News

Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have identified what they describe as a new, “SARS-like” virus that will not need to adapt in order to infect humans.

Turtles are one of the many pets that can infect people with Salmonella; they have been linked to four 2015 multistate outbreaks in the United States.

Recent data from Bahia State, Brazil, show that Zika virus infection during the first trimester of pregnancy, or early in the second trimester, is associated with the observed increase in infants born with microcephaly.

The results of a methylome-wide analysis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) chronically infected, combination anti-retroviral therapy (cART)-treated individuals recently published in Molecular Cell suggest that HIV+ individuals have an epigenetic age 4.9 years older than healthy controls, resulting in an expected total mortality risk increase of 19%.

It is hoped that this proof of concept research may lead to promising new drug candidates to combat hPIV-3, which is the principal cause of acute respiratory illness in infants.

Consumers should note that the recalled products may have been purchased in all fifty US states and select provinces in Canada: British Colombia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

The ongoing refugee crisis facing European countries as a result of conflicts in the Middle East presents a potential public health challenge to governments already struggling with the influx of hundreds of new migrants on a daily basis.

Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya. These are the most recent viruses causing outbreaks in several regions of the world, all spread through the bite of an infected female Aedes aegypti mosquito. There is currently no cure for these viruses, which makes infection prevention a priority.

A recent review article on the status of influenza vaccines, their short-comings, and ways to improve them suggests the potential for significant improvements in the performance of future influenza vaccines.

Adding to the troubling data worldwide on antibiotic resistance, researchers have found that even trace concentrations of antibiotics, such as those found in sewage, are sufficient for bacteria to maintain resistance to most broad-spectrum agents.

In a one-arm study examined by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), the added benefit of rilpivirine for HIV-positive children and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18, was not proven, contrary to the belief of the manufacturer.

Puerto Rico, one of the countries currently experiencing active Zika virus transmission, has reported its first Zika-related death.

Two new inhibitory compounds—named KKL-10 and KKL-40—could hold the key to preventing the proliferation of the highly virulent bacterium Francisella tularensis, according to a recent study.

The world’s first commercial Zika test has been approved for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The on-again, off-again debut of the controversial film “Vaxxed: From Cover-up to Catastrophe” at the Tribeca Film Festival in March once again made the debate surrounding pediatric vaccination headline news.

Contagion™ recently spoke with FDA spokesperson, Siobhan DeLancey, who addressed some of the concerns regarding the release of OX513A, the genetically modified Aedes aegypti mosquito, in Key Haven, Florida.

Researchers analyzed archived blood donor samples collected during and after the 2014 epidemic of Chikungunya virus in Puerto Rico, and found that as many as 2 percent of the samples tested positive for Chikungunya RNA.

Because certain viral sub-types are associated with higher rates of morbidity and mortality than others, efforts to improve the effectiveness of influenza vaccines remain an important focus of future research.

A recent study has shown that although the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology can stop human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication, it also results in unexpected viral resistance and thereby limits use of the technology in HIV therapy.

In a recent study of 1,812 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa, researchers found that none of these individuals had confirmed hepatitis C virus replication.

From Friday April 22, 2016 to Tuesday, April 26, 2016, the number of confirmed mumps cases at Harvard University rose from 34 to 40.

A sector of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will support Roche Molecular Systems Inc., of Branchburg New Jersey, in conducting trials to evaluate the company’s Zika blood screen test.

Study suggests that the risk of Zika virus transmission is particularly high in the southeast as well as in south Texas, where locally-acquired cases of Aedes-transmitted viruses have been reported previously.

The first case of sexually transmitted Zika infection in Canada was confirmed on April 25, 2016 by the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

On Friday, April 22, 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to set interim guidance for those working in the fields where exposure to the Zika virus is inevitable.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2014, nearly 17% of new HIV diagnoses were in the over-50s.

Global pharmaceutical company, AbbVie, announced the approval of a supplemental new drug application for VIEKIRA PAK® without ribavirin in chronic hepatitis C patients with genotype 1b (HCV-1b) and compensated cirrhosis.

On April 18, 2016, the director-general of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, OBE, JP, discussed antimicrobial resistance at a United Nations briefing in New York.

The impact of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan now includes an infectious disease component—namely, an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease—and it has sparked a debate among health officials and infectious disease experts.

Taking a page out of U.S. Biodefense practices may be the first step in preparing for future infectious disease outbreaks.