Infectious Diseases News and Research

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New technique improves detection of central nervous system infections

New research led by Aston University's Dr Ghaniah Hassan-Smith, has found a new technique to diagnose infections of the central nervous system, such as meningitis and encephalitis, which can be difficult to determine using conventional methods.

23 Sep 2026

A 30-day benznidazole regimen offers safer Chagas disease treatment option

A 30-day course of benznidazole taken once a day could offer people with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection a safer and more practical option than the current standard treatment, taken twice a day for 60 days.

22 Sep 2026

Planetary crisis heightens global inequality of health opportunities

The worldwide inequality of health opportunities is being further heightened by the triple planetary crisis - climate change, loss of biodiversity and environmental pollution.

22 Sep 2026

Mpox study reveals high rate of false-positive PCR tests

In August 2024, the WHO declared the mpox upsurge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and its spread to neighboring countries, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

22 Sep 2026

New international standard creates unified health data across Europe

Every breath we take contains tiny particles that are invisible to the naked eye and can harm our health. Air pollution alone contributes to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other chronic illnesses.

21 Sep 2026

A 194-country analysis reveals gaps in how late childhood vaccinations are tracked

A global analysis of WHO/UNICEF data from 194 countries found wide variation in countries’ ability to record delayed childhood vaccinations, with 64% of reporting countries saying they could capture late doses in 2022. Following birth cohorts over time and adding delayed MCV1 doses raised median coverage estimates by 3.6 to 5.1 percentage points across available cohort years, though incomplete and inconsistent reporting limited confidence in some estimates.

21 Sep 2026

SARS-CoV-2 protein ORF8 drives macrophage infection and lung inflammation

In the sickest COVID-19 patients, the SARS-CoV-2 virus doesn't just cause severe damage by directly infecting airway cells.

18 Sep 2026

New national guidelines developed to improve sepsis-related care

A UVA Health doctor and other leading national experts have developed important new guidelines to improve care for patients who develop sepsis, a dangerous full-body infection that kills at least 350,000 Americans every year.

18 Sep 2026

Antibody therapy teaches the immune system to control HIV

There is no cure for HIV. While scientists have made considerable progress in controlling the infection, patients still must take daily antiretroviral medication for the rest of their lives.

18 Sep 2026

Weill Cornell Medicine receives $17.4 million grant to shorten tuberculosis treatment

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have received a $17.4 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to discover new approaches to shorten tuberculosis (TB) treatment, potentially making it easier for patients to complete therapy.

17 Sep 2026

Immunotherapy combined with BCG vaccine drastically lowers tuberculosis relapse risk

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world's leading causes of death, and preventing post-treatment relapse continues to be a major worldwide health challenge.

17 Sep 2026

Study confirms continued effectiveness of antibodies and vaccines used to prevent RSV infections

An analysis of more than 60,000 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sequences from around the world found that viral variants associated with resistance to current RSV prevention tools remain rare, according to a study published Sept. 16 in Nature.

16 Sep 2026

Bacterial strains determine pneumonia and meningitis risk from air pollution

Air pollution leads to different risk of bacterial pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis, depending on the subtype of bacteria a person has, new research suggests.

15 Sep 2026

Lupus-linked genetic variants may boost antiviral immunity

Why do genetic variants that increase the risk of autoimmune disease remain so common in the population?

11 Sep 2026

Standard pediatric blood pressure thresholds miss early trauma warning signs

Blood pressure thresholds commonly used to identify dangerously unstable vital signs in children may not signal trouble soon enough after a traumatic injury, according to a national study of more than 230,000 pediatric trauma patients.

9 Sep 2026

New AI method tracks immune responses without known antibody databases

A research team comprising Associate Professor FUNAKOSHI Yohei, Associate Professor YAKUSHIJIN Kimikazu, Professor MINAMI Hironobu, and Associate Professor OHJI Goh of Kobe University, together with graduate student MASUDA Genki, then-graduate student IIZUMI Shunsuke, Associate Professor OHUE Masahito, and colleagues at the Institute of Science Tokyo, has developed a new analysis method, LM-QASAS.

9 Sep 2026

Independent review reinforces value of vaccines across all ages

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) supports the 2026-27 respiratory season vaccine evidence review released on September 2, 2026, by the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) in collaboration with the American Medical Association.

4 Sep 2026

Mosaic nanoparticle vaccine boosts broad mucosal coronavirus immunity

The persistent threat of emerging coronaviruses highlights the critical need to establish frontline defenses directly at the respiratory entry portal.

4 Sep 2026

Cancer drug eliminates HIV-infected cells in animal model study

Emory University researchers have provided the first proof-of-concept in a nonhuman primate model for eliminating HIV-infected cells with venetoclax, a clinically approved medication for cancer.

3 Sep 2026

Genetic marker links popular seizure drug to life-threatening reaction

A genetic marker already used to flag risk of a life-threatening reaction to the antibiotic vancomycin also identifies patients at risk of that reaction to lamotrigine - and it is missing from the gene panels clinicians order before prescribing the drug, Vanderbilt Health-led researchers report Sept. 2 in JAMA Network Open.

2 Sep 2026