TB & Outbreaks Week articles from June 2002

TB & Outbreaks Week archives from June 2002

TrcR response regulator expression is self-regulated.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have shed new light on an important part of the tuberculosis genome. "The TrcRS two-component system of Mycobacterium...

Direct observation of treatment at health centers may be counterproductive.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United Kingdom and Pakistan argue that the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended guidelines for directly observed tuberculosis...

Cytokines involved in pathogenesis identified.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States and Asia have provided new information about the factors involved in the development of complicated dengue fever infections....

Molecular assays can distinguish between hand, foot and mouth disease variants.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Molecular screens can be used to differentiate between different forms of hand, foot and mouth disease in children, researchers in Taiwan report. "Hand,...

Time to vaccinate everyone under 30?
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A massive immunization campaign to vaccinate young Americans against smallpox now might save many more lives than a strategy focused on isolating and vaccinating those at risk only after a terrorist...

Pesticide may kill germ.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A common pest-control agent used to kill termites and fumigate citrus for shipment overseas could also be used to clean anthrax spores out of buildings, a researcher said. The chemical, methyl...

Researchers unravel genomes.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have announced the genetic comparison of two important isolates of the anthrax bacterium: the well-known Ames strain and an isolate from the recent Florida anthrax attacks. Although...

Commonly prescribed antibiotic ineffective.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A U.S. study in the May 11, 2002, issue of the Lancet concludes that the antibiotic azithromycin is ineffective for treating bronchitis, even though it is often prescribed by physicians for this...

Prionics and PrioSense join forces to develop live tests for prion diseases.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Prionics AG and PrioSense, a newly founded spin-off company of Hadasit at the Hadassah University Medical Centre in Jerusalem, have started the joint development of a live test for prion diseases. ...

Vaccine first to be proved effective in animal model.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A genetically engineered vaccine developed and tested at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is the first to be proved effective in protecting newborns, in an animal model, against...

Cantaloupes recalled over reports of salmonella.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A McAllen, Texas, importer and distributor of Susie brand cantaloupe from Mexico said May 11, 2002 it was issuing a voluntary nationwide recall of the product because it has been associated with...

Florida outbreak linked to drug use.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- For more than 6 decades, John's Restaurant was a popular place to eat in this rural town, drawing generations of steady customers with its homestyle food and friendly atmosphere. Then in February,...

CEL-SCI announces that its derG peptide protects against malaria in mice.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CEL-SCI Corporation (CVM) and the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) announced the presentation of detailed protection results against malaria challenge obtained with CEL-SCI's newly discovered...

UCLA study shows many parents not getting the message about antibiotic resistance.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) study shows efforts to teach parents that antibiotics are not necessary to treat a child's cold are failing to reach the Latino and Asian communities...

Children greatest victims of degrading environment.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Every day, 5500 children die from diseases caused by consuming water and food polluted with bacteria, according to a new study released by three United Nations agencies. This alarming figure, from...

Pneumococcal vaccine could prevent leading worldwide cause of childhood death.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a recent clinical trial conducted in 40,000 children in Soweto, South Africa, scientists from Emory University and the University of Witwatersrand found that a new version of a pneumococcal vaccine...

CDC assesses susceptibility testing practices in U.S.
June 4, 2002... 2002 JUN 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antimicrobial resistance is rapidly changing for pneumococci, and recommendations for susceptibility testing probably will continue to change, according to new data in the U.S. Centers for Disease...

Both infections associated with reduced (gamma) (delta) T-cell counts.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Patients infected with tuberculosis, HIV, or both carry reduced levels of an important T-cell subset, researchers report. "Several recent studies suggest...

Mechanics of bacterium's toxin being unraveled.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers are unraveling the mystery of what happens when a bacterium's toxin hits its cellular target. In an age of growing antibiotic resistance and a threat of bioterrorism, such knowledge may...

Humoral immune activity important for (gamma)-herpesvirus control.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have proposed a novel form of preventive treatment for patients with latent (gamma)-herpesvirus infections. "The human...

