Contagion Editorial Staff

David A. Schwartz, MD, MS Hyg, FCAP, clinical professor of pathology at Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, discusses Zika virus in indigenous populations.

In case you missed them, our top 5 articles for the week of March 12, 2017 are highlighted here.

Daniel Pilch, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, co-founder of TAXIS Pharmaceuticals, and co-author of the study, explains the bactericidal behavior of TXA709, a new drug to treat MRSA infections.

Edmond LaVoie, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University, co-founder of TAXIS Pharmaceuticals, and co-author of the study on the new MRSA drug, TXA709, explains how TXA709 targets MRSA differently than other antibiotics.

Annelies Wilder-Smith, MD, PhD, professor at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine in Singapore, examines the effectiveness of personal protection against Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya viruses.

In case you missed them, here is a round-up of the top 5 articles for the week of March 5, 2017.

Jean-Paul Gonzalez, MD, PhD, Deputy Director, Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), Kansas State University, Adjunct Professor, Kansas State University, discusses the Zika virus from a historical perspective.

Carmen Zorrilla, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Puerto Rico, School of Medicine, discusses the social stigma surrounding Zika- and HIV-positive women.

Romney Humphries, PhD, D(ABMM), section chief of Clinical Microbiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, sat down with Contagion™ to discuss antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance and new technologies in the field.

At the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene Conference in November 2016, scientists presented research indicating that infection with West Nile virus may be linked with a shorter lifespan.

David A. Schwartz, MD, MS Hyg, FCAP, clinical professor of pathology at Medical College of Georgia, explains how the Zika virus pandemic has brought about a new form of research sharing.

Robin Jump, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the Case Western Reserve University sat down with Contagion™ to discuss up-and-coming prevention methods for C. diff in the hospital setting.

Did you read this week’s top infectious disease news coverage from Contagion®?

Up to 90% of some mammal populations in the Northeast are infected with the virus.

Adriano Schneider, MS, PhD Candidate, Bioinformatics and Genomics, UNC Charlotte, maps the evolution of the Zika virus.

Carmen Zorrilla, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology, University of Puerto Rico, School of Medicine, explains her study which stress, depression, and anxiety levels in pregnant women in Puerto Rico with and without Zika infection.

Catch up on last month's top infectious disease news coverage from Contagion®.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published, for the first time, a priority list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that urgently need new antibiotics.

Lenore Pereira, PhD, professor of Cell and Tissue Biology at University of California, San Francisco, discusses how Zika crosses the placenta.

Annelies Wilder-Smith, MD, PhD, professor at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine in Singapore, discusses why the Zika virus outbreak in Singapore did not reach such large proportions as those that occurred in the Americas.

Viviane Boaventura, MD, PhD, researcher, Fiocruz-Bahia, Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Brazil, discusses her research regarding impaired hearing function due to congenital Zika syndrome.

Alice Panchaud, PharmD, PhD, clinical pharmacist and pharmacoepidemiologist, CHUV, Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland, explains how data sharing may be used to answer important questions regarding congenital Zika syndrome.

Both Zika-infected and uninfected pregnant women showed levels of high stress in a recent study conducted in Puerto Rico.

Matthew Aliota, PhD, research scientist, University of Wisconsin, Pathobiological Sciences, explains why the mechanism behind how Wolbachia blocks Dengue virus transmission is not yet fully understood.

Marta G. Cavalcanti, MD, PhD, physician at Infectious Diseases Clinic, Hospital Universitario Clementino Fraga Filho, UFRJ, Brazil, discusses how the period of RNA shedding correlates with the severity of complications associated with mono- or coinfection in Zika patients.

The US Food and Drug Administration just announced that it is allowing the marketing of a new test kit for bloodstream infections.

Madeline King, PharmD, assistant professor of Clinical Pharmacy at the University of the Sciences, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, discusses her research on the efficacy of ceftazidime-avibactam against infections caused by gram-negative organisms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that annual HIV infections declined from 2008 to 2014, but this decrease was not seen across all groups.

Edmond LaVoie, PhD, professor and chair, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, co-founder of TAXIS Pharmaceuticals, and co-author of the study on the new MRSA drug, TXA709, discusses the social and economic implications of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Daniel Pilch, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, co-founder of TAXIS Pharmaceuticals, and co-author of the study, explains why MRSA is especially dangerous, and the effectiveness of the team’s new drug, TXA079.