World's first vaccine developed against toxic shock syndrome
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a severe circulatory and organ failure caused by bacterial toxins, usually triggered by bacteria from the Staphylococcus group. Researchers from MedUni Vienna's Department...
View ArticleNew guidelines OK less antibiotics for hospital-acquired,...
Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) - which account for 20 to 25 percent of hospital-acquired infections - should be treated with shorter courses of antibiotics...
View ArticleReducing opportunistic infections such as TB in children with HIV could save...
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 150,000 children with HIV under 15 years of age died of opportunistic infections in low-to-middle income countries in 2014 alone. But a study recently...
View ArticleNIH explores connection between Ebola survival and co-infection with malaria...
People infected with Ebola virus were 20 percent more likely to survive if they were co-infected with malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites, according to data collected at an Ebola diagnostic laboratory...
View ArticleBattling 'super-bugs' to save a medical miracle
Since its formation, the Emory Antibiotic Resistance Center has been battling a foe that threatens many of the modern miracles of medicine: the rise of bacterial strains resistant to multiple forms of...
View ArticleMother-child HIV transmission at all time low in U.K. and Ireland
The number of mothers passing the HIV virus to their babies has fallen to a new record low in the UK and Ireland thanks to the very high take-up of antenatal HIV screening and treatment which reduces...
View ArticleAntibiotic gel prevents borreliosis resulting from tick bites
An antibiotic gel based on azithromycin, an antibiotic with antibacterial properties, helps to prevent the onset of Lyme borreliosis following a tick bite. That is the finding of a multi-centre...
View ArticleComplex neurological infections require team care
A team approach is vital to the successful diagnosis and treatment of complex neurological infections related to placement of devices in the brain, or as a result of neurosurgery or head trauma. This...
View ArticleYoung doctors working in infectious diseases suffering burnout and bullying
One in five physicians working in medical microbiology and infectious diseases is suffering from burnout, bullying and poor work-life balance, according to a study published in European Journal of...
View ArticleMRI scans can help spot HIV in the brain
Scientists at UCL have developed a way to use MRI scans to help identify when HIV is persisting in the brain despite effective drug treatment.
View ArticleShingles vaccine cuts chronic pain, hospitalizations
(HealthDay)—Vaccination greatly reduces the risk of serious complications from shingles, a new study finds.
View ArticleIt's false to believe that antibiotic resistance is only a problem in...
There are almost weekly alerts of the global threat of antibiotic resistance. They are often abstract and difficult for patients and GPs to relate to. More importantly, they don't help GPs realise the...
View ArticleHarm reduction programs may prevent hepatitis C in injection drug users
Researchers at UCSF and their colleagues have found that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among people who inject drugs remains high and stable in some North American cities but incidence has dropped...
View ArticleMarket pressures and inadequate production are hampering access to essential...
Antibiotics used to treat a variety of common bacterial infections are becoming more difficult to access, mostly because the drugs are less profitable for manufacturers to produce and market.
View ArticleInitial specimen diversion device cuts culture contamination
(HealthDay)—For patients undergoing blood cultures in an emergency department setting, use of a device that diverts and sequesters the initial 1.5 to 2.0 mL of blood (initial specimen diversion device...
View ArticleLow levels of vitamin A may fuel TB risk
People with low levels of vitamin A living with individuals sick with tuberculosis may be 10 times more likely to develop the disease than people with high levels of the nutrient, according to research...
View ArticleBiological fingerprint of tuberculosis meningitis discovered in children
Children with tuberculosis meningitis - a brain and spinal cord infection that leads to disability and death—have a biological fingerprint that can be used to assess the severity of the condition, help...
View ArticleStudies of US Lassa fever patient offer clues about immune response, viral...
When an American nurse working in West Africa became ill with Lassa fever and was evacuated to the U.S. for treatment in 2016, it provided a rare opportunity. With the consent of the patient,...
View ArticlePrior dengue infection does not increase Zika disease severity
Individuals infected with Zika virus after having dengue fever do not appear to become more severely ill than people with Zika who have never had dengue. This is the conclusion of a study published on...
View Article'Antibiotic stewardship teams' must be planned and paid for to halt dangerous...
There is an urgent need to plan and fund teams of specialist health workers to promote appropriate use of antibiotics, according to an expert commentary in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
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