Recent News

By Region: North America

Gene discovery helps explain how flu can cause severe infections

(University of Edinburgh) Scientists have discovered a new gene in the influenza virus that helps the virus control the body’s response to infection. Although this control is exerted by the virus, surprisingly it reduces the impact of the infection. The study looked at how the gene affected the behaviour of “Spanish flu”, a virulent strain  Read More »

CDC Biodefense Facility Has History of Security Issues

(Global Security Newswire) A premiere U.S. biodefense facility in Atlanta has a track record of security lapses in addition to the February incident that could have exposed personnel to unventilated air from a high-risk part of the laboratory, USA Today reported on Wednesday. The newspaper has recently reported that a ventilation glitch at the Centers  Read More »

UMass Amherst biochemists developing tools to stop plague and other bacterial threats

(University of Massachusetts at Amherst) iochemist Alejandro Heuck at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently received a five-year, $950,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to map the molecular structure of a needle-like tool used by deadly bacteria to drill holes in mammalian cell walls. Once a channel is open, bacteria that cause such  Read More »

Security lapses found at CDC bioterror lab in Atlanta

(USA TODAY) A federal bioterror laboratory already under investigation by Congress for safety issues has had repeated incidents of security doors left unlocked to an area where experiments occur with dangerous germs, according to internal agency e-mails obtained by USA TODAY. In one incident, an unauthorized employee was discovered inside a restricted area. A Centers  Read More »

Human Exposures to Marine Brucella Isolated from a Harbor Porpoise

(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) On February 10, 2012, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) was notified of a positive Brucella culture from a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) found on the coast of southern Maine. Maine CDC, in consultation with CDC, initiated an investigation of potential occupational exposures of staff  Read More »

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