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By Category: Research
Gene discovery helps explain how flu can cause severe infections
(University of Edinburgh) Scientists have discovered a new gene in the influenza virus that helps the virus control the body’s response to infection. Although this control is exerted by the virus, surprisingly it reduces the impact of the infection. The study looked at how the gene affected the behaviour of “Spanish flu”, a virulent strain Read More »
- June 29, 2012
- | Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
Vaccine project shelved over production costs
(Times of India) PUNE: An ambitious plan to indigenously develop a vaccine against the deadly Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) had to be shelved because the pharmaceutical companies did not find large-scale production of the vaccine economically viable. Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) had developed a candidate vaccine against the virus. But it had Read More »
- June 29, 2012
- | Filed under South Asia, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
UMass Amherst biochemists developing tools to stop plague and other bacterial threats
(University of Massachusetts at Amherst) iochemist Alejandro Heuck at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently received a five-year, $950,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to map the molecular structure of a needle-like tool used by deadly bacteria to drill holes in mammalian cell walls. Once a channel is open, bacteria that cause such Read More »
- June 29, 2012
- | Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Countermeasures, and Research
Security lapses found at CDC bioterror lab in Atlanta
(USA TODAY) A federal bioterror laboratory already under investigation by Congress for safety issues has had repeated incidents of security doors left unlocked to an area where experiments occur with dangerous germs, according to internal agency e-mails obtained by USA TODAY. In one incident, an unauthorized employee was discovered inside a restricted area. A Centers Read More »
- June 29, 2012
- | Filed under North America, Biosafety, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
Human Exposures to Marine Brucella Isolated from a Harbor Porpoise
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) On February 10, 2012, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) was notified of a positive Brucella culture from a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) found on the coast of southern Maine. Maine CDC, in consultation with CDC, initiated an investigation of potential occupational exposures of staff Read More »
- June 29, 2012
- | Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Biosafety, Public Health, and Research