Infection Control Today Magazine

Neutrophils

Research Sheds Light on How Immune System Targets Infection

University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have discovered previously unsuspected aspects of the guidance system used by the body's first line of defense against infection. The new work focuses on the regulation of immune response by two forms of the ...More
February 28, 2012
Posted in News
How the Immune System Fights Back Against Anthrax Infections

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have uncovered how the body’s immune system launches its survival response to the notorious and deadly bacterium anthrax. The findings, ...More
June 16, 2011
Posted in News
Gene Protects Lung from Damage Due to Pneumonia, Sepsis, Trauma, Transplants

Lung injury is a common cause of death among patients with pneumonia, sepsis or trauma and in those who have had lung transplants. The damage often occurs suddenly and can cause life-threatening breathing problems and rapid lung failure. There are no effective treatments. ...More
February 9, 2011
Posted in News
Experimental Approach May Lead to Improved Treatment of Bed Sores, Other Slow-Healing Wounds

Loyola University Health System researchers are reporting on a promising new approach to treating diabetic wounds, bed sores, chronic ulcers and other slow-to-heal wounds. It may be possible to speed healing by suppressing certain immune cells, researchers write in the ...More
February 8, 2011
Posted in News
Protein Preserves Delicate Balance Between Immune Response and Host

White blood cells called neutrophils are part of the body's first line of defense against bacterial infection. Neutrophils are recruited from the bloodstream to infected tissues where they release powerful chemicals that kill bacteria and amplify the immune response. These ...More
November 1, 2010
Posted in News
Genetic Makeup Influences Susceptibility to Severe Sepsis

In the June issue of Anesthesiology, researchers take aim at identifying genetic risk factors for sepsis – a leading cause of death for critically ill patients. Genetic makeup has been identified as a key factor leading to the development of sepsis, a systemic ...More
June 14, 2010
Posted in News
“Good” Bacteria Keep Immune System Primed to Fight Future Infections

Scientists have long pondered the seeming contradiction that taking broad-spectrum antibiotics over a long period of time can lead to severe secondary bacterial infections. Now researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine may have figured out why. The ...More
January 27, 2010
Posted in News
Researcher Identifies New Target to Prevent Fatal Flu Lung Complication

Research led by Dr. Jay Kolls, professor and chairman of genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has identified a therapeutic target for acute lung injury resulting in acute respiratory distress syndrome, a highly fatal complication of influenza infection. The ...More
September 29, 2009
Posted in News
Strategy for Fighting Persistent Bacterial Infections is Discovered

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered a promising strategy for destroying the molecular scaffolding that can make Pseudomonas bacterial infections extremely difficult to treat in cystic fibrosis patients, wearers of contact lenses, and burn victims. Jerry ...More
March 23, 2009
Posted in News
White Blood Cell Uses DNA 'Catapult' to Fight Infection

SALTLAKECITY – U.S. and Swiss scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how a type of white blood cell called the eosinophil may help the body to fight bacterial infections in the digestive tract, according to research published online this week in Nature ...More
August 13, 2008
Posted in News