Immunology

New genetic analysis of 10 genome sequences of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from nine patients in Wuhan finds that the virus is most closely related to two bat-derived SARS-like coronaviruses, according to a study published in The Lancet. The authors say that although their analysis suggests that bats might be the original host of the virus, an animal sold at the Huanan seafood market in Wuhan might represent an intermediate host that enables the emergence of the virus in humans.  In the study, the authors report the epidemiological data of nine patients who were diagnosed with viral…

Oseltamivir, which goes by the brand name Tamiflu and is sold by Hoffmann-La Roche, has long claimed to shorten the duration of flu severity, to skepticism and sometimes even derision from the evidence-based science community. A recently unsealed whistleblower lawsuit claims the company bilked U.S. taxpayers out of $1.5 billion by misrepresenting clinical studies and and publishing misleading articles falsely stating that Tamiflu reduces complications, severity, hospitalizations, mortality and transmission of influenza. And that's just when they encouraged government stockpiling, it does not…

After Robert Koch first separated Mycobacterium bovis from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and seeing the success of vaccination in preventing smallpox, scientists believed that infection with bovine tuberculosis might protect against human tuberculosis. It wasn't a linear path but after a lot of trial and error, and some fitful starts (including deaths, the kind of thing that would get a product pulled from existence in today's cancel culture, the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine has been administered routinely to protect babies against tuberculosis since 1921.   Today only a few…

Since 2007, claim lines with diagnoses of Lyme disease increased nationally 117 percent, according to a new white paper. Using a repository of over 29 billion private healthcare claim records - so much for being private - FAIR Health compared Lyme disease to other tick-borne diseases and found that claim lines - the term for a medical line item on a claim form - for Lyme disease accounted for 94 percent of claim lines for tick-borne diseases in 2018.  The geography had also changed. In 2007, the five states with the highest number of claim lines with Lyme disease diagnoses as a…

Two invasive species of mosquitoes that can carry Zika, dengue, yellow fever and other dangerous viruses are spreading in California — and have been found as far north as Sacramento and Placer counties. There are now 16 counties where Aedes aegypti, commonly known as the yellow fever mosquito, has been detected, according to the state Department of Public Health. Five of those counties have also detected Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito. Aedes aegypti, the 'Dengue' mosquito. 'Yellow Fever', if you are old school. Link These mosquitoes, distinguished from other species because they…

A new strain of disease-causing bacteria has been identified which may explain a rise in more serious Strep A infections in England and Wales, according to results from cases published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal.  In 2014, England experienced the biggest surge in scarlet fever cases since the 1960s. Numbers continued to increase, with 15,000 cases in 2014, 17,000 in 2015 and over 19,000 in 2016. Symptoms, which affect young children, include a high temperature, sore throat, and a pink-red rash that feels like sandpaper [1]. Scarlet fever is caused by toxins released by the…

In December 1979, smallpox was officially declared eradicated but it had already happened by then, thanks to the efforts of giants like Drs. Don Henderson and Bill Foege, not to mention 150,000 international workers pushing the disease first out of Europe and Asia, then to the Horn of Africa, and finally out of existence. The last case was known in 1977 but no one was willing to raise any glasses, yet by early 1979 everyone knew the clocking was ticking. Finally, by the end of the year it was official. Smallpox was gone, and vaccines had done it. But not without help from those 150,000 pairs…

Edwin Kim, M.D., and colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered a new and effective treatment for patients suffering from peanut allergy. The treatment is called sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT, and involves the administration of liquefied peanut protein under the patient’s tongue. This site of administration is as crucial as it is strategic for the vasculature here bypasses both the stomach, which could result in digestion of some or all of the protein, as well as the liver where the protein could be metabolized. The advantage is that much less protein…

A 65-year follow-up study of 6,883 patients with Multiple Sclerosis suggests they have a greater overall risk of developing cancer than the general population, with an especially high risk of cancer in respiratory organs, urinary organs and the central nervous system. Multiple sclerosis is a lifelong disease that affects the central nervous system, especially the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. It can lead to a wide range of symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. MS is one of the most common causes of disability in younger adults, and…

Health care has become political and that means everyone wants everything for little money, at least when it comes to their own treatment or those in their family. The other edge of the political sword is lawyers waiting to sue, which has led to high malpractice costs and even higher costs due to "defensive medicine" - running unnecessary tests and engaging in procedures doctors know aren't valuable in order to check off boxes if a lawsuit happens. Though antibiotics are useless for most cases of community-acquired pneumonia and chest x-rays are only recommended in specific instances, a…