There are ten bacterial cells for each human cell in your body. You just know that all those trillions of microbes peacefully coexisting with us …
Category: Infectious disease
African measles deaths from vaccination gap
Amid all the debate in the United States about whether vaccines are safe, people sometimes lose sight of what happens when children miss their measles …
Synthetic antibodies may be able to mimic the real thing
A team of scientists from the United States and Japan has created a plastic antibody that can function in the bloodstream of living animals to …
Andrew Wakefield: 17 years of disputed research, and now a book
According to an article on Slate.com, Wakefield has a more than 20-year history of dodgy research practices, beginning with a 1993 paper in which he asserted that the measles virus causesCrohn's disease
According to an article on Slate.com, Wakefield has a more than 20-year history of dodgy research practices, beginning with a 1993 paper in which he asserted that the measles virus causesCrohn's disease
New antibiotic shows promise in fighting superbugs
Scientists at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the biotech company PolyMedix have developed a new antibiotic that quickly kills bacteria by blasting holes in their cell membranes. In a clinical trial, the antibiotic worked on staph infections, including MRSA.
Scientists at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and the biotech company PolyMedix have developed a new antibiotic that quickly kills bacteria by blasting holes in their cell membranes. In a clinical trial, the antibiotic worked on staph infections, including MRSA.
Image of the Week: What E. coli looks like
E. coli have been in the news quite a bit this week. The bacteria have sickened at least 19 people in three states. If you've …
A fungus among us: deadly spores spell trouble in Ecotopia
Ah, nature. The Associated Press reports the emergence of a new, airborne deadly fungal strain that has crept out of the woodwork (literally: it grows …
New web-based application tracks evolution of pathogens
A new online mapping program known as SupraMap could help public health officials predict and respond to infectious diseases outbreaks more effectively, according to a …
Why it's (still) important for pregnant women to get the H1N1 vaccine
The media frenzy surrounding H1N1 has died down in recent months, but that doesn't mean the virus doesn't still pose a risk to certain populations. …
Unvaccinated children may pose a public health risk
Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children may be putting them, and others in their communities, at risk of contracting the measles and other …
Image of the Week: Staphylococcus aureus
This week's image is at once fascinating and haunting: It is bacterial cells of Staphylococcus aureus, the most common cause of staph infections. (I must …
Fruit flies fly while scalped, exposing their brain cells for science
Hats off to Caltech researchers, who found that scalping fruit flies allowed them to record the insects' brain activity for the first time while they …
Flu vaccine appears safe for young babies
The CDC recommends all children aged 6 months and up get the seasonal flu vaccine each year. The vaccine isn't approved for itty-bitty babies, but …
The cost of forgoing routine vaccinations
Each year millions of U.S. adults go without routine immunizations resulting in as many as 50,000 deaths from preventable diseases. That's according to a recent …
A look at drug resistance worldwide
The Associated Press has produced a rather fascinating Flash presentation illustrating the threat that drug resistance poses to global health. Entitled "When Drugs Stop Working: …
The CDC issues an open letter about the safety of the H1N1 flu vaccine
In case you haven't yet seen it, yesterday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an open letter to the American public about the …