Author Summary
Marburg virus and several species of Ebola virus are endemic in central Africa and cause sporadic outbreaks in this region with mortality rates of up to 90%. So far, there is no vaccination or therapy available to protect people at risk in these regions. Recently, different fruit bats have been identified as potential reservoirs. One of them is Rousettus aegyptiacus. It seems that within huge bat populations only relatively small numbers are positive for filovirus-specific antibodies or filoviral RNA, a phenomenon that is currently not understood. Continue reading →
Popularity: 40% [?]
It now appears that the malaria mosquito needs more than one family of odor sensors to sniff out its human prey.
That is the implication of new research into the mosquito’s sense of smell published in the Aug. 31 issue of the online, open-access journal Public Library of Science Biology. Continue reading →
Popularity: 7% [?]
Half of the malaria medication sold In Africa could be ineffective or even harmful. Researchers from Lund and the UK have now developed a technique that could resolve the situation
Counterfeiting of drugs is a huge industry with an annual turnover of more than SEK 500 billion. In Africa the situation is extremely serious. Half of the malaria medication sold there could be ineffective or even harmful. Researchers from Lund and the UK have now developed a technique that could resolve the situation. Continue reading →
Popularity: 7% [?]
Monkeypox has increased 20-fold in Democractic Republic of Congo since 1980
In the winter of 1979, the world celebrated the end of smallpox, a highly contagious and often fatal viral infection estimated to have caused between 300 and 500 million deaths during the 20th century.
The virus was eradicated through an aggressive worldwide vaccination campaign, which itself ended in 1980. After all, with no virus, there was no longer a need for a vaccine. Now, researchers at UCLA say the elimination of the smallpox vaccine has allowed a related virus to thrive. Continue reading →
Popularity: 7% [?]
Background:
Whether Plasmodium falciparum, the agent of human malaria responsible for over a million deaths per year, causes fitness costs in its mosquito vectors is a burning question that has not yet been adequately resolved. Understanding the evolutionary forces responsible for the maintenance of susceptibility and refractory alleles in natural mosquito populations is critical for understanding malaria transmission dynamics. Continue reading →
Popularity: 17% [?]
Author Summary
Trachoma, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis, is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide and a major cause of blindness in Southern Sudan. However, the trachoma distribution in Southern Sudan has only been partially established and many communities in need of intervention have not been identified or targeted. Incomplete mapping and intervention coverage is largely attributable to trachoma resources being scarce and not always deployed most efficiently. The present study aimed at improving programme efficiency by developing maps to help target the available resources for trachoma surveys and interventions to areas where these are most needed. Data on active trachoma prevalence, collected during baseline surveys between 2001 and 2009, were incorporated into Bayesian geostatistical models to develop a national trachoma risk map. Continue reading →
Popularity: 20% [?]
Author Summary
The closely related bacterial species N. meningitidis, N. gonorrhoeae and N. lactamica exclusively colonise mucosal surfaces in humans. While N. gonorrhoeae leads to gonorrhea, the other two species persist mainly in their host in the absence of disease. N. meningitidis does occasionally cause severe, life threatening illness, however. Little is known about the factors and elements that dictate the unique human interactions exhibited by each species. Continue reading →
Popularity: 24% [?]
Author Summary
Persistent activation of the immune system is a hallmark of chronic HIV/SIV infections and predicts disease progression better than either plasma viral load or CD4+ T cell count. While the causes of immune activation during chronic infection are likely multifactorial, recent work has shown that microbial translocation is associated with immune activation. However, direct, tissue level in vivo evidence of translocation and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Continue reading →
Popularity: 37% [?]
Background:
Although many infections that are transmissible from person to person are acquired through direct contact between individuals, a minority, notably pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), measles and influenza are known to be spread by the airborne route. Continue reading →
Popularity: 40% [?]
