Latest Zoonoses Stories
A US food safety agency warned consumers on Monday against eating alfalfa sprouts and spicy sprouts (a mixture of three types of sprouts) from Tiny Greens Organic Farm in Urbana, Illinois, after reports surfaced that the foods were tainted with salmonella, possibly behind the 89 cases found throughout the Midwest. USA Today received a call from Tiny Greens Organic Farm owner Bill Bagby on Monday evening. Bagby, who was stranded at a family reunion in North Carolina, told USA Today that the...
Habitat destruction and species extinction may lead to an increase in diseases that infect humans and other species, according to a paper in the journal Nature co-authored by a University of Florida ecologist.In the paper to be published Thursday, UF biology professor Robert D. Holt and his colleagues reported that by reviewing studies from a wide range of systems, including data from plants, animals and bacteria, they were able to relate dimensions of environmental loss, and in particular...
CHICAGO, Dec. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ADLS), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs in the therapeutic areas of infection, oncology and respiratory diseases, announced today that Dawson James Securities Inc., has initiated analyst research coverage of Advanced Life Sciences. The report highlights Restanza(TM) (cethromycin) as a promising late-stage antibacterial...
Infectious diseases on the rise as species disappearPlant and animal extinctions are detrimental to your health.That's the conclusion of a paper published in this week's issue of the journal Nature by scientists who studied the link between biodiversity and infectious diseases.Species loss in ecosystems such as forests and fields results in increases in pathogens, or disease-causing organisms, the researchers found.The research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF)-National...
SUNAPEE, N.H., Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The new book Recipes for Repair: A Lyme Disease Cookbook is now available from Peconic Publishing, LLC. The book includes 151 recipes plus practical tips designed to help anyone feel better through healthier eating. It is especially helpful for people with Lyme disease and other ailments, as it supports the anti-inflammation diet developed by Kenneth B. Singleton, MD, MPH, in his 2008 book The Lyme Disease Solution. Co-author and photographer...
Earlier this year, an outbreak of salmonella caused by infected eggs resulted in thousands of illnesses before a costly recall could be implemented. Now, University of Missouri researchers have created a new test for salmonella in poultry and eggs that will produce faster and more accurate results than most currently available tests. The new test could have prevented the contaminated eggs from being shipped to stores."Processors and consumers will benefit from the speed and sensitivity...
Boston University researchers develop portable diagnostic deviceBoston University researchers have developed a simple diagnostic tool that can quickly identify dangerous viruses like Ebola and Marburg. The biosensor, which is the size of a quarter and can detect viruses in a blood sample, could be used in developing nations, airports and other places where natural or man-made outbreaks could erupt."By enabling ultra-portable and fast detection, our technology can directly impact the...
Scientists at Emory University and the University of St. Andrews have solved the structure of a key protein from Lassa virus, which is endemic to West Africa and can cause a deadly hemorrhagic fever.The structure reveals how the virus evades its host's immune system, and how it hijacks infected cells' vital machinery in a process scientists call "cap-stealing." Details of the structure could guide future efforts at antiviral drug discovery and vaccine development.The results are...
CHICAGO, Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ADLS), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs in the therapeutic areas of infection, oncology and respiratory diseases, today announced that it has submitted a full proposal to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) under BAA-NIAID-DMID-NIHAI2010097 Development Of Therapeutics For Biodefense. It is...
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have developed two strategies to ward off cattle fever ticks that are crossing the border from Mexico into the United States. These ticks transmit bovine babesiosis, commonly known as Texas cattle fever, a deadly disease of cattle that's caused by singled-celled organisms.Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Kerrville, Texas, are developing and testing new interventions to eliminate cattle fever ticks within U.S. borders and...
Latest Zoonoses Reference Libraries
The eye-worm (Loa loa) is a species of roundworm within the Nematoda phylum. It can be found in India and Africa, among other areas. This species causes a disease known as Loa loa filariasis and is one of three species that can cause subcutaneous filariasis in humans. Females are larger than males, reaching an average body length of up to 2.7 inches, with males reaching an average body length of up to 1.3 inches. The first stage of life for the eye-worm begins when an adult worm, which is...
The dog roundworm (Toxocara canis) is a species of parasitic worm that infects canid species. It is yellowish white in color and can reach an average length between 3.5 and 7 inches, with females typically growing large than males. The dog roundworm can be transmitted in four different ways. The most common form of transmission occurs when an egg containing second stage larvae is released onto the ground in feces. Once the egg has been ingested, it will move through the small intestines...
The White-footed Mouse, (Peromyscus leucopus), is a species of rodent native to North America. Its range extends from Ontario, Quebec, Labrador and the Maritime Provinces (excluding Newfoundland) south to the southwestern United States and Mexico. In Texas this creature is known as the Woodmouse. The adult of this species measures 3.5 to 3.9 inches in length, not counting the tail, which can measure an additional 2.5 to 3.8 inches. It weighs typically about an ounce. It has a maximum life...
Rickettsia rickettsii is a gram-negative bacterium native to the New World and causes the malady known as Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF). It is transmitted through the bit of an infected tick when it feeds on animals and humans. Humans are not necessary hosts in the rickettsia-tick life cycle but they can be. S. Burt Wolbach created the first detailed description of the etiologic agent in 1919. He recognized it as an intracellular bacterium seen most frequently in endothelial cells....
West Nile virus (WNV) is a virus of the family Flaviviridae. It is part of the Japanese encephalitis antigenic complex of viruses and is found in both tropical and temperate regions. It primarily infects birds but can infect humans, horses, dogs, cats, bats, and other mammals. Humans are generally infected through the bites of mosquitoes and about 90% of West Nile Virus infections are without symptoms. The virion is 45-60 nm and covered with a relatively smooth protein surface. It is...
