West Nile Virus News and Research

Latest West Nile Virus News and Research

Editing away cancer and HIV in China: win or lose?

Scientists in China recently edited out the CCR5 gene from a patient with HIV's stem cells, but the research has sparked ethical debate.

13 Sep 2019

An injection of nanoparticles for spinal cord injuries

Researchers from the University of Michigan used nanopaticles injection to prevent the immune cells of the body from impairing the healing of injured brain and spinal cord. They call this an “EpiPen” or emergency rescue drug for the brain and spinal cord when they suffer trauma.

11 Jul 2019

Auburn study explains link between habitat loss and global emergence of infectious diseases

Auburn University researchers have published a new hypothesis that could provide the foundation for new scientific studies looking into the association of habitat loss and the global emergence of infectious diseases.

24 Jun 2019

Gene-editing could shorten life instead of prolonging, suggests new study

In 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui defied the law and scientific consensus by boldly editing the CCR5 gene in a human embryo, expecting to confer lifelong HIV resistance. The pregnancy eventually ended in the birth of two baby girls. Now the experiment appears to have gone seriously wrong, perhaps shortening their lives.

4 Jun 2019

New coalition to boost fight against blood-feeding insects

As the incidence of diseases transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes in the U.S. continues to rise, a coordinated and strategic response is needed now more than ever--and a diverse set of organizations are aligning to answer the call.

21 May 2019

Probiotic-derived molecule optimizes the immune system to combat viral inflammatory diseases

The existence of certain microorganisms in your gut may bolster the immune system's ability to fend off a herpes viral attack that can cause fatal brain inflammation, reports a new City of Hope-led study.

14 May 2019

Study finds significant delays in reporting human cases of West Nile virus

Mount Sinai researchers found significant delays in reporting human cases of West Nile virus, hampering real-time forecasting of the potentially deadly mosquito-borne disease, according to a study in the JAMA Network Open in April.

26 Apr 2019

Geographical range of vector-borne diseases expands rapidly, shows research

New research presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases in Amsterdam, Netherlands shows that the geographical range of vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya, dengue fever, leishmaniasis, and tick-borne encephalitis is expanding rapidly.

15 Apr 2019

Heavy rains, end of drought could help keep West Nile virus subdued — for now

The end of California's drought, announced last month amid one of the rainiest winters in memory, could offer a surprising benefit: reduced transmission of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus.

12 Apr 2019

New mobile DNA element in Wolbachia may contribute to improved disease control strategies

Controlling mosquito-borne illnesses, such as Dengue or West Nile virus, has historically been difficult due to a lack of effective vaccines and concerns about the environmental impact of insecticides.

21 Mar 2019

Innovative model identifies primate species with potential to transmit Zika in the Americas

In the Americas, primate species likely to harbor Zika - and potentially transmit the virus - are common, abundant, and often live near people. So reports a new study published today in Epidemics. Findings are based on an innovative model developed by a collaborative team of researchers from Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and IBM Research through its Science for Social Good initiative.

19 Mar 2019

Study: Chikungunya virus arrived in Brazil at least one year before it was detected

New evidence suggests that Chikungunya virus arrived in Brazil at least one year earlier than it was detected by public health surveillance systems.

26 Feb 2019

Mechanisms of insecticide resistance impact transmission of West Nile virus

In a context of overuse of insecticides, which leads to the selection of resistant mosquitoes, it is already known that this resistance to insecticides affects interactions between mosquitoes and the pathogens they transmit.

31 Jan 2019

Tick’s salivary glands could become key research tools for studying virus transmission

The salivary glands of some tick species could become important research tools for studying how viruses are transmitted from ticks to mammals, and for developing preventive medical countermeasures.

30 Jan 2019

Study sheds new light on disease-spreading mosquitoes

When the West Nile virus (WNV) was initially isolated in two patients at a Queens, N.Y., hospital in the summer of 1999, it would have been hard to anticipate how quickly one common species of house mosquito, Culex pipiens, would help begin to spread the virus throughout the western hemisphere.

13 Dec 2018

Vanderbilt researchers isolate antibody that can neutralize West Nile virus

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues have isolated a human monoclonal antibody that can "neutralize" the West Nile virus and potentially prevent a leading cause of viral encephalitis (brain inflammation) in the United States.

21 Nov 2018

TGen North collaborates with NARBHA Institute to advance human health

TGen North, the Pathogen and Microbiome Division of the Translational Genomics Research Institute, has partnered with the non-profit NARBHA Institute to advance human health through the new TGen One Health Collaborative, an initiative that recognizes the interdependence of people, animals and plants in both the human-built and natural environments.

15 Nov 2018

Cases of Acute Flaccid Myelitis on the rise across U.S.

According to the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), cases of dangerous and rare Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) are being noted across United States. This disease manifests similar to acute flaccid paralysis caused by polio virus say the experts. There is at present no treatment for this condition that primarily affects children and leads to paralysis of the limbs.

18 Oct 2018

Viruses shown to cause bowel dysfunction and abdominal pain

Viruses known to target the central nervous system may also affect neurons of the digestive tract, causing bowel dysfunction and abdominal pain.

4 Oct 2018

Understanding mosquitoes’ mating behavior is key for developing vector control strategies

The ears of male mosquitoes amplify the sound of an approaching female using a self-generated phantom tone that mimics the female's wingbeats, which increases the ear's acoustic input by a factor of up to 45,000, finds a new UCL-led study.

26 Sep 2018