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B.C. research uncovers links to asthma; Fecal samples taken from hundreds of infants reveal missing bugs
Vancouver-based researchers have identified four strains of bacteria that they believe babies need in their digestive tract to prevent asthma, opening up the possibility of a preventive treatment. The work published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine fleshes out recent studies pointing toward the importance of a wide variety of bacteria in the human gut – known collectively as microbiota – for goodhealth. It’s the first time specific bacteria have been...
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Google Joins Effort to Stop Zika Virus Spread
From TechNewsWorld: Google last week announced it would contribute US$1 million to the UN Children’s Fund to support the global fight against the mosquito-borne Zika virus. A team of Google engineers has volunteered to work with UNICEF to analyze data in an effort to figure out the viral infection’s path. It also will match employee donations with the goal of giving an extra $500,000 to UNICEF and the Pan American...
Type: Post
Zoonotic transmission: predictive mapping
Barbara Han, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, N.Y., has been working on mapping zoonoses. Drawing on hundreds of studies of emerging zoonotic diseases that come from mammals, she has tracked what classes of creature harbor the most known human pathogens, and where those reservoirs are most likely to be found. The results, published Tuesday in the journal Trends in Parasitology, are complicated and...
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Cigarette smoke promotes growth of Staph aureus
A study led by Dr. David A. Scott of the University of Louisville School of Dentistry found that cigarette smoke helps bacteria colonize and build resilience. The specific types of bacteria that were found to grow more from smoke were Staphylococcus aureus (which causes skin infections), Streptococcus mutans (which contributes to oral diseases), Klebsiella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. These bacteria may build up to cause other diseases like vaginosis and...
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Rhinovirus vaccine research
Martin Moore, an associate professor at Emory University and a research scholar at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, has been working on developing a rhinovirus vaccine that has shown promising results in trials on macaques. The monkeys were able to produce antibodies against many types of rhinoviruses. Moore and his colleagues are now following up on those results with more research and hope to move soon to human trials. They’re not...
Type: Post
Development of universal flu shot: two articles
Canadian researchers developing one-time flu vaccine from CTVNews.ca: Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. are developing a flu vaccine that would be administered only once, eliminating the need for the annual shot. Dr. Matthew Miller, an assistant professor of biochemistry at McMaster, is part of the team of researchers developing the universal vaccine. The basis of its success, he said, is that it targets an unchanging part of the...
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Keeping warm DOES help you fight off colds!
The common cold virus can reproduce itself more efficiently in the cooler temperature found inside the nose than at core body temperature, according to a new Yale-led study. This finding may confirm the popular, yet contested, notion that people are more likely to catch a cold in cool-weather conditions. Researchers have long known that the most frequent cause of the common cold, the rhinovirus, replicates more readily in the slightly...
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Infection Control News: July 16-20, 2018
FDA updates warnings for fluoroquinolone antibiotics on risks of mental health and low blood sugar adverse reactions. FDA News Release FDA approves first treatment for smallpox virus. News with video Bacterial ‘armour’ could provide a target for new antibiotic drugs. News “Crowdsourcing” friendly bacteria helps S.aureus cause infection. News Why men might recover from flu faster than women. News Study finds that patient with ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae had a higher...
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Infection Control News: Aug 27-31, 2018
Measles reported at New Westminster outdoor pool. News Advice on how to make wellness a priority while flying. News Scabies outbreak contained at two health-care facilities. News. Read this Canadian Case Study about Scabies outbreak in CJIC. p 133-141: Study Why does Europe suddenly have measles? News Section 3 and 4 have been added to CDC’s FREE online antibiotic stewardship training course. Visit the Continuing Education and Informational Resources for...
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