Scientists now have the genetic blueprints for two strains of Salmonella bacteria, one of which causes the potentially deadly typhoid fever, according to a report in the October 25, 2001 issue of Nature. The achievement is expected to help scientists create vaccines and treatments for infections caused by the strains. One research team mapped the genes for a strain of typhoid-causing Salmonella that is resistant to several antibiotics. This strain, S. typhi (CT18), is one example of the emerging worldwide problem of multi-drug-resistant bacterial infections.

Beckman Coulter has released the results of their recent study using iTAg MHC Tetramers. The research found a correlation between the presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific T cells and protection from CMV disease in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients. Beckman Coulter is evaluating the CMV Tetramer as a clinical diagnostic test as an important component of stem cell transplant patient. The company plans to initiate clinical trials of iTAg CMV MHC Tetramers for transplant patient management, with hopes of introducing commercial products in the next few years.
Source: Blood, October 2001.

Researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA, have identified a protein, prostasin, that is found in higher levels in women with ovarian cancer. The researchers analyzed cells from both ovarian cancer tumors and normal cells and found a higher concentration of prostasin in the cancerous ovarian cells. They then analyzed blood samples from 64 women with ovarian cancer and found their levels of prostasin to be nearly double the levels found in 137 women who did not have cancer. The goal is to develop a blood test that could be used to identify women in the early stages of ovarian cancer, when the chances for recovery are highest.
Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, October 3, 2001; 93:1458-1464.