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People age 60 and older should be vaccinated against shingles, or herpes zoster, a condition often marked by debilitating chronic pain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended. CDC recommends a single dose of the zoster vaccine, Zostavax, for adults 60 years of age and older even if they have had a prior episode of shingles. The new full recommendation replaces a provisional recommendation that the CDC made in 2006, after the vaccine was licensed by the U.

Before West Nile virus arrived in this country, we had (and still have) a home-grown relative of this pathogen. An epidemic of unknown origin exploded around St. Louis, Missouri in the autumn of 1933, a disease that is now known to be transmitted by mosquitoes from birds to people. Now, a new analysis of the genome of St.

It's a paradox that has confounded evolutionary biologists since Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859: Since parasites depend on their hosts for survival, why do they harm them?A new University of Georgia and Emory University study of monarch butterflies and the microscopic parasites that hitch a ride on them finds that the parasites strike a middle ground between the benefits gained by reproducing rapidly and the costs to their hosts.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have discovered how tuberculosis (TB) bacteria hide and multiply in the human body and are working toward a treatment to block this mechanism of infection. This discovery, published in the journal Cell Host and Microbe,describes the missing link between a TB protein and its newly discovered counterpart protein in the human body's white blood cells (macrophages).

As urban sprawl spreads throughout the globe, so do poor urban ghettos and the infectious diseases that are perpetrated by unsanitary slum conditions. Weill Cornell researchers stationed in the urban slums of Salvador, Brazil, have discovered that certain unhealthy living conditions lead to transmission of leptospirosis, a life-threatening disease caused by the bacterium Leptospira. Over a half-million people are infected, killing 1 in 10, each year.

PolyMedix, Inc. (OTC BB: PYMX), an emerging biotechnology company developing acute care products for infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders based on biomimetics, has received a notice of no objection from Health Canada for the Company's Clinical Trial Application ("CTA") for its defensin mimetic antibiotic compound, PMX-30063. This notice of no objection allows for the initiation of human clinical studies in Canada.

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has endorsed the One Health Initiative, which recognizes the inter-relationships among human, animal, and environmental health and seeks to enhance communication, cooperation, and collaboration in integrating these areas for the health and well-being of all species.

Eli Lilly and Company announced the scaling-up of an existing partnership with the World Medical Association (WMA) by providing a grant of $998,773 to expand training courses for physicians on multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Tuberculosis (TB) is a preventable disease that kills close to two million people every year and infects an estimated nine million more. Of these, nearly 500,000 have multidrug-resistant TB.

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has issued updated guidelines on antibiotic prophylaxis for gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy based on the American Heart Association's (AHA) recently revised guidelines for prophylaxis of infective endocarditis (IE). For endoscopic practice, the administration of prophylactic antibiotics solely to prevent IE is not recommended for patients who undergo GI-tract procedures. The updated ASGE guidelines reflect that change.

A toxic gas present in air pollution and tobacco smoke plays a significant role in triggering tuberculosis infection, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).The UAB study focused on carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless gas present in tobacco smoke, and vehicle and manufacturing plant emissions. Also, CO is produced naturally in brushfires and volcanic gas.

Why do parasites harm their hosts? Classic evolutionary theory predicts that parasites become more virulent because they must transmit themselves between hosts, yet scientists have found little data to support this idea, until now.Led by Emory University researcher Jacobus de Roode, PhD, a team of scientists has uncovered evidence that natural selection selects for harmful parasites by maximizing parasite fitness.

A large portal has been found in the mimivirus which is formed shortlyafter infection. This novel discovery in viral biology was reported onMay 12, 2008 in the open access journal PLoS Biology,part of the Public Library of Science family. Viruses generally consist of a protein shell containing geneticinformation but no means to replicate independently.

A University of Leicester researcher has discovered how a protein in the blood linked to defence against meningitis plays a more vital role than previously understood in the body's immune defence system.The published research has helped to advance medical understanding of how the body defends against disease and heals itself.

The parasitology team at the "Severo Ochoa" Molecular biology centre (CSIC-UAM) has focused its research efforts on the search for a vaccine capable of activating immunity against the parasite that causes leishmaniasis.There is evidence that proves the feasibility of such an effective vaccine design to prevent leishmaniasis.

A team of Canadian scientists using a lotion which glows under ultraviolet light have shown that up to a third of patient toilets are not properly cleaned. Their findings, published in BioMed Central's journal, BMC Infectious Diseases, also show that spores from the nasty bacteria Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) linger in the loo even when it has been thoroughly wiped down.

More than 4,000 infection prevention and control professionals from around the world are expected to convene at a five-day conference next month to discuss many of the major issues facing their profession today.

One is a "veteran" researcher, the other "new", but two microbiologists from The University of Western Ontario have both been singled out to receive national recognition for their work on infectious diseases and immunity from the Canadian Society of Microbiologists (CSM).Dr.

The La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology (LIAI) has received a $7.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund safety and effectiveness testing of an antibody treatment that quickly fights the smallpox virus. The treatment could be the nation's first line of defense in protecting against a terrorist-originated smallpox outbreak and may eventually be stockpiled nationwide alongside the smallpox vaccine.

The Health Protection Agency has been responding to the death of a child in London. The most likely explanation for the child's death is an infection with diphtheria. The Agency is recommending that people ensure that they are up to date with their routine immunisations. Diphtheria is extremely rare in the UK due to the success of vaccinations children receive as part of the childhood immunisation programme.

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has announced the marketing authorisation of Mycamine®, Astellas Pharma Europe's treatment for invasive candidiasis, oesophageal candidiasis and prophylaxis of Candida infection in patients undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Mycamine® will initially be available in the U.K and across the European market shortly after this.