Archive for infectious diseases
Boosting host immune defenses to treat tuberculosis
Current treatment regimens for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, are long, complex, and hard for people to sustain. Moreover, the bacteria often develop drug resistance, and many people harbor multi-drug-resistant strains. In 2018 alone, nearly 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis worldwide. Now, a study in iScience suggests a new approach that ... Read More about Boosting host immune defenses to treat tuberculosis
Existing anti-parasitic drug could offer a treatment for Ebola
Amid the worsening Ebola outbreak in the Congo, now threatening to spill into Rwanda, a new study suggests that an existing, FDA-approved drug called nitazoxanide could potentially help contain this deadly, highly contagious infection. In meticulous experiments in human cells, described today in iScience, the drug significantly amplified immune responses to the virus and inhibited ... Read More about Existing anti-parasitic drug could offer a treatment for Ebola
Sweet! How C. difficile toxin A enters intestinal cells
Clostridiodes difficile infection has become a leading cause of severe, sometimes fatal diarrheal illness. It flourishes best in hospitals and long-term care facilities where people are on long-term antibiotic treatment, but it’s also an increasing problem in the community. Much of the damage from C. diff is caused by toxins the bacterium produces, which damage ... Read More about Sweet! How C. difficile toxin A enters intestinal cells
Hidden part of flu virus yields hope for better vaccines
The annual effort to create a flu vaccine is like a high-stakes game of Whack-a-mole. Even if public health officials develop a vaccine that offers wide protection, the ever-changing influenza virus pops up again the next year in a new guise, often different enough to thwart the body’s defenses. And while most people recover, influenza ... Read More about Hidden part of flu virus yields hope for better vaccines
Stool transplant found safe, effective for ‘C. diff’ in children
Diarrhea caused by Clostridiodes (formerly Clostridium) difficile infections is on the rise among children; one population-based study found a 12.5-fold increase in incidence from 1991 to 2009. For reasons that aren’t clear, C. difficile is more frequently striking children without the usual risk factors, such as hospitalization or antibiotic exposure. One thing that is known ... Read More about Stool transplant found safe, effective for ‘C. diff’ in children
Science Seen: An intestinal toxin’s trick, a potential cancer fighter
Clostridium difficile, also called “C. diff,” causes severe gastrointestinal tract infections and tops the CDC’s list of urgent drug-resistant threats. In work published in Nature in 2016, Min Dong, PhD, and colleagues found the elusive portal that enables a key C. diff toxin, toxin B, to enter the intestines’ outer cells and break down the ... Read More about Science Seen: An intestinal toxin’s trick, a potential cancer fighter
Culture shock: Why poliovirus had to live before it could die
Today, stories of polio may seem like echoes from far-away history to those born after 1979, the year that polio was eradicated in the U.S. Since then, it has been customary for children to receive four doses of the polio vaccine to protect them from ever contracting the terrifying disease also known as “infantile paralysis.” Polio, however, still afflicts people in ... Read More about Culture shock: Why poliovirus had to live before it could die
Entry door for deadly C. difficile toxin suggests new mode of protection
Clostridium difficile, also called “C. diff,” tops the CDC’s list of urgent drug-resistant threats. Marked by severe diarrhea and intestinal inflammation, C. diff has become a leading cause of death from gastrointestinal illness, causing half a million infections a year in the U.S. alone. C. diff flourishes best in hospitals and long-term care facilities where people are on ... Read More about Entry door for deadly C. difficile toxin suggests new mode of protection
Frozen poop pill offers a less invasive treatment option for emerging infectious disease
The fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) movement is catching the attention of scientists, researchers and the media nationwide. Currently, fecal transplantation delivers pre-screened, healthy human donor stool to a patient via colonoscopy or by nasogastric tube. It’s prescribed as an effective alternative to long-term antibiotic use in treating debilitating infectious diseases such as Clostridium difficile, also known ... Read More about Frozen poop pill offers a less invasive treatment option for emerging infectious disease