Plague News and Research

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NIAID releases strategic plan to expand knowledge of TB by using modern tools

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious cause of death worldwide, killing roughly 1.6 million people in 2017. In the past 200 years, TB claimed the lives of more than one billion people--more deaths than from malaria, influenza, smallpox, HIV/AIDS, cholera and plague combined.

27 Sep 2018

Foot specialist explains steps to be taken to mitigate foot-related issues

Most Americans will have walked 75,000 miles by the time they reach the age of 50 – the equivalent of trekking around the Earth on the equator three times – an amazing feat.

23 Aug 2018

New 'micro-organ' within the immune system identified

For the first time in decades, researchers have identified a new 'micro-organ' within the immune system - and they say it's an important step towards understanding how to make better vaccines.

22 Aug 2018

Female mosquitoes quickly evolve selective mating behavior when faced with threats

Certain female mosquitoes quickly evolve more selective mating behavior when faced with existential threats from other invasive mosquito species, with concurrent changes to certain genetic regions, according to new research from North Carolina State University.

17 Aug 2018

Microscopic insect odour detecting mechanisms discovered

Researchers at Rockefeller have used an ultra sensitive device to detect the olfactory systems of insects that help them smell out food and danger. The study titled, “Cryo-EM structure of the insect olfactory receptor Orco,” on the ion channels that form the basis of the odour detecting systems of insects was published in the latest issue of the journal Nature.

16 Aug 2018

Consequences of healthcare-associated infections go beyond patients' physical health

The consequences of healthcare-associated infections reach well beyond patients' physical health, souring social relationships, and leading some healthcare providers to distance themselves from affected patients, according to a qualitative, systematic review published in the American Journal of Infection Control, the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

16 Aug 2018

Researchers show how specialized nucleic acid-based nanostructures could help target cancer cells

More than 100 years ago, German Nobel laureate Paul Ehrlich popularized the "magic bullet" concept -- a method that clinicians might one day use to target invading microbes without harming other parts of the body. Although chemotherapies have been highly useful as targeted treatments for cancer, unwanted side effects still plague patients.

14 Aug 2018

UVA researchers discover how obesity may trigger harmful inflammation

New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine explains why obesity causes harmful inflammation that can lead to diabetes, clogged arteries and other health problems. Doctors may be able to use this knowledge to battle these chronic diseases and others driven by damaging inflammation.

24 Jul 2018

Ways to stay safe while camping and hiking

When the weather heats up, many nature lovers head to a national park or forest for a summertime hiking or camping trip. A little preparation and an understanding of safety can go a long way to avoid potential pitfalls that come with enjoying Mother Nature.

19 Jul 2018

Study reveals how M. tuberculosis escapes death in macrophages

The bacteria that cause the devastating disease tuberculosis have the ability to escape destruction and grow after they are engulfed by lung macrophages, the immune cells that are supposed to destroy pathogens.

10 Jul 2018

Researchers trace history of human Hepatitis B in the Bronze Age

Thanks to viral traces in the genomes of ancient people, researchers from South Ural State University were able to determine that man has been suffering from Hepatitis B since at least the Bronze Age.

9 Jul 2018

Researchers discover new type of cell that hinders formation of fat cells

Obesity is the plague of our times. Some 80 percent of obese people will develop Type 2 diabetes at some point in their lives, and being overweight is also a significant risk factor for cancer and heart attacks.

22 Jun 2018

Researchers identify oldest bubonic plague genome

An international team of researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History has analyzed two 3,800-year-old Y. pestis genomes that suggest a Bronze Age origin for bubonic plague.

8 Jun 2018

Scientists recover DNA from the oldest viruses

Researchers have successfully recovered DNA from the oldest viruses that are known to have infected mankind. These earliest viruses were all strains of hepatitis B.

13 May 2018

TUM researchers unravel mechanism of action for one of pore-forming bacterial toxins

Pore-forming toxins are common bacterial poisons. They attack organisms by introducing holes in cell membranes.

7 May 2018

Ticks and mosquitoes a “growing health problem” says CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a new report warning people about the myriad of diseases that are transmitted via bites of blood-sucking insects such as ticks, mosquitoes and fleas calling it a “growing health problem” in the United States.

2 May 2018