Infectious Disease
Ensuring Adequate Measles Protection is Key to Stopping Outbreaks in United States
The measles outbreaks in the states of Washington and New York have generated a lot of headlines in recent weeks, but the good news is that measles remains relatively rare in the United States – and that is because most people have been vaccinated with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, says Emily Hyle, MD, MSc.
Read MoreWorld AIDS Day 2018
In recognition of World AIDS Day, we are sharing some recent work from the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, which was established in 2009 with a dual mission to contribute to the accelerated discovery of an HIV/AIDS vaccine and to serve as a world leader in the collaborative study of immunology.
Read MoreA FRESH Look at HIV Prevention and Women’s Empowerment
Researchers at the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard recently published an editorial in Science Immunology detailing their efforts to combine basic science and social good to reduce the high rate of HIV infection in young South African women while simultaneously empowering them. Here is a brief summary.
Read MoreA Closer Look at the Bacteria Behind the Recent Food Poisoning Outbreak
Clostridium perfringens is a common foodborne illness that causes nearly 1 million infections each year. The bacterium has many environmental sources, but is typically found on raw meat and poultry.
Read MoreCan Beauty Salons Connect South African Women to Life Saving Health Services?
If you’ve ever spent time in a beauty salon, you know that hair stylists give their clients more than just a new cut, color or style. They often serve as friends and confidants, dispensing advice on relationships, family and work challenges. But could they also help to prevent unwanted pregnancies and stop the spread of a deadly disease?
Read MoreNew Insights Into How Shigella Bacteria Cause Disease
In the battle between bacteria and humans, the best defense may be a good offense.
Read MoreCould There be a Link Between Herpes Virus and Alzheimer’s Disease?
A new research study from Rudolph Tanzi, PhD, and Robert Moir, PhD, researchers in the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, has uncovered a Jekyll and Hyde role for a naturally occurring protein in the brain most commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In conjunction with new findings from another research team at Icahn School of…
Read MoreInvestigating the Relationship Between MRSA and the Lymphatic System
Dennis Jones, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Edwin L. Steele Labs at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Jones won an award for a poster detailing the results of a research study that shows how MRSA infections contribute to recurrences of lymphedema by damaging muscle cells with bacterial toxins. Continue reading to learn more about…
Read MoreOn the Hunt for New Strategies to Defeat a Killer Fungus
At first glance, Candida auris (C. auris) seems like the fungus equivalent of a comic book supervillain—at least from a human perspective. A new species of infectious fungus that arrived seemingly out of nowhere a decade ago, C. auris is resistant to all known forms of antifungal drugs, and it sticks to surfaces so well that it resists standard…
Read MoreNew Tool for Predicting C. Difficile Infections Shows Promising Results
For patients in hospital and healthcare settings, a Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infection is a complication that can result in serious complications and even death. C. difficile is caused by a bacterium and the symptoms of infection include diarrhea, fever and severe abdominal cramps. While some cases may be mild, some can be fatal—particularly in elderly, very…
Read More