Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Interim analysis of STOMP study finds no efficacy for tecovirimat in mild to moderate Mpox cases

The antiviral drug tecovirimat did not reduce the time to lesion resolution or have an effect on pain among adults with mild to moderate clade II mpox and a low risk of developing severe disease, according to an interim data analysis from the international clinical trial called the Study of Tecovirimat for Mpox (STOMP).

10 Dec 2024

Promising gene therapy could transform heart failure treatment

A new gene therapy can reverse the effects of heart failure and restore heart function in a large animal model.

10 Dec 2024

CHOP study shows safety of rotavirus vaccine in neonatal intensive care unit

Researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that transmission of rotavirus vaccine strains in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is rare and without clinical consequences, strongly suggesting that giving the rotavirus vaccine to eligible infants during their hospitalization provides immune benefits that outweigh any risks.

9 Dec 2024

Single mutation in (HPAI) H5N1 influenza virus could increase human transmission risk

A single modification in the protein found on the surface of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 influenza virus currently circulating in U.S. dairy cows could allow for easier transmission among humans, according to new research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published today in the journal Science.

9 Dec 2024

Bovine H5N1 influenza shows potential for human adaptation through key mutations

Recent study reveals H5N1 mutations enhancing human receptor binding, highlighting pandemic risks and the need for vigilant surveillance of influenza strains.

9 Dec 2024

Breakthrough discovery in BK polyomavirus replication offers hope for kidney transplant protection

BK polyomavirus, or BKPyV, is a major cause of kidney transplant failure. There are no effective drugs to treat BKPyV.

6 Dec 2024

New vaccine approach shows promise against Hepatitis C

Globally, approximately 58 million people are chronically infected with HCV, resulting in 290,000 annual deaths due to complications such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

6 Dec 2024

How measles, whooping cough, and worse could roar back on RFK Jr.’s watch

The availability of safe, effective covid vaccines less than a year into the pandemic marked a high point in the 300-year history of vaccination, seemingly heralding an age of protection against infectious diseases.

6 Dec 2024

Psilocybin helps reduce depression in clinicians amid COVID-19 crisis

Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy resulted in significant reductions in depression among clinicians who provided front-line COVID-19 care in 2020 and 2021.

5 Dec 2024

Chikungunya's health and economic impact likely underestimated

This study assesses chikungunya's health and economic impacts, revealing significant burdens on health systems and a global cost of approximately $49.9 billion.

5 Dec 2024

New research sheds light on how monkeys avoid hepatitis B infection

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause of chronic liver diseases, that spreads among individuals through blood or body fluids.

4 Dec 2024

Nursing homes fell behind on vaccinating patients for covid

It seems no one is taking covid-19 seriously anymore, said Mollee Loveland, a nursing home aide who lives outside Pittsburgh.

4 Dec 2024

Long Covid in teenagers shows significant improvement within two years

Most young people who were confirmed to have long Covid three months after a positive PCR test had recovered within 24 months, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

4 Dec 2024

Advanced modeling unveils hidden costs of global chikungunya infection

The health and financial implications of the emerging threat of mosquito-borne chikungunya viral infection have most likely been significantly underestimated, with total costs probably approaching US$ 50 billion in 2011-20 alone, suggests a comprehensive data analysis, published in the open access journal BMJ Global Health.

4 Dec 2024

Study finds T cell exhaustion in chronic fatigue syndrome patients

Chronic fatigue syndrome creates conditions where pathogen-killing immune T cells become exhausted, according to a new Cornell University study.

3 Dec 2024

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein found lingering in brain regions

Researchers find that SARS-CoV-2 spike protein persists in the skull-meninges-brain axis, driving neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and heightened vulnerability to brain injuries.

3 Dec 2024

Nanozyme breakthrough offers new hope for viral pneumonia treatment

A recent study in Nature Materials introduces an inhalable nanozyme treatment for viral pneumonia, showing promising results in reducing inflammation and viral load in various mouse models. The nanozyme, CeTA-K1tkP, demonstrates broad-spectrum effects and biocompatibility, offering a potential new approach to treating pneumonia and other inflammatory conditions.

3 Dec 2024

Polypurine hairpins found to effectively halt SARS-CoV-2 replication

A study led by the University of Barcelona and the Spanish National Research Council's Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC - CSIC) presents a new therapeutic tool capable of inhibiting the proliferation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19.

3 Dec 2024

Inflammation and organ damage in severe COVID-19 tied to mitochondrial dysfunction

Severe COVID-19 arises in part from the SARS-CoV-2 virus's impact on mitochondria, tiny oxygen-burning power plants in cells, which can help trigger a cascade of organ- and immune system-damaging events, suggests a study by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, along with other members of the COVID-19 International Research Team.

3 Dec 2024