Fighting fire with fire, scientists are harnessing the adaptability of helpful microbes to challenge the adaptability of deadly microbes. What are we talking about? Hunting with phages — viruses that attack and kill bacteria.
The evolution of our infection-fighting systems may have something to teach modern scientists. That's what a group from the University of Granada in Spain found when they studied a protein that's been around for over four billion years. Their work, by senior author José Sánchez-Ruiz and colleagues in the Department of Physical Chemistry, was published in the journal Cell Reports.
Being infected with HIV means a lifetime of antiviral therapy. We can control the infection with those drugs, but we haven't been able to cure people by ridding the body completely of the virus. But thanks to a new study published in Molecular Therapy by scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine (LKSOM) at Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh, all that may change.
The theme for 2017's World Malaria Day, which is today, April 25, is "End Malaria for Good." For many Americans, this might seem like an odd plea. Especially since Malaria is seemingly an obsolete problem here. However, on World Malaria Day, it's important to remember the danger of malaria is still very much present in the US. And around the world, the disease is at the epicenter of a global crisis.
In the ongoing search to find better ways to use antibiotics, an extract made from maple syrup has some surprisingly important medical benefits.
Viral infections have been the focus of attention in the development of autoimmune diseases—diseases where the body's immune system reacts to the body's own cells—because they trigger the immune system into action.
Two viral liver diseases could help us find the path toward the cause of Parkinson's disease. Researchers from the University of Oxford and UCL Institute of Neurology in London have reported an association between hepatitis B and C infections and an increased risk of Parkinson's disease. Their findings were published early online in the journal Neurology.
Even as health authorities describe the symptoms of Zika infection in the general population as mild, a new surveillance study finds serious side effects are more common, and serious, than previously thought.
A new study confirms that antibiotics can prevent surgical intervention if your child's appendix becomes inflamed, potentially saving his or her life.
New research suggests the bacteria that causes listeriosis may be a bigger threat in early pregnancy than previously thought. Usually considered a danger to late pregnancy, scientists suggest early undiagnosed miscarriages could be caused, in some cases, by infection with Listeria.
Although their effectiveness is waning, antibiotics remain a front-line defense against many infections. However, new science reveals using the wrong antibiotic for an infection could makes things much worse.
It hasn't even been eight years since Candida auris was discovered—cultured and identified from the ear canal of a patient in Japan—and now it's drug-resistant, setting up residence in hospitals, killing patients, and wreaking havoc across the globe.
In the summer of 1976, 4,000 American Legionnaires descended upon the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a four-day convention. Several days later, many of the attendees experienced symptoms of severe pneumonia. By the beginning of August, 22 people had died. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that about 180 people were sickened and 29 people died before this mysterious outbreak burnt out.
Lighthouses and signal fires may have been the first social media. Without the ability to share language, a distant light meant "humans here." A new study from the University of California, San Diego, finds that bacteria can also send out a universal sign to attract the attention of their own, and other bacterial species.
The story of Helicobacter pylori is a real testament to the tenacity of medical researchers to prove their hypothesis. It took decades before the scientific world would accept that the bacteria H. pylori caused ulcers.
With the height of the flu season ahead, there are some good reasons to keep a flu vaccination in mind.
Memorial Day signifies the unofficial kickoff for outdoor activities like camping. Camping can either be a flurry of fun and adventure, or a miserable few days of getting sick in the bushes and being dehydrated. Every summer, thousands of people set out on these camping adventures, and every summer, many become stricken with food borne illnesses or a parasitic infection. Watch this how to video to keep this from happening to you.
This video shows you how to make a wet mount that will determine if a person has yeast infection.
Take a close look at the image above. These bugs spread a deadly parasite that infects thousands of people each year. They also live in the US, and it's important to know where they are and whether you need to worry that they're carrying a dangerous infection.
Have you ever wondered what makes a healthy vagina? Bacteria play an important role in vaginal health. If you've ever had your vaginal microbiome—the bacterial community that lives in your vagina—wiped out by taking antibiotics, you probably are well aware of that.
First things first, gals: NEVER, EVER use a nail clipper to clip off your cuticles. You may think clipping your cuticles off is a quick and easy way to get rid of your cuticles before a manicure, but doing so is highly dangerous because it can lead to infection and tearing.
Ingrown toenails happen when the nails on your toes grow in the wrong direction and dig into the surrounding skin. Follow a few easy steps to treat this painful condition, and prevent it from happening again.
