Allergy News and Research

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The term allergy encompasses a wide range of conditions; it is not a disease in itself. In 1906 Clemens von Pirquet was the first to describe allergies as a changed or altered reaction of the immune system in response to exposure to foreign proteins. These days the term allergy – medically termed hypersensitivity, signifies an exaggerated reaction to foreign substances.

Could a genetic biomarker predict your risk for severe food allergies?

Researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago have identified a genetic biomarker, α-tryptase, that may predict the severity of food allergy reactions. This discovery opens the door for new treatment strategies and offers a way to distinguish patients at risk for severe reactions.

21 Sep 2023

New trial of a preventive HIV vaccine candidate begins in the United States and South Africa

A trial of a preventive HIV vaccine candidate has begun enrollment in the United States and South Africa.

20 Sep 2023

Early treatment with convalescent plasma may reduce risk of long COVID

Findings from a nationwide, multicenter study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggest that patients with COVID-19 have less chance of developing post-COVID conditions -; commonly known as long COVID -; if they receive early treatment with plasma from convalescent (recovered) COVID patients that contain antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

20 Sep 2023

New NIH plan outlines HSV research framework with four strategic priorities

In response to the persistent health challenges of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2, today the National Institutes of Health released the Strategic Plan for Herpes Simplex Virus Research.

19 Sep 2023

Can your baby's gut bacteria predict food allergies?

Researchers in Italy delve into how changes in gut microbiota during the first 1000 days of life can influence the onset of food allergies in children. The study sheds light on various factors such as birth methods, breastfeeding, and antibiotic use that impact gut health, highlighting the need for more research on effective interventions for allergy prevention.

18 Sep 2023

NIH launches Phase 1 trial of new investigational universal influenza vaccine

Enrollment in a Phase 1 trial of a new investigational universal influenza vaccine candidate has begun at the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

15 Sep 2023

NYU Langone doctors complete longest-documented case of pig kidney transplant in human body

After 61 days of observation, NYU Langone Health doctors this month completed the longest-documented case of a genetically engineered pig kidney functioning in a human body.

14 Sep 2023

Utilizing deep learning to enhance the accuracy of mortality forecasts in emergency rooms

Researchers enhanced the accuracy of mortality predictions in emergency departments by employing advanced data-synthesis techniques and machine-learning models.

14 Sep 2023

Researchers show how malnutrition affects growth in the first two years of life

In a trio of papers appearing in Nature on Sept. 13, 2023, the researchers offer the most comprehensive look yet at how malnutrition affects growth in the first two years of life, underscoring a devastating reality for millions of children in the Global South, particularly Asia.

13 Sep 2023

A family of weird proteins hijacks plants’ cellular plumbing

Many of the bacteria that ravage crops and threaten our food supply use a common strategy to cause disease: they inject a cocktail of harmful proteins directly into the plant's cells.

13 Sep 2023

Mixtures of bacteria in day care facilities linked to wheezing in young children

Particular combinations of bacteria found in dust at day care facilities have been linked to wheezing in young children in a study presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy.

12 Sep 2023

Experts propose new definition of clinical remission in treatment of asthma

As an increasing number of improved asthma treatments are developed, a greater number of people with asthma are finding their symptoms under control.

12 Sep 2023

Mature gut microbiota in early infancy may protect against wheezing and allergies

Babies and young children with more mature communities of bacteria present in their gut are less likely to develop allergy-related wheezing or asthma, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy.

11 Sep 2023

Color of the phlegm can indicate degree of lung inflammation in patients with bronchiectasis

The color of the phlegm from patients with the lung disease bronchiectasis can indicate the degree of inflammation in their lungs and predict their future outcomes, according to new research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, Italy.

11 Sep 2023

Broad-spectrum antibiotics linked to higher sepsis risk in neonates

A preprint presents evidence for the hypothesis that neonatal sepsis is linked to prenatal antibiotics.

7 Sep 2023

Evaluating the risks of fish allergy from thermostable allergens in canned fish

The safety of consuming canned fish for fish-allergic patients.

4 Sep 2023

Study: Almost 10% of Americans are sensitive to one of the top five most reactive superfoods

New research has revealed that almost 30 million Americans are sensitive to some of the most common nutrient-rich foods, including chia seeds, cranberries and green tea, as the superfood movement continues.

4 Sep 2023

KFF Health News' 'What The Health?': 3 health policy experts you should know

In this special episode, host Julie Rovner, KFF Health News' chief Washington correspondent, interviews three noted health policy experts.

31 Aug 2023

New omicron variants can reinfect people who were infected with earlier variants

The omicron variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which have rapidly spread around the world over the past year, latch onto our cells more tightly, invade them more efficiently, and elude many of the antibodies induced by previous infections and vaccines.

30 Aug 2023

New insights: Gut microbiome alterations linked to rising allergic disease prevalence

The association between the maturation of the infant gut microbiome and the infant immune system.