TB & Outbreaks Week articles from May 2003

TB & Outbreaks Week archives from May 2003

Abnormal radiological presentation more likely in diabetics.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Radiographic diagnosis of tuberculosis can be complicated in diabetics, researchers in Saudi Arabia warn. M.A. Shaikh and colleagues at Sahary Hospital in...

DNA polymerase gene linked to drug resistance.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Michael Greer, senior medical writer - Researchers in the United States have identified a Mycobacterium tuberculosis gene which plays a key role in the development of mycobacterial drug resistance....

N. meningitidis serogroup W135 prevalent near Mecca.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A rare epidemic strain of meningococci is prevalent in the region around the Muslim holy city of Mecca. "The first international outbreak of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W135 occurred in 2000,...

Salivary IgM can be used to detect dengue virus infection.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Antibodies in saliva can be used to diagnose dengue virus infection. "To evaluate alternative approaches to the serological diagnosis of dengue virus (DEN) infection, the detection of DEN-specific...

Novel genotype assay effective for drug resistance testing.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel genotype assay quickly and accurately identifies drug-resistant tuberculosis infections. "Rapid detection of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is essential for efficient...

Ziehl-Neelsen-stained slides enable resistance testing without culture.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ziehl-Neelsen-stained slides can be used to test for tuberculosis drug resistance without culture. "Multidrug resistance among new cases of tuberculosis (TB) is increasingly becoming a significant...

Peptone-yeast extract medium preferred in definitive diagnosis of amebiasis.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Peptone-yeast extract medium preferred in definitive diagnosis of amebiasis from Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar. "Amebiasis is a common protozoan infection worldwide, causing serious health...

Researcher reports on advances in treatment of a leading parasitic killer.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the developing world, 1 of every 10 children dies by his or her fifth birthday. In a new report, Dr. William Petri, professor of medicine at the University of Virginia Health System, discusses...

New technology neutralizes viruses, bacteria, spores.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bio-Defense Research Group, Inc., (BDRGI) a biotechnology firm based in Maryland, announced the availability of Path-Away, a technology that neutralizes deadly airborne bioterror agents such as anthrax...

FDA approves Factive for treatment of respiratory tract infections.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GeneSoft Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Factive (gemifloxacin) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)...

Patient factors, site of care influence antibiotic prescription.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patient characteristics and the location of care were both factors that influenced the choice of antibiotic prescribed for patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), according to a new study. ...

New rapid test diagnoses enterohemorrhagic bacteria in human stool samples.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Data from a Umedik Inc. report suggest the Diapro Fast-Q test for E. coli O157:H7 in human stool samples is quick and more sensitive than standard culture for the bacterium. According to S.F. Ding...

Hormone treatment may increase susceptibility.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Certain types of hormone treatments may increase a woman's risk of contracting genital herpes say researchers from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Their findings appear in the Journal of...

ESBL genotype screening may miss some nosocomial outbreak strains.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Testing for beta-lactamase genes may not always identify pathogen outbreak strains. "Multiresistant Klebsiella pneumoniae caused a nosocomial outbreak," according to recent research in the...

Enteroaggregative E. coli show extended survival in bottled water.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) can survive for extended periods in bottled water. Investigators in the United States evaluated EAECs ability "to survive in bottled mineral and spring...

Gammadelta T cells play key role in Leishmania defense.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gammadelta T cells play an important role in anti-Leishmania immune responses. In a recent study from Austria, "the cytokine profile of CD4+, CD8+ T cells, gammadelta+ T cells and natural killer...

Medical Services negotiating distribution of West Nile test kit in Korea.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical Services International, Inc., has begun negotiations with a Korean firm that specializes in distribution of medical products to act as distributor for the VScan Rapid Diagnostic Test Kit for the...

Surgery needed for resolution of atypical mycobacteria disease.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Surgery is often necessary for the resolution of atypical mycobacterial disease. These infections are "common in children in Australia," researchers in England noted. "Over 22 years, records...

Novel assay effective for Cyclospora cayetanensis detection.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel assay can detect small populations of Cyclospora cayetanensis in water. C. cayetanensis, "a coccidian parasite with a fecal-oral life cycle, has become recognized worldwide as an emerging...

Novel immunoassay provides rapid Listeria detection.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel immunoassay provides rapid Listeria detection According to a study from India, "an indirect plate ELISA was developed using polyclonal antibodies directed against crude cell surface protein...