Low platelet counts during exanthem subitum linked to bone marrow suppression.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Japan have shed new light on the factors underlying the low platelet levels often seen in infants suffering from roseola. Dr. Hiroyuki...

Influenza infection attracts pneumonia bacteria.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Lung cells infected with the influenza A virus are more likely to bind with bacteria that cause pneumonia than uninfected cells, but this phenomenon can be reversed with antiviral treatment....

Older B cells in elderly don't fight infection as well.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New research on cells that produce disease-fighting antibodies helps explain why people succumb more easily to infectious diseases as they grow older. Researchers at National Jewish Medical and...

New guidelines developed for Pneumocystis pneumonia prophylaxis.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have developed a new policy for administration of Pneumocystis pneumonia prophylaxis to HIV patients. "Human...

Ramoplanin beats antibiotic resistance by fighting the battle on its own terms.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a new report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine describe how one antibiotic currently under phase III...

Advances developed to detect bioterrorist agents could find use in protecting food supplies.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Technologies developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers and other scientists to fight bioterrorism could find another use - detecting naturally occurring pathogens in food. ...

Food preservative blamed for outbreak.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A food preservative was to blame for the sudden outbreak of illness that triggered a chemical-contamination scare in downtown Yonkers, New York, a health official says. "The food that the family...

Licorice extract wipes out Gram-positive bacteria.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An extract from the roots of the licorice plant is active against a number of microorganisms that can cause food contamination and may be an effective natural alternative to chemical preservatives. ...

Clinical trial results of StreptAvax presented at international vaccine conference.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ID Biomedical announced that Shelly McNeil of Dalhousie University in Halifax presented phase I clinical trial results for StreptAvax at the Fifth Annual Conference on Vaccine Research. McNeil's...

ACE BioSciences enters collaboration.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genmab A/S and the privately owned Danish based ACE BioSciences announced a collaboration to develop new antibody products to treat infectious disease. Under the agreement ACE BioSciences will provide...

Sepsis on the increase in U.S., according to Emory University and CDC study.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The incidence of sepsis - a severe, whole-body immune response to infection - is increasing by an average of 16% a year in the U.S., according to research by investigators at Emory University School of...

Immunization by irradiated mosquitoes can protect against malaria.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - Volunteers who underwent bites from thousands of irradiated mosquitoes harboring Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites were immunized against malaria,...

Modified mosquito is malaria proof.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genetically modified mosquitoes are rendered useless at transmitting malaria, at least to mice, according to an article published in Nature. The finding is "proof of principle" that genetic...

Novel contraceptive antimicrobial agent can prevent pregnancy, STDs.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - A novel topical antimicrobial and contraceptive agent can protect againist unwanted pregancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection,...

PAHO, Red Cross unite to fight disease, child deaths.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) signed a landmark agreement with the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) on May 15, 2002, to work together to reduce childhood deaths, fight...

U.N. drops smallpox stocks destruction.
June 11, 2002... 2002 JUN 11 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Acting on fears of bioterrorism, the World Health Organization has formally reversed a long-standing order for the destruction of all smallpox virus stocks and recommended they be retained for research...

Novel screen can quickly detect methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in South Korea say that a novel screening medium can quickly detect methicillin/oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and S. epidermis...

Interleukin-18 plays key role in host defense.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in India and Japan have identified a cytokine playing a key role in the body's immune response to malaria. Ram Pyare Singh and colleagues at...

Can bacteria 'talk' through the air? Study says yes.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Journal of Applied Microbiology has published a study demonstrating that bacteria that are physically separated can transmit information through the air. It is well-documented that bacteria can...

Cord blood immune cells can prevent infection.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Under the right circumstances, immune cells in umbilical cord blood are capable of fighting off oncogenic Epstein-Barr virus infection, researchers in the...

Interleukin-12 mediates human T-lymphotropic virus-induced spinal inflammation.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Japan have shed new light on the factors involved in spinal inflammation triggered by human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) infection. ...

