http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A new, highly sensitive blood test that quickly detects even the lowest levels of malaria parasites in the body could make a dramatic difference in efforts to tackle the disease in the UK and across the world, according to new research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-malaria-kit-boost-efforts-worldwide.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:01 EST news288006049 Researchers at Michigan State University have identified a test that can determine which children with malaria are likely to develop cerebral malaria, a much more life-threatening form of the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-malaria-tool-kids-greatest.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 08 May 2013 14:58:28 EST news287243897 Research led by David H. Martin, MD, Professor and Chief of Infectious Diseases at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has found that a common sexually transmitted infection-causing parasite "cultivates" bacteria beneficial to it, changing thinking about which comes first–infection or bacteria. The researchers also discovered a previously unknown species of these bacteria. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-discoveries-common-sti.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:39:08 EST news284117863 Chagas disease, a deadly tropical infection caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted by biting insects called "kissing bugs," has begun to spread around the world, including the U.S. Yet current treatment is toxic and limited to the acute stage. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-sight-bug.html Medications Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:50:05 EST news280057423 A new study suggests that patients with influenza can emit small virus-containing particles into the surrounding air during routine patient care, potentially exposing health care providers to influenza. Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the findings raise the possibility that current influenza infection control recommendations may not always be adequate to protect providers from influenza during routine patient care in hospitals. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-patients-emit-small-influenza-containing-particles.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:01 EST news278789633 What cancerous conditions lead to what kinds of bacterial infections? If doctors knew, they could predict which patients would likely benefit from pre-treatment with certain kinds of antibiotics. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in this month's issue of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases shows the answer: E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are especially prevalent in patients with lung and GI cancers, more so for Klebsiella if these patients have been treated previously with aminopenicillins. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-bacteria-cancer-patients-hospitals-infections.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:43:18 EST news278181790 A candidate dengue vaccine developed by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been found to be safe and to stimulate a strong immune response in most vaccine recipients, according to results from an early-stage clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH. The trial results were published online on January 17 in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-candidate-dengue-vaccine-early-stage-trial.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:24:54 EST news278155482 A new study suggests that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in women at or after menopause may represent an infection acquired years ago, and that HPV infections may exist below limits of detection after one to two years, similar to other viruses, such as varicella zoster, which can cause shingles. The study, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and available online, highlights the need for additional research to better understand HPV infections and the role of HPV persistence and reactivation, particularly in women of the baby boomer generation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-hpv-older-women-due-reactivation.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:00:01 EST news274555360 Infants with severe lower respiratory tract infection caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) may have a dysfunctional innate immune response that relates to the severity of their disease. These are the findings from a Nationwide Children's Hospital study appearing in a recent issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-infants-severe-rsv-disease-immunosuppressed.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 10 Dec 2012 13:12:22 EST news274367529 Children living in low-income urban areas appear especially prone to developing asthma, possibly related to infections they acquire early in life. In a new study in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, available online, researchers from the University of Wisconsin in Madison investigated viral respiratory illnesses and their possible role in the development of asthma in urban versus suburban babies. The differences in viral illness patterns they found provide insights that could help guide the development of new asthma treatments in children. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-city-infants-patterns-viral-respiratory.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 26 Sep 2012 00:00:01 EST news267807835 In states where medical exemptions from vaccination requirements for kindergarten students are easier to get, exemption rates are higher, potentially compromising herd immunity and posing a threat to children and others who truly should not be immunized because of underlying conditions, according to a study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and now available online. Nationwide in scope, the study found inconsistency among states in standards allowing medical exemptions from school immunization requirements. The investigators concluded that medical exemptions should be monitored and continuously evaluated to ensure they are used appropriately. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-explores-medical-exemptions-school-vaccination.html Health Thu, 30 Aug 2012 00:20:01 EST news265479925 Vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) are now recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for both teenage boys and girls. The vaccine protects against the two most common types of the virus that cause cervical cancer: HPV 16 and 18. Is there a chance that the increased number of people vaccinated might result in an increase of other types of HPV that cause cancer? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-human-papillomavirus-large-scale-vaccination.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:24:59 EST news262362276 (Medical Xpress) -- The incidence of condyloma or genital warts (GW) is significantly declining in young women, according to a novel register study from Karolinska Institutet. The researchers suggest that this recent development may be explained by the introduction of the national HPV vaccine program in Sweden. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-significant-decline-genital-warts-young.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:49:57 EST news262000178 Belgian scientists of the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, Belgium made a breakthrough in bridging high tech molecular biology research on microbial pathogens and the needs of the poorest of the poor. After sequencing the complete genome of Leishmania donovani (a parasite causing one of the most important tropical diseases after malaria) in hundreds of clinical isolates, they identified a series of mutations specific of 'superparasites' and developed a simple assay that should allow tracking them anywhere. This EU-funded research was done in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in UK and clinical partners of the Banaras Hindu University (India) and the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (Nepal); it is published in the last issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-belgian-scientists-superparasites.