FDA licenses granted for new hepatitis B tests.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., (BIO; BIO.B) announced that two of its test kits used for the screening and confirmation of the hepatitis B virus have been approved by the United States Food and Drug...

No SARS from parcels or post.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cannot be contracted from handling letters or postal packages sent from the world's affected regions. Chronopost International air express, which is the...

HHV8 and HIV Tat interaction linked to pathogenesis.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An interaction between human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) and the HIV Tat protein plays a role in Kaposi sarcoma development. "AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (AKS) is particularly aggressive, and it is...

Stem cell transplantation feasible during hepatosplenic fungal infection.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Stem cell transplantation is feasible for leukemia patients with hepatosplenic fungal infections. "Nosocomial fungal infection increases gradually and has become the leading pathogen at National...

Vaccine kills mosquitoes.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers from Tulane and Case Western Reserve Universities have developed a novel method for controlling malaria transmission. They presented research suggesting the possibility of a vaccine that...

DNA gyrase genes are species-specific.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- DNA gyrase genes can be used to identify mycobacterial species. "The determination of the amino acid sequence of quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) in the A and B subunits of DNA...

Ribosomal DNA useful for nontuberculous mycobacteria identification.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ribosomal DNA sequencing is an effective method for identifying nontuberculous strains of mycobacteria. "The clinical profile of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) has been raised by the human...

Organizing pneumonia was found and treated in a rare pediatric case.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Organizing pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma can occur in children. "We describe a 10 year old boy with organizing pneumonia associated with acute Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. The diagnosis of...

Pneumocystis carinii load linked to alveolar macrophage count.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- High pathogen levels in pneumocystis patients are associated with low levels of some pulmonary immune cells. "Changes in the number of alveolar macrophages were correlated with organism burden...

Tobacco use increases pulmonary infection, treatment failure risk.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Tobacco use increases the risk of pulmonary infection and treatment failure in HIV patients. "The increased risk of developing lung diseases in cigarette smokers has been well recognized,"...

Afghanistan: UN joins campaign to immunize 6 million children.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As polio continues to be the leading cause of disability in Afghanistan, two United Nations agencies have joined the national government's nationwide campaign to immunize more than 6 million children in...

Genetic blueprint for bacterium unveiled.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The genetic blueprint of yet another important disease-causing microbe, the bacterium Coxiella burnetii, has been deciphered and analyzed. C. burnetii - a highly infectious organism that sickened...

Broth microdilution suitable for Campylobacter resistance testing.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Broth microdilution is suitable for Campylobacter resistance testing. In a recent study from Germany, "a standardized broth microdilution method was compared to the E test and an agar dilution...

Juvenile rhesus monkeys have lower type 2 cytokine responses than adults.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The age dependent differences in schistosomiasis appear to be explained in a rhesus monkey model, where juveniles have lower type 2 cytokine response, as well as higher antigen and lower specific...

CDC eyes possible workplace spread of SARS.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The respiratory virus known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has appeared to spread in the United States only to family members of health workers with close contact to an infected person. ...

CDC lab sequences genome of new coronavirus.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has sequenced the genome for the coronavirus believed to be responsible for the global epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS....

Masks a must for SARS patients and doctors, but not most people.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- They are fear soothers and even fashion statements. Surgical masks seem to be the only tangible step worried people think they can take against the new, highly contagious disease spreading through...

Report discusses lessons learned from China crisis.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new report discusses how China can learn from mistakes made in its handling of the SARS crisis - especially in relation to the increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS. "China's lack of openness about...

Singapore distributes wrist tags to track SARS patients.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Singapore authorities have stepped up efforts to contain a deadly new virus, including issuing electronic wrist tags to keep track of those under quarantine. The virus, severe acute respiratory...

England facing "public health crisis" over worsening sexual health.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- England is facing a public health crisis in terms of the ongoing worsening of the nation's sexual health, claims the architect of the government's sexual health strategy. And it is set to become much...

Study helps pinpoint who is at risk for staph infections.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study by a Michigan State University physician finds that people undergoing dialysis, as well as those with HIV and others with compromised immune systems, are much more susceptible to deadly staph...

Shipment of strep B assays for expectant women initiated.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cepheid (CPHD) has initiated shipment of the IDI-Strep B assay for the rapid detection of the presence of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection in expectant women. Cepheid will market the assay...

