Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Fire smoke exposure found to alter immune system at the cellular level

Exposure to fire smoke-which can be composed of particulate matter, gases, materials from buildings such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), toxic metals, and carcinogenic compounds-may alter the immune system on a cellular level, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

26 Jun 2025

Study finds multimorbidity in nearly half of hospital patients in Malawi and Tanzania

The Multilink Consortium, a NIHR-funded partnership between the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Programme, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, has published the first-of-its-kind research in sub-Saharan Africa to examine the scale and impact of 'multimorbidity' in patients admitted acutely to hospital.

26 Jun 2025

Updated COVID-19 vaccines found effective against severe illness

A new multi-state study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) VISION Network – including Regenstrief Institute – has provided the most comprehensive assessment to date of the effectiveness of 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccines among adults in the U.S. during the XBB and JN.1 Omicron subvariant waves.

25 Jun 2025

Gut microbe emerges as a promising tool in the fight against COVID-19

Researchers found that Akkermansia muciniphila boosts lung-specific antiviral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in mice by modulating the gut–lung axis. This commensal gut bacterium shows promise as a potential biomarker and biotherapeutic candidate for COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

25 Jun 2025

Deadly central line-associated bloodstream infections could be prevented using new e-catheter hub

Washington State University and Mayo Clinic researchers have developed an electrochemical catheter hub that could someday help prevent deadly central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) that annually kill thousands of people around the world.

25 Jun 2025

Fructose consumption increases immune cell sensitivity to bacterial toxins

Despite medical advances, infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses are still among the most common causes of death worldwide.

24 Jun 2025

Scaling B-cell cloning workflows for antibody development

Explore the latest tools that boost speed and accuracy in B-cell cloning processes.

From Cellenion 24 Jun 2025

Simpler virus testing approach could reduce unnecessary PCR tests in high-risk settings

The COVID-19 pandemic yielded important advances in testing for respiratory viruses, but it also exposed important unmet needs in screening to prevent the spread of infections in high-risk settings.

24 Jun 2025

Monitoring wastewater proves effective in forecasting COVID trends

Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, a University of Minnesota research team demonstrated that measuring SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater continues to accurately predict COVID-19 infections in a community.

24 Jun 2025

Many older people embrace vaccines. Research is proving them right.

Kim Beckham, an insurance agent in Victoria, Texas, had seen friends suffer so badly from shingles that she wanted to receive the first approved shingles vaccine as soon as it became available, even if she had to pay for it out-of-pocket.

23 Jun 2025

Flies on dairy farms act as hidden carriers of superbugs and zoonotic threats

Researchers used deep metagenomic sequencing to trace zoonotic pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes from cow manure into the guts of muscid flies on a French dairy farm. Findings reveal that flies not only carry but may amplify dangerous microbes, underscoring public health risks.

22 Jun 2025

Cord blood proteins help detect early sepsis in preterm infants

Scientists from Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and colleagues identified several proteins from the umbilical cord blood of preterm newborns that signal acute systemic inflammation as an immune response to infection, providing objective and noninvasive means to diagnose early onset sepsis.

20 Jun 2025

New insights into how inhalational anesthetics induce general anesthesia

Since their anesthetic effects were discovered approximately 180 years ago, inhalational anesthetics have been used for general anesthesia in surgical operations.

18 Jun 2025

New molecular atlas offers unprecedented insight into human kidney function

The kidney, a critical organ for waste filtration and fluid regulation, is the subject of a groundbreaking molecular mapping project that could reshape our understanding of renal health.

18 Jun 2025

OCCAM Immune and Cancer Research Institute join forces to advance immunotherapy

In a new collaboration that could transform how cancer is treated, OCCAM Immune-a Mount Sinai initiative focused on understanding the immune system's role in disease-is partnering with the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) to unlock the secrets of how the immune system responds to advanced therapies.

17 Jun 2025

Study reveals hidden mortality crisis among Indigenous Americans

A new study in JAMA reveals the "statistical erasure" of Indigenous Americans, finding that the gap between AI/AN life expectancy and the national average was 2.9 times greater than official vital statistics indicate.

16 Jun 2025

Paper-based devices show high accuracy in detecting asymptomatic malaria

Devices made with cheap strips of paper have outperformed two other testing methods in detecting malaria infection in asymptomatic people in Ghana – a diagnostic advance that could accelerate efforts to eliminate the disease, researchers say.

16 Jun 2025

New nanoparticle platform breaks through MRSA biofilms

A major cause of hospital-acquired infections, the super bacteria Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), not only exhibits strong resistance to existing antibiotics but also forms a dense biofilm that blocks the effects of external treatments.

14 Jun 2025

Study highlights the uneven impact of earned sick leave across industries

Earned sick leave-short-term, paid time off for employees who are sick or injured or must care for sick or injured family members-has been found to reduce the spread of infectious diseases in the workplace and increase employee access to preventive care.

13 Jun 2025