Zoonotic Infections News

A recent analysis revealed that African straw-colored fruit bats may have evolved to resist Ebola virus infection, leading researchers to suggest these bats are an unlikely source of infection responsible for the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Recent findings published in BioScience suggest that diseases may persist undetected in an animal population for months or years before causing an outbreak among humans, indicating the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases may be more complex than previously understood.

Plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis may have persisted in Europe for 300 years, including the period commonly known as the “Black Death,” according to a recent DNA analysis of human remains in Germany.

The investigation of an Oregon zoo has uncovered an outbreak of tuberculosis affecting at least seven people and three elephants, according to data recently published in MMWR.

Researchers reported that deforestation and other environmental changes led to a greater incidence of the zoonotic malaria species Plasmodium knowlesi in Malaysian Borneo.

Children, particularly those aged younger than 5 years, and Hispanics were most affected by multistate outbreaks of Salmonella derived from small turtles from 2011 to 2013, according to recent research in Pediatrics.

A recent analysis revealed that African straw-colored fruit bats may have evolved to resist Ebola virus infection, leading researchers to suggest these bats are an unlikely source of infection responsible for the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Africa.

An adolescent girl was diagnosed with rat-bite fever, a serious but treatable infection, caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis bacteria transmitted by her pet rats, according to a recent report in BMJ Case Report.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne received a $200,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to investigate a vaccine that protects against Taenia solium, according to a press release.

Recent findings published in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases showed that brightly colored dog collars and owner wristbands, which distinguished vaccinated dogs, increased participation in rabies vaccination clinics in Tanzania. In addition, the findings showed that the program was economically viable.