Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Scientists discover how EBV-infected immune cells migrate and invade the brain

Many people are infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and most are unaware of it. However, EBV can sometimes cause cancer, and this pathogen also appears to play an important role in multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases.

19 May 2025

MPXV virus lingers on hospital surfaces after patient stays

Researchers in the UK found that patients with clade Ib mpox can contaminate their hospital environments with monkeypox virus, including infectious particles. However, the risk of environmental transmission remains unclear and depends on cleaning practices and disease severity.

19 May 2025

Common anti-inflammatory drugs may aid virus spread

New research shows an unintended and unfortunate side effect of common drugs. They can simply help viruses spread.

19 May 2025

USPSTF urges universal syphilis screening in pregnancy to prevent congenital infections

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reaffirms its recommendation for universal syphilis screening in pregnancy, citing strong evidence for early detection and prevention of congenital syphilis. Despite ongoing disparities and rising rates, early screening and treatment remain essential to improving outcomes for mothers and infants.

18 May 2025

Newly discovered Cat1 protein halts viral infections by depleting cellular fuel

Every living creature on Earth needs to protect itself from things that would do it harm. Bacteria are no different. And despite their relative simplicity, they deploy remarkably savvy defensive strategies against viral invaders.

18 May 2025

Electromagnetic waves disrupt SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and lower infectivity

Researchers demonstrated that specific electromagnetic wave frequencies can disrupt the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein structure in virus-like particles, leading to reduced infectivity in cell models. This proof-of-concept study suggests new avenues for non-chemical viral inactivation methods.

18 May 2025

Measles cases surge in the United States amid falling vaccination rates

The United States is in the midst of the second-highest year of measles cases since 2000, when the disease was declared eliminated in this country, meaning that cases within the United States originated outside the country.

16 May 2025

New drug candidate disrupts the link between herpes virus and Alzheimer’s disease

Studies suggesting that certain viral infections may influence the onset of Alzheimer's diseases are gaining attention. In this context, a domestic research team has succeeded in breaking the link between viral infection and Alzheimer's disease using a new treatment candidate.

16 May 2025

HIV vaccine study marks breakthrough in targeting broad immune responses

A decades-long scientific challenge in HIV vaccine development has been finding a way to train the immune system to produce antibodies that can target many variants of the virus.

15 May 2025

Breakthrough bat organoid platform sheds light on behavior of zoonotic viruses

Did you know that more than 75% of new infectious diseases affecting humans originally come from animals? Bats, in particular, are natural hosts to some of the world's most dangerous viruses, including those responsible for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2), MERS-CoV, influenza A, and hantavirus outbreaks.

15 May 2025

Scientists take key step toward developing a preventative HIV vaccine

Worldwide, an estimated 40 million people live with HIV. Two-thirds of this group on the African continent. In 2023, more than 600,000 people died from HIV-related causes and 1.32 million were infected.

15 May 2025

SLIRP protein identified as key regulator of immune responses

Even after the COVID-19 pandemic, various new infectious diseases continue to emerge, posing ongoing viral threats that demand robust and sustained immune defenses.

15 May 2025

AAN releases Evidence in Focus Article on new gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy

To help neurologists, clinicians and families understand the current evidence for a new gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy called delandistrogene moxeparvovec, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has issued an Evidence in Focus article, published May 14, 2025, online in Neurology.

14 May 2025

Reinfections lower long COVID risk but raise cumulative burden

A population-based study in Quebec found that healthcare workers faced a threefold higher risk of long COVID after a first infection compared to reinfections. However, the cumulative risk rose with each additional infection, especially among those with severe illness or early variants.

14 May 2025

Multiple laboratory techniques can provide a wealth of knowledge about brain cancer

Clinicians from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and four other institutions have demonstrated that doctors can gain a wealth of knowledge about a patient's cancer by using multiple laboratory techniques to study tumor tissue taken from needle biopsies of glioblastoma, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer.

14 May 2025

Study reveals how yellow fever vaccine triggers strong immune response

Researchers show how specific immune cells are activated by the vaccine - an important starting point for the development of new vaccines.

14 May 2025

HIV uses circular RNAs to evade immunity and boost replication

In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine have identified a never-before-seen mechanism that enables the human immunodeficiency type 1 virus (HIV-1) to evade the body's natural defenses and use it to support its survival and replication.

13 May 2025

Nasal vaccine boosters can trigger strong immune defenses in the respiratory tract, study finds

Most vaccines — and boosters — are injected directly into muscle tissue, usually in the upper arm, to kickstart the body's immune system in the fight against disease.

13 May 2025

Wastewater surveillance detects measles in Houston before cases are reported

An innovative outbreak detection program that tracks disease-causing viruses in wastewater identified the measles virus in Houston samples collected in early January 2025, before cases were reported.

12 May 2025

Major mass photometry milestone achieved by Refeyn with 500th installation globally

Refeyn, the company behind pioneering mass photometry technology, has announced the installation of the 500th system based on its novel single-particle bioanalytical technology - notably, within just seven years of its spin out from Oxford University in 2018.

From Refeyn 12 May 2025