Infectious Diseases News and Research

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Researchers decipher the mode of action of new antibiotic

More and more bacterial pathogens are developing resistance. There is an increasing risk that common drugs will no longer be effective against infectious diseases.

22 Aug 2023

Strengthening prison reentry programs can help reduce opioid overdose deaths in the U.S.

With opioid overdose deaths surging in the United States, many communities are in desperate need of solutions to bring down the body count. Among the most promising is strengthening prison reentry programs for highest-risk users, a Rutgers-led study has found.

21 Aug 2023

Common cold coronaviruses may offer pre-existing immunity to COVID-19

Exposure to common cold-causing coronaviruses may contribute to pre-existing immunity to COVID-19, according to a new study involving a Rutgers research scientist.

18 Aug 2023

Vaccination reduces risk of severe COVID-19 in solid organ transplant recipients

Findings from a two-year study of nearly 2,400 solid organ transplant recipients, conducted by the Johns Hopkins Transplant Research Center (TRC) in collaboration with the New York University Center for Surgical and Applied Transplant Research, indicate spikes of post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 viral infections (commonly known as COVID-19 breakthrough cases) remain common, yet hospitalization rates have dramatically dropped following the first wave of the virus' omicron subvariant.

18 Aug 2023

Severe COVID-19 may cause long-term changes to innate immune system

Severe COVID-19 may cause long-lasting alterations to the innate immune system, the first line of defense against pathogens, according to a small study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

18 Aug 2023

RARα receptor plays unexpected role in T cell activation

According to new research in the journal Immunity, T cells have a nuclear receptor doing something very odd - but very important - to help them fight pathogens and destroy cancer cells.

18 Aug 2023

Severe COVID-19 causes long-lasting changes to immune system stem cells

Severe COVID-19 infection triggers changes that affect gene expression in immune system stem cells, causing long-lasting alterations in the body's immune response, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine and Jackson Laboratory investigators.

18 Aug 2023

Medicaid expansion increases cancer clinical trial participation

The Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act resulted in a 19% annual increase in Medicaid-insured cancer patients participating in publicly funded clinical trials, according to researchers from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, the SWOG Statistics and Data Management Center and Columbia University.

18 Aug 2023

Immune cells present in people months before influenza infection, finds study

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists, in collaboration with the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) Limited, found that immune cells present in people months before influenza (flu) infection could more accurately predict if an individual would develop symptoms than current methods which primarily rely on antibody levels.

18 Aug 2023

New findings could develop effective vaccines or treatments for chikungunya fever

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found that the virus responsible for chikungunya fever can spread directly from cell to cell - perhaps solving the longstanding mystery of how the virus, now emerging as a major health threat, can manage to escape antibodies circulating in the bloodstream.

18 Aug 2023

Databases, techniques for variant forecasting and early warning of emerging infectious diseases

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has dramatically increased the awareness of emerging infectious diseases.

17 Aug 2023

STING gene variant linked to increased risk of severe group A strep infections

Group A streptococci are fairly common bacteria that can cause, among other things, strep throat or impetigo.

17 Aug 2023

Wristbands can harbor harmful bacteria, study finds

The COVID-19 pandemic took disinfecting to new heights. Now, a new study examining a commonly used item might convince you not to let your guard down just yet.

16 Aug 2023

Most infants admitted to ICU for RSV were previously healthy, study finds

Most infants admitted to the intensive care or high acuity unit for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections during fall 2022 were previously healthy and born at term, according to a new study reported in JAMA Network Open.

16 Aug 2023

Human challenge trials: A game-changer in vaccine development? Examining their role in shaping the pandemic response

The history of using human challenge trials in developing vaccines.

15 Aug 2023

UAB researchers identify cell-surface marker that indicates fate of T cells

Follicular helper T cells, or Tfh cells, have a crucial role in immune defense. Without Tfh cells, B cells cannot form germinal center, or GC, responses during which high-affinity antibodies are generated.

14 Aug 2023

New insights into how coronaviruses invade cells

Unexpected new insights into how COVID-19 infects cells may help explain why coronaviruses are so good at jumping from species to species and will help scientists better predict how COVID-19 will evolve.

14 Aug 2023

Advanced maternal age increases the risk of maternal mortality in Japan

Researchers investigate the relationship between advanced maternal age and maternal mortality in Japan.

14 Aug 2023

Significant association found between the rs1205 T-Dom genotype and risk of COVID-19 death or hospitalization among American Indians

Researchers identify an association between the C-reactive protein gene variant rs1205 and COVID-19 severity.

14 Aug 2023

Parents and clinicians reach consensus on pediatric decision-making

How should others make decisions for pediatric patients? For decades, there has been debate in academic literature about the ethical principles that govern medical decision-making for children.

11 Aug 2023