Diagnostic Researchers Can Discuss Emergence of Porcine Virus in U.S.

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How Immune System Peacefully Co-Exists with “Good” Bacteria

The human gut is loaded with helpful bacteria microbes, yet the immune system seemingly turns a blind eye. Now, researchers know how this friendly truce is kept intact. Innate lymphoid cells directly limit the response by inflammatory T cells to commensal bacteria in the gut of mice. Loss of this ILC function effectively puts the immune system on an extended war footing against the commensal bacteria a condition observed in multiple chronic inflammatory diseases.

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Study Finds Vitamin C Can Kill Drug-Resistant TB

In a striking, unexpected discovery, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have determined that vitamin C kills drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) bacteria in laboratory culture. The finding suggests that vitamin C added to existing TB drugs could shorten TB therapy, and it highlights a new area for drug design. The study was published today in the online journal Nature Communications.

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New Test Better Detects Elephantiasis Worm Infection

A new diagnostic test for a worm infection that can lead to severe enlargement and deformities of the legs and genitals is far more sensitive than the currently used test, according to results of a field study in Liberia, in West Africa, where the infection is endemic.

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Leading Explanations for Whooping Cough's Resurgence Don't Stand Up to Scrutiny

Whooping cough has exploded in the United States and some other developed countries in recent decades, and many experts suspect ineffective childhood vaccines for the alarming resurgence.

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High Fiber Diets May Increase Susceptibility to E. coli Infection

Consuming diets higher in fiber may increase the risk for Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 infection and severe disease according to a new study, “Dietary choice affects Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 colonization and disease,” published in the online Early Edition of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, May 20.

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Modern Lab Reaches Across the Ages to Resolve Plague DNA Debate

A plague from 1,500 years ago—a reputed ancestor to the Black Death—found its way back to relevance via labs in Germany and at Northern Arizona University, which collaborated to resolve a debate: The Justinianic Plague that started in A.D. 541 can indeed be placed on the family tree of the disease.

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Expert on Animal to Human Diseases: Drivers of Disease Outbreaks Linked to Agricultural and Environmental Change

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The ABC’s of Hepatitis: Mayo Clinic Expert Explains Types, Prevention

It’s Hepatitis Awareness Month. Understanding the different forms of hepatitis, who is at risk and how it can be prevented and treated can be confusing. Mayo Clinic infectious diseases expert Stacey Rizza, M.D., offers the following primer:

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Forgotten Foe May Trouble Human Health in Africa

Virginia Tech researchers have identified leptospirosis as a significant health threat in Botswana. The world’s most common disease transmitted to humans by animals, according to the World Health Organization, leptospirosis is a two-phase disease that begins with flu-like symptoms but can cause meningitis, liver damage, pulmonary hemorrhage, renal failure, and even death if untreated.

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