Disease/Infection News

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Environmental conditions influence how bacteria respond to antibiotic treatments

Antibiotic susceptibility in resistant bacteria is not static. New research shows that bacteria harboring resistance genes may respond differently to antibiotics if they are tested under conditions other than those used in standard laboratory assays.

10 Mar 2026

New index provides state-level vulnerability to influenza-like illness

Infectious disease can afflict a population in complex ways. Understanding the varying risks is an equally complex challenge.

9 Mar 2026

Researchers validate Mpox antibody test during outbreak in Rwanda

An antibody test for the infectious disease Mpox was successfully developed during the new clade 1b outbreak in Rwanda, the first time that an assay of its kind has been validated within this setting.

9 Mar 2026

Most pandemic viruses show little adaptation before infecting humans

A new University of California San Diego study published in Cell challenges a long-standing assumption about how animal viruses become capable of sparking human epidemics and pandemics.

9 Mar 2026

Disrupted iron levels after SARS-CoV-2 infection may trigger long COVID

Problems with iron levels in the blood and the body's ability to regulate this important nutrient as a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection could be a key trigger for long COVID, new research has discovered.

6 Mar 2026

Scientists discover how herpes simplex virus softens cells to multiply faster

Herpes simplex virus partially liquifies the tightly packed, gel-like interior of human cell nuclei to copy itself faster, a new study shows.

6 Mar 2026

Building global standards for antimicrobial policy

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens human, animal, and environmental health globally. An international team from leading institutions, including the University of Edinburgh, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, North Carolina State University, and the International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions, identifies fundamental gaps in current mathematical modelling approaches that prevent translation of science into policy, including data limitations, knowledge gaps about AMU-AMR relationships, and the absence of international coordination mechanisms similar to climate change efforts. They call for transdisciplinary collaboration to build integrated modelling architectures.

6 Mar 2026

Melbourne’s lab-grown "skin" revolutionizes tick research

The world's first lab-based tick feeding system for bush ticks, developed by researchers at the University of Melbourne, has transformed the study of ticks and how they transmit disease. The novel, host-free technology reduces the need for animal experiments in tick studies, facilitating more ethical, reproducible research.

5 Mar 2026

Spatial intelligence platform supports health policy decisions aimed at ending HIV

INCLIVA Healthcare Research Institute-University Clinical Hospital of Valencia, the Universitat Politècnica de València - through its VRAIN Institute, the Valencia Anti-AIDS Committee and the Centre for Epidemiological Studies on Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS in Catalonia (CEEISCAT) have joined forces to develop a spatial intelligence platform to support health policy decisions aimed at optimizing the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and accelerating its early diagnosis.

5 Mar 2026

Tufts researchers identify new vulnerabilities to combat persistent C. diff infections

Affecting roughly half a million Americans each year, bacterial infections caused by Clostridioides difficile—commonly known as C. diff—are a serious and persistent problem for patients and hospitals alike.

5 Mar 2026

Researchers identify immune markers linked to cognitive decline after viral infections

What impact does a viral infection have on our memory, attention, and concentration? The COVID-19 pandemic has reignited interest in this question, which has now been extended to other infections such as HIV, herpes, and hepatitis.

5 Mar 2026

Long COVID taste loss tied to reduced expression of key taste genes

The study identifies molecular changes in taste receptor cells as a potential cause of persistent taste dysfunction in long COVID-19, impacting quality of life.

5 Mar 2026

Environmental swabs reveal hidden avian viral diversity

Scientists at Duke-NUS Medical School have found that viruses circulating in live poultry markets can be detected more effectively by sampling the surrounding environment than by testing individual birds. The study, published in Nature Communications, shows that environmental sampling can uncover a broader range of poultry viruses-including highly pathogenic avian influenza strains that traditional surveillance may miss.

5 Mar 2026

AI pinpoints why vaccine responses vary globally

How people with compromised immune systems respond to vaccines is an important area of immunological research. A new study led by York University found that not only could machine-learning models accurately pinpoint differences in healthy controls and those living with HIV, but also found outliers in both groups that provide fascinating glimpses into the complex nature of the immune system and what personalized medicine could look like in the future, accounting for variables such as age, comorbidities and genetics.

4 Mar 2026

Advancing influenza vaccine development: Sino Biological launches antigens for the 2026-2027 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine strains

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced its recommendations for the 2026–2027 Northern Hemisphere influenza vaccine composition.

From Sino Biological Inc. 4 Mar 2026

Chile verified as leprosy free after decades of public health efforts

The World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), congratulates Chile for becoming the first country in the Americas – and the second globally – to be officially verified as having eliminated leprosy disease.

4 Mar 2026

Why measles remains one of the most contagious viral diseases worldwide

This review synthesizes current evidence on measles virus biology, immune responses, complications, treatments, and prevention strategies. It highlights how measles can suppress immune memory, increasing susceptibility to other infections, and underscores vaccination as the most effective control measure.

4 Mar 2026

Nearly 70 weeks after infection, long COVID patients show no detectable inflammation in blood tests

A controlled Norwegian case-control study examined circulating biomarkers of inflammation and neuronal injury in people with long COVID about 69 weeks after infection. The researchers found no significant differences in systemic inflammatory or neuroinjury markers compared with recovered controls after statistical correction.

4 Mar 2026

Researchers identify TRIM13 protein as key driver of immune suppression in sepsis

Dendritic cells (DCs) are increasingly recognized as important contributors to sepsis-associated immune dysfunction.

4 Mar 2026

Study uncovers a biological cause for persistent taste loss after COVID-19

Some individuals have experienced a loss of taste long after a COVID-19 infection has subsided. Researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala University and the University of Colorado have now shown that this may be due to a disruption in taste cells that would otherwise give rise to experiences of sweet, bitter or umami.

4 Mar 2026