Disease/Infection News

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New Molecules from the McMaster Greenhouse Target Drug-Resistant Fungi

A research team at McMaster University has discovered a new drug class that could someday lead to breakthrough treatments for dangerous fungal infections.

13 Aug 2025

H5N1 Evolution Points to Higher Risk of Human Transmission

In recent years, there has been growing concern over the H5N1 influenza virus. It was first identified in birds three decades ago and has now gradually found its way to humans.

13 Aug 2025

Gene-Edited Mosquitoes Block Malaria Transmission

Genetic modification of mosquitoes with the FREP1Q224 allele shows significant promise for malaria elimination, maintaining fitness and reducing infections.

31 Jul 2025

Gene Editing Offers New Hope to Stop Malaria Transmission

Mosquitoes kill more people each year than any other animal. In 2023, the blood-sucking insects infected a reported 263 million people with malaria, leading to nearly 600,000 deaths, 80% of which were children.

24 Jul 2025

Pathogenic Bacteria Choose Food Over Fear in the Human Gut

Bacteria that cause intestinal infections typically avoid a stinky chemical - one that can kill them at high enough concentrations - inside human intestines, but they may actually swim toward it when a hearty meal is the reward.

16 Jul 2025

Candida Auris Uses Distinct Defense Mechanism to Survive Antifungal Treatments

A groundbreaking study from Michigan State University (MSU), recently published in Nature Communications, has revealed how the multidrug-resistant superfungus Candida auris uniquely reconstructs its cell wall to survive antifungal treatments.

16 Jul 2025

Ancient DNA Reveals Origins of Human Pathogens and Zoonotic Diseases

A research team led by Eske Willerslev, professor at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Cambridge, has recovered ancient DNA from 214 known human pathogens in prehistoric humans from Eurasia.

10 Jul 2025

Vanderbilt and Parse Biosciences Join Forces to Accelerate Measles Antibody Discovery

Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Parse Biosciences, an innovator in single-cell sequencing, are collaborating on a new treatment to help unvaccinated measles victims, as the U.S. measles outbreak has now reached its highest case count in 30 years.

9 Jul 2025

Mediterranean Bacteria Offer New Weapon Against Mosquito-Borne Diseases

Mosquito-borne diseases kill more than 700,000 people every year, according to the World Health Organization, and the mosquitos that spread the disease are difficult to control.

8 Jul 2025

Genetic Ancestry Tied to Immune Response in Dengue Infection

For the first time, the extreme variability in dengue fever has been linked to a biological mechanism, potentially opening doors to new treatments and vaccines for the most common mosquito-borne disease worldwide.

1 Jul 2025

Bacteria Hijack Cellular Processes in Ticks to Survive and Spread

Washington State University researchers have discovered how the bacteria that cause anaplasmosis and Lyme disease hijack cellular processes in ticks to ensure their survival and spread to new hosts, including humans.

1 Jul 2025

Fungal Spores in the Air May Predict Flu and COVID-19 Surges

Monitoring fungal spores in the outdoor air can predict surges in flu and COVID-19 infections, especially during the fall, according to a new study.

23 Jun 2025

Organotypic Model of the Human Gut Epithelium Demonstrates Genetic Determinants of Shigella Colonization

A study in Nature Genetics uses organotypic gut models to reveal genome-wide genetic determinants of Shigella colonization, spotlighting type III secretion system effectors as crucial for early infection.

20 Jun 2025

Targeting the Chagas Parasite by Interrupting Its Lifecycle

Chagas disease is often called a silent killer because many people don't realize they have it until complications from the infection kill them.

9 Jun 2025

New Study Details H9N2 Avian Flu’s Variability and Public Health Implications

Research on H9N2 avian influenza shows extensive genetic changes, raising public health concerns and emphasizing the need for enhanced monitoring and vaccines.

4 Jun 2025

How Heterogeneous Antibody Immunity Shapes Strain Evolution

A new study found that person-to-person heterogeneity in antibody immunity influences which influenza (flu) strains dominate in a population.

4 Jun 2025

Blocking Viral Enzyme Boosts Brain Immunity Against HSV-1

Infections caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) can lead to HSV-1 encephalitis-a rare but deadly condition that inflames the brain.

4 Jun 2025

UVA Research Reveals Key to HIV Latency

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have uncovered a key reason why HIV remains so difficult to cure: Their research shows that small changes in the virus affect how quickly or slowly it replicates, and how easily or stubbornly it can reawaken from hiding.

30 May 2025

Study Identifies SMARCB1 and MEOX2 Genes as Growth Regulators of Lung Cancers

A Cancer Gene Therapy study reveals that MEOX2 promotes lung cancer progression while SMARCB1 acts as a tumor suppressor, influencing EGFR expression and response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

30 May 2025

Zika Virus Hijacks Cellular Cleanup to Suppress Immune Response

A new study reveals the biological secret to the Zika virus's infectious success: Zika uses host cells' own "self-care" system of clearing away useless molecules to suppress the host proteins that the virus has employed to get into those cells in the first place.

28 May 2025