Lymphocytic choriomeningitis, or LCM, is a rodent-borne viral infectious disease that presents as aseptic meningitis (inflammation of the membrane, or meninges, that surrounds the brain and spinal cord), encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), or meningoencephalitis (inflammation of both the brain and meninges). Its causative agent is the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a member of the family Arenaviridae that was initially isolated in 1933. Although LCMV is most commonly recognized as causing neurological disease, as its name implies, infection without symptoms or mild febrile illnesses are common clinical manifestations. Additionally, pregnancy-related infection has been associated with congenital hydrocephalus, chorioretinitis, and mental retardation.
The signaling molecules of the immune system should trigger a response only where necessary. To prevent a life-threatening spread to the rest of the body, connective tissue can absorb these molecules like a sponge.
Researchers investigated the early T cell responses during SARS-CoV-2 infections to understand the mechanisms of rapid clonal expansion that characterize the T cell responses to acute infections and vaccinations.
In a recent review published in Immunity, researchers explored potential mechanisms of neuro-immune pathophysiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections.
A comprehensive review explains in depth how CRISPR can be utilized as a reliable tool to investigate the viral life cycles.
A new review aimed to describe the current state of knowledge on Sialodacryoadenitis virus, along with its characteristics and potential zoonotic threat.
Viruses do not always kill the cells they infect. Researchers at the University of Basel have discovered in experiments with mice that cells have the power to self-heal and eliminate viruses. However, these cells undergo long-term changes.
Researchers in the United States have shown that genes from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – can be integrated into the genome of infected human cells.
A new study deals with the inhibitory activity of a membrane protein that has broad-spectrum activity against multiple viruses, showing that this is due to its effect on cytoplasmic lysine residue incorporation into replicating virions.
Immune cells specialize to ensure the most efficient defense against viruses and other pathogens. Researchers at the University of Basel have shed light on this specialization of T cells and shown that it occurs differently in the context of an acute and a chronic infection.
An international research group led by the University of Basel has developed a promising strategy for therapeutic cancer vaccines.
SARS-CoV-2 genome is three times larger than influenza genome. Both consist of NRA molecules that mutate when replicate.
Viruses such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C evade or disrupt the immune system to create persistent infections.
Melbourne researchers have identified mechanisms leading to the functional deterioration of the immune system in response to severe viral infections, such as HIV or COVID-19.
NIH investigators and colleagues have discovered that when the immune system first responds to infectious agents such as viruses or bacteria, a natural brake on the response prevents overactivation.
A UCLA research team has identified a new paradigm for understanding the regulation of the immune system, potentially paving the way for new approaches to treating infections and immune-related diseases such as type 1 diabetes and certain cancers.
A new study published in the journal Cell Reports reports a novel method by which antitumor drugs that focus on reawakening exhausted immune cells called cytotoxic T cells against cancer can be quickly identified. This could help treat a large subset of cancers that thrive because of their ability to suppress antitumor activity in T cells.
Scientists at Scripps Research have developed a method for rapidly discovering potential cancer-treating compounds that work by resurrecting anti-tumor activity in immune cells called T cells.
Researchers at the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences identified a key mechanism for how antiviral immune responses reprogram liver metabolism. Their recent study, which was published in the renowned scientific journal Immunity, investigated the communication between inflammation and liver metabolism during chronic viral infection.
Many of the world's most common or deadly human pathogens are RNA-based viruses -- Ebola, Zika and flu, for example -- and most have no FDA-approved treatments.
Memory T cells are a critical element of our immune system's historical archive. To prevent repeat infections, these cells retain a record of germs they've fought before.