Pathogens

Infection by pathogenic organisms and multidrug-resistant organisms are responsible for causing significant morbidity and mortality in the healthcare setting. Pathogens are transmitted via fomites and reservoirs, including the hands of healthcare workers, medical equipment and devices and other animate and inanimate objects that play a role in cross-contamination.

Misdiagnosis of H1N1 Influenza Cases

During the April-July 2009 outbreak of H1N1/2009 in scotland the West of Scotland Specialist Virology Centre (WoSSVC) in Glasgow tested more than 16 000 clinical samples for H1N1/2009. Most were from patients clinically diagnosed with H1N1/2009. Out of these, 9 percent were ...More
July 19, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Research Provides Insight Into New Drug Resistance of Hospital Pathogens

Hospitals struggle to prevent the infections that complicate treatment for cancer, joint replacement, heart surgery and other conditions. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are often resistant to multiple antibiotics, leading to approximately 100,000 deaths and more ...More
July 13, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Biologists Identify New Strategy Used by Bacteria During Infection

Purdue University biologists identified a new way in which bacteria hijack healthy cells during infection, which could provide a target for new antibiotics. ...More
July 12, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
HPV Infection Highly Prevalent Among Organ Transplant Recipients

A new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation reveals an association between the human papillomavirus (betaPV) infection and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in organ transplant recipients. HPV is known to cause cervical cancer and SCC in the ...More
July 12, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Large Study Reaffirms H1N1, Seasonal Flu Vaccine Safety

Back in spring 2009, the H1N1 influenza virus crossed the U.S. border and raised concerns that it might cause a full-scale epidemic in the fall. The Food and Drug Administration worked with other Health and Human Services agencies and vaccine manufacturers to quickly ...More
July 5, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Scientists Help Unravel How Deadly Ebola Virus Works

Molecular and cell biologists at the University of Virginia Health System have discovered new information about how the Ebola virus works that could eventually lead to new drug treatments for the deadly virus. No known cure exists for the Ebola virus, which causes ...More
July 5, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
When Viruses Infect Bacteria

Viruses are the most abundant parasites on Earth. Well known viruses, such as the flu virus, attack human hosts, while viruses such as the tobacco mosaic virus infect plant hosts. ...More
July 1, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Infectious Disease Experts Call for Better Understanding of How to Protect Older Americans from Flu

Americans 65 years of age and older are at the highest risk of developing severe complications from influenza, but these same individuals receive less protection from annual influenza vaccination than others. While annual vaccination is the best means of protection for ...More
June 29, 2011
Posted in News
A New Discovery in Battle Against Plague and Bacterial Pneumonias

Researchers from the Stephen Smiley lab at the Trudeau Institute have now identified a single component of the plague causing bacterium that can be used as a vaccine. This single "subunit" could potentially be used to create a safer form of a T cell-stimulating plague ...More
June 28, 2011
Posted in News
Biologist Discovers Key Regulators for Biofilm Development

They can be found everywhere—organized communities of bacteria sticking to surfaces both inside and outside the body. These biofilms are responsible for some of the most virulent, antibiotic-resistant infections in humans; however, scientific understanding of how these ...More
June 24, 2011
Posted in News