Contrary to current convention by which infection with the organism Clostridium difficile is regarded as an infection that is acquired by contact with symptomatic patients known to be infected with C. difficile, these may account for only a minority of new cases of the infection. These findings are important as they indicate that C…
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Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on February 9th, 2012 | No Comments »
Contrary to current convention by which infection with the organism Clostridium difficile is regarded as an infection that is acquired by contact with symptomatic patients known to be infected with C. difficile, these may account for only a minority of new cases of the infection. These findings are important as they indicate that C…
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Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on February 9th, 2012 | No Comments »
Unpredictable, ever-changing and with potentially far-reaching effects on the fates of nations, infectious diseases are compelling actors in the drama of human history, note scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health…
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Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on February 5th, 2012 | No Comments »
The World Health Organization (WHO) has ongoing programs to improve and monitor tuberculosis (TB). The WHO’s 2011 report on global TB control provides the most comprehensive information ever collected on the problems and issues of disease, as well as deaths caused by TB and multidrug-resistant TB (i.e. disease marked by in vitro resistance to […]
Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on February 3rd, 2012 | No Comments »
Scientists have shed new light on the way superbugs such as MRSA are able to become resistant to treatment with antibiotics. Researchers have mapped the complex molecular structure of an enzyme found in many bacteria. These molecules - known as restriction enzymes - control the speed at which bacteria can acquire resistance to drugs and […]
Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on February 3rd, 2012 | No Comments »
Among medical mysteries baffling many infectious disease experts is exactly how the deadly pneumonic plague bacterium, Yersinia pestis, goes undetected in the first few day of lung infection, often until it’s too late for medical treatment. New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has opened a door […]
Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on February 1st, 2012 | No Comments »
A team of UCLA scientists has found that the pathogen that causes leprosy has a remarkable ability to avoid the human immune system by inhibiting the antimicrobial responses important to our defenses…
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Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on January 30th, 2012 | No Comments »
A new method for identifying bacteria that cause urinary tract infections (UTIs) will lead to much faster, more effective treatment as well as a reduction in costs. The procedure, described in the Journal of Medical Microbiology, could eventually be used for the identification of micro-organisms in other bodily fluids, including blood and spinal fluid…
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Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on January 26th, 2012 | No Comments »
The risk of a person living in the UK becoming infected with Lyme disease is much greater than previously thought, according to a study from Bristol University that surveyed pet dogs to find out how many of them harboured the ticks that transmit the disease…
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Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on January 25th, 2012 | No Comments »
There were no reported cases of whooping cough deaths in the State of California in 2011, says the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) - the first time this has occurred in two decades. Californian health officials say this is due to three factors: 1. Higher vaccination rates. 2. Greater awareness of the disease, and […]
Filed under: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses on January 25th, 2012 | No Comments »