Outbreak Prevention & Control Gateway

Facing up to antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance is both an ancient phenomenon and a worsening medical problem. Gerard Wright explains why, and what should be done about it.

Diagnosing AD before autopsy

Clark and Kodadek review the current progress to identify Alzheimer's disease (AD)-specific blood-based protein biomarkers, which would allow for an economical, rapid and non-invasive diagnostic test for the disease.

Cysteine proteases show Toxoplasma vaccine promise

Mice immunized with the Toxoplasma gondii cysteine proteases cathepsin B-like (TgCPB) and cathepsin L-like (TgCPL) show strong humoral and cellular immune responses and are protected against subsequent infection with tachyzoites of the virulent RH strain.

Patterns of respiratory infection in China

A study of respiratory disease in Zhuhai, China, found seasonal patterns of influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and human metapneumovirus as well as correlations between some viruses with air temperature or air humidity.

ASIA: an emerging syndrome

In this Q&A we talk to Yehuda Shoenfeld about the syndrome, ASIA (Autoimmune or Autoinflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants) and discuss his recommendations regarding further research in the field.

Targeting inflammation in CVD

Johan Frostegard reviews the inflammatory mechanisms behind atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and discusses how inflammation can be targeted in order to develop novel therapies for CVD.

Disease insights from PPI

Kuzmanov and Emili review recent advances in protein-protein interaction studies from various model organisms, shedding light on the mechanisms and possible treatments for human disease.

Outbreak genomics

Mark Pallen and co-authors review advances in applying high-throughput sequencing approaches for outbreak investigation (focusing on bacterial infections), and discuss the implications for clinical microbiology.

Microevolution in humans

Frank Rühli and Maciej Henneberg review the microevolutionary changes in humans, and the impact this may have in treatment of diseases, understanding host-pathogen co-evolution, and the effect current clinical decisions may have on future generations.

Adolescence: evolution & development

Ze’ev Hochberg and Jay Belsky review the development of human adolescents from an endocrinological and social perspective, arguing that understanding the environmental impact on development will help inform further research.

Targeted RV vaccination is cost-effective

When compared with universal rotavirus (RV) vaccination, targeted vaccination of high-risk children is highly cost-effective in the Netherlands, suggesting that targeted strategies should be used to reduce RV hospitalizations in Europe.

A mobile genetic element in RNA viruses

An extensive screen of virus genomes for the stem-loop structure s2m found it in four virus families, Astroviridae, Caliciviridae, Picornaviridae and Coronaviridae, suggesting it is a mobile element with possible RNAi activity.

MHC evolution in black grouse

A powerful single locus genotyping method for amplifying MHC class IIB loci in black grouse indicate that duplication of the BLB gene occurred before the species diverged from chickens and pheasants.

Mental and physical health linked in men

Mood and anxiety disorders are associated with a range of physical comorbidities in men, and having these disorders increases the risk of high medical burden, providing further evidence for the link between mental and physical health.

Do pets and siblings impact allergic disease?

Exposure to pets or siblings differentially affect infant gut microbiota, calling into question the clinical significance of these two traditionally protective "hygiene hypothesis" factors in allergic disease.