Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Novel approach brings researchers one step closer to universal flu vaccine

The scourge of the influenza virus devastates health and claims many lives worldwide each year. It is especially daunting because vaccines are only protective when they are well matched to the strains circulating in the population.

18 Oct 2019

Adding plant-based compound to gene therapy could improve treatment outcomes

Gene therapy has broadened the treatment possibilities for those with immune system deficiencies and blood-based conditions, such as sickle cell anemia and leukemia.

17 Oct 2019

Lyme vaccine on the horizon, says new study

Lyme disease is a dreaded disease caused by the bite of an infected tick. The only way to prevent it is by not getting bitten by the tick. However, this is not a practical recommendation, since even today about 300,000 thousand people are diagnosed with this infection, in the US alone, and over 100,000 in Europe, each year.

17 Oct 2019

Common bug repellent may chemically 'cloak' humans from malaria-carrying mosquitos

Since its invention during the Second World War for soldiers stationed in countries where malaria transmission rates were high, researchers have worked to pinpoint precisely how DEET actually affects mosquitos.

17 Oct 2019

Electronic medical record system may improve efforts to prevent antibiotic drug resistance

Adapting features of the electronic medical record system used by doctors in caring for their patients may improve efforts to prevent antibiotic drug resistance, according to Penn State research.

17 Oct 2019

New paper defines strategy for developing effective vaccines for Lyme disease

There is no effective vaccine currently available to prevent Lyme disease in humans.

17 Oct 2019

Study: Mathematical modeling is key to predicting and controlling disease outbreaks

Predicting and controlling disease outbreaks would be easier and more reliable with the wider application of mathematical modeling, according to a new study.

17 Oct 2019

New blood self-collection device quickly estimates a person's exposure to radiation

A University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix research team has developed a blood self-collection device to quickly estimate a person's exposure to radiation in the event of a nuclear accident or attack.

16 Oct 2019

New rapid assay for Lyme disease could lead to a point-of-care diagnostic test

A study published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology describes a new rapid assay for Lyme disease that could lead to a practical test for use by healthcare providers.

16 Oct 2019

New test could detect abnormal forms of protein associated with tauopathies

National Institutes of Health scientists have developed an ultrasensitive new test to detect abnormal forms of the protein tau associated with uncommon types of neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies.

16 Oct 2019

Scientists discover novel virus that may shed light on viral evolution

Viruses are non-living creatures, consisting of genetic material encased in a protein coat. Once the virus infects a living organism, it can replicate itself and continue on. But what happens if a virus lacks the proper tools to infect an organism? How can it propagate?

16 Oct 2019

NIH awards new contract to integrate pathogen and vector genomics database

A team led by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Georgia provides thousands of researchers around the world with access to the Eukaryotic Pathogen Genomics Database (EuPathDB.org), a collection of resources for analyzing large-scale datasets associated with microbial pathogens.

16 Oct 2019

Researchers predict Tularemia outbreaks as climate changes

Stockholm University researchers have found that the impact of climate change of disease incidence of tularemia could be statistically predicted. In high-latitude regions, where the disease was less common, global warming could lead to increasing number of cases of the disease they wrote.

15 Oct 2019

Scientists develop more accurate method to find good targets for cancer immunotherapy

Ludwig Cancer Research scientists have developed a new and more accurate method to identify the molecular signs of cancer likely to be presented to helper T cells, which stimulate and orchestrate the immune response to tumors and infectious agents.

15 Oct 2019

New UCL-developed mathematical model could help predict next Ebola outbreak

The next Ebola outbreak could be predicted using a new UCL-developed model that tracks how changes to ecosystems and human societies combine to affect the spread of the deadly infectious disease.

15 Oct 2019

How dementia spreads: new study says it’s through neural networks

Scientists have found out a way to forecast the spread of brain atrophy, using prior research that shows how brain networks connect with each other to form a continuously linked pathway.

14 Oct 2019

Ludwig scientists develop robust method to refine personalized cancer immunotherapy

14 Oct 2019

Dementia spreads via synaptic connections between brain networks

In a new study, UC San Francisco scientists used maps of brain connections to predict how brain atrophy would spread in individual patients with frontotemporal dementia, adding to growing evidence that the loss of brain cells associated with dementia spreads via the synaptic connections between established brain networks.

14 Oct 2019

Study: Public reporting on aortic valve replacement outcomes has resulted in fewer surgeries

Public reporting on aortic valve replacement outcomes has resulted in fewer valve surgeries for people with endocarditis, a new study has found.

11 Oct 2019

New microfluidic test can detect Lyme disease within 15 minutes

Some 300,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Lyme disease every year. Caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by the bite of infected Ixodes ticks, the disease if left untreated can cause serious neurologic, cardiac, and/or rheumatologic complications.

11 Oct 2019