Infectious Disease
The Lead
VGH First in Canada to Use Superbug-killing Robot
February 6, 2013 11:14 am | News | Comments
She’s just 5’5” and quiet, but don’t let her demure looks fool you—she’s a ruthless killer who moves at the speed of light. Meet Tru-D, the newest member of Vancouver General Hospital’s (VGH) Housekeeping and Infection Control teams. Tru-D SmartUVC, or “Trudi” as staff affectionately call her, is a superbug slaying robot being piloted at VGH.
Scientists Notch a Win in War Against Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
February 4, 2013 11:56 am | News | Comments
A team of scientists just won a battle in the war against antibiotic-resistant "superbugs." They...
Study May Lead to Treatments that are Effective Against All MRSA Strains
January 31, 2013 4:05 pm | News | Comments
In the last decade, a new strain of MRSA has emerged that can spread beyond hospital walls,...
Skin, Soft Tissue Infections Succumb to Blue Light
January 29, 2013 10:35 am | News | Comments
Blue light can selectively eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections of the...
WHO says single yellow fever shot is enough
May 17, 2013 3:55 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe World Health Organization says a yellow fever booster vaccination given 10 years after the initial shot isn't necessary. The U.N.'s global health agency said Friday that its expert group on immunization believes a single dose of vaccination is sufficient to confer lifelong immunity against the disease.
India to Offer $1 Rotavirus Vaccine
May 14, 2013 7:43 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Indian government announced the development of a new low-cost vaccine proven effective against a diarrhea-causing virus that is one of the leading causes of childhood deaths across the developing world. The Indian manufacturer of the new rotavirus vaccine pledged to sell it for $1 a dose, a significant discount from the cost of the current vaccines on the market.
Potential Flu Pandemic Lurks in Birds, Pigs
May 13, 2013 1:01 pm | News | CommentsIn the summer of 1968, a new strain of influenza appeared in Hong Kong. This strain, known as H3N2, spread around the globe and eventually killed an estimated 1 million people. A new study from MIT reveals that there are many strains of H3N2 circulating in birds and pigs that are genetically similar to the 1968 strain and have the potential to generate a pandemic if they leap to humans.
New Respiratory Viruses Could Spark Global Outbreaks
May 13, 2013 10:48 am | by MARIA CHENG - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsTwo respiratory viruses in different parts of the world have captured the attention of global health officials — a novel coronavirus in the Middle East and a new bird flu spreading in China. Last week, the coronavirus related to SARS spread to France, where one patient who probably caught the the disease in Dubai infected his hospital roommate.
Bacteria Interferes with Malaria Transmission
May 10, 2013 11:58 am | News | CommentsMosquitoes are deadly efficient disease transmitters. Research, however, demonstrates that they also can be equally adept in curing diseases such as malaria. A new study shows that the transmission of malaria via mosquitoes to humans can be interrupted by using a strain of the bacteria Wolbachia in the insects.
Colonized Bacteria Follow Economic Strategy
May 10, 2013 11:14 am | News | CommentsBacteria on a surface wander around and often organize into highly resilient communities known as biofilms. It turns out that they organize in a rich-get-richer pattern similar to many economies, according to a new study. This is the first study identify the strategy by which bacteria form the micro-colonies that become biofilms, which can cause lethal infections.
France Confirms Initial Case of SARS-related Virus
May 8, 2013 6:17 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA 65-year-old Frenchman is hospitalized after contracting France's first case of a deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS, and French health authorities say they are trying to find anyone who might have been in contact with him to prevent it from spreading.
Lone Star Virus Identified Using Super-fast Sequencing
May 6, 2013 9:43 am | News | CommentsThe tick-borne Lone Star virus has been conclusively identified as part of a family of other tick-borne viruses called bunyaviruses, which often cause fever, respiratory problems and bleeding, according to new research. What made the work especially promising was the speed at which the virus was definitively identified.
Speedy Diagnostic Device Adapted for Bacterial Infections
May 4, 2013 8:00 pm | by Mass General | News | CommentsA handheld diagnostic device that MGH investigators first developed to diagnose cancer has been adapted to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis and other important infectious bacteria. New research describes portable devices that combine microfluidic technology with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to not only diagnose these important infections, but also determine the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
Bacterial Defense System Has Valuable Genes
May 1, 2013 9:45 am | News | CommentsEven bacteria have a kind of “immune system” they use to defend themselves against unwanted intruders– in their case, viruses. Scientists are now able to show that this defense system is much more diverse than previously thought and that it comes in multiple versions.
SARS Treatment Works on Novel Coronoavirus
May 1, 2013 9:27 am | News | CommentsScientists used lab-grown human lung cells to study the cells’ response to infection by a novel human coronavirus (called nCoV) and compiled information about which genes are significantly disrupted in early and late stages of infection.
