A large-scale clinical trial of a candidate HIV vaccine-which previously showed promise in smaller studies in the United States and elsewhere-has now opened in South Africa. The study plans to enroll up to 3,000 HIV-negative men and women, making it the largest African HIV vaccine trial to date.

The launch of the first large-scale study to evaluate a candidate HIV vaccine on the African continent was announced today by study collaborators in the United States and South Africa. The trial will involve up to 3,000 participants at five sites throughout South Africa and is expected to continue for four years.

In a continuing effort to improve the clinical management of community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureas (CA-MRSA), Loren Miller, M.D., M.P.H. and colleagues at the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) found no reliable epidemiological or clinical risk factors that could distinguish patients with CA-MRSA infection from patients with CA-MSSA infection.

The number of individuals with Parkinson's disease in 15 of the world's largest nations will double over the next generation, according to a study published in the January 30 issue of the journal Neurology. The study highlights the significant challenge facing countries with rapidly growing economies, particularly in Asia, many of which are ill prepared to meet this impending public health threat.

The Ikerlan-IK4 and Gaiker-IK4 Technological Centre have patented a device which is capable of the rapid and effective diagnosis of infectious diseases caused by various bacteria, notable amongst which are Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria, the causal agents of most gastroenteritis cases due to food poisoning, as well as of other symptomatologies associated with this condition.

A new study shows that more people were at risk of anthrax infection in the Oct. 2001 attack on U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle's office than previously known. The research is published in the January 15 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online. On the other hand, the study shows, prompt intervention with antibiotics and vaccination appeared to be highly effective against the disease.

A new University of Georgia study suggests that rapid detection combined with aggressive education can dramatically curtail outbreaks of emerging infectious disease such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

In a new study published online in the open access journal PLoS Biology, Gaby Sennhauser, Marcus Gruetter, and colleagues use structural biology techniques to probe the molecular mechanisms of the major drug efflux pump in E. coli AcrB.

Influenza experts have borrowed a page from economists, creating a futures market for influenza activity that predicted outbreaks two to four weeks in advance. The influenza prediction market is presented in the Jan. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Model developed with the systems biology approach may lead to better understanding of infectious disease processes

Rapid and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases helps public health officials manage disease outbreaks and enables health care providers to prescribe the correct treatment early on.