All Infection Prevention & Control articles
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NewsFrog’s coat of bacterial armor helps protect it from fungal disease
The bacteria living on frogs’ skin could serve a vital role in protecting the animal from a deadly fungal disease. A team of researchers found that frogs’ natural skin bacteria can help them fight disease and improve their chances of survival.
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NewsA new mechanism of action against an old enemy
Researchers identified corramycin as a promising candidate against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. In the laboratory, the natural compound is effective against various forms of the tuberculosis pathogen, including strains from clinical samples that are already resistant to common antibiotics.
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NewsResearchers uncover what could make some bacteria-killing viruses more effective than others
Bacteriophages — or phages, for short — are viruses that kill bacteria, and scientists have been studying them for decades as a possible solution to antibiotic-resistant infections. But phages are notoriously picky eaters — a phage that can eradicate one bacterial strain is often powerless against others, even if the ...
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NewsResearchers use computational design to engineer immune cells to fight cancer and viruses
Researchers have used advanced computational design methods to enhance the ability of genetically engineered immune cells to recognize and attack cancer and viral targets.
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NewsA shorter, better-tolerated treatment for chagas disease is possible
A 30-day course of benznidazole taken once a day could offer people with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection a safer and more practical option than the current standard treatment, taken twice a day for 60 days.
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NewsTarget identified in treatment of neuroHIV
NeuroHIV occurs when HIV infection affects the function and structural integrity of the brain and, to some extent, the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system. New research has identified a brain protein driving this damage, pointing toward a possible treatment.
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NewsCorals show ‘vaccine-like’ responses after pathogen exposure
To boost the resilience of corals in the face of increasing sea temperatures and the spread of disease, researchers have found that controlled, low-level exposure to dead pathogenic cells can help corals resist future infection.
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NewsSimple cleaning reduced bacteria on single-use medical devices
Three simple cleaning methods reduced bacterial levels on used single-use medical devices, according to a study. The findings could prove useful as a last-resort measure during severe shortages of medical supplies in a crisis or war.
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NewsEfficacy of commercial disinfectants Virkon®S and Microchem Plus against poliovirus
The WHO 4th Global Action Plan for Poliovirus Containment (GAPIV) mandates poliovirus-essential facilities (PEFs) to validate on-site decontamination protocols for non-enveloped poliovirus, a pathogen resistant to many routine disinfectants. A study assessed two commercial biosecurity disinfectants.
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NewsResearch could lead to better prevention for a common cause of newborn meningitis
A new research project will investigate how Strep B bacteria attach to the vaginal tract and the mechanisms they use to stay there. In newborns, Strep B infections can kill and the study will look at how Streptococcus agalactiae comes to colonize the birth canal in the first place, which may lead to improved preventative measures.
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News€8 million Horizon Europe grant to launch next-generation initiative to detect, assess and respond to pandemics
Led by the University of Oxford in partnership with the WHO and an international consortium the three-year PANDAI project will develop and deploy advanced AI models to transform the detection, assessment, prediction and response to global disease threats.
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NewsNew standardised, contemporary strain panels address a long-standing barrier in AMR research
PACE and the UK Health Security Agency have released five new contemporary antimicrobial resistance (AMR) strain panels, giving innovators worldwide a resource to test novel therapeutics and diagnostics against today’s resistance patterns.
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NewsHow a single viral protein hijacks immune cells to supercharge COVID-19 infection
A new discovery reveals how a SARS-CoV-2 protein reprograms immune cells to accelerate viral spread—and points to a new strategy for therapeutic intervention.
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NewsBoosted BCG vaccine strategy significantly reduces tuberculosis relapse
A new study reveals that combining an immunotherapy with the traditional Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine drastically lowers the risk of TB relapse in preclinical models.
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NewsNew sepsis guidelines seek to reduce infection’s deadly toll
Experts have developed important new guidelines to improve care for patients who develop sepsis, a dangerous full-body infection that kills at least 350,000 Americans every year.
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NewsLong-acting antibodies may work with the immune system to control HIV and help reduce the reservoir
Results from a clinical trial have offered a new HIV strategy, suggesting that just one or two doses of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) can suppress the virus long-term, keeping it at undetectable levels for months and even years.
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NewsNew test could dramatically speed diagnosis of hard-to-detect lung infections
Nontuberculous mycobacteria can cause chronic, tuberculosis-like lung infections. Researchers have developed a new diagnostic platform that can identify the precise species of bacteria causing a patient’s infection in just a few hours — a dramatic improvement over the current standard, which can take four to six weeks.
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NewsWhat you need to know about rabies after recent North Carolina cases
In late August, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed multiple rabies cases in baby goats at a mobile petting zoo based in Iredell County. Hundreds of people may have been exposed to rabies from the goats when the zoo visited various locations over a five-week period.
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NewsFirst-of-its-kind preventative phage therapy provides promising results
The mammalian gut microbiome is teeming with a delicate balance of bacteria and the phages that keep them in check. What if the phages in the gut could prepare for an orally ingested pathogen and strike it down as it enters the gut, negating the need for a battle?
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NewsStudy supports effectiveness of RSV preventive antibody treatments for infants and provides new way to monitor viral resistance
An analysis of more than 60,000 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sequences from around the world found that viral variants associated with resistance to current RSV prevention tools remain rare, according to a study.