Annual Review 2011: Research challenge 3 - Combating infectious disease

Finding new ways to prevent and treat the bacterial, viral and parasitic diseases that kill millions of people worldwide every year.

As reported in this year's ‘Annual Review’, research is helping us to understand how infectious agents such as bacteria develop resistance to drugs, so that we can keep ahead in the battle to treat the diseases they cause. Other achievements this year included the WHO endorsing two tests for tuberculosis developed with Trust support, a free school resource winning a BAFTA, research suggesting a new antibiotic should be recommended for treating typhoid in some populations, and results of a Trust-funded study on how best to treat malaria in African children being published and leading to a change in WHO guidelines.

Further resources

Here are links to information relating to each of this year's 'Annual Review' stories in research challenge 3:

Race against resistance (page 29)

• News: How bacteria keep ahead of vaccines and antibiotics
• Research abstract (UK PubMed Central)
• Sanger Institute press release

WHO endorses tuberculosis tests (page 30)

• Press release: Test for TB gains WHO endorsement
• WHO: TB diagnostics
• Research abstract (Lancet)

Smallpox timeline wins BAFTA (page 30)

• News: BAFTA win for history of smallpox resource
• Timelines.TV: Smallpox through time

New antibiotic recommended for typhoid (page 30)

• Press release: Trial recommends new antibiotic for typhoid
• Research abstract (Lancet Infectious Diseases)
• University of Oxford: OUCRU Nepal

Malaria study leads to revised treatment guidelines (page 31)

• Press release: Major trial prompts call for change to guidelines
• News: Major study leads WHO to revise guidelines
• Research abstract (Lancet)
• WHO guidelines for the treatment of malaria

Image: Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Credit: Steve Gschmeissner/SPL