Pneumoccal conjugate vaccine lowered incidence of pneumococci in children.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - A 9-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine lowered the carriage rate of pneumococci among children in day care centers, researchers in Israel found....

Researchers announce experimental antidote.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- University of Texas researchers say they've genetically engineered an experimental anthrax antidote - a protein that offers an anthrax toxin a more attractive docking site than its usual target of...

British researchers may be on path to discovering how to beat superbugs.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hospitals in Britain have begun testing a drug against superbugs that mimics the antibodies produced by our immune systems. With superbugs fast developing resistance to every antibiotic we can...

First glycopeptide-intermediate resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated in England.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In a recent issue of Communicable Disease Report Weekly, the U.K.'s Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) reports on the first occurrence in England of a new type of antibiotic-resistant strain of...

New research shows how the body prevents biofilm development.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Resistance to antibiotics in chronic bacterial infections is a difficult and sometimes deadly medical problem. During the development of a chronic infection, bacteria often undergo what could be...

New antibiotics may treat antimicrobial resistance.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine describe how one antibiotic currently under phase III clinical testing, ramoplanin, works on the molecular level to disrupt the ability...

Los Angeles County officials issue raw oyster warning.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- County health officials warned May 31, 2002 that people suffering from liver problems or who drink alcohol regularly should avoid eating raw oysters because of risk of infection by deadly bacteria. ...

Officials trace origin of salmonella outbreak.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Texas health officials traced a salmonellosis outbreak that sickened at least 650 people to a hotel's salsa and an infected food service worker who prepared it each day. The worker did not have...

Tainted meat may be sent to market.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A bacteria testing system meant to ensure that ground beef is safe instead is allowing potentially tainted meat to be put on the American market, consumer advocacy groups said May 23, 2002. A...

Observations in T cell response may help develop immunotherapy.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Roxanne Nelson, staff medical writer - Variations in T-cell responses, both in the active disease phase and after healing of leishmaniasis, may be relavent in helping determine patient prognosis as...

Health experts worry uninsured may spread bioterror germs.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Detection and containment of a bioterrorist attack could be hampered by the fact that 40 million Americans lack insurance and might not seek medical treatment, public health experts said May 30, 2002....

Haitian and Dominican first ladies inaugurate island-wide vaccination campaign.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The first ladies of the Dominican Republic and Haiti on May 31, 2002 inaugurated the first joint effort to eradicate polio by the two nations that share the island of Hispaniola. The campaign...

USDA expanding front line of antirabies campaign in East.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Yellow planes dropping vaccine-laden fishmeal cakes will soon be flying above Pennsylvania as the federal government expands the front lines of a biological warfare campaign. The enemy: rabies. ...

CDC commits to research in big way.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In June, U.S. Army virologist Peter Jahrling will put on a blue spacesuit, enter one of the country's highest-security laboratories and begin injecting monkeys with deadly smallpox. The goal is to...

Researchers make smallpox protein.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Amid concerns about bioterrorism, researchers who are trying to understand how smallpox targets humans have managed to make a protein that helps the disease overcome the human immune system. By...

That scar on your arm won't help if the man next to you is infected.
June 18, 2002... 2002 JUN 18 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- If you had a smallpox vaccination as a child and think you're still protected, think again. Almost everyone vaccinated before smallpox was eradicated in the mid-1970s has now lost their immunity. ...

Patients with negative sputum smear have higher mortality risk.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Delayed diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis is common in HIV patients, researchers in Italy warn. "HIV-infected patients with pulmonary tuberculosis...

Adult enterovirus infection often misdiagnosed.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Enterovirus-induced meningitis outbreaks in adult patients may be potentiated by outdated diagnostic techniques, researchers in France found. "Enterovirus...

Ozone may stop bacteria on produce better than food irradiation, washing.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ozone, the gas that protects the Earth from ultraviolet radiation, may soon give U.S. food shoppers better protection from harmful bacteria. Retailers could sanitize fruits and vegetables by exposing...

