Epidemics and pandemics

Detecting disease in less than 60 seconds
Traditional testing for disease outbreak or bioterror attack can take days — even weeks — to confirm a diagnosis and isolate those infected; we may not have that much time, and University of Georgia researchers develop a quicker virus identification method
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The science behind the anthrax investigation
For seven years researchers at Sandia National Laboratories worked in secrecy on developing method to identify atnthrax spores; sensitive transmission electron microscopy (TEM) allowed researchers to connect the anthrax attacks to the same source
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Rapid test for pathogens developed by K-State researchers
Could be used to detect diseases used by bioterrorists
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Salmonella-suspect Mexican peppers still being sold in U.S.
The CDC and FDA now suspect the Mexican jalapeño peppers are the cause of the outbreak of salmonella poisoning which has sickened 1,434 people in the United States so far, but these peppers are still being sold in the to U.S., if for a lower price
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New immunization strategy better in handling epidemics, computer viruses
New immunization approach fragments the population to be immunized into many connected clusters of equal size; by creating equal-size clusters, doses do not have to be “wasted” on isolating very small clusters, as in the traditional targeted strategy
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The pandemic potential of H9N2 avian influenza viruses
Researchers show that some currently circulating avian H9N2 viruses can transmit to naïve ferrets placed in direct contact with infected ferrets — but aerosol transmission was not observed, a key factor in potentially pandemic strains
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New bird flu strain detected in Nigeria
Nigeria has reported two new highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks; laboratory results show that the newly discovered virus strain (H5N1, clade 2, EMA3) is genetically different from the strains that circulated in Nigeria during earlier outbreaks
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Decision on national biolab nears
Five states are vying to host to new, $450 million national biolab which will replace the aging Plum island facility; some lawmakers are questioning the selection process: an internal DHS review ranked the Mississippi site in Flora 14th out of 17 sites originally considered, yet it made it to the final five
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Mysterious disease kills indigenous tribe members in Venezuela
Scientists suspect bat-transmitted rabies, but without epidemiological studies and confirmatory lab work, that conclusion remains speculative
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Indonesia probes bird flu outbreak in Sumatra
Thirteen people in a Sumatra village taken ill with what Indonesian specialists think is a bird flu outbreak; the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed more than 240 people worldwide since late 2003; Indonesia is the country worst-hit by the virus
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New virus fights other viruses by spreading at their expense
Newly discovered virsu may help fight viral infections by hijacking the replication machinery of the lethal viruses; the new virsus — called Sputnik — is the first member of a new class they call “virophages”
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IG says delays in bioterrorism lab threatened D.C.'s capabilities
Washington, D.C. took ownership of the 5,285-square-foot Biosafety Level 3 lab, in which dangerous pathogens such as anthrax, tuberculosis, typhus, and yellow fever can be quickly analyzed; trouble is, the project is nine years behind schedule
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Bacteria were the real killers in 1918 flu pandemic
Medical and scientific experts now agree that bacteria, not influenza viruses, were the greatest cause of death during the 1918 flu pandemic
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Lawmaker likens Salmonella probe to Keystone Kops
The reason for what U.S. lawmakers regard as the bungled salmonella probe: One government agency probably zeroed in on tomatoes too early, the committee concluded, while a second failed to tap industry and states’ expertise in trying to trace the source of the contamination
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FDA finds Salmonella Saintpaul strain in irrigation water on Mexican farm
FDA said that jalapeno and serrano peppers grown in the United States are not connected the current outbreak and are safe to eat; traces of Salmonella are found in irrigation water and on a serrano pepper at a Mexican farm
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