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Military uniforms and mosquito nets are treated with permethrin, a repellent and insecticide used for personal protection against biting flies, mosquitoes, and other disease-carrying insects. Vector-borne diseases such as malaria, leishmaniasis (a parasitic infection spread by sandflies), Zika virus, West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and more can be diminished if treated nets or clothing containing the proper amount of permethrin are utilized. Washing and wear depletes the insecticide on the material, eventually rendering it ineffective.

Counterfeit drugs (also known as “fake or falsified medicines”) have become a major world-wide public health concern. Falsified medicines may contain toxic substances, the wrong active ingredients, suboptimal amounts of active ingredients, or no active ingredients at all. CDC researchers developed a portable (handheld), battery-operated, and relatively inexpensive device that non-trained personnel can use quickly to evaluate a particular branded tablet for authenticity.

A major challenge to sequencing eukaryotic parasites present in clinical samples is the abundance of ‘contaminating’ human DNA in samples. CDC has developed a method to reduce host DNA from biological samples prior to sequencing of the 18s gene, a universal gene which allows scientists to detect any parasitic organism by one DNA test.

CDC researchers have developed a patented set of RT-PCR and sequencing primers based on HIV-1 group M sequences. Evaluation of the primers using samples collected around the world demonstrated broad detection capacity for multiple HIV-1 group subtypes and predominant circulating recombinant forms. Commercially available HIV-1 drug resistance (HIVDR) genotyping assays are expensive and have limited ability to detect non-B subtypes. This optimized assay is broadly sensitive in genotyping HIV-1 group M viral strains and more sensitive than other assays in detecting mixed viral populations.

This CDC developed Limiting-Antigen avidity Enzyme Immunoassay (LAg-avidity-EIA) provides an easy way to measure increasing binding strength (avidity) of HIV antibodies as part of maturation HIV antibodies after seroconversion, providing a method to distinguish early-stage from long-term HIV-1 infection. Surveillance of HIV-1 provides information on prevalence rates of the disease, but determination of new infection rates (HIV-1 incidence) is difficult to deduce. Longitudinal follow up is expensive and can be biased.

HIV and AIDS remain persistent problems for the United States and countries around the world. In 2015, nearly 40,000 people were diagnosed with HIV in the US alone. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can help prevent HIV infections in people who are not infected with HIV but are at high risk of becoming infected with HIV. PrEP involves taking daily medications and is the most effective when medications are taken consistently. However, many people find it challenging to adhere to a daily pill schedule and cannot fully benefit from PrEP.

Cancer represents the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths in 2012. This number is predicted to rise by approximately 70% over the next two decades according to the World Health Organization. Prognosis depends heavily on both early detection and frequent monitoring of the patient's response to treatment. Cancerous tumors shed nucleic acids into blood, which can be detected by ultra-deep sequencing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).

A retrovirus can be any of a group of RNA viruses (i.e., HIV) that insert a DNA copy of their genome into the host cell in order to replicate. Retroviruses can cause persistent and often lifelong infections.

Syphilis is a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium, Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum). If left untreated, syphilis can cause serious complications including blindness, paralysis and dementia.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that remains a global health threat. Syphilis rates in the United States have also been increasing. Left untreated, syphilis infection can span decades and have serious complications including blindness, dementia and paralysis. Syphilis in pregnancy causes prematurity, low birthweight, neonatal death, and infections in newborns. Improvements in syphilis detection are needed to facilitate early diagnosis of active infections and monitor treatment with antibiotics.