Novel solution can help prevent catheter-related outbreaks.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have developed a novel catheter-lock solution which they say can reduce the risk of dangerous nosocomial infections. ...

Statistical model useful for determining prevalence of TB in people with BCG vaccination.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS, senior medical writer - No significant difference existed between the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) infection in people with a Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) scar and...

Pediatric care providers often misinterpret tuberculin skin test results.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Pediatric health care providers in the United States might benefit from further training in diagnosing tuberculosis infection, researchers argue. "The...

Human antibodies against spores found by researchers suggest new tool to detect and treat anthrax.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Human antibodies against Bacillus spores, of which one species is the cause of anthrax, have been identified by researchers at the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). These antibodies could be used to...

Scientists discover new weapon to disable bacteria.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The mechanism with which blood cells use an enzyme, called elastase, to neutralize the bacterial defenses that cause disease, was discovered by researchers Arturo Zychlinsky at the Max Planck Institute...

Scientists sequence Nature's antibiotic factory.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The genome sequence of Streptomyces coelicolor, one of the family of common soil bacteria that produce more than two-thirds of the world's antibiotic medicines, were published in the journal Nature....

CDC reports dramatic decrease in chickenpox cases and hospitalizations in areas with increasing use of vaccine.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- During the period from July 2000 to June 2001, an estimated 73% of United States children aged 19-35 months were vaccinated to protect them from chickenpox (varicella), up from 68% in 2000 and 57.5% in...

TSO3's ozone sterilization process shows potential for prion inactivation.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- After preliminary testing by the National Research Council Canada in Winnipeg, the ozone sterilization process from TSO3, Inc., shows potential for prion inactivation. This potential will...

Faster detection of bacteria in water, food could be used to detect terrorist contamination.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have developed a new method that establishes genetic markers for bacteria in water, food, and biological and medical samples. The patented...

Vietnam recalls 1.36 million doses of substandard vaccine.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vietnam is recalling 1.36 million doses of substandard DPT vaccine, resulting in a shortage, state-controlled media has reported. The recall involves 1 million doses of DPT vaccine donated by the...

Protein fusion augments HPV-E7 immunogenicity.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Europe have found a way to enhance the performance of DNA-based human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. "DNA vaccination is a promising...

Protection against malaria, herpes, and cancer reported with new peptide.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cel-Sci Corp. (CVM) and the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) announced that a newly discovered peptide provided 100% protection against malaria infection in a mouse model. Dr. Yupin Charoenvit...

Flu vaccine donation to help nearly 500,000 disadvantaged in Colombia.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health Partners International of Canada is continuing its mandate of providing medical aid to the world's most needy, by shipping nearly 500,000 doses of donated influenza vaccine to Colombia in...

Medieval black death not bubonic plague, researchers propose.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Black Death of the 1300s was probably not the modern disease known as bubonic plague, according to a team of anthropologists studying these 14th century epidemics. "Although on the surface,...

WHO: Genome research could save millions in developing world.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genetic research has the potential to lead to major medical advances within the coming years against such killer diseases as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, potentially saving millions of lives,...

BD bifurcated needle cleared by FDA.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Becton, Dickinson and Co. (BDX) announced that the FDA has cleared BD's bifurcated needle, a two-pronged needle designed for the delivery of the smallpox vaccine. The total development time for...

Levofloxacin best choice for treating resistant staph infections.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - The fluoroquinolone levofloxacin may be the best option for dealing with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, researchers in...

Study blames latent infections for TB.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Foreigners account for nearly 60% of all tuberculosis patients in New York City, but it is not because immigrants are bringing in new cases - it is because old infections are resurfacing, a study has...

Foreign-born New Yorkers often carried latent infection.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in New York City have shed new light on the epidemiology of tuberculosis in that city. "Over the past decade, there has been a reduction in the...

Novel assay quickly detects resistance mutation.
June 25, 2002... 2002 JUN 25 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in Russia have developed a simple assay for detecting a common drug-resistance mutation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis specimens. Dr. Igor...