Recent News

By Category: Agents & Toxins

Sequencing tracks animal-to-human transmission of bacterial pathogens

(EurekAlert) Researchers have used whole genome sequencing to reveal if drug-resistant bacteria are transmitted from animals to humans in two disease outbreaks that occurred on different farms in Denmark. The results, which are published today in EMBO Molecular Medicine, confirm animal-to-human transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a disease-causing bacterium that carries the recently described Read More »

March 25, 2013
| Filed under Europe, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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Azerbaijan removes two diseases from list of dangerous infectious diseases

(APA) APA reports quoting the Cabinet of Ministers’ website that the amendments have been made in accordance with the President’s decrees to apply the laws “On immigration”, “On the development of migration management system” and “On annexes and amendments to some legislative acts of the Republic”. According to the amendments, hemorrhagic viral diseases and yellow Read More »

March 4, 2013
| Filed under Middle East, Agents & Toxins, and Public Health
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Amid massive security, bird flu virus research awaits approval

(MilwaukeeJournalSentinel) Kawaoka’s research has been voluntarily on hold for more than a year while the government develops new guidelines for scientists to study how many mutations – and which ones – could give the virus the ability to efficiently spread between humans and cause a pandemic. His research must follow strict regulations that govern select Read More »

February 19, 2013
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, and Research
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NIH scientists discover promising target to block Staphylococcus infection

(Eurekalert) National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have identified a promising lead for developing a new type of drug to treat infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that frequently resists traditional antibiotics. The researchers discovered a system used by S. aureus to transport toxins that are thought to contribute to severe staph infections. These Read More »

February 11, 2013
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, and Research
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Mutant virus sparks bioethics debate

(Toronto Star) In a storage facility in the Netherlands, a mutant virus has been locked in a freezer for more than a year, unaware of the global debate swirling around it. As far as scientists know, this virus cannot be found anywhere else on Earth; it was engineered into existence. This strain — once described Read More »