Hospitals See Surge of Superbug-fighting Products
April 29, 2013 3:01 am | by MIKE STOBBE - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsThey sweep. They swab. They sterilize. And still the germs persist. In U.S. hospitals, an estimated 1 in 20 patients pick up infections they didn't have when they arrived, some caused by dangerous 'superbugs' that are hard to treat. The rise of these superbugs, along with increased pressure from the government and insurers, is driving hospitals to try all sorts of new approaches to stop their spread.
New Antibodies Help Fight Stubborn Bacteria
April 25, 2013 12:03 pm | News | CommentsIn an advance toward coping with bacteria that shrug off existing antibiotics and sterilization methods, scientists are reporting development of a new family of selective antimicrobial agents that do not rely on traditional antibiotics.
China Bird Flu Jumped Directly from Chickens
April 25, 2013 11:48 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsChinese scientists have for the first time found strong evidence of how humans became infected with a new strain of bird flu: from chickens at a live market. Chinese scientists compared swabs from birds at markets in eastern China to virus samples from four patients who caught the new H7N9 virus. The scientists found the virus from one patient was nearly identical to one found in a chicken.
New Flu Passes More Easily from Bird to Human, WHO Says
April 24, 2013 3:35 am | by GILLIAN WONG - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsA lethal new strain of bird flu that emerged in China over the past month appears to jump more easily from birds to humans than the one that started killing people a decade ago, World Health Organization officials said Wednesday. Scientists are watching the virus closely to see if it could spark a global pandemic.
Man Dies as UK Measles Epidemic Spreads
April 19, 2013 5:16 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsU.K. authorities say a 25-year-old man is suspected to have died from measles as an epidemic continues to sweep across south Wales. The outbreak has led to more than 800 infections and renewed discussions over the failure of some parents to vaccinate their children against the potentially fatal virus.
China Bird Flu Not Spreading Easily in Humans
April 19, 2013 1:44 am | by BY GILLIAN WONG -- ASSOCIATED PRESS | News | CommentsThere's no evidence a new bird flu strain is spreading easily among people in China even though there may be sporadic cases of the virus spreading to people who have close contacts with patients, the World Health Organization said Friday. Fifteen global and Chinese health experts are on a mission in Beijing and Shanghai to learn more about the H7N9 bird flu virus that has killed 17 people and sickened 70 others.
Food Poisonings Up from Raw Milk, Poultry Bacteria
April 18, 2013 12:09 pm | by MIKE STOBBE - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsHealth officials are seeing more food poisonings caused by a bacteria commonly linked to raw milk and poultry. A study released Thursday said campylobacter cases grew by 14 percent over the last five years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report was based on foodborne infections in only 10 states- about 15 percent of the American population.
Protein Discovery Prevents HIV Reservoirs
April 17, 2013 1:11 pm | by Einstein | News | CommentsResearchers have discovered how the protein that blocks HIV-1 from multiplying in white blood cells is regulated. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS, and the discovery could lead to novel approaches for addressing HIV-1 "in hiding"– namely eliminating reservoirs of HIV-1 that persist in patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy.
Louisiana Company Recalls 468K Pounds of Meat
April 13, 2013 4:28 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.S. Department of Agriculture says a Louisiana-based meat packing company has expanded a recall of meat products because of possible bacterial contamination. No illnesses have been reported. The Manda Packing Company recall announced this past week now includes 468,000 pounds of meat.
MRSA-killing Antibiotic Developed
April 12, 2013 12:03 pm | News | CommentsA new broad range antibiotic has been found to kill a wide range of bacteria, including drug-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) bacteria that do not respond to traditional drugs. The antibiotic, Epimerox, targets weaknesses in bacteria that have long been exploited by viruses that attack themeria.
TB Fighter, Promoter Reveals Split Identity
April 12, 2013 11:17 am | News | CommentsTumor necrosis factor– normally an infection-fighting substance produced by the body– can actually heighten susceptibility to tuberculosis if its levels are too high. A new study shows how excess production of this disease-cell destroyer at first acts as a TB germ killer. But later the opposite occurs: Too much tumor necrosis factor encourages TB pathogens to multiply in the body.
Medication Nation: Study Shows Antibiotic Overuse
April 10, 2013 4:59 pm | by MIKE STOBBE - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsU.S. doctors are prescribing enough antibiotics to give them to 4 out of 5 Americans every year, an alarming pace that suggests they are being overused, a new government study finds. Overuse is one reason antibiotics are losing their punch, making infections harder to treat.
Tiny Proteins Prevent Bacterial Gene Transcription
April 10, 2013 10:10 am | News | CommentsIn the search for new antibiotics, researchers are taking an unusual approach: They are developing peptides, short chains of protein building blocks that effectively inhibit a key enzyme of bacterial metabolism. The road from gene to protein has an important stop along the way: ribonucleic acid, or RNA.
Dengue Cases May be 4 Times More Common Than Known
April 7, 2013 1:18 pm | by MARIA CHENG - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsThere may be nearly four times as many people infected with the tropical disease dengue globally than was previously believed, according to a new study. The World Health Organization has estimated there are about 50 million to 100 million cases of dengue, also known as "break-bone fever," every year.
