Infectious Diseases News and Research

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How Bacterial Enzymes Use Ratchet Mechanisms to Break Down Collagen

Collagen is an important protein that helps build the tissues of humans and animals. It is very strong because it is made of three protein strands twisted tightly together like a rope. Because of this sturdy structure, ordinary protein-cutting enzymes usually cannot break it down.

6 Apr 2026

Cysteine Pathways Shape T Cell Expansion and Cancer Defense

A research team from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have discovered how the immune system's CD8+ T cells use the nutrient cysteine to control two essential functions that compete for this resource - the immune cell's ability to multiply and its ability to kill cancer cells.

1 Apr 2026

Study Reveals Hidden Diversity in Rising Strep Bacterium

Scientists at Houston Methodist Research Institute have discovered that a fast‑rising strep bacterium comes in more forms than expected, including ones that may lead to life-threatening infections.

1 Apr 2026

How To Create Long-Lasting Immune Cells For Stronger Vaccines

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine have identified a potential approach to develop longer-lasting vaccines for respiratory viruses such as influenza and the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

1 Apr 2026

Advanced Testing Methods Uncover Previously Hidden Bacterial Genetic Variants

Scientists at Houston Methodist Research Institute have discovered that a fast‑rising strep bacterium comes in more forms than expected, including ones that may lead to life-threatening infections.

31 Mar 2026

Genetic Study Reveals Insecticide Resistance in Malaria Vector Mosquitoes

Anopheles darlingi mosquitoes-a major vector of malaria in South America-are evolving in response to insecticides, which may make them harder to kill and malaria more difficult to control, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

28 Mar 2026

New PanNDA Atlas Maps Protein Networks in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases form a tangled biological web with overlapping molecular signatures and symptoms. To decode this complexity, a multi-institute collaboration led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists developed the pan-neurodegeneration atlas (PanNDA).

24 Mar 2026

Herpes “Liquefies” Human Cells to Speed up Infection

According to a new study, the herpes simplex virus partially liquefies the densely packed, gel-like core of human cell nuclei to duplicate itself more quickly.

6 Mar 2026

Study Uncovers Regulated Nuclear DNA Extraction in Dying Cells

Over the years, cell biology has built a detailed picture of how cells compartmentalize their internal functions. Central to this organization is the nucleus, which houses the genetic material and is separated from the cytoplasm by a robust nuclear envelope.

26 Feb 2026

New Insights Into Antibody Glycans may Advance Tuberculosis Prevention

Certain antibodies inhibit Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the cause of tuberculosis (TB), the infectious disease that claims the most lives worldwide, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found.

23 Feb 2026

New Antibodies Prevent EBV Infection in Humanized Mouse Models

Fred Hutch Cancer Center scientists reached a crucial milestone in blocking Epstein Barr virus (EBV), a pathogen estimated to infect 95% of the global population that is linked to multiple types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and other chronic health conditions.

18 Feb 2026

Study Reveals Planet-Wide Network of Interconnected Microbiomes

In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical region.

10 Feb 2026

Bat Virome in Indochina Peninsula: Uncovering PEDV Evolution and Zoonotic Threats

Bats, critical reservoirs of viruses with significant cross-species spillover risks, have long been understudied in the Indochina Peninsula.

3 Feb 2026

New Epigenetic Catalog Helps Explain Individual Differences in Immune Responses

The COVID-19 pandemic gave us tremendous perspective on how wildly symptoms and outcomes can vary between patients experiencing the same infection.

28 Jan 2026

Prehistoric Genome Pushes Back Origins of Treponemal Diseases in the Americas

Scientists have recovered a genome of Treponema pallidum – the bacterium whose subspecies today are responsible for four treponemal diseases, including syphilis – from 5,500-year-old human remains in Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia.

24 Jan 2026

Rigid Protein Molecular Rulers Enable Precise Control of Antibody Conformation

By extending a naturally rigid bacterial protein by 50% while preserving geometry and stability, the study introduces protein-based "molecular rulers" that could probe antibody shape, limit unwanted motion, and support safer, more effective antibody drug design.

21 Jan 2026

Backyard Soil Bacterium Produces Antibiotic Built to Outsmart Resistance

Early in 2025, scientists discovered a promising new antibiotic in a soil sample from a lab technician's backyard.

16 Jan 2026

Specialized Immune Cells Grown in Labs Offer Hope for Autoimmune Patients

Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have made a significant discovery regarding the cultivation of specialized immune cells, facilitating the development of readily available off-the-shelf cell therapies aimed at treating cancer, autoimmune diseases, and additional conditions.

9 Jan 2026

New CHANGE-seq-BE Method Sharpens Safety Assessment of CRISPR Base Editors

Scientists and physicians can better assess precision genome editing technology using a new method made public today by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

5 Jan 2026

Mapping Two Millennia of Betaherpesvirus Evolution via Ancient Human Genomes

Researchers have successfully reconstructed the ancient genomes of Human betaherpesvirus 6A and 6B (HHV-6A/B) from human remains that are over two thousand years old.

5 Jan 2026