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(Saint Louis University) A recombinant vaccine against tuberculosis shows promise, Saint Louis University researchers find.

(Rockefeller University Press) Fritz et al., reporting in the Journal of Cell Biology, have identified an amino acid switch that flaviviruses flip to gain access to cells.

(Society for General Microbiology) Contact lenses increase the risk of infection with pathogenic protozoa that can cause blindness. New research, published in the November issue of the Journal of Medical Microbiology, shows that a high percentage of contact lens cases in Tenerife are contaminated with Acanthamoeba that cannot be killed by normal contact lens solution.

Bird Flu Manual Online, the world's foremost online reference and resource mine designed specifically to help businesses prepare for a pandemic outbreak of Bird Flu, has recently made freely available to the public their Pandemic Preparedness eCourse Certification Program. (PRWeb Oct 20, 2008) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/10/prweb1492844.htm

Background: The pathophysiology of sepsis is due in part to early systemic inflammation. Here we describe molecular and cellular responses, as well as survival, in A2A adenosine receptor (AR) agonist treated and untreated animals during experimental sepsis. Methods: Sepsis was induced in mice by intraperitoneal inoculation of live bacteria (Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Mice inoculated with live bacteria were treated with an A2A AR agonist (ATL313) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS), with or without the addition of a dose of ceftriaxone. LPS inoculated mice were treated with ATL313 or PBS. Serum cytokines and chemokines were measured sequentially at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 24 hours after LPS was administered. In survival studies, mice were followed until death or for 7 days. Results: There was a significant survival benefit in mice infected with live E. coli (100% vs. 20%, p = 0.013) or S. aureus (60% vs. 20%, p = 0.02) when treated with ATL31

(Imperial College London) A recently introduced blood test can reveal which patients may develop active tuberculosis much more precisely than the 100-year old TB skin test, according to a new study published today in the journal Annals of Internal medicine. Around a third of the world's population is infected with the TB bacteria and approximately 9 million new cases of active TB are diagnosed around the world each year, according to World health Organization estimates. The majority of those infected live in the developing world.

(Public Library of Science) In this week's PLoS medicine, Andrew Woodruff (Internet Sexuality Information Services, Oakland, Calif., USA) and colleagues describe the impact of a project called inSPOT, an Internet-based STD partner notification system that uses electronic postcards (e-cards) to assist people in disclosing an STD diagnosis to their sexual partners.