Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Hidden Cellular Sub Compartments Drive Final Steps of Ribosome Assembly

The nucleolus is a liquid-like cellular organelle where protein factories called ribosomes are assembled.

20 Jul 2026

UC Riverside Identifies How Tick Borne Viruses Evade Immunity

A study led by a University of California, Riverside biomedical scientist shows how a family of tick-borne viruses known as orthonairoviruses can evade immune defenses, offering important insights into emerging infectious disease threats and the potential pandemic risk posed by these viruses.

15 Jul 2026

New Microbiome Study Reveals Natural Defense Mechanism Restricting Candida Albicans

A metabolic byproduct formed when gut bacteria break down dietary fiber appears to protect against dangerous fungal infections common in immunocompromised patients, a study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers shows.

15 Jul 2026

Prolonged C1 Neuron Activation Causes Heightened Long-Term Panic Behaviors

Anxiety disorders affect more than 300 million people globally. Several brain regions have been linked to anxiety, but how these regions connect has been poorly understood.

11 Jul 2026

Scientists Identify Biological Link Between Low Birth Weight and Chronic Disease

Researchers have long sought to discover why babies who weigh less than expected at birth, a condition known as small for gestational age, or SGA, are at higher risk for heart, lung and metabolic diseases as adults.

3 Jul 2026

Study Reveals Why the Immune System Struggles to Reset Against New Variants

COVID-19 vaccine boosters not only protect against SARS‑CoV‑2 – the virus behind the most recent pandemic – but may also help protect against some future coronaviruses that risk spreading from animals to humans, Cambridge researchers have shown.

2 Jul 2026

Real-Time Molecular Tool Observes Complex Immune System Changes

A lot of things need to go right on a molecular level for immune cells to launch an adaptive response to an infection.

24 Jun 2026

Research Identifies Essential Genes for Designing New Strep Vaccines

A fast-rising strep bacterium has become increasingly notorious for causing serious infections in humans, including complications that can lead to muscle damage and patient death. New Houston Methodist research appearing in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, sheds light on how Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) causes disease and may provide important insights to aid in vaccine development.

22 Jun 2026

Diagnosing and Treating Borrelia recurrentis Infections in Refugee Populations

Louse-borne relapsing fever is caused by the spirochete bacterium Borrelia recurrentis, which is transmitted by body lice (not head lice).

11 Jun 2026

DNA Barcode Technology Enables Massive Simultaneous Drug Candidate Validation

A Korean research team has launched a public drug discovery service capable of screening and validating tens of millions of compounds simultaneously.

10 Jun 2026

Scientists Decode How T Cells Stop Deadly Viruses

T cells are among the immune system’s essential soldiers. They can inhibit tumor development and even combat serious infections.

3 Jun 2026

Cells Sense Abnormal RNA Patterns to Silence Jumping Genes

Transposons, DNA sequences that can self-replicate and move (jump) throughout the genome, are widespread and can affect cell survival if left unchecked. Cells control these "jumping genes" by silencing them, but little was known about how cells recognize and defend themselves from invading transposons.

27 May 2026

Scientists Reconstruct a 700-Million-Year Evolutionary Tree of Blood Cells

Almost all animal species -- including humans -- have blood cells, but between different species our blood tells different stories. The lineage and components of blood cells vary widely, and this variety is a testament to how animals have evolved to protect themselves from infectious diseases.

26 May 2026

Scientists Find Key Genetic Boundary That Dictates Immune System Failure

Not all broken genes fail in the same way: some simply stop working, while others interfere with what still works.

22 May 2026

How Minimal Medical Care Shifts Amazonian Villagers' Unique Gut Bacteria

Even minimal exposure to modern medicine can rapidly change the human microbiome. In a new study publishing May 20 in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports, researchers reveal that the gut microbes of remote Amazonian Indigenous communities began shifting toward patterns more commonly seen in urban, industrialized populations after only a few medical visits.

21 May 2026

Engineers Develop New mRNA Adjuvant That Dramatically Amplifies Cancer-Fighting T Cells

Engineers from the University of Houston, MIT and Harvard have developed a new mRNA-based strategy that dramatically amplifies the T-cell response to vaccines - an advance that could lead to far more powerful cancer vaccines and stronger protection against infectious diseases.

20 May 2026

Novel Synthetic Molecules Attack Cell Membranes to Prevent Severe Bacterial Infections

In a new study, researchers show how so‑called TriPcides can target the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, including antibiotic‑resistant strains such as MRSA. The compounds disrupt the bacteria's ability to cause infection and can also kill dormant bacterial cells, which are often difficult to treat with existing antibiotics.

20 May 2026

Copper-Free Click Reactions Allow Safe In Vivo Tracking of Tumors Inside the Body

Conventional cancer treatments like chemotherapy often struggle with poor targeting, leading to severe systemic toxicity and drug resistance. Diagnostic techniques, while improving, are frequently invasive and cannot monitor treatment responses in real time.

20 May 2026

Study Explores How Highly Infectious TB Cases Drive Transmission

Superspreading became a familiar concept to many during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior studies examining infectious disease epidemics, including those on COVID-19, have found that some individuals are much more likely to transmit infections to other people.

15 May 2026

RNA Modularity Explains Emergence of Human-Infective Cholera Strains

Scientists from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have uncovered what gives Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera, the ability to colonize the human gut.

15 May 2026