Scientists find genetic key to TB bacteria survival in lung cells.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New research led by a University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill scientist shows for the first time how Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the germ responsible for TB, uses a system for releasing...

CMV screening not feasible for donated blood in India.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The high seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in blood donors from India makes CMV screening impractical. CMV "is known to be a significant cause of morbidity and mortality following blood...

Lost genes lend new strength to TB vaccine.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Reinforcing the existing tuberculosis (TB) vaccine with new genes from the microbe that causes the disease makes the vaccine more effective, Stewart Cole and his colleagues report. There is no...

Novel C-18-carboxypropylbetaine-based test effective.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel C-18-carboxypropylbetaine-based tuberculosis screen is simple and accurate. "The ability of physicians to diagnose tuberculosis is impacted by the use of smear and culture techniques...

Novel immunoassay effective for tubercular lymphadenitis detection.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel immunoassay is suitable for tubercular lymphadenitis (TBLN) diagnosis in developing and other areas. According to recent research from India, "a sandwich dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent...

Novel site-specific system may aid mycobacterial gene research.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel mutagenesis system may aid mycobacterial gene research. "Gene disruption experiments play an important role in the functional characterization of genes in mycobacteria and rely mostly on...

Low quality packaging can lead to drug degradation.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Low quality packaging can lead to the degradation of tuberculosis drugs. "A pilot stability study was carried out on four fixed-dose combination anti-tuberculosis products at 40 degrees C and 75%...

Novel ethambutol analogs show improved efficacy.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A series of novel ethambutol analogs show improved efficacy over their parent drug. "Despite relatively modest potency, ethambutol (EMB, (S,S)-[N,N-di-2-amino-1-butanol]ethylenediamine) is a...

Treatment restores normal neutrophil function in HIV-negative patients.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Anti-tuberculosis therapy restores normal neutrophil function to HIV-negative patients. Researchers in Argentina "investigated whether the respiratory burst (RB) of polymorphonuclear neutrophils...

UI patents mutant chickenpox virus.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The University of Iowa (UI) Research Foundation has been issued a patent for the first-known mutant chickenpox virus. The initial discovery was made in 1998 by Charles Grose, MD, UI professor of...

Novel immunoassay detects serum antibodies in multiple bird species.
May 6, 2003... 2003 MAY 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A novel avian immunoassay can be used to monitor the spread of West Nile fever. Researchers in the United States described "the development of epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays...

Small genome variations account for wide range of diseases, victims.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Surprisingly subtle differences in gene content appear to account for the stunningly large number of diseases caused by the Chlamydiae family of bacteria in a wide range of animal hosts that the...

Scientists show ecological interaction between "competing" pathogens.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Epidemiologists have long known that when enough individuals in a population get sick and build immunity or die, the epidemic will end. A research team led by Pej Rohani, assistant professor of ecology...

Sloppy repair helps tuberculosis bug resist drugs.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Shoddy work by a DNA-repair enzyme allows tuberculosis-causing bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance, scientists at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have...

Dermatological condition can also be due to Mycobacterium marinum infection.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Interstitial granuloma annulare-appearing skin symptomology can also be due to mycobacteria. "We report 2 cases of Mycobacterium marinum infection that histologically simulated interstitial...

Initiative calls for commensurate attention to leading killer of African children.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PATH's Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) marked the observance of Africa Malaria Day in April by calling for greater international attention to malaria and the urgent need for a malaria vaccine. ...

Molecular structure of mammalian cell entry protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scandanavian scientists report that they have modelled the molecular structure of the mammalian cell entry protein Mce1A of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. "The proposed role of the mammalian cell...

Isolating bacteria from staphylococcal scalded skin is not clinically useful.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists working in England say their research indicates that isolating Staphylococcus aureus in cases of suspected staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome is not clinically useful because only about a...

Peritoneal tuberculosis in two febrile patients with abdominal symptoms and ascites.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Peritoneal tuberculosis should be considered in any febrile patient with abdominal signs and symptoms, particularly if ascites are present, researchers in Germany report. According to the...

Recombinant K39 antigen performs well as diagnostic for visceral leishmaniasis.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from Brazil, recombinant K39 antigen performs well as diagnostic for visceral leishmaniasis in a high incidence population. "This study evaluated the performance of...

Researchers synthesize new class of quinoline antituberculosis agents.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers have synthesized a new class of quinoline antituberculosis agents. "We report synthesis and anti-tuberculosis activities of a series of novel ring-substituted quinolines, scientists...

