WASHINGTON (AP) -- "Blood donated by four survivors of bird flu seems to harbor a potent protection against the deadly virus.

      Scientists have long suspected that culling immune-system molecules from survivors could provide a new therapy for the hard-to-treat H5N1 flu strain. Monday, an international team of researchers reported the first evidence, albeit from tests in mice, that it really may work.

      If the research pans out, it could be possible to stockpile these antibodies, the immune system's search-and-destroy force, as an additional way to treat or even prevent H5N1 in case the worrisome flu strain ever mutates to spark a worldwide epidemic.

      "Obviously we're interested and excited about this potential," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease chief at the National Institutes of Health.

      The research started when four Vietnamese adults who survived bouts of H5N1 in 2004 agreed to donate blood to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City.

      At Switzerland's Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Dr. Antonio Lanzavecchia created a way to cull antibody-producing cells from the blood and keep them churning out the molecules in laboratory dishes.

      In the United States, the NIH's Dr. Kanta Subbarao tested thousands of those antibodies to tease out the handful able to kill H5N1. They were purified to better target the virus.

      Then came the real tests: Subarrao's lab infected mice with H5N1. Some were given the antibodies before they were exposed, others after they already were infected; still others were given antibodies that target different diseases, not influenza..."

      Sweet.  Maybe they can use this in time for something bad.  Probably not.

     CHICAGO (Reuters) - "Drug-resistant bacteria are infecting more people in community settings such as prisons and public housing, and not just in hospitals where such "superbugs" can run rampant, researchers said on Monday.

      Over a five-year period, researchers at a Chicago hospital found a seven-fold increase in drug-resistant staph infections that had been contracted outside of any hospital.

      They projected the rate of infection rose to 164 cases per 100,000 people in 2005, up from 24 cases per 100,000 in 2000.

      The stubborn infections -- known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus -- do not respond to standard antibiotic treatment, said the report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

      Generally, such infections have been confined to vulnerable patients in hospitals. But over the past decade the problem has emerged in community settings around the world.

      After analyzing 518 people who received treatment for community-contracted infections, researcher Bala Hota of Chicago's Rush University Medical Center pointed to two risk factors: incarceration in a jail or prison, and living in public housing projects.

      Other risk factors linked to so-called community-contracted infections include intravenous drug use, living in overcrowded housing, playing certain sports, tattooing and poor hygiene, the report said..."

      Sooner or later, the inevitable will happen; there will be another pandemic.  But the question is from what, and when?

     OKLAHOMA CITY (Fox)  —  "Heavy rains pounded central Oklahoma on Sunday, sending swollen rivers and creeks over their banks and stranding hundreds of campers who came for the holiday weekend at a popular park.

      About 1,500 campers at Turner Falls Park near Davis were stuck with their vehicles Sunday after flash flooding forced the closure of the only road leading into the campgrounds, park manager Tom Graham said. No injuries were reported.

      "One minute it was OK, and 20 minutes later a wave came through and caused us to shut it down," Graham said. "We started warning people yesterday evening that if they stayed, they may get flooded in."

      It was possible for campers to get out on foot bridges, Graham said. A building inside the park was opened for rain-soaked campers to dry out, and the Red Cross delivered food and supplies.

      The road could remain shut until Monday afternoon.

      Nearby Madill recorded 4.2 inches of rain in a 24-hour period from Saturday evening to Sunday evening, said Chris Sohl, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman. More rain was expected overnight Sunday..."

     TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran said Saturday it has uncovered spy rings organized by the United States and its Western allies, claiming on state-run television that the espionage networks were made up of "infiltrating elements from the Iraqi occupiers."

      The Intelligence Ministry has "succeeded in identifying and striking blows at several spy networks comprised of infiltrating elements from the Iraqi occupiers in western, southwestern and central Iran," said the statement, using shorthand for United States and its allies.

      The broadcast did not elaborate on how the alleged networks were uncovered, but said further details would be published within days.

      Meanwhile, the state IRNA news agency said the networks "enjoyed guidance from intelligence services of the occupying powers in Iraq" and also that "Iraqi groups" were "involved in the case."

      The White House said Saturday that it does not confirm or deny allegations about intelligence matters. "We urge Iran to play a positive role in Iraq ... and stop blaming everyone else for problems they are only bringing on themselves," White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said.

      A British Foreign Office spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with department policy, said: "This is the first we've heard of any such claims, and we would obviously want to know more about what lies behind the claims."

      Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Iran has often accused the United States and Britain of trying to undermine the security of the Islamic republic.

      Yep, Iran hates our guts.

     NEW YORK (Reuters) - "U.S. crude oil prices rose a dollar Friday on concerns over low gasoline supplies heading into the travel-heavy Memorial holiday weekend.

      Rising tension surrounding Iran and Nigeria, two of the world's leading oil producers, was also underpinning gains, dealers said.

      U.S. crude futures (CLc1: Quote, Profile, Research settled up $1.02 to $65.20 a barrel. London Brent (LCOc1: Quote, Profile, Research, widely seen as a more accurate benchmark for global crude prices, was down 3 cents to $70.69 a barrel.

      The jump in U.S. oil prices came on the eve of the Memorial Day holiday, the traditional start of the summer vacation season when U.S. gasoline demand typically peaks.

      Some 32.1 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more by car during the Memorial Day holiday this weekend, up 1.8 percent from a year ago even as gasoline prices at the pumps skyrocket to a record $3.23 a gallon, according to an AAA survey.

      Gasoline stockpiles in the world's biggest energy consumer are running low, about 7 percent below a year ago, after prolonged refinery shutdowns since winter slashed domestic production.

      "With the U.S. refining system so fragile and geopolitical tensions getting cranked up, I don't think anyone will want to be too short going into the three-day weekend," said Nauman Barakat, senior vice president at Macquarie Futures USA..."