meningitis do not provide a benefit in survival or in reduced hospital stays, according to a large multicenter study by pediatric researchers. This finding stands in contrast to previous studies in hospitalized adults, for which corticosteroids dramatically reduced mortality. When given, the corticosteroids supplement the primary treatment, antibiotics.

Corticosteroids not linked with reduced risk of death for children with bacterial meningitis

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(JAMA and Archives Journals) Use of corticosteroids in addition to other treatment for children with bacterial meningitis is not associated with a decreased risk of death or shorter hospital stay, according to a study in the May 7 issue of JAMA.

Elucidating iron transport mechanisms in tuberculosis bug identifies new TB drug targets

Tue, 06 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Public Library of Science) Researchers from India led by professor Seyed E. Hasnain of the Institute of Life Sciences, at the University of Hyderabad, India have worked out the mechanism of iron uptake system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is considered to be one of the important drug targets. These findings are published in PLoS ONE on May 7.

New agent strikes at respiratory syncytial virus replication

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston) University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have achieved promising results with a potential new weapon against respiratory syncytial virus, the most common cause of infant hospitalization in the United States.

Study shows physician judgement important in reducing RSV-related hospitalizations

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Edelman Public Relations) MedImmune announced results from a retrospective chart review that evaluated the use of Synagis as a preventative measure against respiratory syncytial virus.

Phase 3 data: Anti-RSV antibody to be presented at Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Edelman Public Relations) MedImmune today announced that researchers are currently presenting results from a MedImmune-sponsored Phase 3 study involving motavizumab, an investigational monoclonal antibody that is being evaluated for its potential to prevent serious disease caused by RSV in high-risk pediatric patients.

New Clorox disinfectant is EPA registered to kill both known types of MRSA

Mon, 05 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Ketchum DC) While MRSA has been an issue in health-care settings for years, CA-MRSA outbreaks in the community have been on the rise, with the greatest risk in community settings such as fitness clubs, in sports teams, at schools and daycare centers. In May, the Clorox Co. will launch Clorox Pro Quaternary All-Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner, a disinfectant that is EPA registered to kill germs, including Healthcare-associated and Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA).

Getting wise to the influenza virus' tricks

Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(European Molecular Biology Laboratory) One of the tactics used by influenza virus to take over the machinery of infected cells has been laid bare by structural biologists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the joint Unit of Virus Host-Cell Interaction in Grenoble, France. In the current issue of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology they publish a high-resolution image of a key protein domain whose function is to allow the virus to multiply by hijacking the host cell protein production machinery.

Scientists discover why plague is so lethal

Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for General Microbiology) 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.

Bacterial slime helps cause serious disease

Sun, 04 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Society for General Microbiology) Leptospirosis is a serious but neglected emerging disease that infects humans through contaminated water. Now research published in the May issue of the journal Microbiology shows for the first time how bacteria that cause the disease survive in the environment.

Stanford researchers synthesize compound to flush HIV out of hiding

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Stanford University) Stanford chemist Paul Wender and coworkers have found a way to synthesize better bird dogs, agents that can be tailored to flush HIV out into the open where the immune system and antiretroviral therapies can destroy it. Wender is senior author of a paper in the May 2 issue of Science.Wender says the discovery has the promise of taking HIV therapy to the next level -- addressing issues related to eradicating the virus.

AIBS honors outstanding contributions to the biological sciences

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(American Institute of Biological Sciences) Each year the American Institute of Biological Sciences awards eminent individuals or groups for outstanding contributions to the biological sciences. The AIBS Board of Directors and Awards Committee are pleased to announce the award winners for 2008.

Turning on cell-cell communication wipes out staph biofilms

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(University of Iowa) University of Iowa researchers have succeeded in wiping out established biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus by hijacking one of the bacteria's own regulatory systems. Although the discovery is not ready for clinical application, the findings offer insight into a dispersal mechanism for staph biofilms and might help identify therapeutic targets.

Preoperative assessment of cancer patients enables early diagnosis, treatment of lymphedema

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Russo Partners, LLC) The preoperative assessment of breast cancer patients for subclinical lymphedema enables clinicians to establish a baseline, which serves to enable the early diagnosis and successful treatment of the debilitating condition, according to data from a five-year study published this week in the online edition of the journal Cancer.

Report raises C. diff concerns; yeast-based probiotic shown to help significantly reduce recurrence

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

(Biocodex, Inc.) C. diff-associated disease, a severe intestinal disease, is the subject of heightened concern in the medical community with the release of a new report by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which revealed a 200 percent increase in potentially fatal diarrheal infections in US hospitals between 2000 and 2005. Studies show that adding the yeast-based probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii (sold under the brand name Florastor) can cut the rate of recurrence by about half.