EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases

UAB researchers discover antibody receptor identity, propose renaming immune-system gene

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Alabama at Birmingham) In what has eluded discovery for 30 years, scientists have identified a cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody immunoglobulin M (IgM). The proposed name is the Fc mu receptor gene; it describes a key region of the IgM antibody that binds this receptor and fills in a crucial gap in understanding the science behind immune deficiencies and allergy diseases, says UAB researchers.

New findings suggest strategy to help generate HIV-neutralizing antibodies

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) New discoveries about anti-HIV antibodies may bring researchers a step closer to creating an effective HIV vaccine, according to a new paper co-authored by scientists at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Weill Cornell science briefs: November 2009

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College) The following articles are contained in this issue: Designing speedier lab tests; Reducing neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease; Body's own cholesterol processing may lead to innovative therapies; Making a better vaccine; and New way to get a boost in energy disorder.

Preventing H1N1 spread to health care workers: Dilemma, debate and confusion

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Lifespan) A commentary in the December issue of the Lancet Infectious Diseases brings to light the gaps in knowledge on the transmission of the influenza virus and its impact on decisions about how best to protect health care workers. Infectious diseases specialist Leonard Mermel, D.O., looks at the ongoing debate in light of the H1N1 pandemic, what past research tells us about the spread of influenza and what is missing in the debate.

An atomic-level look at an HIV accomplice

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Michigan) Since the discovery in 2007 that a component of human semen called SEVI boosts infectivity of the virus that causes AIDS, researchers have been trying to learn more about SEVI and how it works, in hopes of thwarting its infection-promoting activity.

Cigarettes harbor many pathogenic bacteria: Study

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Maryland) Cigarettes are widely contaminated with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new study conducted by a University of Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France.The research team describes the study as the first to show that "cigarettes themselves could be the direct source of exposure to a wide array of potentially pathogenic microbes among smokers and other people exposed to secondhand smoke."

WPI researchers take aim at hard-to-treat fungal infections

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Worcester Polytechnic Institute) Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute have developed a new model system to study fungal infections. The system can be a powerful tool for screening potential drug targets for conditions like thrush, athlete's foot and vaginal yeast infections, which affect millions of people each year but are difficult to treat with existing medications. Using the new model, the researchers also identified a gene that may be a promising target for a new anti-fungal drug.

On the trail of a vaccine for Lyme disease: Yale researchers target tick saliva

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Yale University) A protein found in the saliva of ticks helps protect mice from developing Lyme disease, Yale researchers have discovered. The findings, published in the Nov. 19 issue of Cell Host & Microbe, may spur development of a new vaccine against infection from Lyme disease, which is spread through tick bites.

Asthma a significant risk factor for complications in children with H1N1

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Canadian Medical Association Journal) A new study on pediatric H1N1 influenza admissions has found that asthma is a significant risk factor for severe disease in children with pandemic H1N1 compared with the seasonal flu. The study, led by researchers from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario, is published online today in CMAJ.

Many pregnant women avoid HIV screening in Africa

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Faculty of 1000: Biology and Medicine) "Prevention is the best cure" is a common expression, but what happens if preventative measures are not used? A large proportion of pregnant Ugandan women are going out of their way not to be HIV tested, increasing the risk of mother-to-child transmission.

Treating alcohol-use disorders and tuberculosis together

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research) Treatment for alcohol use disorders and tuberculosis (TB) is rarely integrated, even though the two diseases have a high co-occurrence. American and Russian researchers have jointly designed and are monitoring an innovative program that will deliver alcohol treatment as part of routine TB care. The trial study is continuing.

Texas A&M Researchers Examine How Viruses Destroy Bacteria

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Texas A&M University) Viruses are well known for attacking humans and animals, but some viruses instead attack bacteria. Texas A&M University researchers are exploring how hungry viruses, armed with transformer-like weapons, attack bacteria, which may aid in the treatment of bacterial infections.

New research helps explain why bird flu has not caused a pandemic

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Imperial College London) Bird flu viruses would have to make at least two simultaneous genetic mutations before they could be transmitted readily from human to human, according to research published today in PLoS ONE.

