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Analysis of occurrence and co-occurrence patterns shows the highest-risk clusters of chikungunya and zika in Brazil spreading from the Northeast to the Center-West and coastal areas of São Paulo state and Rio de Janeiro state in the Southeast between 2018 and 2021, and increasing again in the Northeast between 2019 and 2021. In Brazil overall, spatial variations in the temporal trends for chikungunya and zika decreased 13% and 40% respectively, but 85% and 57% of the clusters in [...]

A biodegradable sponge made of chitosan, a biopolymer derived from the shells of crustaceans, releases medication slowly into the organism and makes treatment of candidiasis more comfortable and effective, judging from the results of tests performed by researchers at the University of Porto in Portugal and the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil. An article describing them is published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics. Vulvovaginal candidiasis is one of [...]

An international team of researchers, led by Professor Gustavo Goldman of the University of São Paulo and Maynooth University’s Dr Özgür Bayram, has unveiled ground-breaking findings on Aspergillus fumigatus, which can cause deadly disease in humans. The saprophytic fungus is notorious for causing a spectrum of human diseases, known collectively as aspergillosis, in individuals undergoing cancer treatments and organ transplants as well as those with [...]

A low-cost technology involving nanoparticles loaded with antibiotics and other antimicrobial compounds that can be used in multiple attacks on infections by the bacterium responsible for most cases of tuberculosis has been developed by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil and is reported in an article published in the journal Carbohydrate Polymers. Results of in vitro tests suggest it could be the basis for a treatment strategy to combat multidrug bacterial [...]

To fill gaps in knowledge of yellow fever (YF), a group of researchers in Brazil affiliated with the Department of Pathology at the University of São Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP), Hospital das Clínicas (HC, the hospital complex run by FM-USP), the Heart Institute (InCor, linked to HC) and Emílio Ribas Institute of Infectious Diseases (IIER) have studied the pathogenesis of YF-associated heart injury. The team was led by Fernando Rabioglio Giugni, a cardiologist, [...]

The development of antibiotics to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria, especially those that infect the airways, has been increasingly difficult, and some scientists have opted to try to weaken the bacteria so that the available therapeutic substances are made more effective. This approach is promising, as shown by an article published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), which concludes that photodynamic inactivation (PDI) showed a novel capacity to modify [...]

Rabies virus variants closely related to variants present in White-tufted marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) have been detected in bats in Ceará state, Northeast Brazil. Rabies is a deadly disease for humans. Its emergence in distinct wildlife species is a potential source of human infection and hence a public health concern. Marmosets are common in forests and conservation units throughout Brazil. In or near urban areas, they are often captured as pets and later abandoned. They have been [...]

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil, partnering with colleagues in Australia, have identified a novel bacterial protein that can keep human cells healthy even when the cells have a heavy bacterial burden. The discovery could lead to new treatments for a wide array of diseases relating to mitochondrial dysfunction, such as cancer and auto-immune disorders. Mitochondria are organelles that supply most of the chemical energy needed to power cells' biochemical [...]

In recent years, physicians and scientists in parts of Brazil where visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is endemic have seen rising numbers of cases of co-infection by Leishmania infantum and Crithidia, also a protozoan but hitherto believed to be a mosquito parasite that cannot infect humans or other mammals. Accurate diagnosis is hindered by a lack of simple specific tests. To accelerate and facilitate detection of the pathogens involved, supporting appropriate decisions regarding treatment, [...]