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 19 Jul 2012 10:18:30 EST news261911901 [EMBARGOED FOR JULY 18, 2012] In a long-term study of people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), researchers found increased deaths from both liver-related and non-liver related diseases in patients with active infections who had not cleared their infection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-hepatitis-deaths-liver-related-diseases.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:00:02 EST news261759084 HIV superinfection, when a person with HIV could acquire a second, new strain of HIV, may occur as often as initial HIV infection in the general population in Uganda, a study suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-hiv-superinfection-infection.html HIV & AIDS Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:12:35 EST news258300742 People who have had an episode of herpes zoster, also known as shingles, face a relatively low short-term risk of developing shingles, according to a Kaiser Permanente Southern California study published online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. These findings suggest that among people with immune systems that have not been compromised, the risk of a second shingles episode is low. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-short-term-shingles-recurrence.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 05 Jun 2012 03:24:19 EST news258085418 Oregon investigators recently mapped the trail of an outbreak of a nasty stomach bug among participants in a girls' soccer tournament to a reusable open top grocery bag stored in a hotel bathroom. Their findings, which illustrate the role that inanimate objects can play in spreading norovirus infection, appear in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-role-reusable-grocery-bag-norovirus.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:01 EST news255712002 A recent study shows that the presence of H. pylori bacteria is associated with elevated levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), an important biomarker for blood glucose levels and diabetes. This association was stronger in obese individuals with a higher Body Mass Index (BMI). The results, which suggest the bacteria may play a role in the development of diabetes in adults, are published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and are now available online. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-link-pylori-bacteria-adult-diabetes.html Diabetes Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:51:58 EST news250919485 The level of HIV-1 in the blood of an HIV-infected partner is the single most important factor influencing risk of sexual transmission to an uninfected partner, according to a multinational study of heterosexual couples in sub-Saharan Africa. The study, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, calculated the risk of HIV-1 transmission per act of sexual intercourse and found the average rate of infection to be about 1 per 900 coital acts. The findings also confirmed that condoms are highly protective and reduce HIV infectivity by 78 percent. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-viral-major-factor-affecting-sexually.html HIV & AIDS Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:58:39 EST news245559499 A UT Southwestern Medical Center study using a sophisticated "glass mouse" research model has found that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is more likely caused in patients by speedy drug metabolism rather than inconsistent doses, as is widely believed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-effectiveness-tb-treatment.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:17:38 EST news244289845 Among people recently infected with HIV, immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) appears preferable to deferring treatment, according to a new study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases and now available online. Although the benefits of ART during early HIV-1 infection remain unproven, the findings support growing evidence favoring earlier ART initiation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-early-art-hiv-infected-patients-treatment.html HIV & AIDS Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:03:49 EST news243230615 The two main ways to prevent and control influenza today are annual immunization and antiviral drugs. A team of investigators has found that statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs, may offer an additional treatment to complement these approaches and reduce mortality among patients hospitalized with influenza. The findings are published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and are now available online. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-statins-mortality-patients-hospitalized-influenza.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:50:02 EST news243059136 A team of researchers from the University of Utah and the University of Massachusetts has identified the first gene associated with frequent herpes-related cold sores. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-gene-linked-herpes-related-cold-sores.html Genetics Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:15:13 EST news241866898 Investigators have identified a human chromosome containing a specific gene associated with susceptibility to herpes simplex labialis (HSL), the common cold sore. Published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases and now available online, the study looks at how several genes may affect the severity of symptoms and frequency of this common infection. The findings, if confirmed, could have implications for the development of new drugs to treat outbreaks. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-specific-gene-linked-cold-sore.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:28:41 EST news238994797 Vaccinating infants against rotavirus also prevents serious disease in unvaccinated older children and adults, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This helps reduce rotavirus-related hospital costs in these older groups. The results of the study are published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and are now available online. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-rotavirus-vaccination-infants-unvaccinated-older.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 30 Aug 2011 03:48:43 EST news233894910 Scientists reported Wednesday a super-strain of salmonella resistant to antibiotics, notably ciprofloxacin, which is commonly used to treat infections caused by the bacteria. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-drug-resistant-salmonella-europe-africa.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:30:01 EST news231581900 (Medical Xpress) -- A vaccine delivered to the skin using a microneedle patch gives better protection against the H1N1 influenza virus than a vaccine delivered through subcutaneous or intramuscular injection, researchers from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have found. Their research is published online in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-h1n1-microneedle-vaccine.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:28:15 EST news229674477 (Medical Xpress) -- Bacterial and viral sexually transmitted infections can exacerbate HIV replication in co- infected individuals, a team of Canadian researchers led by Charu Kaushic, associate professor of pathology and molecular medicine, has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-sexually-transmitted-co-infections-hiv.html HIV & AIDS Mon, 20 Jun 2011 05:05:57 EST news227765125 Taiwanese investigators have found that there can be a significantly higher risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) occurring in the year following a shingles, or herpes zoster, attack. The findings, which support a long-held view on how MS may develop, are published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases and now available online. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-shingles-elevated-multiple-sclerosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:52:08 EST news226752699