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Molecular analysis confirms zoonotic transmission of malaria in Atlantic Forest area in southern Brazil

Malaria was eliminated from southern and southeastern Brazil over 50 years ago, but a number of cases each year in areas of the Atlantic Forest prompted researchers to investigate the possibility of zoonotic transmission - where human beings become infected, via a mosquito bite, with a malaria parasite that usually infects monkeys.

6 Sep 2017

Zika virus found to specifically kill glioblastoma brain cancer cells

According to a latest study supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health, the deadly Zika virus could be used to kill a specific type of brain cancer cells and sparing the neighbouring healthy brain cells. Although experimental in stage, this finding has wide implications for those suffering from these cancers.

5 Sep 2017

Researchers identify impact of climatic factors on dengue disease burden in India

The University of Liverpool is part of an international team of scientists that have identified the climatic risks for dengue disease outbreaks, with a new study undertaken in India.

1 Sep 2017

Placenta-on-a-chip device mimics microenvironment of malaria in the womb to develop treatments

Malaria, one of the most severe public health problems, affected 212 million people worldwide in 2015. This life-threatening disease is caused by parasites that are transmitted to humans through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

29 Aug 2017

Scientists discover way to treat severe inflammation from mosquito-borne diseases

Scientists have discovered a way that could help treat severe inflammation from an infectious mosquito-borne disease during outbreaks.

29 Aug 2017

Researchers show potential of using low-cost rapid diagnostic test to detect severe malaria

Malaria is a leading cause of death for children living in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many children in rural areas seek care at local community health clinics, but these clinics lack reliable tests to distinguish severe and uncomplicated malaria.

24 Aug 2017

Zika infection through sex may cause severe fetal effects compared to mosquito transmission

Rhesus macaques that were vaginally infected with Zika virus showed higher prevalence of Zika in the reproductive tract than previously seen in macaques that received skin injections of the virus.

24 Aug 2017

Fewer disease-carrying mosquitoes live in undisturbed tropical forests, study finds

A new study by scientists from the Smithsonian, the Panamanian government, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among other institutions, concludes that conserving old-growth tropical rainforest is "highly recommended" to prevent new outbreaks of viral and parasitic mosquito-borne diseases.

23 Aug 2017

Scientists develop new attract-and-kill technique to eradicate mosquitoes

Mosquitoes aren't just blood thirsty. They also have a sweet tooth, relying on plant nectar to get the sugar they need to survive. Exploiting this weakness, scientists have developed an environmentally friendly eradication method.

23 Aug 2017

Oropouche virus could cause serious public health problem in Brazil, researcher warns

After the Zika epidemic, which began in 2015, and the outbreak of yellow fever early in 2017, Brazil runs a serious risk of being afflicted by Oropouche, another virus that is widely distributed throughout South and Central America and the Caribbean.

22 Aug 2017

Zika suppresses immune system during pregnancy to harm baby, report researchers

Scientists from the University of Southern California (USC) have discovered that the Zika virus works by suppressing a pregnant woman’s immune system so that the virus can spread and increase the chance of harming an unborn baby.

22 Aug 2017

Study offers new, quicker way to test for Zika virus

For the first time, researchers are using proteomics to examine proteins and peptides in saliva in order to accurately detect exposure to Zika virus.

21 Aug 2017

Researchers identify role of blood-filtering organs in fighting against viral infections

New information about how and where the innate immune system fights off viral infections that enter through the skin could lead to better treatments for viruses like Zika, dengue and measles, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

17 Aug 2017

Researchers investigate how previous exposure to West Nile virus affects Zika infection

West Nile virus is no stranger to the U.S.-Mexico border; thousands of people in the region have contracted the mosquito-borne virus in the past. But could this previous exposure affect how intensely Zika sickens someone now?

17 Aug 2017

FDA issues Emergency Use Authorization for multiplex Zika test

The Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the CII-ArboViroPlex rRT-PCR Test, the first multiplex assay that simultaneously tests for the presence of Zika virus, all serotypes of dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and West Nile virus, as well as a host gene that ensures the accuracy of results.

14 Aug 2017

UBC researchers develop method to quickly and sensitively assess malaria progression

Left untreated, malaria can progress from being mild to severe -- and potentially fatal -- in 24 hours. So researchers at the University of British Columbia developed a method to quickly and sensitively assess the progression of the mosquito-borne infectious disease, which remains a leading killer in low-income countries.

11 Aug 2017

Researchers develop rapid test for Zika virus diagnosis

Washington University in St. Louis researchers have developed a test that quickly detects the presence of Zika virus in blood.

10 Aug 2017

ASU Biodesign researchers develop more potent, safer plant-based Zika vaccine

The worldwide Zika threat first emerged in 2015, infecting millions as it swept across the Americas. It struck great fear in pregnant women, as babies born with severe brain birth defects quickly overburdened hospitals and public health care systems.

9 Aug 2017

Mouse model developed to allow study of Zika virus transmission

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have developed a mouse model to study the sexual and fetal transmission of Zika virus. This will enable studies to further understanding of how the Zika virus spreads, thereby allowing treatments to be developed.

4 Aug 2017

Sexual transmission of Zika virus reported in Florida

Yesterday, Florida Department of Health reported the first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus this year.

2 Aug 2017