News

Little is known about the often fatal virus known as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but researchers have identified gaps in infection control as a major culprit in all 11 published cases involving healthcare-associated transmission of the virus. The full findings of the review can be found in the December issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.

Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers have developed a free, browser-based online tool that could speed up the creation of new drugs to treat or prevent Ebola virus infections. The software, called MuPIT Ebola Edition, enables a researcher to visualize Ebola gene mutations in the context of three-dimensional protein structures. It also offers views of antibody binding sites called epitopes that are situated on protein surfaces. These sites may give researchers new targets for preventive vaccines and serums to treat those who are already infected. MuPIT is short for Mutation Position Imaging Toolkit.

Proper and rigorous environmental cleaning in the long-term care facility (LTCF) can reap multiple benefits – it can help prevent infections, but it also can help ensure fewer environmental deficiencies during state and federal inspections and improve CMS ratings which helps make the facility a provider of choice. This Pulse summarizes cleaning and disinfection best practices in long-term care facilities.

Dr. Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) visited an Ebola treatment center in Bamako, Mali. She met with President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Prime Minister Moussa Mara, and other government leaders to discuss Mali’s ongoing Ebola outbreak response and ways United Nations organizations could enhance their support. The visit occurred as the government announced a new case of Ebola and said two more suspected patients were being tested.