Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Nanoparticle flu vaccine design could pave way for broader protection

Influenza viruses constantly shapeshift to evade recognition by the immune system. This shapeshifting occurs in critical proteins like hemagglutinin (HA), which controls how the virus attaches to human cells before entering them.

2 Sep 2026

Antiviral COVID-19 drug shows no benefit for Long COVID

Results from a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published today in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases show that the antiviral drug, PAXLOVID, commonly prescribed to treat acute COVID-19, does not have an impact on Long COVID symptoms when compared to placebo.

1 Sep 2026

Mathematical model shows combined strategies greatly reduce Mpox transmission

Mpox (formerly Monkeypox), a viral zoonotic disease, remains a global public health concern because it can spread between animals and humans and among people.

31 Aug 2026

UCSF scientists build largest molecular interaction map for autism

For more than two decades, researchers have identified hundreds of genes that increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

28 Aug 2026

Climate-warming shifts habitat risks for schistosomiasis-transmitting snails

Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by Schistosoma worms, affects more than 240 million people, while over 800 million live in areas at risk. In China, Schistosoma japonicum depends on the amphibious snail Oncomelania hupensis.

26 Aug 2026

Scientists identify new drug target to combat airborne tuberculosis

Tuberculosis bacteria released into the air from infected individuals dry out to form infectious particles that are second only to measles in contagiousness.

26 Aug 2026

Gene removal makes engineered immune cells more effective against osteosarcoma

Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered that removing the gene for Regnase-1 from engineered immune cells makes them more effective at treating relapsed osteosarcoma.

25 Aug 2026

Visual storytelling transforms scientific evidence into meaningful public health action

Even as the scientific community has reached broad consensus that infectious pathogens, such as viruses, can spread through airborne transmission in virus-laden aerosols, one fundamental challenge remains.

25 Aug 2026

Japan vaccinated heavily during COVID-19. Why are so many unsure about vaccinating next time?

A nationwide Japanese survey found that only 53.1% of respondents said they would accept vaccination in a hypothetical future pandemic with COVID-19-like fatality, despite substantially higher previous COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Willingness varied by demographics, perceived disease risk, exposure to misinformation, vaccine characteristics, and practical factors such as cost, evidence, professional recommendations, and accessibility.

24 Aug 2026

California landscapes linked to differing rates of Valley fever

Researchers from University of California San Diego and University of California, Berkeley have found that certain landscapes surrounding California communities are associated with differing rates of Valley fever, a fungal respiratory infection caused by inhaling spores carried in windblown dust.

24 Aug 2026

Resistant malaria parasites become increasingly prevalent across Ethiopia

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI), Brown University, the University of Notre Dame, and Ethiopia's Ministry of Health have found that malaria parasites carrying genetic markers associated with resistance to frontline antimalarial medicines and commonly used diagnostic tests are becoming increasingly prevalent across Ethiopia.

24 Aug 2026

New review examines why tetanus remains a global health problem

Tetanus is often considered a disease of the past, remembered mainly through childhood vaccinations and warnings about rusty nails.

20 Aug 2026

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The ELRIG Mid-Career Initiative supports scientists in drug discovery, addressing unique challenges and fostering leadership development for career transitions.

20 Aug 2026

Scripps scientist receives NIAID award for immunotherapy research

Scripps Research assistant professor Tiantian Liu has received a five-year NIAID DP2 award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to advance basic understanding of immune processes that could aid the design of next-generation immunotherapies.

19 Aug 2026