Infectious disease outbreaks in nursing homes are hazards for frail elderly.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Infectious disease outbreaks in nursing homes are hazards for frail elderly, according to recent research by scientists in the United States. "The common occurrence and dire consequences of...

Genes required for mycobacterial growth defined by high density mutagenesis.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genes required for mycobacterial growth are defined by high density mutagenesis, researchers in the United States report. According to the study, "Despite over a century of research, tuberculosis...

Dutch man believed first victim of bird flu outbreak.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Dutch veterinarian is believed to be the first human victim of an outbreak of bird flu devastating the poultry industry in the Netherlands, the Agriculture Ministry said. Bird flu, or avian...

UNICEF urges Angola to spend on health at launch of campaign.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As Angola launched a nationwide measles vaccination campaign in April to immunize 7 million children within a month, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) urged the government to support the...

Disease may relate to host factors and can be asymptomatic.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The amount of neurocysticercosis that is silent in a population is substantial and can be assessed by cranial CT. "Human neurocysticercosis (NC) is a parasitic disease caused by Taenia solium when...

Scientists discover "drive shaft" in mechanism that propels parasite into cells.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that a common protein known as aldolase, which is used in cells to produce energy from sugars, serves as a kind of...

National Infant Immunization Week highlights need for parental vigilance.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Today - and every day - more than 11,000 babies will be born in the United States. Each of these youngsters will require 16-20 immunizations during the first two years of life to ensure that they...

Tuberculous spondylitis incidently detected on bone imaging in diabetic.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to recent research from South Korea, tuberculous spondylitis was incidently detected on bone imaging in diabetic patient. "Pott's disease is an uncommon extrapulmonary form of...

Prevalence in U.S. decreases.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A decline in the prevalence of harmful salmonella in meat and poultry products could signal a decrease in illnesses and deaths caused by the bacterium, an Agriculture Department official says. ...

Common SARS policy for schools urgently needed.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.K. government should urgently develop a common SARS policy for U.K. boarding schools, according to a letter in the British Medical Journal. Current school policies on SARS are confusing,...

FDA issues guidance to further safeguard the blood supply.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued guidance to the nation's blood establishments on measures for further safeguarding the blood supply against severe acute respiratory syndrome...

Insurers exclude virus from coverage.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Insurers have begun excluding SARS virus coverage from policies written for sponsors of special events such as concerts, trade shows, and conventions because they know too little about the disease and...

Poll finds most U.S. businesses unprepared for SARS.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Despite growing concerns about the transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the U.S. workplace, a majority of businesses consider SARS a minor problem, according to a small poll of...

Preemies born to moms sickened by SARS.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Their stories might be the most heartbreaking to have emerged from Hong Kong's SARS crisis - three babies delivered prematurely to mothers infected by the disease. And the babies themselves may be...

Search narrows for SARS treatment.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists in search of a SARS cure have narrowed their focus to several dozen drugs that appear to have the best chance of stopping the deadly respiratory virus, but they have abandoned plans to test...

Interleukin-12 receptor beta1 polymorphisms influence susceptibility.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Scientists in Japan report that interleukin-12 receptor beta1 polymorphisms influence susceptibility to tuberculosis. "Host genetic factors may be important determinants of susceptibility to...

Therapeutic vaccines firm raises UKP15 million in international funding round.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Oxxon Pharmaccines Ltd., a biotechnology company developing innovative immunotherapeutics, specifically therapeutic vaccines (pharmaccines), has raised UKP15 million pounds ($23 million) in a private...

Blood banking, public health officials meet to head off infections.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, infected approximately 4,000 U.S. individuals throughout 39 states and the District of Columbia during 2002. Prior to 2002, it had been thought...

Mosquito disease could help slow spread.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A disease that kills mosquitoes could be one way to slow the spread of West Nile virus, the U.S. Agriculture Department says. Jim Becnel, a scientist with the department's Agricultural Research...

Pennsylvania launches 2003 surveillance program.
May 13, 2003... 2003 MAY 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pennsylvania is launching its year 2003 effort to detect and control mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus. "It's that time of the year again. Time to get your yard back in shape or just get...

Withdrawal of anti-MAC therapy seems safe for certain patients.
May 20, 2003... 2003 MAY 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a report from the AIDS Clinical Trial Group 393 study team, anti-Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) therapy can be safely discontinued in patients who've had at least a year of...