Fight your acne with the use of French green clay. In this video, learn how to use French green clay to fight infections and reduce inflammation. This remedy is used to calm down acne, or irritated, red skin and is perfect for sensitive skin. You can purchase French green clay at almost any healthy & beauty store. Also gone over? The rose petal steam method, an oatmeal scrub, and an Aspirin mask. Follow the below instructions to a more beautiful you!
John White (Doña Ana County Extension Agent) talks to Natalie Goldberg (Extension Plant Pathologist) about Powdery Mildew that affects many plants. They look at a Japonica that is heavily infested. Powdery Mildew is enhanced by shaded condition despite the dry climate. It starts with a spot spore infection that will easily spread by the wind or by rubbing. Control methods are difficult and involves a lot of routine applications of chemicals (ornamental fungicide) to keep it in check once the ...
Bringing a pet into your household is an important decision. Consider these factors when choosing a breed. Watch this video to learn how to choose the right dog breed for you.
With the nation facing a shortage of ventilators for COVID-19 patients and no apparent ramp-up in the production of new ones, engineers, medical resistents, and do-it-yourselfers are sharing plans for homemade versions.
Malaria is a massive worldwide health problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 212 million cases of malaria occurred worldwide in 2015 and 429,000 of the infected people died.
The number of Legionnaires' cases in New York over the last couple weeks has led to concern and recommendations of caution for those at risk.
Dengue fever is a danger to anyone living or visiting tropical or subtropical regions. It can be hard to detect the infection in its earliest and most treatable phase, especially in children. Luckily, new research highlights better techniques for triaging the disease in infected children with more severe symptoms, potentially saving lives.
Every party has a pooper, and that's why you're reading this article. We don't mean to be a downer on such a fun day as 4/20, but it's important to make sure you know about the source of your pot, especially if you're one of the 2,299,016 people who use medical marijuana in the US.
According to Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris of The Chirurgeon's Apprentice, hospitals during the first half of the nineteenth century were known as "Houses of Death."
Future mothers hoping to use donated semen might want to think twice before using any samples from the Miami-Dade Country area of Florida. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning that sperm from as far back as June 2016 may be infected with the Zika virus. Damn those mosquitoes.
A new study has found that up to half of people who think they have a penicillin "allergy" can still receive the drug, and other antibiotics with similar structures, without any negative reactions to the meds. Why? Because they're not really allergic, doctors say.
A New York creamery was forced to recall items after a fatal disease outbreak stemming from their soft cheese products.
In the past, infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) commonly led to dementia as the virus made its way to the brain. Even in effectively treated people, HIV can hide out and replicate in places like the brain, where it's tough to detect. That's why it's very concerning that half of all HIV-infected patients still report cognitive problems.
This month, Iowa issued their first hepatitis C virus epidemiological profile and the news was not good. The number of cases of hepatitis C reported in Iowa between 2000 and 2015 rose nearly threefold, from 754 cases in 2000 to 2,235 cases in 2015.
We may not fully appreciate all the important roles wheat plays in our lives until it's gone—or at least, when it's in very short supply. What would a world be like without bread, cakes, cereal, pasta, or wheat beer? If the dire warnings about an impending stem rust fungus come to pass, we may know all too soon.
This will illustrate us how to identify problems with evergreen trees. Here are the following steps:Step 1: First of all look for all the evergreen trees.Step 2: Now look for the problems that is whether there is any fungal or bacterial infection occurring.Step 3 : Now look for the climatic requirements as well as the water requirement for the plant.Step 4: Look whether the conditions are available to your surroundings or not.Step 5: Also find out whether the soil type is idle for the plant g...
During the month of August you should be taking steps to protect your trees from bugs and insects. Especially if you have stone fruits which are peaches, cherries, apricots, plums and almonds. To do this you will need to treat around the entire base of the tree with an approved insecticide. This will prevent the insects from laying eggs in your tree. A copper fungicide with dormant oil should be used to treat any bacterial infections that might arise and be a sign that your tree is in distres...
In this Home & Garden video tutorial you will learn how to identify pecan weevil problems. John White presents this video along with Carol Sutherland, extension entomologist. After pecan is infected with pecan weevil, it has the potential of spreading in the entire area. The indication of pecan weevil infection is an opening on the crust of the pecan which may or may not be a perfect circle. But, on the nuts the holes are perfect circles. There is usually one hole on the nuts; though sometime...
