Typbar TCV Vaccine
Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has developed a typhoid vaccine (Typbar TCV) which has better efficacy than the previously used vaccinations in preventing typhoid fever. Conjugate vaccines are made using a combination of two different components. In Typbar TCV, an antigen is chemically linked to a carrier protein to create more powerful combined immune response. The conjugate vaccine can be given to babies as young as six months, […]
Leprosy
Leprosy is one of the oldest diseases known to man. East Africa is the more likely place of origin of leprosy. Leprosy also known as Hansen’s disease (HD), is a chronic infection caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Leprosy is not highly infectious. It is transmitted via droplets, from the nose and […]
Avian Botulism at Sambhar Lake
The avian botulism is a neuro-muscular illness caused by Botulinum (natural toxin) that is produced by a bacteria — Clostridium botulinum. The bacteria is commonly found in the soil, rivers, and seawater. It affects both humans and animals. The bacteria also need anaerobic (absence of oxygen) conditions and do not grow in acidic conditions. It affects the nervous system of birds, leading to paralysis in their legs and wings. The outbreaks of avian […]
Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus
Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) is a rare disease that has killed five elephants in Odisha. EEHV is as a type of herpes virus that can cause a highly fatal hemorrhagic disease in young Asian elephants between the ages of 1 and 12. If a young elephant dies before reproducing, it affects the population of the species as a whole in the concerned geography. When […]
Lymphatic filariasis
Commonly known as elephantiasis, is a neglected tropical disease. Infection occurs when filarial parasites are transmitted to humans through mosquitoes. Infection is usually acquired in childhood causing hidden damage to the lymphatic system. The painful and profoundly disfiguring visible manifestations of the disease, lymphoedema, elephantiasis and scrotal swelling occur later in life and can lead […]
BLUETONGUE (BT) VIRUS
The Bluetongue (BT) virus is an insect-transmitted viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants that includes the camelid species. The disease is widespread among the sheep, goats, cattle, buffaloes and camels in the country. With the help of the Kit “Bluetongue: Sandwich ELISA for detection of Antigen”, the Bluetongue Virus can be controlled with the […]
Salmonella
A group of bacteria that can cause food-borne illnesses known as salmonellosis. How widely is it spread? According to estimates by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Salmonella causes 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalisations and about 450 deaths in the United States every year. In a majority of these cases — roughly 1 […]
New anti-tuberculosis drug
Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug Pretomanid for treating drug-resistant tuberculosis — multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). Key facts: Pretomanid is only the third new anti-TB drug approved for use by FDA in more than 40 years. Pretomanid will be part of the three-drug regimen for drug approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). […]
Kyasanur Forest Disease
It is caused by Kyasanur Forest disease Virus (KFDV), a member of the virus family Flaviviridae. It was first identified in 1957 in a sick monkey from the Kyasanur Forest in Karnataka. Since then, between 400-500 humans cases per year have been reported. KFD is endemic to the Indian state of Karnataka. Rodents, shrews, and monkeys are common hosts for KFDV after […]
Dengue
Dengue fever is a tropical disease that is borne by mosquitoes. It is caused by the dengue virus. Dengue is spread by several species of female mosquitoes of the Aedes variety, specifically of the A.aegypti. The ideal conditions for this species of mosquitos are usually between the latitudes of 35° North and 35° South with […]