Disease/Infection News

RSS

Experimental antibiotics disrupt bacterium that causes tuberculosis

Researchers from the University of Sydney and the Centenary Institute have discovered how a promising class of experimental antibiotics disrupts the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), paving the way for urgently needed new treatments.

25 Feb 2026

New single pill regimen simplifies treatment for resistant HIV

A phase 3 clinical trial, led by Professor Chloe Orkin of Queen Mary University of London, has shown that a new, daily oral tablet that combines two current HIV treatment medications – bictegravir and lenacapavir (BIC/LEN) – may simplify treatment significantly for people with HIV who currently take very complex treatments.

25 Feb 2026

RSV and COVID-19 trigger different immune responses in infants

Young infants hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) often become much sicker compared to those infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

25 Feb 2026

Prior COVID infection increases kidney disease risk

Approximately one in seven adults in the United States has kidney disease, where the organs responsible for filtering waste and excess water from the blood are damaged, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

25 Feb 2026

COVID-19 initially reduced asthma attacks but widened socioeconomic disparities, study finds

A large retrospective study of more than 162,000 asthma patients in the Bronx found that asthma exacerbations dropped sharply after the onset of COVID-19 before rebounding in children but remaining lower in adults. Socioeconomic disparities widened during the pandemic, particularly among Medicaid recipients, certain income groups, and patients with documented unmet social needs, while racial and ethnic gaps persisted without significantly expanding.

25 Feb 2026

Meningococcal B vaccine fails to prevent gonorrhea, trial shows

Contrary to existing evidence from observational studies, the meningococcal B vaccine (4CMenB) has no effect on preventing the acquisition of gonorrhea, according to the results of the world's largest randomized control trial (RCT) into possible efficacy, conducted by Griffith University's Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics and the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney.

25 Feb 2026

No evidence connects tick bites to chronic health problems

When researchers studied Norwegians who thought tick bites caused their chronic health problems, they found no objective evidence linking the symptoms to ticks.

25 Feb 2026

Lingering brain inflammation found after mild COVID infection

Even a mild case of COVID-19 or the flu can impact the body long after the fever and cough fade, according to new Tulane University research that may help explain why some people struggle to feel fully recovered weeks or months later.

25 Feb 2026

Researchers uncover vulnerabilities in elusive HIV reservoir clones

A new study has overcome a long-standing challenge-how to isolate and study elusive HIV-infected cells called authentic reservoir clones (ARCs) that evade the immune system, making the disease difficult to cure.

24 Feb 2026

US measles and pertussis outbreaks expose policy failures, not just vaccine hesitancy

A recent commentary argues that US measles and pertussis outbreaks are not simply the result of vaccine hesitancy but reflect weakened immunization policies, permissive exemptions, and underfunded public health systems. The authors contend that policy environments determine whether pockets of low coverage escalate into large-scale, preventable outbreaks.

24 Feb 2026

Hospitals fighting measles confront a challenge: Few doctors have seen it before

At around 2 a.m., 7-year-old twin brothers arrived at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Both had a fever, a cough, a rash, pink eye, and cold symptoms.

24 Feb 2026

UCLA Health finds eco-friendly inhalers improve COPD outcomes

New research from UCLA Health suggests that certain inhalers used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are not only less harmful to the environment but can also lead to slightly better patient outcomes. Inhalers are essential therapies for COPD and other lung conditions, but many commonly used devices rely on propellants that are potent greenhouse gases.

23 Feb 2026

The gender gap in early Lyme disease detection and signs

In a new Johns Hopkins Medicine study, researchers found that male and female patients with early Lyme disease present with different signs of the disease in the symptoms they report, their physical exams, and their laboratory test results.

23 Feb 2026

Study explains persistent schistosomiasis hotspots in China

A 13-year study led by the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz reveals why a deadly parasitic infection targeted for elimination in China persisted in some areas even after decades of control.

23 Feb 2026

Unmasking the impact of C. neoformans as a Global Menace

Cryptococcus neoformans is one of four fungi classified as 'critical priority' on the WHO's Fungal Pathogens Priority List, which was published in October 2022 following decades of research and calls for fungal pathogens to be classified alongside their bacterial and viral counterparts.

23 Feb 2026

Tuberculosis bacteria stiffen cell membranes to evade immune destruction

Scientists have uncovered an elegant biophysical trick that tuberculosis-causing bacteria use to survive inside human cells, a discovery that could lead to new strategies for fighting one of the world's deadliest infectious diseases.

22 Feb 2026

MRSA and E. coli detected weeks after Potomac sewage spill

Nearly a month after a wastewater pipe broke and spewed hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River just north of Washington, D.C., the latest water testing results from the University of Maryland School of Public Health continue to show high levels of E. coli and S. aureus – commonly called staph, including antibiotic-resistant MRSA.

22 Feb 2026