Tracing the Evolution of a Drug-Resistant Pathogen
July 21st 2015To fight a pathogen that’s highly resistant to antibiotics, first understand how it gets that way. Klebsiella pneumoniae strains that carry a particular enzyme are known for “their ability to survive any antibiotics you throw at them,” says Corey Hudson of Sandia National Laboratories in California.
Elderberry Benefits Air Travelers, May Protect From Upper Respiratory Symptoms
July 21st 2015The negative health effects of international air travel are well documented but now it seems that the common elderberry can provide some relief. Associate professor Evelin Tiralongo and Dr. Shirley Wee from Griffith University's Menzies Health Institute Queensland (MHIQ) have completed a clinical trial showing that an elderberry supplement can provide some protection from cold and flu-like symptoms following long-haul flights.
Lack of Knowledge on Animal Disease Leaves Humans at Risk
July 20th 2015Researchers from the University of Sydney have painted the most detailed picture to date of major infectious diseases shared between wildlife and livestock, and found a huge gap in knowledge about diseases which could spread to humans. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the world-first study has found that just 10 diseases account for around 50 percent of all published knowledge on diseases at the wildlife-livestock interface. It is based on an analysis of almost 16,000 publications spanning the last century.
Cell Division Speeds Up as Part of Antibody Selection, Study Shows
July 17th 2015It’s a basic principle of immunology: When a germ invades, the body adapts to that particular target and destroys it. But much remains unknown about how the immune system refines its defensive proteins, called antibodies, to most effectively zero in on that invader. Experiments at Rockefeller University offer new insight into the details of this selection process.