Vital Technologies, Inc.

The Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) has announced the recipients of the 2009 Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award. MUHC researcher Dr. Maya Saleh was one of six recipients granted $500,000 over a 6-year period for her research proposal, "Regulation and molecular mechanisms of NLR-mediated innate immunity." "We are studying how the body fights infections," says Dr. Saleh, who was the only researcher in Canada to receive the award.

The 2009 monsoon season will soon arrive in the Asian territories and culicine mosquito populations are expected to increase. "These mosquitoes may carry the virus that causes Japanese Encephalitis (JE), which kills 10-15,000 people each year," warned Fran Lessans, CEO of Passport Health, the largest provider of travel medical services in the U.S. A new vaccine called Ixiaro(R) has been approved by the FDA, and is ready for distribution in the United States.

Molecules known as type I IFNs are a central component of the protective immune response following infection with a virus. In contrast, these molecules are not normally linked to the protective immune response following infection with the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, which is becoming a major health problem due to the emergence of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains.

Paul Kubes and colleagues, at the University of Calgary, Canada, have provided evidence in mice to refute the paradigm that the initial phase of the immune response to infection with Gram-negative bacteria (the recruitment of immune cells known as neutrophils to the site of infection) is triggered following immune sentinel-cell recognition of the bacterial molecule LPS via the protein TLR4.

The University of California, San Francisco, has partnered with Abbott, a global health care company, to launch a first-of-its kind, non-profit viral diagnostics center near the UCSF Mission Bay campus to help identify unknown viruses from around the world. The UCSF Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center aims to expedite virus discovery in acute and chronic human illnesses, including outbreaks and rare and unusual diseases.

Researchers from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) have developed Distributed Drug Discovery (D3), a new low-cost strategy to accelerate the discovery of drugs to treat neglected diseases such as tuberculosis, leprosy, leshmaniasis, dengue fever, and Chagas disease. Even in times of economic prosperity, the pharmaceutical industry has often been reluctant to get involved in developing treatments for diseases that occur primarily in low income countries.

Nigel Ellis, Head of National Assessment and Inspection at the Care Quality Commission said, "The NAO is right to acknowledge improvements in the control of MRSA and C. difficile, which have had such a strong grip on hospitals in this country. This follows a big effort from people right across the NHS - and we are of course pleased that the report recognises the role that independent regulation has played.

Norovirus and Salmonella were the leading causes of foodborne disease outbreaks in 2006, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report, based on investigations of foodborne disease outbreaks provides the most recent report of how many illnesses were linked to specific types of foods.

In recent years, the epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has been changing. This trend may be the result of antimicrobial use, infection control practices, or other factors. It is critical for healthcare professionals to be aware of the epidemiology of this virulent pathogen and apply evidence-based principles for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Amira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it will present preclinical data from its LPA1 receptor antagonist program on June 30, 2009 at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Summer Research Conference in Carefree, Arizona. The LPA1 receptor is part of the Phosphatidic Acid/Lysophosphatidylcholine pathway, which among other things is associated with cell to cell communication.

New wireless keyboards for use with hospital patient entertainment and point-of-care terminals are hygienic, monitoring their own disinfect status to give reminders when sterilisation is due. Keyboards can harbour strains of harmful bacteria such as MRSA and E coli and pose a significant cross-contamination risk as they can be easily passed from user to user.

Scientists have unlocked the code for the building blocks of fungal organisms which are responsible for mild as well as potentially deadly infections in people. Cracking the genetic code of six species of Candida - the most common cause of fungal infection worldwide - is a major step towards finding new therapies for treating the health problems caused by these organisms.

A new strategy in the fight against pneumonia, the world's greatest killer of children, was announced in Lecce, Italy. Global health partners gathered to sign an innovative new financing agreement called the Advance Market Commitment (AMC), designed to accelerate access to life-saving new vaccines and medicines in developing countries.

Welcoming the publication of the National Audit Office report, Reducing Healthcare Associated Infections in Hospitals in England, Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, said: "This report rightly recognises the hard work and dedication of those healthcare staff who are helping to tackle MRSA and C. difficile. The innovation and leadership of nurses has been key to driving down infection rates and improving the quality of care for all patients.

Almost 90 per cent of the world's population will not have timely access to affordable supplies of vaccines and antiviral agents in the current influenza pandemic, but it is possible that inexpensive generic drugs that are readily available, even in developing countries, could save millions of lives.

Men are notoriously reluctant to take their health seriously and are much less likely than women to consult their doctor. With National Men's Health Week fast approaching (June 15 - 21), the Meningitis Trust is encouraging men to learn the signs and symptoms of meningitis and to be aware of its range of free support services available to them.

A Marion County woman with confirmed novel H1N1 (swine) influenza died on Sunday. "We are saddened by this death, and our hearts go out to the family," said Dr. Karen Landers, health officer for Marion County. "It's an unfortunate reminder of the seriousness of flu." This is the first death of a person with novel H1N1 influenza in Oregon and the 28th in the nation.

More than 300 infection prevention experts have completed a text that serves as one of the most valuable tools for infection preventionists throughout the world, the APIC Text of Infection Control and Epidemiology. The 1,700-page document, now in its 3rd edition, has been completely revised and is now available, offering a concise information resource containing more than 120 expanded and enhanced chapters.

"Vaccines are not just for children any more." That is the important, and potentially life-saving message, that Geisinger Health System pediatric gastroenterologist William Cochran, M.D., vice chairman of the Janet Weis Children's Hospital, wants to deliver. And this is a message that comes from personal experience.

Newborn babies have immature immune systems, making them highly vulnerable to severe infections and unable to mount an effective immune response to most vaccines, thereby frustrating efforts to protect them. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 2 million newborns and infants less than 6 months of age die each year due to infection.