The World Health Organization (WHO) said today the third case of Ebola identified in South Kivu province was in a patient who contracted the virus at a health center where other Ebola patients had been treated. The details on the nosocomial transmission emerged in the WHO’s latest situation report on the ongoing Ebola outbreak in [...]
VICTOR, N.Y. (WHEC) — E. coli has been found in the water supply for the Village of Victor, according to the Monroe County Water Authority. The dangerous bacteria was found in the drinking water Aug. 15, but the water authority claims it was not notified until Aug. 20. Read more… The post E. coli [...]
Vaccine approval process also called the ‘valley of death, where bright ideas go to die’, says Steven Jones In 2005, microbiologist Steven Jones was part of a medical team in Angola, which was in the midst of an outbreak of Marburg, Ebola’s sister virus. The team had samples of an experimental vaccine, developed by Jones and [...]
Amid a year-long Ebola outbreak that has no end in sight, this week’s headlines were unusually upbeat: “Ebola is now curable,” one proclaimed. “Ebola has finally been cured, say scientists,” announced another. “Ebola ‘no longer incurable’ as Congo trial finds drugs boost survival,” a third promised. (CC BY 2.0), flickr, DFID Read more at latimes… The post Q&A: A [...]
Highlights • Suspect bronchiectasis in those with recurrent bacterial lung infections. • The diagnostic test of choice for bronchiectasis is the high resolution CT scan. • Sorting bronchiectasis as localized or diffuse narrows the differential diagnosis. • The underlying cause of bronchiectasis should be sought after. • NTM may complicate [...]
A historic clinical trial has shown that two therapies made from Ebola antibodies appear to be improving survival rates among people who receive them, health officials announced Monday. The announcement marks the first time a clinical trial has successfully shown that an Ebola therapy improves survival in people who have been infected. Two other therapies [...]
Abstract Antibiotic resistance is a global threat for public health. It is widely acknowledged that antibiotics at sub-inhibitory concentrations are important in disseminating antibiotic resistance via horizontal gene transfer. While there is high use of non-antibiotic human-targeted pharmaceuticals in our societies, the potential contribution of these on the spread of antibiotic resistance has been overlooked [...]
We have blogged a fair bit recently about the risk of antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacterial contamination of sinks and drains. A new study offers a novel approach to this problem: by repurposing a balloon catheter to extend the duration of contact between a disinfectant and the sink-end of the pipe. Credit: iStock, eepblue4you Read more at IPC… The post Oh, [...]
Scientists have discovered that the gut-infecting bacterium Clostridium difficile is evolving into two separate species, with one group highly adapted to spread in hospitals. Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and collaborators identified genetic changes in the newly-emerging species that allow it to thrive on the Western sugar-rich diet, evade [...]
SUMMARY The panoply of microorganisms and other species present in our environment influence human health and disease, especially in cities, but have not been profiled with metagenomics at a city-wide scale. We sequenced DNA from surfaces across the entire New York City (NYC) subway system, the Gowanus Canal, and public parks. Nearly half of the [...]
