16 May 2013 - ETH ZURICH/CELL HOST & MICROBE
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, tuberculosis, Proteomics
Researchers from ETH Zurich have mapped the coordinates for all the proteins of the tuberculosis pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Thanks to this "atlas", scientists are now able to easily find and accurately measure every protein of this bacterium that causes dangerous lung diseases. [ more ]
15 May 2013 - PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE/ PLOS MEDICINE
The bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae is carried at high rates in the upper respiratory tracts of healthy children and usual diagnostic tests cannot differentiate between such asymptomatic carriage and actual respiratory tract infection, according to a study by Dutch researchers published in this week's PLOS... [ more ]
14 May 2013 - LANCET
Escherichia coli, gastrointestinal infections, Shigella, rotavirus
New research in The Lancet reports that just four pathogens--rotavirus, Cryptosporidium, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli producing heat-stable toxin, and Shigella--are causing most cases of moderate-to-severe diarrhoea (MSD) among children living in the poorest countries of the world. [ more ]
10 May 2013 - NIH/SCIENCE
malaria, Plasmodium falciparum
Scientists have established an inheritable bacterial infection in malaria-transmitting Anopheles mosquitoes that renders them immune to malaria parasites. Specifically, the scientists infected the mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a bacterium common among insects that previously has been shown to prevent malaria-inducing... [ more ]
8 May 2013 - CELL PRESS/ BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
Ebola
The Ebola virus is among the deadliest viruses on the planet, killing up to 90% of those infected, and there are no approved vaccines or effective therapies. A study published by Cell Press in the Biophysical Journal reveals how the most abundant protein making up the Ebola virus—viral protein 40 (VP40)—allows the... [ more ]
7 May 2013 - BIOMED CENTRAL
Clostridium difficile
Certain types of anti-depressants have been linked to an increase in the risk of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) finds a study in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine. Awareness of this link should improve identification and early treatment of CDI. [ more ]
5 May 2013 - MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL /NATURE
A handheld diagnostic device that Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators first developed to diagnose cancer has been adapted to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis (TB) and other important infectious bacteria. Two papers appearing in the journals Nature Communications and Nature Nanotechnology describe portable... [ more ]
30 April 2013 - WILEY
Giving prescribers access to education and advice or imposing restrictions on use can curb overuse or inappropriate use of antibiotics in hospitals, according to a new Cochrane systematic review. This is important because unnecessary use of these life-saving drugs is a key source of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. [ more ]
25 April 2013 - SCIENCE CHINA PRESS
H7N9, H9N2, H7N3, bird flu
In March 2013, a novel H7N9 influenza virus was identified in China as the etiological agent of a flu-like disease in humans, resulting in some deaths. A group of scientists, led by Professor Chen Hualan have investigated the origins of this novel H7N9 influenza virus (Shi et al., 2013). Following analysis of H7N9... [ more ]
24 April 2013 - UNIVERSITY OF EXETER/PLOS BIOLOGY
Escherichia coli, antibiotic resistance
New scientific research published in the journal PLoS Biology shows that bacteria can evolve resistance more quickly when stronger antibiotics are used. Researchers from the University of Exeter and Kiel University in Germany treated Escherichia coli with different combinations of antibiotics in laboratory... [ more ]
