Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses

In a new study published in the open-access journal PLoS Biology, Peter Borbat, Hassane Mchaourab, and colleagues find that clinical multidrug resistance in the treatment of bacterial and fungal infections and cancer chemotherapy can result from the expression of pumps that extrude toxic molecules from the cell. A subclass of these pumps - ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters - use energy from ATP to remove a wide range of molecules.

The bacteria that cause ulcers and stomach cancer also appear to protect children from asthma, suggests research being presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). Helicobacter pylori (H.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a potentially deadly tick-borne infection, is increasing throughout the country, most notably in suburban areas, according to research being presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). In five years, reported incidence of the disease nearly tripled.

People who experience a second episode of the characteristic Lyme disease bull’s-eye rash likely were bitten by another tick, rather than experiencing a relapse of the first infection, suggests a preliminary study being presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The study is the first to evaluate molecular evidence of recurrent Lyme disease.

Investigators are reporting dramatic variability in seasonal onset and offset of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) outside of presumptive outbreak periods and vicinities. The findings, based on three-year data from a novel RSV surveillance program known as RSV AlertTM, were released at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

CANCIDAS (caspofungin acetate), given once daily, was evaluated as a treatment for patients 3 months to 17 years of age with documented or suspected fungal infections. The use of CANCIDAS in pediatric patients is investigational.

Technology developed for the Beagle 2 and Rosetta space missions could soon be harnessed to provide a cost-effective, rapid and accurate tool for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB).The Wellcome Trust has awarded scientists at The Open University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) a £4 million Strategic Translation Award to develop a mass spectrometer capable of detecting TB in countries where resources are poor.

IMR International Limited, developers of e-communication and clinical information solutions, announced the launch of a comprehensive guide to meningitis and septicaemia within its new public health portal; http://www.epgpatientdirect.org.Supported by the Meningitis Research Foundation , the

Scientists of the GSF National Research Center for Environment and Health (Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) found indications for an association between attendance of swimming pools in the first year of life and the frequency of infections. Diarrhoea and otitis media during the first year of life are especially noteworthy. No increased risks were found for atopic diseases during the first six years.

There is no evidence that “chronic Lyme disease” exists and if it does, the risks of prolonged antibiotic treatment outweigh any benefits, according to a review article by researchers at Yale and other institutions in the October 4 New England Journal of Medicine. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne infection in the Northern hemisphere. The disease is caused by bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi (B.