Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Researchers reveal how bacterial molecule controls the body's response to TB infection

The cascade of events leading to bacterial infection and the immune response is mostly understood. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the immune response to the bacteria that causes tuberculosis have remained a mystery — until now. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have now uncovered how a bacterial molecule controls the body's response to TB infection and suggest that adjusting the level of this of this molecule may be a new way to treat the disease.

3 Mar 2015

Dengue fever circulating in urban areas of West Africa

Misdiagnosis of febrile illnesses as malaria is a continuing problem in Africa. A new study shows that in Ghana, dengue fever is circulating in urban areas and going undiagnosed. The authors of the study hope to use the findings to launch a widespread initiative to better understand acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses in West Africa.

3 Mar 2015

Modified measles vaccine effective against Chikungunya virus, study finds

A modified, conventional measles vaccine has the potential to act against the Chikungunya virus. This is the result of a study at the University Clinic for Clinical Pharmacology of the MedUni Wien (Medical University of Vienna), which has now been published in the top journal "The Lancet Infectious Diseases".

2 Mar 2015

Findings may explain why HIV cure strategies have failed

A major hurdle to curing people of HIV infection is the way the virus hides in a reservoir composed primarily of dormant immune cells.

2 Mar 2015

New book provides in-depth, advanced understanding of Ebola and rabies viruses

Significant human and animal pathogens remain major scourges to human health. Recent devastating Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa underscores the importance of understanding the biology of replication and response of host cells to infection by these pathogens.

28 Feb 2015

KU Leuven researchers devise simple, effective solution to untangle DNA

Researchers have long sought an efficient way to untangle DNA in order to study its structure - neatly unraveled and straightened out - under a microscope. Now, chemists and engineers at KU Leuven, in Belgium, have devised a strikingly simple and effective solution: they inject genetic material into a droplet of water and use a pipet tip to drag it over a glass plate covered with a sticky polymer.

27 Feb 2015

NIAID partners with Liberian government to test ZMapp drug for Ebola virus disease

In partnership with the Liberian government, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases today launched a clinical trial to obtain safety and efficacy data on the investigational drug ZMapp as a treatment for Ebola virus disease. The study, which will be conducted in Liberia and the United States, is a randomized controlled trial enrolling adults and children with known Ebola virus infection.

27 Feb 2015

Researchers reveal that mosquitoes’ sexual biology may key to malaria transmission

Sexual biology may be the key to uncovering why Anopheles mosquitoes are unique in their ability to transmit malaria to humans, according to researchers at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and University of Perugia, Italy.

27 Feb 2015

New research reveals that HIV latency is controlled by the virus itself

New research from the Gladstone Institutes for the first time provides strong evidence that HIV latency is controlled not by infected host cells, but by the virus itself. This fundamentally changes how scientists perceive latency, presenting it as an evolutionarily advantageous phenomenon rather than a biological accident.

27 Feb 2015

Researchers show how human antibodies can neutralize Marburg virus

Researchers at Vanderbilt University, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and The Scripps Research Institute for the first time have shown how human antibodies can neutralize the Marburg virus, a close cousin to Ebola.

27 Feb 2015

TSRI scientists show how to target weak spots of Marburg virus with future treatments

Marburg virus is Ebola's deadly cousin. The virus is up to 90 percent lethal—and doctors are desperate for tools to fight it.

27 Feb 2015

Researchers reveal how human immune system can fight against deadly Marburg virus

A collaborative team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Vanderbilt University and The Scripps Research Institute have identified mechanisms involved in antibody response to the deadly Marburg virus by studying the blood of a Marburg survivor.

27 Feb 2015

Predicting the development of type 1 diabetes is possible, shows TEDDY study

New research shows that it is possible to predict the development of type 1 diabetes. By measuring the presence of autoantibodies in the blood, it is possible to detect whether the immune system has begun to break down the body's own insulin cells.

26 Feb 2015

Study may give health workers vital new evidence in fight against Ebola

One year after the first Ebola cases started to surface in Guinea, the latest findings from a Cochrane review show new ways of hydrating patients in critical care environments across the world.

26 Feb 2015

Study reveals causes of community-acquired pneumonia in children

With the chill of winter comes a spike in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), which spreads more easily as people retreat indoors and come into close contact. The lung infection triggers persistent coughing, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing, and is particularly hard on the very young and the very old. In fact, pneumonia is the leading cause of hospitalization among U.S. children, with estimated medical costs of $1 billion annually.

26 Feb 2015

Study points respiratory viruses as the most common cause of childhood pneumonia

Respiratory viruses, not bacterial infections, are the most commonly detected causes of community-acquired pneumonia in children, according to new research released Feb. 26 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

26 Feb 2015

Gates Foundation awards $2.5 million to support development of vaccine-filled microneedles

The Georgia Institute of Technology and Micron Biomedical have been awarded $2.5 million in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance the development of dissolvable microneedle patches for polio immunization. The patches will be studied to evaluate their potential role as part of the worldwide efforts to eradicate polio.

25 Feb 2015

Scientists detect new molecule that contributes to development of liver fibrosis

Liver fibrosis, which is the progressive formation of scar tissue in the liver, is a massive medical problem. An estimated ten percent of the population is affected by liver fibrosis or its corresponding later stage, liver cirrhosis. A variety of causes can lead to liver fibrosis, the most widely recognized ones being alcohol consumption and virus-induced chronic liver inflammation.

25 Feb 2015

Simple paper strip test can rapidly diagnose Ebola

When diagnosing a case of Ebola, time is of the essence. However, existing diagnostic tests take at least a day or two to yield results, preventing health care workers from quickly determining whether a patient needs immediate treatment and isolation.

25 Feb 2015

Study shows how financial incentives can influence some HIV-positive patients in clinical settings

A new study by the HIV Prevention Trials Network shows that some HIV-positive patients were motivated by financial incentives to take their HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication regularly and maintain control of their HIV - enhancing their own health benefits and reducing the chance of passing the virus on to others.

25 Feb 2015

Virology News and Research

Latest Virology News and Research

Researchers reveal how bacterial molecule controls the body's response to TB infection

Dengue fever circulating in urban areas of West Africa

Modified measles vaccine effective against Chikungunya virus, study finds

Findings may explain why HIV cure strategies have failed

New book provides in-depth, advanced understanding of Ebola and rabies viruses

KU Leuven researchers devise simple, effective solution to untangle DNA

NIAID partners with Liberian government to test ZMapp drug for Ebola virus disease

Researchers reveal that mosquitoes’ sexual biology may key to malaria transmission

New research reveals that HIV latency is controlled by the virus itself

Researchers show how human antibodies can neutralize Marburg virus

TSRI scientists show how to target weak spots of Marburg virus with future treatments

Researchers reveal how human immune system can fight against deadly Marburg virus

Predicting the development of type 1 diabetes is possible, shows TEDDY study

Study may give health workers vital new evidence in fight against Ebola

Study reveals causes of community-acquired pneumonia in children

Study points respiratory viruses as the most common cause of childhood pneumonia

Gates Foundation awards $2.5 million to support development of vaccine-filled microneedles

Scientists detect new molecule that contributes to development of liver fibrosis

Simple paper strip test can rapidly diagnose Ebola

Study shows how financial incentives can influence some HIV-positive patients in clinical settings

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