Nipah virus outbreak exposes the chinks in Kerala’s health-care armour
If Kerala was taken by surprise last year by the first outbreak of Nipah virus infection, its recurrence this year strongly suggests that the virus is in circulation in fruit…
Category: Tuberculosis
Tweaked pharmacy referral model increases TB case-finding in Patna
Tweaking the existing pharmacy referral system in Patna brought huge benefits. Instead of referring symptomatic TB patients to doctor for consultation, referring them for an X-ray before consulting a doctor…
Majority of MDR-TB cases in India due to direct transmission: Lancet
While India has set a highly ambitious target of “eliminating TB by 2025”, modelling studies published today say incidence and mortality will reduce by just 57% and 72% respectively by…
Delhi researchers find diabetic drug improves the efficacy of two TB drugs
Delhi researchers have identified a protein that is vital for the formation of biofilm by TB-causing bacteria and other bacterial species. Two FDA-approved drugs (acarbose and cyclosporine-A) bind to the…
Podcast: Blocking the entry of TB bacteria into host cells
Scientists from AIIMS, THSTI and IIT Indore have successfully been able to inhibit the entry of TB bacteria into host cells by using aptamer-based inhibitor that binds to the HupB protein…
Small DNA-based inhibitor blocks entry of TB bacteria into host cells
A team of researchers from three institutions in India has used aptamer-based inhibitor that binds to the HupB protein found on TB bacteria cell surface to significantly inhibit the entry…
MDR-TB treatment gets a boost with the inclusion of bedaquiline in the fully-oral regimen
In a “rapid communication”, WHO has informed all member States to take “immediate steps” to ensure that all injectables are replaced with a fully-oral regimen that includes bedaquiline to treat…
Podcast: Ten-year journey to develop a diagnostic test for TB meningitis
A team lead by Jaya Sivaswami Tyagi from AIIMS in collaboration with THSTI has developed a diagnostic test for TB meningitis with nearly 100% sensitivity and about 91% specificity. The rapid, point-of-care…
