Infection Control Today Magazine

Antigens

Study Maps Process Used by T Cells to Discriminate Pathogens From the Body's Own Cells

Researchers have for the first time mapped the complex choreography used by the immune system's T cells to recognize pathogens while avoiding attacks on the body's own cells. The researchers found that T cell receptors – molecules located on the surface of the T cell – ...More
January 21, 2011
Posted in News
Origins of the Pandemic: Study Reveals Lessons of H1N1

As H1N1 influenza returns to the national headlines a new research paper reveals the key lessons about the origins of the 2009 pandemic. The paper, published today in BioEssays, reveals how the pandemic challenges the traditional understanding of 'antigenic shift,' given ...More
January 13, 2011
Posted in News
Particle Sciences Develops Wax Nanoparticles that Enhance Immune Response to Antigens

Particle Sciences Inc. announces it has formulated a series of wax nanoparticles that, when coupled with an antigen, enhanced its immunogenicity, increasing both systemic and the mucosal immune response. The work is described in the journal Vaccine (Dec. 8, 2010) in a paper ...More
December 22, 2010
Posted in News
Staph Superantigens Could Be Culprit Behind Several Illnesses

Superantigens, the toxins produced by staphylococcus bacteria, are more complex than previously believed, reveals a team of researchers from the University of Gothenburg in an article published today in the journal Nature Communications. Their discovery shows that the ...More
November 29, 2010
Posted in News
Breathalyzer Detection of TB Antigen

Researchers describe a novel device that utilizes immunosensor and bio-optical technology to detect M. tuberculosis antigen (Ag85B) in cough and demonstrate its use under field conditions during a pilot study in an area of high TB incidence. ...More
July 30, 2010
Posted in News
Researchers Discover Key to Effective Antibody Response

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a trigger that induces B cells to produce effective and long-lived antibodies early in the immune response. ...More
July 7, 2010
Posted in News
Research Collaboration to Evaluate Novel Adjuvants to Enhance Pandemic Flu Vaccines

Two global health non-profit organizations headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) and PATH, have entered into a research collaboration agreement to evaluate novel adjuvants for their ability to enhance the immune response of ...More
June 25, 2010
Posted in News
Immune Evasion Common in Many Viruses, Bacteria and Parasites is Uncommon in M. tuberculosis

Scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered that the strategy of "immune evasion" common to many viruses, bacteria and parasites, is uncommon to M. tuberculosis where the antigens remain strikingly unchanged and homogenous. The study published in Nature ...More
May 24, 2010
Posted in News
Is Nitric Oxide a Foe or a Friend to Bacteria?

Current research suggests that nitric oxide may play a role in the pathogenesis of neonatal meningitis. The related report by Mittal et al., "Inhibition of inducible nitric oxide controls pathogen load and brain damage by enhancing phagocytosis of Escherichia coli K1 in ...More
February 24, 2010
Posted in News, Disinfection & Sterilization
HHS Purchases Additional H1N1 Vaccine Ingredients

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the department will commit $884 million to purchase additional supplies of two key ingredients for potential H1N1 vaccine to further prepare the nation for a potential resurgence of the 2009 H1N1 virus. “We ...More
July 13, 2009
Posted in News