Copyright 2008 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 Fri, 10 Oct 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125103.php Get Smart Colorado, based at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, this week launched a public "call to action" campaign to educate the public about appropriate use and proper disposal of antibiotics to prevent antibiotic resistance. The campaign consists of English and Spanish information cards containing guidance about the proper use and disposal of antibiotics that are being displayed throughout the month of October at Colorado Safeway pharmacy counters. MRSA / Drug Resistance Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125066.php The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's listeriosis update as of Monday, October 8, 2008. Total number of cases - 44 Total confirmed cases - 40 Total cases under investigation - 4 Number of deaths among confirmed cases - 22 Number of death where listeriosis was an underlying or contributing cause - 15 Number of death where cause is undetermined - 7 "It's clear now that the worst of the outbreak is over," said Dr. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 10 Oct 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125078.php Scientists have gained insight into the complex mechanisms that control bacterial pathogenesis and, as a result, have developed new theories about how independent mechanisms may have become intertwined during evolution. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125055.php Herpes simplex virus type I can cause bouts of cold sores, blindness and potentially lethal encephalitis when it reawakens from a quiescent state in the nerve cells it infects. To prevent these consequences, the stealthy virus is kept under constant guard by the immune system, say University of Pittsburgh scientists. Their research challenges the once common notion that latent HSV-1 in sensory neurons is invisible to the immune system. Sexual Health / STDs Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125002.php Herpes simplex virus type I can cause bouts of cold sores, blindness and potentially lethal encephalitis when it reawakens from a quiescent state in the nerve cells it infects. To prevent these consequences, the stealthy virus is kept under constant guard by the immune system, say University of Pittsburgh scientists. Their research challenges the once common notion that latent HSV-1 in sensory neurons is invisible to the immune system. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124989.php Scientists from the Universities of Bath and Exeter have developed a rapid new way of checking for toxic genes in disease-causing bacteria which infect insects and humans. Their findings could in the future lead to new vaccines and anti-bacterial drugs. They studied a bacterium called Photorhabdus asymbiotica, which normally infects and kills insects, but which can also cause an unpleasant infection in humans. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124995.php A "Deadly Dozen" animal-borne diseases are likely to spread into new regions around the world as climate change disturbs weather patterns with significant impact on the health of wild animals and consequently on the health of human populations and global economies. This is the main message of The Deadly Dozen: Wildlife Diseases in the Age of Climate Change, a new report released this week by health experts from the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124895.php The 3-D structure of the virus, known as Seneca Valley Virus-001, reveals that it is unlike any other known member of the Picornaviridae viral family, and confirms its recent designation as a separate genus "Senecavirus." The new study reveals that the virus's outer protein shell looks like a craggy golf ball - one with uneven divets and raised spikes - and the RNA strand beneath it is arranged in a round mesh rather like a whiffleball. Lung Cancer Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124906.php As health authorities across Europe start their annual campaigns to immunise people against seasonal influenza, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has highlighted the benefits of older people getting vaccinated - but refused to make predictions on the severity of this year's influenza season. ECDC stated that there is no reason to believe the influenza season this winter will be any more, or any less, severe than last winter. Flu / Cold / SARS Thu, 09 Oct 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124910.php Researchers have decoded the genome of a malaria parasite that has a host range from monkeys to man. Identified originally in monkeys, the parasite was first reported in a human infection just over 40 years ago. Until recently, four species were held responsible for human malaria infections: P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae. P. Genetics Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124863.php The days are getting shorter, temperatures are dropping, and the cold and flu season is beginning. Many people have started taking vitamin C tablets as a precautionary measure. But research has shown that vitamin supplements do not provide nearly as much protection as other measures, like frequently washing your hands - and that high doses can even be harmful. Flu / Cold / SARS Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124820.php An international team of researchers is a step closer to understanding the spread of deadly diseases such as listeriosis, after observing for the first time how bacteria respond to stress. The research, published in the October issue of the prestigious international journal Science, details how a huge molecule called a stressosome protects bacterial cells from external stress and danger. