Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Midkine found to prevent Alzheimer’s-related protein assemblies

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital demonstrated for the first time that the protein midkine plays a preventative role against Alzheimer's disease.

21 Aug 2025

Researchers find plasma donors with broad malaria protection

Malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum, remains a major global health threat, claiming 600,000 lives annually, mostly young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Immunity to severe malaria develops after repeated infections and is mediated by antibodies blocking the parasite's highly diversified PfEMP1 adhesion proteins from binding to the human endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) on blood vessel walls.

19 Aug 2025

Laboratory reagent contamination threatens accuracy of infectious disease research

A new study warns that contamination from laboratory reagents could be misleading scientists worldwide in their hunt for emerging infectious diseases.

18 Aug 2025

It’s almost flu season. Should you still get a shot, and will insurance cover it?

For parents of school-aged children, the fall to-do list can seem ever-growing. Buy school supplies. Fill out endless school forms.

18 Aug 2025

Weill Cornell Medicine leads $14.9 million effort to develop personalized HIV cures

A multi-institutional team led by Weill Cornell Medicine has received a five-year, $14.9 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to find ways to remove latent HIV from the cells of individuals with HIV.

17 Aug 2025

Cervicovaginal microbiome features predict severe chlamydia infection

A new study has identified markers that may predict whether a chlamydia infection is likely to ascend into the uterus and endometrium.

14 Aug 2025

Rare immune mutation unlocks universal antiviral protection

For a few dozen people in the world, the downside of living with a rare immune condition comes with a surprising superpower-the ability to fight off all viruses.

14 Aug 2025

‘Alternative facts’ aren’t a reason to skip vaccines

President Donald Trump's administrations have been notorious for an array of "alternative facts" — ranging from the relatively minor (the size of inaugural crowds) to threats to U.S. democracy, such as who really won the 2020 election.

14 Aug 2025

Early use of risdiplam in newborns with SMA shows improvements in motor development

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness, which, when untreated, prevents infants with the most severe form from gaining motor development - never gaining the ability to sit - and typically leads to death before 2 years of age.

13 Aug 2025

Researchers find CFI deficiency alarmingly high in old order Amish

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the Clinic for Special Children found that complement factor I (CFI) deficiency, an ultra-rare genetic disorder that can cause debilitating neuroinflammation, is more than 4500 times more likely to be found in individuals of Old Order Amish ancestry than the rest of the global population.

13 Aug 2025

New diagnostic tool offers rapid, low-cost blood test for multiple diseases

Researchers at Arizona State University have developed a breakthrough diagnostic tool that could transform how quickly and reliably we detect illnesses like COVID-19, Ebola, AIDS or Lyme disease. The test uses just a single drop of blood, costs a couple of dollars and delivers results in only 15 minutes.

13 Aug 2025

Old Parkinson's medication offers new hope for tuberculosis treatment

A medication developed in the 1950s to treat Parkinson's disease may offer a powerful new tool in the fight against tuberculosis (TB), according to new research from the University of British Columbia.

12 Aug 2025

Conditional cash transfer programs linked to reduction in AIDS cases and deaths among Brazilian women

The world's largest conditional cash transfer programme, the Bolsa Família Programme (BFP), is associated with a substantial reduction in AIDS cases and deaths, especially among brown and black women with lower income and limited education.

12 Aug 2025

4,000-year-old sheep tooth sheds light on enigmatic Eurasian plague

Around 5,000 years ago, a mysterious form of plague spread throughout Eurasia, only to disappear 2,000 years later.

11 Aug 2025

Balancing copper antimicrobials to combat antibiotic resistance

Copper has emerged as an ally in the battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Copper sulfate liquids, for example, have been used since the 1700s to control fungal infections in vineyards, orchards and many other kinds of agricultural settings.

8 Aug 2025

Asthma drug found to prevent food allergy reactions in mice

A drug already FDA-approved for asthma was found to nearly eliminate life-threatening allergic reactions to food allergens in mice - a breakthrough that could lead to new protection for millions of people living with food allergies, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study.

7 Aug 2025

Expanded vaccine screening in emergency departments could benefit underserved populations

About 49% of people are unaware of one or more vaccines recommended for them. Further, 86% have not received one or more of these vaccines.

7 Aug 2025

Immune surveillance in children sheds light on virus rebound after COVID

The first paper from a multi-year clinical research study has been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases: Dynamics of Endemic Virus Re-emergence in Children in the USA Following the COVID-19 Pandemic (2022-2023): A Longitudinal Immunoepidemiologic Surveillance Study and demonstrates how the approach can improve modeling to better predict future outbreaks.

7 Aug 2025

Breakthrough in nanoparticle technology could expand access to biologic medicines

In a discovery that could broaden access to next-generation biologic medicines and vaccines, researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have engineered polymer-based nanoparticles that form with a simple temperature shift-no harsh chemicals, no specialized equipment, and no processing needed.

7 Aug 2025

Patient numbers at NIH hospital have plummeted under Trump, jeopardizing care

The number of people receiving treatment at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center — the renowned research hospital that cares for patients with rare or life-threatening diseases — has tumbled under the second Trump administration, according to government documents and interviews with current and former NIH employees.

7 Aug 2025