Pneumonia News and Research

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Pneumonia is a leading cause of death and hospitalization, costing health care systems billions of dollars and an estimated 600,000 adult deaths worldwide each year. Pneumococcal disease is caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae and the term describes a group of illnesses, including invasive infections, such as bacteremia/sepsis and meningitis, as well as pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infections. Although all age groups may be affected, the highest rate of pneumococcal disease occurs in young children and older adults. In addition, persons suffering from a wide range of chronic conditions (eg, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and immune deficiencies are at increased risk.

New group of molecules that have an antibacterial effect identified

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Umeå University, and the University of Bonn have identified a new group of molecules that have an antibacterial effect against many antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

18 Nov 2021

Novel therapy induces phagocytosis to treat bacterial pneumonia

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health recently found a therapy that targets host cells instead of bacterial cells in treating bacterial pneumonia.

17 Nov 2021

Correction of immune system's faulty timing may offer a new strategy to prevent severe COVID-19

Once an infection is under control, the body normally uses a biochemical messenger known as TGFβ to downgrade its immune response.

27 Oct 2021

New study reveals lung cell roles in guiding the immune system

Lung immunity is essential to combat all pulmonary diseases, including COVID-19, pneumonia, lung cancer, asthma and COPD.

6 Oct 2021

Experts unravel inner workings of cell receptors involved in various diseases

Scientists revealed the operational mechanism of possible drug targets for numerous diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and even COVID-19.

1 Oct 2021

Insights on cross-resistance can improve potency of sequential antibiotic treatment

A new study notes that sequential treatment with antibiotics that are similar but often swapped around can effectively kill bacteria and avoid drug resistance.

2 Sep 2021

Accurate diagnosis of bacterial superinfection pneumonia could help avoid antibiotic overuse

Only 21 percent of patients with severe pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) have a documented bacterial superinfection at the time of intubation, resulting in potential overuse of antibiotics, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

23 Aug 2021

International travelers may pick up AMR genes from different destinations

According to a research work published in the Genome Medicine journal, travelers abroad may contract bacteria and other vectors with genes that confer antibiotic resistance, which linger in the travelers’ gut when they return home.

9 Jun 2021

Gene therapy may be a safe and effective single-dose treatment for hypophosphatasia

A preclinical study led by scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys has established that AAV8-TNAP-D10--a gene therapy that replaces a key enzyme found in bone--may be a safe and effective single-dose treatment for hypophosphatasia (HPP).

8 Jun 2021

Researchers prove that drugs designed for bacteria have the potential to act on human cells

Antibiotics used to treat common bacterial infections may potentially be used to treat human illnesses such as cancer, at least theoretically.

27 May 2021

Researchers discover canine coronavirus in East Malaysia

Researchers have discovered a new coronavirus, found in a child with pneumonia in Malaysia in 2018, that appears to have jumped from dog to human.

21 May 2021

Study identifies mechanism that enables SARS viruses to efficiently replicate in infected cells

Researchers have now identified how SARS viruses improve the production of viral proteins in infected cells such that new copies of the virus can be produced.

23 Apr 2021

Scientists generate a detailed molecular atlas of lung development

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have produced a detailed molecular atlas of lung development, which is expected to be a fundamental reference in future studies of mammalian biology and of new treatments for diseases, such as COVID-19, that affect the lungs.

25 Mar 2021

Study shows how human viruses are better adapted to infect certain tissues

The world’s first systematic study has explained how SARS-CoV-2 and other human viruses are more adapted to infect specific types of tissues..

17 Mar 2021

Human monoclonal antibodies can act as biological substitute for chemical antibiotics

In the course of a new and groundbreaking study, led by Dr, Natalia Freund and the doctoral candidate Avia Waston at the Sackler Medical Faculty, the research group succeeded in isolating monoclonal antibodies, which hindered the growth of tuberculosis germs in laboratory mice.

23 Feb 2021

Scientists identify new weapon to fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

As scientists around the globe wage war against a novel, deadly virus, one University of Colorado Boulder lab is working on new weapons to battle a different microbial threat: a rising tide of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which, if left unchecked, could kill an estimated 10 million people annually by 2050.

24 Dec 2020

Gene expression database sheds light on pneumococcal infection

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine published one of the most comprehensive analyses of how genes get expressed during infection (known as a transcriptome).

16 Dec 2020

Researchers identify new therapeutic target to fight COVID-19 disease

In COVID-19 patients with severe lung disease, targeting the endothelial cells—that is, cells comprising the blood vessel wall, which control oxygen exchange between the bloodstream and airways—may be an innovative strategy to restore normal function of the lungs.

15 Dec 2020

Molecular markers in the blood can predict severe COVID-19 outcomes

Molecular markers in the blood shown to be predictive of severe COVID-19 outcomes resulting from SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection have been identified in a study by a Chinese research team.