Green tea could hold the key to reducing antibiotic resistance
Scientists have discovered that a natural antioxidant commonly found in green tea can help eliminate antibiotic resistant bacteria.
Read moreInfectious Diseases
Long-acting injectable multi-drug implant shows promise for HIV prevention and treatment
UNC researchers have created an injectable multi-drug delivery system that is removable, biodegradable and effective for up to a year in some cases. The author says the ability to administer multiple drugs with this implant is an important advancement in this research.
Read moreSalmonella causing bloodstream infections in central Africa resistant to nearly all drugs
The first extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains of Salmonella Typhimurium, a pathogen which is responsible for millions of bloodstream infections per year in sub-Saharan Africa, have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Drug-resistance has increased in successive groups of S. Typhimurium over time. These new strains are resistant to all but one of the commonly available drugs in the DRC, with one sample showing reduced susceptibility to this final antibiotic.
Read moreInnovative candidate drug against malaria
A molecule once designed to cure the skin disease psoriasis appears to be particularly effective against malaria. The antimalarial properties were revealed thanks to one researcher's inspired hunch when the psoriasis drug discovery program came to a dead end. The candidate drug offers considerable potential for combating this infectious disease.
Read moreDid a common childhood illness take down the neanderthals?
A new study suggests that the extinction of Neanderthals may be tied to persistent, life-long ear infections due to the structure of their Eustachian tubes, which are similar to those of human infants.
Read moreNew tool in fight against malaria
Modifying a class of molecules originally developed to treat the skin disease psoriasis could lead to a new malaria drug that is effective against malaria parasites resistant to currently available drugs.
Read moreTowards better hand hygiene for flu prevention
Rubbing hands with ethanol-based sanitizers should provide a formidable defense against infection from flu viruses, which can thrive and spread in saliva and mucus. But new findings challenge that notion — and suggest that there's room for improvement in this approach to hand hygiene.
Read moreBabies' gut bacteria affected by delivery method
Babies born vaginally have different gut bacteria — their microbiome — than those delivered by caesarean, research has shown. Scientists discovered that whereas vaginally born babies got most of their gut bacteria from their mother, caesarean babies instead had more bacteria associated with hospital environments in their guts. It isn't known if these differences at birth will have any effect on later health.
Read moreInteractions between bacteria and parasites
A team has completed the first study of the effects of a simultaneous infection with blood flukes (schistosomes) and the bacterium Helicobacter pylori — a fairly common occurrence in some parts of the world. They identified a complex interaction which resulted — among other effects — in a weakening of the adverse impact of the pathogens acting individually.
Read moreAlarming number of heart infections tied to opioid epidemic
As the nationwide opioid epidemic continues, more young people are developing a life-threatening heart infection that can result from drug abuse. It predominantly affects young, white, poor men who also have higher rates of HIV, hepatitis C and alcohol abuse.
Read more