The human body is host to a plethora of microorganisms and, for the most part, their presence has no ill effects. Some, particularly intestinal bacteria, even provide benefit. From a microbial perspective, harming the host does not have any obvious…
Blog Archives
Study Identifies Receptor for Potentially Fatal Infection
Mucormycosis is a potentially fatal infection of the sinuses, brain, or lungs, which is most commonly caused by the fungus Rhizopus oryzae. Even if the disease is successfully treated with antifungal agents together with surgery to remove necrotic tissue, survivors…
Newly Discovered Vulnerability in Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). TB is difficult to treat and the most commonly used antibiotics, rifampicin and isoniazid, need to be used for many months to eliminate the infection. The recent resurgence…
Web-based Application for Tracking Infectious Diseases
The near pandemic of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) that occurred in 2002/2003 underlined the need for vigilance in understanding and containing the global spread of pathogens. Genomic sequencing is an important tool in characterising novel pathogens but, to best…
Closantel May be Useful in Fighting River Blindness
Onchoceriasis – also known as river blindness – is the world’s second leading infectious cause of blindness. The disease is caused by the nematode, Onchocerca volvulus, and is transmitted to humans through the bite of a blackfly. Once inside the…
Glimepiride Potential for Treatment of Prion Diseases
Prion diseases comprise the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, including scrapie in sheep, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, “Mad Cow” disease) in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. Central to these diseases is the conversion of normal cellular prion protein (PrPc) into the…
Bird or Man – It’s All One to Mosquitoes!
Mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects are attracted by exhaled carbon dioxide and volatile organic compounds produced by their hosts. Scientists at the University of California, Davis have now identified a compound produced by both humans and birds that acts as…
