Contagious in Biological News

The tiny difference in the genes of bacteria

... toxin which attacks the intestinal wall. A less known, though also dangerous member of the genus Vibrio, is Vibrio parahaemolyticus. It is a highly contagious pathogenic germ with only a dozen ingested bacteria causing severe diarrhoea. This strain is a threat for the pacific region and reached the east ...

The tiny difference in the genes of bacteria

... toxin which attacks the intestinal wall. A less known, though also dangerous member of the genus Vibrio, is Vibrio parahaemolyticus. It is a highly contagious pathogenic germ with only a dozen ingested bacteria causing severe diarrhoea. This strain is a threat for the pacific region and reached the east ...

Shades of 1918? New study compares avian flu with a notorious killer from the past

... and the first Tamiflu-resistant strains have already emerged. In terms of how many modifications would be required for H5N1 to become a highly contagious human virus, Baskin expresses concern: "There have been some estimations and it's not a lot," she notes. "That's the short and simple answer." ...

Avian flu becoming more resistant to antiviral drugs, says University of Colorado study

... concerned future evolution of this subtype or other subtypes, or genetic re-assortment between subtypes, could make an avian influenza strain more contagious with the potential to cause a pandemic. "Even if H5N1 is not the flu subtype that develops into the next pandemic, this technique can help us ...

Peering inside the skull of a mouse to solve meningitis mystery

... immune system. Other viruses that cause meningitis usually are associated with mild symptoms. By contrast, bacterial meningitis is a much more contagious and serious disease, particularly in young children. If not treated promptly with antibiotics, it may lead to hearing loss, brain damage, and even ...

Jupiter's shrinking red spot

... CAN SPREAD GERMS IN AIRPLANES Airliner ventilation systems are designed to limit passengers' exposure to airborne particles -- from ill travelers' contagious germs to terrorists' aerosol biohazards. Vents in a plane's center ceiling direct air out and down toward the floor below the windows, creating a ...

Animal and biological science highlights: San Antonio Fluid Dynamics Conference, Nov. 23-25

... CAN SPREAD GERMS IN AIRPLANES Airliner ventilation systems are designed to limit passengers' exposure to airborne particles -- from ill travelers' contagious germs to terrorists' aerosol biohazards. Vents in a plane's center ceiling direct air out and down toward the floor below the windows, creating a ...

NIAID scientists to speak on range of infectious disease topics at major scientific meeting

... research efforts aimed at better understanding, treating and preventing infectious and immune-mediated diseases. Noroviruses, the highly contagious viruses that cause the episodes of acute gastroenteritis also known as winter vomiting disease (Kim Green, Ph.D.) The role of gut-dwelling commensal ...

Gene with probable role in human susceptibility to pulmonary tuberculosis identified

... the emergence of multi-drug resistant strains of M.tuberculosis that are refractive to current treatment regimes." Pulmonary tuberculosis is a contagious lung disease caused by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( M. tuberculosis ). Although a third of the world population is infected ...

Jefferson scientists deliver toxic genes to effectively kill pancreatic cancer cells

... the researchers devised an agent that consists of a bit of mesothelin DNA connected to the gene that produces the toxin from diphtheria, a highly contagious and potentially deadly bacteria, which is now controlled through childhood DPT vaccination. "Naked" DNA is then coated in a polymer to form ...

New studies on the Mediterranean diet confirm its effectiveness for chronic disease prevention

... action of the development of chronic diseases, which are the first cause of mortality and morbidity in the world at present: chronic or not contagious diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, hypertension or osteoporosis". Recent studies of the World Health Organization have ...

'Women in Science' fellowship to fund postdoc's study of deep-sea methane

... alma mater? "I first worked for Jeff Chanton as an undergraduate here in the '90s, and then, like now, I was always impressed not only with his contagious excitement about his research but also with the type of research being conducted in the FSU oceanography department," Lapham said. "So often it has ...

Research leading to tools for managing bovine respiratory disease complex

... which cattle are likely to get sick. But bovine respiratory disease complex has so many variables that this isn't easy. "It's not a simple, contagious infection like the chicken pox," Renter said. Instead, bovine respiratory disease complex is caused by multiple pathogens, both viruses and ...

University of Pennsylvania researchers develop formula to gauge risk of disease clusters

... have developed a mathematical formula to assess whether concentrated disease outbreaks can be ascribed to random-chance events or, instead, suggest a contagious or environmental effect that requires epidemiological investigation. A feature of the formula is that, given the relevant data, the required ...

Humans fostering forest-destroying disease

... played by another California woodland treeBay laurel. Bay laurel is the primary carrier for the disease, since it acquires a non-lethal but highly contagious leaf infection. Bay laurel seems to be increasing in abundance in the changing forests and to make matters worse denser forests create cooler and ...

