Other Infections
More than 1 Million People Are Coinfected with HIV and Tuberculosis, WHO Report Says
- Details
- Category: Tuberculosis (TB)
- Published on Friday, 19 November 2010 05:44
- Written by Liz Highleyman
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week issued a new report looking at the global status of tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to control the disease. The agency estimates that 9.4 million people became newly infected with TB in 2009, of whom 1.1 million were HIV positive. Although the TB death rate has fallen by one-third since 1990, there were still an estimated 1.7 million TB deaths -- or nearly 5000 per day -- in 2009. The continued spread of difficult-to-treat multidrug-resistance TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) are growing concerns; XDR-TB has now been confirmed in 58 countries, according to the report.
2009 H1N1 Influenza: What Next for People with HIV?
- Details
- Category: H1N1 (Swine) Flu
- Published on Tuesday, 16 November 2010 13:17
- Written by Liz Highleyman
As a new flu season gets underway, a series of recent reports have looked at aspects of the 2009 H1N1 influenza strain responsible for last year's "swine flu" epidemic. Spanish researchers reported the promising finding that people with well-controlled HIV disease on antiretroviral therapy (ART) had H1N1 flu outcomes similar to those of HIV negative individuals. But another pair of studies found that HIV positive people -- especially those with low CD4 cell counts -- did not respond as well as HIV negative people to the H1N1 vaccine or an older flu vaccine. Finally, scientists with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently projected what might happen with H1N1 this year and into the future. 
New Tuberculosis Test Enables Faster Diagnosis and Accurate Identification of Drug Resistance
- Details
- Category: Tuberculosis (TB)
- Published on Friday, 10 September 2010 07:30
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Researchers have developed a new molecular test -- known as Xpert MTB/RIF -- that can quickly and accurately diagnose tuberculosis (TB) and show whether an individual carries drug-resistant TB strains. As described in the September 9, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine, a study of more than 1700 people with suspected infection found that the new test successfully identified 98% of all confirmed TB cases and 98% of patients with rifampin-resistant bacteria in less than 2 hours.
HIV Positive People May Need Triple Dose of Hepatitis A Vaccine
- Details
- Category: Hepatitis A & E
- Published on Tuesday, 26 October 2010 13:46
- Written by Liz Highleyman
AIDS 2010: HPV-associated Cancer among HIV Positive Men and Women in the Combination ART Era
- Details
- Category: Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
- Published on Tuesday, 24 August 2010 13:56
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Precancerous anal cell changes and infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types remain common among men with HIV despite effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) that suppresses viral load and restores CD4 cell levels, according to a study presented at the XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) last month in Vienna. A related study found that invasive cervical cancer -- also caused by HPV -- was associated with lower CD4 cell counts among HIV positive women in the large NA-ACCORD cohort.
Experimental Drug TMC207 Cuts Response Time for Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis
- Details
- Category: Tuberculosis (TB)
- Published on Tuesday, 05 October 2010 13:46
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Tibotec's investigational drug TMC207, added to a 5-drug combination regimen for 8 weeks, increased the cure rate for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and reduced response time by more than half, according to study findings presented at the 50th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC 2010) last month in Boston. A related report described good outcomes using meropenem/clavulanate in a small group of patients with extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB).
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World Health Organization Declares End to H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic
- Details
- Category: H1N1 (Swine) Flu
- Published on Friday, 13 August 2010 08:24
- Written by Liz Highleyman
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced this week that 2009 H1N1 influenza A, popularly known as swine flu, has now entered a post-pandemic period. Although localized outbreaks are likely to continue, H1N1 is no longer being widely transmitted worldwide, as it was last fall and winter. Nevertheless, the agency stressed that the course of influenza pandemics is unpredictable and continued vigilance is warranted. 
ICAAC 2010: Experimental Drug LMV-601 Inhibits HPV Replication and Abnormal Cell Growth in Laboratory Study
- Details
- Category: Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
- Published on Tuesday, 05 October 2010 13:46
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Lumavita's LMV-601, an investigational PC-PLC inhibitor, reduced expression of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16, 18, and 31, and over time improved pre-cancerous cervical cell abnormalities in a laboratory study, researchers reported at the 50th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC 2010) last month in Boston.
CDC Reports U.S. H1N1 Flu Activity Falls to Normal Low Summer Level
- Details
- Category: H1N1 (Swine) Flu
- Published on Tuesday, 25 May 2010 14:16
- Written by Liz Highleyman
H1N1 "swine flu" activity has fallen to a low level typically observed for seasonal influenza during the summer months in the U.S., according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the week of May 9-15, doctor visits for flu-like symptoms decreased, flu-related hospitalizations leveled off, and the number of deaths attributed to influenza or pneumonia remained stable. Globally, the most active areas of H1N1 flu transmission are in the tropical regions of the Caribbean, South America, and Southeast Asia.
More Articles...
- Anti-HIV Drugs Show Activity against XMRV Retrovirus Linked to Prostate Cancer and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Starting Antiretroviral Therapy during Tuberculosis
- U.S. Tuberculosis Rate Falls to Record Low, Possibly Due to Improved Testing of Immigrants
- March 24 is World TB Day -- WHO Report Reveals Record Levels of Multidrug-resistant and Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis
- Mycobacterium vaccae Vaccine Prevents Tuberculosis in HIV Positive People with Prior BCG Vaccination
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