Allergy News and Research

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The term allergy encompasses a wide range of conditions; it is not a disease in itself. In 1906 Clemens von Pirquet was the first to describe allergies as a changed or altered reaction of the immune system in response to exposure to foreign proteins. These days the term allergy – medically termed hypersensitivity, signifies an exaggerated reaction to foreign substances.

Zika virus exposure during pregnancy slows fetal growth and affects mother-infant interaction

Zika virus infection in pregnant rhesus macaques slows fetal growth and affects how infants and mothers interact in the first month of life, according to a new study from researchers at the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California, Davis.

25 Oct 2023

California expands paid sick days and boosts health worker wages

California continues to burnish its reputation as a progressive state for health policy as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills expanding paid sick leave, adding bereavement leave for miscarriages, and boosting wages for health workers.

25 Oct 2023

Scientists uncover a group of immune cells that may drive severe asthma in older men

Scientists from La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and The University of Southampton, UK, have uncovered a group of immune cells that may drive severe asthma.

20 Oct 2023

Study finds more mature gut microbiome in malnourished Nigerien children after antibiotic treatment

Malnutrition threatens the lives of millions of children under age 5, causing about 500,000 deaths per year in low- and middle-income countries.

19 Oct 2023

Pan-coronavirus vaccine shows success in mouse studies

A vaccine designed to protect against three different deadly coronaviruses shows success in mouse studies, demonstrating the viability of a pan-coronavirus vaccine developed by researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute.

18 Oct 2023

NIAID grant supports research aimed at improving outcomes for patients with Aspergillus infections

Aspergillus fumigatus is the major airborne fungus present indoors and outdoors that causes various diseases, the severity of which are dependent on an individual's immune status.

17 Oct 2023

“Goblet cells” play an important role in the development of allergic conjunctivitis

The first step in the development of the allergic conjunctivitis is the penetration of the allergen through the epithelial layer.

17 Oct 2023

Paxlovid treatment provides protection against COVID-19 for both mother and child

A new mouse model of infection with the COVID-19-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus during pregnancy tracks closely the disease course doctors have observed in SARS-CoV-2-infected pregnant patients, and suggests that treatment with the antiviral Paxlovid provides protection for both mother and child.

16 Oct 2023

New survey uncovers lack of awareness about the proper use of adrenaline pens

New research reveals the significant impact severe allergies have on people’s daily lives and mental wellbeing, as well as uncovering an evident lack of awareness about the proper use of adrenaline pens.

14 Oct 2023

Study shows how chronic sleep loss can damage the heart

Does this sound like you? You wake up at the same time each morning, get the kids out the door, and rush to catch the subway to work. But at night, maybe you stay up until midnight doing laundry or 1 a.m. to catch up on the bills.

13 Oct 2023

Strong antibody response and nasal cytokines may protect young children from severe COVID-19

New research helps explain why young children have lower rates of severe COVID-19 than adults. A study of infants and young children found those who acquired SARS-CoV-2 had a strong, sustained antibody response to the virus and high levels of inflammatory proteins in the nose but not in the blood.

13 Oct 2023

Scientists discover feedback loop that controls itch and inflammation

It can be a relief to scratch the occasional itch, but when itch gets out of control, it can become a serious health problem. How does the body know when to stop?

13 Oct 2023

Early intervention with sublingual immunotherapy may lead to remission of peanut allergy

A three-year clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health and Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) has shown that the sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT, is safe in peanut-allergic children ages 1 to 4, with a greater likelihood of desensitization and remission the earlier the treatment began.

13 Oct 2023

SARS-CoV-2 RNA found in ocular tissues at autopsy, despite minimal inflammation

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), infects tissues throughout the human body, including the eye.

10 Oct 2023

Differences in immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants could inform future vaccine design

A person's immune response to variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, depends on their previous exposure - and differences in the focus of immune responses will help scientists understand how to optimize vaccines in the future to provide broad protection.

6 Oct 2023

USC-led team develops vaccine to boost immune system against superbugs

What if a vaccine, given to patients just before or after arriving at the hospital, could protect them against lethal superbugs that lurk in healthcare settings?

5 Oct 2023

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': An encore: 3 HHS secretaries reveal what the job is really like

This week, while KFF Health News' "What the Health?" takes a break, here’s an encore of a favorite episode this year: Host and chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner leads a rare conversation with the current and two former secretaries of Health and Human Services.

5 Oct 2023

New meningitis vaccine safe and effective for infants in Africa

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) researchers, as part of the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC), provided an interim analysis showing that the pentavalent (NmCV-5) meningitis vaccine is safe for use in 9-month-old infants in the meningitis belt of sub-Saharan Africa.

3 Oct 2023

Wildling mice provide insights into how microbes affect allergies

The notion that some level of microbial exposure might reduce our risk of developing allergies has arisen over the last few decades and has been termed the hygiene hypothesis.

29 Sep 2023

Parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis can infect non-immune cells, study finds

The organisms that cause visceral leishmaniasis, a potentially deadly version of the parasitic disease that most often affects the skin to cause disfiguring disease, appear to have a secret weapon, new research suggests: They can infect non-immune cells and persist in those uncommon environments.

29 Sep 2023

Allergy News and Research

Further Reading

Zika virus exposure during pregnancy slows fetal growth and affects mother-infant interaction

California expands paid sick days and boosts health worker wages

Scientists uncover a group of immune cells that may drive severe asthma in older men

Study finds more mature gut microbiome in malnourished Nigerien children after antibiotic treatment

Pan-coronavirus vaccine shows success in mouse studies

NIAID grant supports research aimed at improving outcomes for patients with Aspergillus infections

“Goblet cells” play an important role in the development of allergic conjunctivitis

Paxlovid treatment provides protection against COVID-19 for both mother and child

New survey uncovers lack of awareness about the proper use of adrenaline pens

Study shows how chronic sleep loss can damage the heart

Strong antibody response and nasal cytokines may protect young children from severe COVID-19

Scientists discover feedback loop that controls itch and inflammation

Early intervention with sublingual immunotherapy may lead to remission of peanut allergy

SARS-CoV-2 RNA found in ocular tissues at autopsy, despite minimal inflammation

Differences in immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 variants could inform future vaccine design

USC-led team develops vaccine to boost immune system against superbugs

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': An encore: 3 HHS secretaries reveal what the job is really like

New meningitis vaccine safe and effective for infants in Africa

Wildling mice provide insights into how microbes affect allergies

Parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis can infect non-immune cells, study finds

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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