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"Superbug" bacteria are an ever-increasing threat to public health and are among the most difficult to treat. Many have built up a resistance to at least one type of antibiotic and often have the ability to spread readily throughout the environment. These traits contribute to the increasing number of patients that acquire superbugs. In just one example, a recent study showed the number of people diagnosed with community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) rose from 24 cases per 100,000 people in 2000 to 164 per 100,000 in 2005.

The HIV Prevention Trials Network 052 study, led by Myron S. Cohen, MD of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named the 2011 Breakthrough of the Year by the journal Science.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute demonstrated for the first time that the Anopheles mosquitos innate immune system could be genetically engineered to block the transmission of the malaria-causing parasite to humans. In addition, they showed that the genetic modification had little impact on the mosquitos fitness under laboratory conditions.

A study examining the prevalence of the fungus Fusarium in bathroom sink drains suggests that plumbing systems may be a common source of human infections.