The World Health Organization on Monday announced Congo will start using a second experimental Ebola vaccine, as efforts to stop the deadly outbreak are stalled and Doctors Without Borders criticizes vaccination efforts to date. Interested in Ebola? Since this outbreak was declared in August 2018, more than 200,000 people have received doses of a vaccine […]
Key areas of measles virus polymerase to target for antiviral drug development
Targeting specific areas of the measles virus polymerase, a protein complex that copies the viral genome, can effectively fight the measles virus and be used as an approach to developing new antiviral drugs to treat the serious infectious disease, according to a study by the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University published in […]
Heavy drinking and HIV don’t mix, study finds
Heavy alcohol consumption (three drinks or more/day for women and four drinks or more/day for men) is linked to alterations in immune function among people with HIV. While it has been known that alcohol impacts immune function, it’s been unclear the effect of alcohol on immune function in the context of HIV, a disease whose […]
Monkey malaria breakthrough offers possible cure for relapsing malaria
A breakthrough in monkey malaria research by two University of Otago scientists could help scientists diagnose and treat a relapsing form of human malaria. Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals with more than 200 million cases annually, particularly in Asia, the Pacific and South America. Symptoms include fever, tiredness, […]
Mattar named a chair of group aimed at combating antimicrobial resistance
Caline Mattar, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been appointed a chair of the Expert Advisory Group for the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Development Hub. Based in Germany, the organization formed in May 2018 to pool international resources […]
Pneumonia patients get too many antibiotics — especially as they leave the hospital
A million times a year, pneumonia sends American adults to the hospital. And while antibiotics help save lives, a new study shows two-thirds receive more antibiotics than they probably need. It’s not the care that happens in the hospital that leads to over-treatment, the study finds. Rather, it’s the prescriptions that patients receive as they […]
Could better tests help reverse the rise of drug-resistant infections? Modeling study says yes in theory; now comes a reality check
A growing number of infections — such as pneumonia, gonorrhea and tuberculosis — are becoming harder to treat, as bacteria evolve defenses against antibiotics faster than we can develop new drugs to replace them. Duke University game theorist David McAdams says faster, more accurate tests for drug-resistant infections are being developed that could, at least […]
Trump urges vaccinations to prevent spread of measles
President Donald Trump is urging Americans to get vaccinations to prevent the spread of measles. Interested in Measles? Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, said that people “have to get their shots.” He added that vaccinations “are so important.” Measles in the U.S. has climbed to its highest level in 25 […]
Eating elderberries can help minimize influenza symptoms
Folk medicines and herbal products have been used for millennia to combat a whole range of ailments, at times to the chagrin of modern scientists who have struggled to explain their medicinal benefits. However a recent study by researchers at the University of Sydney has determined exactly how a popular ancient remedy, the elderberry fruit, […]
On-chip drug screening for identifying antibiotic interactions in eight hours
A KAIST research team developed a microfluidic-based drug screening chip that identifies synergistic interactions between two antibiotics in eight hours. This chip can be a cell-based drug screening platform for exploring critical pharmacological patterns of antibiotic interactions, along with potential applications in screening other cell-type agents and guidance for clinical therapies. Antibiotic susceptibility testing, which […]