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124757.php Over-the-counter mouthrinses really do put a stop to bad breath. The first systematic review on the effectiveness of mouthrinses shows that they play an important role in reducing levels of bacteria and chemicals that cause mouth odours. Pick which one you use though, because some can temporarily stain your tongue and teeth, warns this new review from The Cochrane Library. Bad breath is a very common complaint affecting around half the population in developed countries. Dentistry Wed, 08 Oct 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124718.php The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced the first awards for its Human Microbiome Project, which will lay a foundation for efforts to explore how complex communities of microbes interact with the human body to influence health and disease. The funding, estimated to be up to approximately $21. Biology / Biochemistry Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124635.php The Institute for OneWorld Health (iOWH), the US-based non-profit pharmaceutical company that develops drugs for people with infectious diseases in the developing world, announced that a delegation of US experts in diarrheal disease is meeting in the UK from October 6-9, 2008. GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124626.php Uscom Limited (ASX:UCM)(PINK:UCMDF) today announced the release of a new study confirming that USCOM 1A improves management of septic shock in children. The research, from London's prestigious Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, was published in Pediatrics, the official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Pediatrics / Children's Health Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124593.php Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD) announced the release of Xpert(TM) vanA/vanB as a European CE IVD Mark product under the European Directive on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices. The test delivers rapid detection of vanA and/or vanB genes, the genes most commonly associated with vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) -- one of the more serious healthcare acquired infections (HAIs) worldwide. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124596.php The Lilly TB Drug Discovery Initiative announced its first acquisition of compounds for further development into tuberculosis (TB) drug candidates. Agreements were reached with Summit plc (LSE: SUMM) of Oxfordshire, UK, and the Microbial Chemistry Research Foundation (MCRF) of Tokyo for two compounds that have shown potential in initial testing. Respiratory / Asthma Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124559.php The latest study by Dr. Sandra Dial from the Research Institute of the MUHC, McGill University, and Attending Staff in the Intensive Care Unit at the Jewish General Hospital, questions the assumption held by a vast majority of medical professionals that Clostridium difficile (C.difficile) infections are essentially always preceded by antibiotic use. This finding could have a major impact on how patients with diarrhea are evaluated upon their admission to the hospital. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124520.php A research study funded by JDRF suggests that a common intestinal bacteria may provide some protection from developing type 1 diabetes. The findings provide an important step towards understanding how and why type 1 diabetes develops in people, and may lead to potential cures. Diabetes Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124492.php Novacta Therapeutics, the anti-infectives development arm of Novacta Biotech, announces that it has successfully achieved the first milestone in a strategic translational award received from the Wellcome Trust to develop a new drug to treat Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections. The achievement of this significant milestone triggers the second tranche of a £3.5 million award granted in January 2008. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124432.php Pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccination was associated with a 50% lower risk of heart attacks 2 years after vaccination, suggests a large hospital-based case-control study published in CMAJ. http://www.cmaj.ca/press/pg773. Immune System / Vaccines Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124472.php Community-acquired Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection occurred in a significant proportion of people with no recent exposure to antibiotics, with 53% having no exposure in the 45 days preceding hospitalization and 46% having no exposure in the preceding 90 days, according to a new study published in CMAJ. While C. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124475.php Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered that the EBNA1 protein of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) disrupts structures in the nucleus of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells, thereby interfering with cellular processes that normally prevent cancer development. The study findings are published in the journal PLoS Pathogens and describes a novel mechanism by which viral proteins contribute to carcinogenesis. Cancer / Oncology Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124476.php The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is informing the public of its investigation into a possible food link between an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in the United States (U.S.), two possible cases in Southern Ontario and chopped shredded iceberg lettuce from an exporter in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Community Health and the Illinois Department of Public Health issued separate public warnings concerning chopped shredded iceberg lettuce which may be contaminated with E. Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses