Infectious Diseases

Fossilized human feces from 14th century contain antibiotic resistance genes
A team of French investigators has discovered viruses containing genes for antibiotic resistance in a fossilized fecal sample from 14th century Belgium, long before antibiotics were used in medicine. They publish their findings ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. Eurekalert!

Unique multi-resistant bacterium difficult to eradicate
A previously unknown multi-resistant bacterium has been sticking around at a Swedish University Hospital for ten years. The reason for this is deficient hygiene routines among the staff, a doctoral thesis at Linköping University shows.
"In connection with the MRSA outbreak, an increased occurrence of MSSA was discovered, a strain that was sensitive to methicillin but resistant to many other types of antibiotic. This was a completely new find," says Maria Lindqvist, a PhD student in clinical microbiology. The results are set out in her doctoral thesis. MedicalXpress

Researchers release first risk-assessment predictions for West Nile virus
Now, a team of researchers from the Center for Tropical Research at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability has created a model to help predict where the disease may occur under future climate change. Their findings were published Feb. 27 in the journal Global Change Biology. MedicalXpress

How a single pathogen could dramatically alter migratory pattern risks today
In 2013, cities are no longer the death traps they once were, even accounting for the millions of migrants who live in poor, often slum-like conditions. But will cities always be better places to live? What could eliminate the 'urban advantage' and what might the future of our cities look like if antibiotics stop working? MedicalXpress

In first moments of infection, a division and a decision
Using technologies and computational modeling that trace the destiny of single cells, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe for the first time the earliest stages of fate determination among white blood cells called T lymphocytes, providing new insights that may help drug developers create more effective, longer-lasting vaccines against microbial pathogens or cancer. The findings are published in the March 2, 2014 online issue of Nature Immunology. MedicalXpress