New culprit for viral infections among elderly -- an overactive immune response

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Yale University) Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that exaggerated responses of the immune system explain why the elderly succumb to viral infections more readily than younger people. Published in the Nov. 19 Cell Host & Microbe, the study bucks the general belief that declining immune responses are to blame for susceptibility to viral infections.

A second skin

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(American Friends of Tel Aviv University) Tel Aviv University's Prof. Meital Zilberman has developed a new wound dressing, based on innovative fibers that can be loaded with antibiotics, then dissolve when the healing process is completed.

Research calls for better assessment of tests for tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(McGill University Health Centre) A rapid and accurate diagnosis is the first step towards treatment in the fight against infectious disease. A team headed by Dr. Madhukar Pai, RI MUHC and researchers at the TDR/WHO, has highlighted the poor quality of published studies that evaluate the accuracy of diagnostic tests for three major killer infectious diseases. The study, published in PLoS One, suggests that diagnostic studies on TB, malaria and HIV commercial tests had low quality and were poorly reported.

Last-resort lower-body amputation effective in extreme cases of bone infection, 25-year review shows

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(UT Southwestern Medical Center) A landmark, 25-year review of cases in which surgeons had to remove the lower portion of the body from the waist down for severe pelvic bone infections shows the therapy can add years and quality of life to survivors, say researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Immediate, aggressive spending on HIV/AIDS could end epidemic

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(BioMed Central) Money available to treat HIV/AIDS is sufficient to end the epidemic globally, but only if we act immediately to control the spread of the disease, according to research published in BMC Public Health. This approach defies conventional thinking, which recommends gradual spending over 15-20 years. The study was based on a mathematical model developed by mathematicians and biologists, who recently earned acclaim for a study on how best to handle a planetary invasion by zombies.

GAVI's impact on vaccine market is bringing down prices

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(GAVI Alliance) Following the increasing impact of the GAVI Alliance on the vaccine market, the price of one of the major combination vaccines, the pentavalent, is falling considerably, enabling GAVI's partners to vaccinate millions of more children in the developing world.

The Burnham buzz

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Burnham Institute) Contained in this release are recent developments at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research inNovember 2009.

UT Southwestern scientist begins to unravel what makes pandemic H1N1 tick

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(UT Southwestern Medical Center) As the number of deaths related to the pandemic H1N1 virus, commonly known as "swine flu," continues to rise, researchers have been scrambling to decipher its inner workings and explain why the incidence is lower than expected in older adults.

Immune system of healthy adults may be better prepared than expected to fight 2009 H1N1 influenza

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) A new study shows that molecular similarities exist between the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus and other strains of seasonal H1N1 virus that have been circulating in the population since 1988. These results suggest that healthy adults may have a level of protective immune memory that can blunt the severity of infection caused by the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.

Scientists put interactive flu tracking at public's fingertips

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(Ohio State University) New methods of studying avian influenza strains and visually mapping their movement around the world will help scientists more quickly learn the behavior of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus, Ohio State University researchers say. The researchers linked many powerful computer systems together to analyze enormous amounts of genetic data collected from all publicly available isolated strains of the H5N1 virus -- the cause of avian flu.

Study shows link between influenza virus and fever

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(University of Bonn) One feature of the "new influenza" is a sudden rise in temperature. Up to now it was not exactly understood how this reaction occurs. Scientists at the University of Bonn and the Technical University of Munich, Germany, have been able to shed light into the dark. They have identified a new signaling pathway via which certain viruses can trigger inflammatory reactions and fever. Their results have been published in the journal Nature Immunology.

Are sterile mosquitoes the answer to malaria elimination?

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST

(BioMed Central) The Sterile Insect Technique, the release of sexually sterile male insects to wipe out a pest population, is one suggested solution to the problem of malaria in Africa. A new supplement, published in BioMed Central's open-access Malaria Journal, reviews the history of the technique, and features details about aspects of its application in the elimination of malaria.