All Infection Prevention & Control articles
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NewsOnly few disinfectants are capable of inactivating hepatitis A virus
Researchers tested nine different surface disinfectants against Hepatitis A virus. According to their findings, only two aldehyde-based products proved effective at inactivating HAV.
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News‘It’s a shot, not a vaccine like MMR’: New skepticism prompts call for action
This ‘vaccine is not a vaccine’ is a new, previously unreported type of vaccine-specific scepticism, and it arose only during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it might, according to the researchers, also apply to the flu vaccine.
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NewsBfR organises three-day conference on food microbiology
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the German Society for Microbiology and Hygiene (DGHM) and the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM) are inviting researchers to the 19th Food Microbiology Conference in Berlin from 1 to 3 April.
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NewsCanada is slowest in reporting bird flu – but COVID shows we can do better
A global study was conducted to measure the reporting speed of pandemic-causing bird flu H5N1 in different countries, among which Canada surprisingly came in last, addressing the need for improvements in the current monitoring procedures.
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NewsHepatitis B: new rapid diagnostic test to halt mother-to-child transmission
Scientists have assessed a new rapid diagnostic test to identify pregnant women at elevated risk of transmitting hepatitis B to their babies. This diagnostic tool could help eliminate hepatitis B by preventing mother-to-child transmission during childbirth.
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NewsMeasles elimination versus eradication: The difference explained
As of March 13, the CDC has confirmed 301 cases of measles as well as the death of a child in Texas. Amira Roess, an epidemiologist and professor of global health, clarifies the benefits of vaccinating children and adolescents against measles.
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NewsTadpoles try to flee dangerous virus in their pond by growing much faster than normal
A new study shows that larvae of wood frogs respond to the presence of a deadly ranavirus by growing and maturing precociously. In response to ranavirus, tadpoles change their growth, development, and resource allocation, which may help them tolerate the energetic demands of infection or escape risky environments to avoid infection.
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NewsC. diff uses toxic compound to fuel growth advantage
The pathogen C. diff — the most common cause of health care-associated infectious diarrhea — can use a compound that kills the human gut’s resident microbes to survive and grow, giving it a competitive advantage in the infected gut.
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NewsSusceptibility to bovine TB in cattle traced to key genes
A new study identifying genetic factors contributing to bovine tuberculosis (bTB) susceptibility has found several key genes and pathways involved in the bovine response to Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of the disease in cattle.
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NewsNewer hepatitis B vaccine shows promise as booster for health care workers
A new study compares the effectiveness of Heplisav-B, a new hepatitis vaccine, vs. standard hepatitis B vaccines as a booster in previously vaccinated individuals.
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NewsNew study reveals a safer alternative for long-term hepatitis B treatment
Researchers have studied the effects of switching from long-term tenofovir disoproxil fumarate to the antiviral besifovir dipivoxil maleatein (BSV) in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Switching to BSV may improve patient kidney and bone health.
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NewsStudy evaluates airborne transmission risk of mpox compared to COVID-19 and smallpox
Scientists have found that the inhaled infectious dose of mpox is at least 100 times lower than that of SARS-CoV-2 and smallpox, making efficient respiratory aerosol transmission highly unlikely in its current form - but future viral evolution could alter this dynamic.
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NewsBartonella and babesia found in brain tissue of child with seizures
In a new case study, researchers have found Bartonella henselae, Babesia odocoilei and Babesia divergens-like MO-1 DNA in brain tissue samples from a young child with seizures and suspected Rasmussen’s encephalitis.
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NewsAntibody-based therapy is several steps closer to treat lethal mucormycosis
A new paper discusses the use of monoclonal antibodies to target a key fungal cell surface protein, CotH, which enables the Mucorales fungus to invade human cells and cause mucormycosis, which has high mortality rates in people with weakened immune systems.
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NewsA high-fat diet may impair response to infection
A new study in The Journal of Immunology reveals how a high-fat diet may impair the immune system’s ability to respond to infection by impacting the function of neutrophils, one of the first immune cells to respond to bacteria or viruses. The study demonstrated that male mice fed a high-fat ...
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NewsSelective G6PDH inactivation for Helicobacter pylori eradication with transformed polysulfide
A new study highlights a novel mechanism of action driven by polysulfides, presenting a promising alternative strategy for combating H. pylori infections.
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NewsFour advances that could change tuberculosis treatment
World Tuberculosis Day commemorates Robert Koch’s discovery of the source bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Scientists are still refining TB diagnosis methods and treatment strategies - some of the latest innovations are revealed here.
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NewsWHO calls for urgent action to address worldwide disruptions in tuberculosis services
Since World Tuberculosis Day is only days away, World Health Organization addresses the current challenges faced by countries in TB responses. They urgently call for an united global effort to combat the deadly disease and safeguard the public health from the devastating consequences.
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NewsHidden threat: The evolving fungus that spreads through cats and humans
Researchers have developed a better understanding about the molecular basis of the Sporothrix species in virulence and evolution, amid the largest sporotrichosis epidemic in Brazil. The identification of the genetic markers helps to enhance fungal surveillance and strengthen disease control.
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NewsTeam finds regional, age-related trends in exposure to drug-resistant pathogen
A study from 10 US states found drug-resistant Campylobacter jejuni infections were highest in the 20-39 age group and that quinolone-resistant C. jejuni infections increased from 22.6% of those tested in 2013 to 33.54% in 2019. It identified regional differences in C. jejuni resistance to quinolones and six other classes of antibiotics.