Severe skin infections are increasing among children and becoming one of the most common reasons for hospitalization, a new study finds.
Infectious Disease
CDC: Two Tattoo-Related Skin Infections May Be Linked to Tap Water
New research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers another reminder for tattoo parlor patrons to take precautions against potential risks before getting inked: the CDC finds that two Seattle men developed …
MIT Scientists Develop a Drug to Fight Any Viral Infection
Scientists at MIT are developing a new drug that may fight viruses as effectively as antibiotics like penicillin dispatch bacteria. The broad-spectrum treatment is designed to trigger cell suicide in cells that have been invaded …
Spermless Mosquitoes: A New Way to Curb Malaria?
Scientists may be onto a new weapon against the spread of malaria, one that doesn’t require chemical repellents or bed nets: a genetically engineered sterile male mosquito.
The Rise of Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonella
Even as U.S. officials are tracing the source of a multistate outbreak of salmonella poisoning that has sickened more than 70 people and killed at least one person, there’s more bad news on the food-borne illness front.
Coffee and Tea Drinkers May Be Less Susceptible to MRSA
Coffee and tea drinkers could be at lower risk of a developing a deadly drug-resistant staph infection, new research suggests.
Scientists Discover Drug-Resistant Gonorrhea ‘Superbug’
A new, untreatable strain of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea has been discovered in Japan, according to an international team of infectious disease experts. The strain, named H041, is resistant to all known forms of antibiotics.
Why the German E. Coli Outbreak Was So Deadly
The German E. coli outbreak has slipped from the news recently, as the rate of new cases and deaths has slowed. But it’s not over yet. On Thursday federal health officials announced that the death of a man in Arizona from a …
How Flu Spreads on a Plane
As if the generally horrific experience of flying wasn’t bad enough (maybe I’m just a little sour about the 90 minutes I spent on the tarmac at Newark last night), a new study [PDF] in Emerging Infectious Diseases shows that …
Dengue Fever Creeps Back Into the U.S. — and Climate Change Isn’t Helping
Dengue fever is nasty. Transmitted by the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, dengue infects an estimated 220 million people a year — 2 million of whom develop a severe form called dengue haemorrhagic fever, which has no known …
Three Possible Cases of E. Coli Illness in U.S.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Thursday that it is investigating three suspected cases E. coli infection related to the outbreak in Germany. All three people have recently traveled to Hamburg.
Watch Out for the Cows. They Might Be Carrying a New Strain of MRSA
The medical news this week has been dominated by the possible carcinogenicity of cell phones and the virulent E. coli outbreak in Europe. But I hope your closet of fear isn’t full yet — I’ve got one more bit of medical worry to …
Why Health Authorities Are So Worried About Europe’s Mutant E. Coli Outbreak
Health officials were worried enough about an unusually virulent outbreak of food-borne illness from the E. coli bacteria, which has infected more than 1,500 people in Germany and killed at least 17. But the concern jumped to …