Innovative smallpox vaccine research study to be conducted at Case Medical Center

... over a two-year period. Volunteers must be in general good health and must not have previously been vaccinated against smallpox. Smallpox is a contagious and sometimes fatal infectious disease characterized by raised bumps that appear on the face and body of an infected person. There is no specific ...

WHO data confirms low level of resistance to Tamiflu

... commonly called the ‘flu? is a serious disease and annual outbreaks and epidemics are caused by influenza A and B viruses. Influenza is a highly contagious viral illness and is characterised by a sudden onset of debilitating clinical symptoms which affect the entire body. Up to 500 million people are ...

Herpes infection may be symbiotic, help beat back some bacteria

... virus that our bodies have established a symbiotic relationship with." Scientists previously used vaccination to eliminate the deadly and highly contagious smallpox virus. Vaccines are currently in use or in clinical trials for several disease-causing strains of herpes. Human herpes viruses include ...

Leeches ferry infection among newts

... and the infection would be passed along to the next newt the leech bites." The researchers point out that Ichthyophonus might not be as contagious as other leech-transmitted amphibian parasites. That is because this particular parasite lodges itself in muscle tissue instead of blood. A leech ...

Antifungal drug kills TB bug

... world’s most deadly infectious diseases say drugs used to treat common fungal infections may provide the answer. Tuberculosis, or TB, is a highly contagious disease of the lungs that was thought to have been virtually eliminated by the 1960s, but is now resurgent and kills nearly two million people ...

Mass vaccination unnecessary in the event of a large bioterrorist US smallpox attack

... fatal). According to the CDC, exposure to the variola virus is followed by an incubation period of seven to 17 days, during which people are not contagious and feel fine. The first symptoms emerge during what is called the prodrome phase, and they include head and body aches, fatigue, a high fever and, ...

Experimental vaccine protects mice against deadly 1918 flu virus

... flu virus in a biosafety level 3-enhanced laboratory at the CDC in Atlanta--one of four types of specialized biosafety labs where scientists study contagious and potentially deadly materials under high-level safety and contamination precautions designed to protect the researchers and prevent microorganisms ...

Researchers find 'secret weapon' used by SARS virus

... In 2003, the highly contagious and often-deadly mystery disease now called SARS emerged explosively out of Southern China. It eventually killed an estimated 916 people in Asia, ...

Microscopic passengers to hitch ride on space shuttle

... used in the risk assessment of crew environmental conditions, including drinking water and breathable atmosphere, to help prevent contamination and contagious infection while in space. Scientists also believe this research some day may benefit people on Earth by leading to new therapies to treat infection. ...

How can we protect patients with weakened immune systems from influenza?

... may be uniquely vulnerable to influenza, and will seek better ways to protect them. Because patients with compromised immune systems may be contagious longer than people with healthier immune systems, they may be a reservoir for the disease. In addition to the yearly toll of ordinary influenza (as ...

Avian influenza virus in mammals spreads beyond the site of infection to other organ systems

... Avian influenza (H5N1) is of great concern because of the current outbreaks in Asia and the potential for pandemic spread. This virus is highly contagious in birds and spreads easily due to the agricultural and migratory nature of the bird species infected, including poultry, water fowl, and other ...

Minor mutations in avian flu virus increase chances of human infection

... The H5N1 avian influenza virus, commonly known as "bird flu," is a highly contagious and deadly disease in poultry. So far, its spread to humans has been limited, with 177 documented severe infections, and nearly 100 deaths in ...

Cell barrier shows why bird flu not so easily spread among humans

... more time to prepare for an eventual pandemic of avian influenza. Periodically, animal forms of influenza such as bird flu evolve to become highly contagious human pathogens. Most scientists agree a pandemic of avian influenza will occur at some time. The worst-case scenario would be a form of influenza ...

Mice studies illustrate potential of chimp/human antibodies to protect against smallpox

... immunization program officially eradicated naturally occurring smallpox disease in 1980. However, concerns of a bioterror attack involving the highly contagious and fatal virus have prompted researchers to search for new smallpox vaccines and treatments. The currently licensed smallpox vaccine consists of ...

Virologist finds contagious equine flu in dogs

... A Cornell University virologist has isolated a highly contagious equine flu virus that is spreading a sometimes-fatal respiratory flu among dogs, and is responsible for a major dog-flu outbreak in New York state. ...

Aircraft Cabin Ventilation Influences The Transmission Of Diseases In-flight

... that the risk of disease transmission to other symptom-free passengers within the aircraft cabin is associated with sitting within two rows of a contagious passenger for a flight time of more than 8 hours. This is believed to be relevant to other airborne infectious diseases. However, in one outbreak of ...