top of page

MOSTLY MICROBES AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Welcome to Mostly Microbes and Infectious Diseases. David Ojcius posts newspaper and journal articles in the broad field of microbiology.

Bacteria, Bacterial colony, Microbes, Sa
Home: Welcome
Search

COVID-19: endemic doesn’t mean harmless

The word ‘endemic’ has become one of the most misused of the pandemic. Many of the errant assumptions made encourage a misplaced complacency. A disease (e.g. #malaria) can be endemic as well as widespread & deadly. #endemic #COVID19 #coronavirus The word ‘endemic’ has become one of the most misused of the pandemic. And many of the errant assumptions made encourage a misplaced complacency. It doesn’t mean that COVID-19 will come to a natural end. To an epidemiologist, an endem

Why Are So Few Sick From COVID in Sub-Saharan Africa?

A study found that rural areas had higher rates of #malaria than urban sites, & the urban sites had higher rates of #COVID19 than rural sites. However, the significance of the correlation is not clear. Both rural and urban areas of Mali experienced high seroprevalence of COVID-19, but a low burden of symptomatic disease, a researcher said. From spring to fall 2020, the rate of seropositivity among those with self-reported symptoms jumped from 20.8% to 48.6%, while those who r

It’s official: China has eliminated malaria

#China — a country that had 30 million cases of #malaria per year in the 1940s — is officially free of the disease. Among the innovations that helped to achieve the milestone was pharmaceutical chemist Tu Youyou’s Nobel-winning work on the malaria treatment #artemisinin. The World Health Organization (WHO) today is certifying China as free of malaria, after a decadeslong effort drove an estimated annual toll of 30 million cases in the 1940s, including 300,000 deaths, to zero

Malaria parasites and circadian rhythm: New insights into an old puzzle

•Discuss molecular components for the coordination of circadian rhythm of #malaria parasites inside the vertebrate host. •Synthetic indole compounds show antimalarial activity in vitro against P. falciparum 3D7. • #Plasmodium falciparum synchronizes in cell culture upon #melatonin treatment. The hallmark of #malaria, an infectious disease caused by parasites from the Plasmodium genus, is cyclic fever. Fevers and chills generally occur within 48 h (h) for Plasmodium falciparum

mRNA vaccine yields full protection against malaria in mice

Scientists from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and Naval Medical Research Center partnered with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Acuitas Therapeutics to develop a novel vaccine based on mRNA technology that protects against #malaria in animal models, publishing their findings in npj Vaccines. In 2019, there were an estimated 229 million cases of malaria and 409,000 deaths globally, creating an extraordinary cost in terms of human morbidity, mortal

Malaria-induced bacteremia as a consequence of multiple parasite survival strategies

Globally, #malaria continues to be an enormous public health burden, with concomitant parasite-induced damage to the gastrointestinal (GI) barrier resulting in bacteremia-associated morbidity and mortality in both adults and children. Infected red blood cells sequester in and can occlude the GI microvasculature, ultimately leading to disruption of the tight and adherens junctions that would normally serve as a physical barrier to translocating enteric bacteria. Mast cell (MC)

Malaria parasites and circadian rhythm: New insights into an old puzzle

#malaria #mosquitoes #Plasmodium The hallmark of malaria, an infectious disease caused by parasites from the Plasmodium genus, is cyclic fever. Fevers and chills generally occur within 48 h (h) for Plasmodium falciparum (Fig. 1A) and Plasmodium vivax and every 72 h for Plasmodium malariae. This periodic fever has been known for almost a century to be a consequence of synchronous maturation of the parasites inside the host erythrocytes followed by the rupture of infected cells

Malaria-induced bacteremia as a consequence of multiple parasite survival strategies

Globally, #malaria continues to be an enormous public health burden, with concomitant parasite-induced damage to the gastrointestinal (GI) barrier resulting in bacteremia-associated morbidity and mortality in both adults and children. Infected red blood cells sequester in and can occlude the GI microvasculature, ultimately leading to disruption of the tight and adherens junctions that would normally serve as a physical barrier to translocating enteric bacteria. Mast cell (MC)

Malaria parasites and circadian rhythm: New insights into an old puzzle

The hallmark of #malaria, an infectious disease caused by parasites from the Plasmodium genus, is cyclic fever. Fevers and chills generally occur within 48 h (h) for Plasmodium falciparum (Fig. 1A) and Plasmodium vivax and every 72 h for Plasmodium malariae. This periodic fever has been known for almost a century to be a consequence of synchronous maturation of the parasites inside the host erythrocytes followed by the rupture of infected cells and the massive release of para

Malaria vaccine hailed as potential breakthrough

A #malaria vaccine has proved to be 77% effective in early trials and could be a major breakthrough against the disease, says the University of Oxford team behind it. Malaria kills more than 400,000 people a year, mostly children in sub-Saharan Africa. But despite many vaccines being trialled over the years, this is the first to meet the required target. The researchers say this vaccine could have a major public health impact. When trialled in 450 children in Burkina Faso, th

New mutations in malaria parasite encourage resistance against key preventive drug

Researchers report that new mutations in pfgch1 gene in Plasmodium falciparum, which enhance resistance to a drug (sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine) used to prevent malaria in pregnant women & children, are already common in countries fighting malaria. #malaria #parasitology #infectiousdisease #infection https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-12-mutations-malaria-parasite-resistance-key.html

What is malaria? (free video)

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease common in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, that's caused by a parasitic protozoan of the genus Plasmodium. #malaria #Plasmodium #parasitology #health #infection

Understanding how mosquitoes smell us could save lives.

Of the more than 3,000 species of #mosquitoes in the world, just a small number have evolved to specialize in sucking human blood. How human-biting mosquitoes track us down so effectively isn't currently known, but it matters, since they don't just make us itch. They also carry dangerous diseases such as #Zika, #dengue, West Nile virus and #malaria that can be deadly. In fact, stopping these pesky insects in their tracks could save up to half a million lives lost to those dis

Home: Blog2

Subscribe Form

Thanks for submitting!

Home: Subscribe
Home: Contact
bottom of page