Recent News

By Category: Public Health

Living History: Even with proven smallpox vaccines, 19th century Utahns balked

(Salt Lake Tribune) Smallpox arrived in Utah with an emigrant company in 1856. Epidemics of that disease would strike our citizens at least six times during the 19th century, killing thousands. Even with enforcement of vaccination laws, 15,000 Utahns died of smallpox between 1900 and 1925. Its deadly nature, the ease with which it spread, Read More »

December 6, 2011
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Biosecurity Board Assessing Studies on Altered Bird Flu Virus

(GSN Daily News) A U.S. biosecurity panel is assessing whether two separate studies that altered the avian flu virus should be published given concerns that such information could be abused by terrorists to create a biological weapon, the Science Insider reported last week. Dutch molecular virology scientist Ron Fouchier submitted to the U.S. journal Science Read More »

December 2, 2011
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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Engineered botulism toxins could have broader role in medicine

(e! Science News) The most poisonous substance on Earth — already used medically in small doses to treat certain nerve disorders and facial wrinkles — could be re-engineered for an expanded role in helping millions of people with rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, psoriasis and other diseases, scientists are reporting. Their study appears in ACS’ journal Biochemistry. Read More »

December 1, 2011
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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Antibiotics in swine feed encourage gene exchange

(American Society for Microbiology) A study to be published in the online journal mBio® on November 29 shows that adding antibiotics to swine feed causes microorganisms in the guts of these animals to start sharing genes that could spread antibiotic resistance. Livestock farms use antibiotic drugs regularly, and not just for curing sick animals. Antimicrobial Read More »

November 30, 2011
| Filed under Europe, North America, Agriculture, and Public Health
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New compound defeats drug-resistant bacteria

(Brown University) Chemists at Brown University have synthesized a new compound that makes drug-resistant bacteria susceptible again to antibiotics. The compound — BU-005 — blocks pumps that a bacterium employs to expel an antibacterial agent called chloramphenicol. The team used a new and highly efficient method for the synthesis of BU-005 and other C-capped dipetptides. Read More »