Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/infectious_diseases/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170461.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170461.php Tapeworms, or cestodes, are intestinal parasites; they are worms that are flattened like a tape measure. A tapeworm cannot live freely on its own - it survives within the gut (intestine) of an animal, including a human. A parasite is an animal or plant that lives in a host; another animal or plant. Tapeworm eggs generally enter the human host from animals through ingested food, especially raw or undercooked meat. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170421.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170421.php Dana Filoti of the University of New Hampshire will present thin films of silver and copper she has developed that can kill bacteria and may one day help to cut down on hospital infections. The antimicrobial properties of silver and copper have been known for centuries -- last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officially registered copper alloys, allowing them to be marketed with the label "kills 99.9% of bacteria within two hours. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170427.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170427.php The practice of sterilizing medical tools and devices helped revolutionize health care in the 19th century because it dramatically reduced infections associated with surgery. Through the years, numerous ways of sterilization techniques have been developed, but the old mainstay remains a 130-year-old device called an autoclave, which is something like a pressure steamer. Medical Devices / Diagnostics Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170409.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170409.php Human movement is a key factor of dengue virus inflow in Rio de Janeiro, according to results from researchers based at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Brazil. The results, based on data from a severe epidemic in 2007-2008, contribute to new understanding on the dynamics of dengue fever in the second largest city in Brazil. Details are published November 10 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Tropical Diseases Mon, 09 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170269.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170269.php Using imaging mass spectrometry, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed tools that will enable scientists to visualize how different cell populations of cells communicate. Their study shows how bacteria talk to one another - an understanding that may lead to new therapeutic discoveries for diseases ranging from cancer to diabetes and allergies. In the paper published in the November 8 issue of Nature Chemical Biology, Pieter C. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170256.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170256.php Brown University, in collaboration with two other institutions, has been awarded a five-year, $6-million National Institutes of Health program project grant to help determine how a virus that can cause a rare brain disease attaches to host cells. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) occurs in patients with compromised immune systems, such as those who suffer from HIV and AIDS. Neurology / Neuroscience Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170258.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170258.php Viruses have an uncanny ability to trick cells into letting them inside. Once inside, they take over, says Brian Bothner, a faculty member in Montana State University's Center for Bio-Inspired Nanomaterials and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Now -- with the assistance of an MSU senior who helped renovate the campus duck pond - Bothner has a $1.2 million grant to tap into that talent. Biology / Biochemistry Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170259.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170259.php Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology is pleased to announce that it has received a second grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund conferences on infectious disease in its "Keystone Symposia Global Health Series." In 2006, the Colorado, USA-based nonprofit organization received its first three-year grant; the funding for that ended with the October 20-25, 2009 conference on "Overcoming the Crisis of TB and AIDS" in Arusha, Tanzania. The new grant provides $2. HIV / AIDS Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170243.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170243.php Experts on both sides of the Atlantic applaud President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, representing the European Union (EU) Presidency, for establishing a transatlantic task force to address antibiotic resistance, an urgent and growing problem that threatens patient safety and public health worldwide. During a summit held this week in Washington, D.C. MRSA / Drug Resistance Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170191.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170191.php Novexel, a speciality pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel antibiotics designed to overcome the significant global problem of microbial resistance, announces that its most advanced oral antibacterial NXL103 (flopristin/linopristin), has started a Phase II clinical trial in adults with acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). Dermatology Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170110.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170110.php Antibiotic over-prescription is promoted by pediatricians' perception of parents' expectations. Research published in the open access journal BMC Pediatrics shows that pediatricians are more likely to inappropriately prescribe antibiotics for respiratory tract infections if they perceived parents were expecting a prescription. Pediatrics / Children's Health Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170114.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170114.php A University of Colorado at Boulder team has developed the first atlas of bacterial diversity across the human body, charting wide variations in microbe populations that live in different regions of the human body and which aid us in physiological functions that contribute to our health. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170118.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170118.php When it comes to plants' innate immunity, like many of the dances of life, it takes two to tango. A receptor molecule in the plant pairs up with a specific molecule on the invading bacteria and, presto, the immune system swings into action to defend against the invasion of the disease-causing microbe. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170127.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170127.php The Journal of Infectious Diseases has released a special edition, Global Rotavirus Surveillance: Preparing for the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccines. This special edition provides a significant contribution to the understanding of rotavirus disease burden and the impact of rotavirus vaccines, which have the potential to save an estimated 228,000 lives annually. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170140.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170140.php The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous (IV) antiviral drugs to help treat hospitalized 2009 H1N1 influenza patients. Patients hospitalized with 2009 H1N1 influenza are evaluated to determine if antiviral drugs will be useful; some patients are not able to take the drugs that are currently available as pills or liquid and may benefit from intravenous antiviral medications. Swine Flu Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170134.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170134.php Theravance, Inc. (NASDAQ: THRX) and Astellas Pharma US, Inc. announced today the commercial launch of VIBATIV™ (telavancin) in the United States. On September 11, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved VIBATIV for the treatment of adult patients with complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI) caused by susceptible Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, both methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) strains. Dermatology Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170163.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170163.php A team of US scientists that has developed the first map of bacterial diversity across nearly 30 sites of the human body from hair, to ears, nostrils, mouth, armpits, intestines, navels, backs of knees and soles of the feet, was surprised to find big person to person differences in variously sited bacterial populations among healthy individuals. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170094.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170094.php According to a report (.pdf) by Save the Children, climate change is the biggest global health threat to children in the 21st century, the Hindu reports. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170109.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170109.php The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing this health alert to warn consumers not to use Pig Ears and Beef Hooves pet treats manufactured by Pet Carousel because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. Pet Carousel is based in Sanger, Calif. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170035.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170035.php Just one extra cleaner on a hospital ward can save lives and money, according to new research sponsored by UNISON, the UK's largest public service union. The detailed study found that one extra cleaner, using targeted cleaning methods, had a "measurable effect on the clinical environment," cutting the number of patients who contracted MRSA and saving the hospital an estimated £30,000 - £70,000. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169997.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169997.php The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded approximately $208 million to two programs that support research to better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including those that may be introduced into a community through acts of bioterrorism. Immune System / Vaccines Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170001.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170001.php Patients experiencing septic shock who receive inappropriate therapy may have a fivefold reduction in survival, shows a new study. Researchers from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, retrospectively reviewed the cases of 5,715 patients with septic shock to determine the appropriateness of initial antimicrobial therapy, clinical infection site, and relevant pathogens. Immune System / Vaccines Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169991.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169991.php BioAlliance Pharma SA (Paris:BIO), a company dedicated to the treatment and supportive care of cancer and AIDS patients, has presented results on miconazole Lauriad® at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) in Philadelphia (October 29 - November 1st). Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169925.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169925.php The International Examines Contributing Factors To Uneven Distribution Of Childhood Vaccines As a follow-up to the release of the State of the World's Vaccines and Immunization by the WHO, UNICEF and World Bank last month, Immune System / Vaccines Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169924.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169924.php Scientific American reports on a multiyear PLoS Medicine study, published on Monday, which "followed a nationwide public health campaign to increase zinc use for childhood diarrhea in Bangladesh." "A 10-day course of zinc tablets ... Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses