New research presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands (13-16 April) shows that petting zoos can create a diverse reservoir of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, which could lead to highly virulent drug-resistant pathogens passed on to visitors. The study is by Professor Shiri Navon- and aimed to…
Infections caused by the Staphylococcus aureus bacteria through skin wounds cause; thousands of deaths every year due to their fast transmission among large groups of people; such as hospitalised patients. Furthermore, these infections also cause millions in losses for livestock farmers. In addition, there has been an appearance of strains of Staphylococcus aureus; that are…
Many bacterial pathogens hijack macrophages to egress from the port of entry to the lymphatic drainage and/or bloodstream, causing dissemination of life-threatening infections. However, the underlying mechanisms are not; well understood. Here, we report that Salmonella infection generates directional electric fields (EFs) in the follicle-associated epithelium of mouse cecum. In vitro application of an EF, mimicking…
Stepping up efforts to prevent transmission of hepatitis C among people who inject drugs, could reduce future infections by 43 per cent globally, according to a study by researchers at the University of Bristol published in the Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Hepatitis C is a virus that passed on; through blood exposure and results in liver…
A new strain of Bordetella pertussis – the bacterium that causes whooping cough; has become resistant to antibiotic treatment and may also be resistant to the vaccine used in China. A UNSW Sydney academic says the growing threat of it spreading to Australia should be taken seriously. A joint study led by Ph.D. student Zheng…
Invasive aspergillosis is a devastating disease caused by breathing in small airborne spores of the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus and it is a condition where drug resistance has been encountered.In a healthy person these spores are destroyed by the body’s immune system but in those with a weakened immune system – such as following organ transplantation…
Confronted with the severe situation that the pace of resistance acquisition is faster; than the clinical introduction of new antibiotics, health organizations are calling for effective approaches; to combat methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Here, an approach to treat MRSA through photolysis of staphyloxanthin; an antioxidant residing in the microdomain of S. aureus membrane; is reported. This…
European surveillance data show a 10% decrease in newly reported hepatitis C cases between 2016 and 2017. However, with more than 31 000 recorded cases in 2017, diagnoses remain; at a high level in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA). In addition, variation in national testing practices; and widespread under-reporting of diagnosed cases…
Fungus can imitate signals from our immune system and prevent our body; from responding to infection, new research from the University of Sheffield has found. Life-threatening fungal infection; is a major killer of people with immune system problems; such as blood cancers; HIV infection or following organ transplant. The new study focused on one of…
Researchers from Duke-NUS Medical School; Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Lion TCR; have demonstrated that they were able to engineer HBV-specific T cells; a type of immune cells found in the body; to treat Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); a commonly occurring liver cancer. The treatment was also individualized; as T cells that were engineered were specific…
Weakened hearts grow weaker and fail when influenza rages throughout the land, a new study reports. Hospitalizations for heart failure increased dramatically; in months when the flu season was at its worst; For every 5% monthly increase in flu activity; researchers observed a 24% increase in hospitalization rates for heart failure. On average, as many…
A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in France has found that a class of antipsychotic drugs known as phenothiazines was successful in treating a form of meningitis in mice when used with antibacterial agents. In their paper published in the journal Nature Microbiology, the group describes experiments they conducted with meningitis mouse models and…