Recent findings from icddr,b genomics laboratory, published in the prominent Scientific Reports journal (part of the Nature Publishing Group), shed new light on the natural diversity and evolution of CRISPR/Cas system in the bacteriophage viruses that target Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera. What is the CRISPR/Cas system? The CRISPR/Cas system has featured
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DNA-based diagnosis can help overcome barriers to kala-azar elimination
Despite global commitments to eradicate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), they continue to cause widespread death and suffering in vulnerable communities across the world. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is a vector-borne NTD caused by Leishmania parasites. VL kills over 20,000 people a year and predominantly affects countries in the Indian subcontinent – 60%
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Poor sanitation and hygiene underlie the persistence of childhood wasting in Bangladesh
Few images communicate the systemic poverty of the developing world as starkly as photos of wasting children. Scientifically, wasting is defined as a weight-for-height score that is two standard deviations below the WHO growth standard – but this dry, technical definition can hardly communicate the horror of children that have been undernourished to such an
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The genetics of malaria treatment
Malaria was once prevalent across the world and it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that the disease was eliminated in the rich countries of Europe and North America. Sadly, it remains a major problem across the Global South. According to the WHO, there were 212 million cases of malaria worldwide in 2015. Even though the
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New evidence might help Kala-azar elimination in Indian subcontinent
Visceral leishmaniasis, or kala-azar, is a neglected tropical disease that is transmitted by a single species of insect vector – the sandfly. In 2005, India, Bangladesh and Nepal embarked on an initiative to eliminate the disease from endemic rural regions. The elimination programme took advantage of the fact that the disease can only be transmitted
