Immunology

Previously Unheralded Microbes Cause And Prevent Severe Diarrhea

Moderate to severe diarrhea (MSD) is a major cause of childhood mortality in developing countries and ranks as one of the top four causes of death among young children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In a finding that may one day help control this m ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 27 2014 - 8:40am

New Compound May Mean New Ways To Treat Antibiotic-Resistant TB

Rifampicin and related drugs are important antibiotics in the "drug cocktail" that cures tuberculosis in about 6 months. But two forms of tuberculosis, referred to as "multi-drug-resistant," or MDR, and "extensively drug-resistant ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 27 2014 - 10:30pm

2009 Swine Flu Pandemic Wasn't Due To International Air Travel- Study

The H1N1 2009 pandemic influenza virus, known informally as 'swine flu', has remained a hot topic in science and culture. The science and medical community, including former FDA deputy commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, criticized the Obama admiin ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 1 2014 - 11:30am

Viruses: Deceptive Proteins Unmasked

Some viruses can hide in our bodies for decades. How do they escape notice and destruction? They have 'fake' human proteins that trick our immune cells into thinking they belong.  ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 7 2014 - 9:00am

Antibiotic Resistance Threatens A Return To "The Dark Ages Of Medicine"

Ask an older person what it is like to be under the constant threat of infectious disease. They love vaccines and they love antibiotics because everyone once knew someone who was crippled or died due to an inability to prevent or cure serious illnesses. Bu ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 8 2014 - 9:32am

Blocking Immune System Leads To Sepsis Resistance In Study

Molecular microbiologists have discovered that mice lacking a specific component of the immune system are completely resistant to sepsis, a potentially fatal complication of infection. The immune system is the body's first line of defense against inf ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 9 2014 - 10:01am

Low Doses Of Antibiotics Linked To Chronic Infections

Researchers have discovered the link between antibiotics and bacterial biofilm formation leading to chronic lung, sinus and ear infections. Bacterial biofilms can actually thrive, rather than decrease, when given low doses of antibiotics.  Biofilms are hi ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 10 2014 - 9:53am

Disappointment: 'Mississippi Baby' Cured Of HIV Has Recurrence

The child known as the "Mississippi baby", an infant cured of HIV in a case study published in The New England Journal of Medicine last fall, now has detectable levels of HIV after more than two years without taking antiretroviral therapy and wi ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 10 2014 - 4:01pm

1960s Redux: Injected Polio Vaccine Could Help Eradicate The Disease

Re-introducing a type of polio vaccine, the injected polio vaccine (IPV), that fell out of favor in the 1960s could hasten eradication of the disease, according to new research. The injected polio vaccine is rarely used today, it lost in competition again ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 10 2014 - 8:01pm

Hygiene Hypothesis? Growing Up On A Farm Halves The Risk Of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

If you grew up on a farm, you may have gotten sick lots of times due to exposure to any number of microorgansms. You might not remember getting sick more then, but a new study finds you are less likely to have chronic maladies as an adult. New research co ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 12 2014 - 9:30am