Infectious Diseases News

January 24, 2025

Top Headlines

A Chain Reaction: HIV Vaccines Can Lead to Antibodies Against Antibodies

Jan. 17, 2025 — Many vaccines work by introducing a protein to the body that resembles part of a virus. Ideally, the immune system will produce long-lasting antibodies recognizing that specific virus, thereby providing protection. But scientists have now discovered ...

Scientists Uncover Structure of Critical Component in Deadly Nipah Virus

Jan. 20, 2025 — Researchers have profiled the molecular structure and features of a key part of the deadly Nipah virus. Experiments in cells showe how changes in the viral polymerase -- a protein involved in viral replication -- can alter the virus's ability to ...

Decoding HIV's Tactics

Jan. 16, 2025 — Scientists have unveiled insights into how HIV-1, the virus responsible for AIDS, skillfully hijacks cellular machinery for its own survival. By dissecting the molecular interplay between the virus and its host, the researchers identified novel ...

Child Undernutrition May Be Contributing to Global Measles Outbreaks, Researchers Find

Jan. 16, 2025 — Amid a global surge in measles cases, new research suggests that undernutrition may be exacerbating outbreaks in areas suffering from food insecurity. A study involving over 600 fully vaccinated ...

Latest Headlines

updated 5:44pm EST

Bird Flu Is Mutating, but Antivirals Still Work

Jan. 15, 2025 — Researchers have identified nine mutations in a bird flu strain from a person in Texas. Bad news: this strain is more capable of causing disease and replicates better in the brain. Good news: ...

Hepatitis E Vaccination Is Effective in an Epidemic

Jan. 14, 2025 — Hepatitis E, a potentially serious viral liver disease, is transmitted through contaminated water. The risk is particularly high in populations with limited access to safe water and sanitation. In ...

Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Why Zika Virus Hijacks a Protein Needed for Brain Growth

Jan. 13, 2025 — The mosquito-borne Zika virus is known for causing microcephaly, a birth defect in which abnormal brain development results in a ...

Feeding Your Good Gut Bacteria Through Fiber in Diet May Boost Body Against Infections

Jan. 10, 2025 — A new study has found that the composition of your gut microbiome helps predict how likely you are to succumb to potentially life-threatening ...

T Cells' Capability to Fully Prevent Acute Viral Infections Opens New Avenues for Vaccine Development

Jan. 10, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that T cells -- white blood cells that can destroy harmful pathogens -- can completely prevent viral infection, to an ...

Climate Change Linked With Worse HIV Prevention and Care

Jan. 8, 2025 — Researchers analyzed 22 recent studies exploring HIV-related outcomes in the context of climate change and identified several links between extreme weather events and HIV prevention and ...

Scientists Advance Nanobody Technology to Combat Deadly Ebola Virus

Jan. 7, 2025 — Ebola virus, one of the deadliest pathogens, has a fatality rate of about 50%, posing a serious threat to global health and safety. To address this challenge, researchers have developed the first ...

Overcoming Resistance: Researchers Find New Utility for Old Antibiotics

Jan. 6, 2025 — Researchers at discovered a critical vulnerability in drug-resistant bacteria: zinc -- or a lack ...

Tuberculosis Strains Resistant to New Drugs Are Transmitted Between Patients

Jan. 6, 2025 — Tuberculosis (TB) is the world's biggest infectious disease killer with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) posing a particular threat to global health. ...

Modeling Tool Affirms Critical Role of Testing in Pandemic Response

Jan. 3, 2025 — A study found public-private partnerships to develop, produce and distribute COVID-19 diagnostic tests saved approximately 1.4 million lives and prevented an estimated 7 million patient ...

Officials Assess Threat of H5N1 Avian Flu

Jan. 2, 2025 — Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza A virus (HPAI H5N1) remains a low risk to the general public, and public health experts in the United States believe that available treatments and vaccines, as ...

Study Traces Ebola's Route to the Skin Surface

Jan. 1, 2025 — Researchers have traced a cellular route Ebola virus (EBOV) uses to traverse the inner and outer layers of skin and emerge onto the skin's surface. The study identifies new cell types within the ...

System to Auto-Detect New Variants Will Inform Better Response to Future Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Jan. 1, 2025 — Researchers have come up with a new way to identify more infectious variants of viruses or bacteria that start spreading in humans -- including those causing flu, COVID, whooping cough and ...

People Who Are Immunocompromised May Not Produce Enough Protective Antibodies Against RSV After Vaccination

Dec. 30, 2024 — Researchers have shown that people 60 years or older with weakened immunity do not respond as strongly to vaccines against the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as people in the same age group with ...

'Unbreakable' Lassa Vaccine Shows Promising Results

Dec. 26, 2024 — A live-attenuated vaccine under development is safe and 100% effective against Lassa virus in preclinical ...

Public Shows Greater Acceptance of RSV Vaccine as Vaccine Hesitancy Appears to Have Plateaued

Dec. 23, 2024 — A year after becoming available, vaccines to protect against RSV in newborns and older adults are being more widely accepted by the American public, according to a new health ...

Scientists Design Workaround That Improves Response to Flu Vaccine

Dec. 19, 2024 — Stitching together four molecules found in the standard flu vaccine ensures an immune response to all of them, scientists have ...

After Lockdown, Immune System Reacts More Strongly to Viruses and Bacteria

Dec. 18, 2024 — New research shows that the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on people's immune response to microorganisms. During the lockdown, inflammation level in the body was ...

Study Shows Drop in Use of Antiviral Medications in Young Children With Influenza

Dec. 17, 2024 — Despite national medical guidelines supporting the use of antiviral medications in young children diagnosed with influenza, a recent study reports an underuse of the ...

Study Assesses Virulence of Cryptococcus Strains, Laying Groundwork for Improved Treatment

Dec. 16, 2024 — A lab has completed a six-year study to examine the virulence of 38 clinical isolates from various strains of ...

Flu Virus Remains Infectious in Refrigerated Raw Milk, Study Reveals

Dec. 16, 2024 — Influenza or flu virus remains infectious in refrigerated raw milk for up to five days, according to a new study. The findings come at a time when outbreaks of bird flu -- a different subtype of the ...

From Yemen to Mayotte, the Spread of a Highly Drug-Resistant Cholera Strain

Dec. 13, 2024 — Scientists have revealed the spread of a highly drug-resistant cholera ...

Analysis Reveals an Additional Mechanism Behind Statin Therapy's Heart-Related Benefits in People With HIV

Dec. 11, 2024 — Investigators who previously found that a daily statin pill helps prevent heart attacks and strokes in people with HIV have now discovered a potential mechanism that may help to stabilize plaques and ...

A New Class of Antivirals Could Help Prevent Future Pandemics

Dec. 11, 2024 — Researchers discovered a vulnerability in viral enzymes that could lead to novel treatments for diseases as diverse as COVID-19 and Ebola -- while also minimizing side effects and reducing the odds ...

Updated Hep B Vaccine More Effective for People With HIV

Dec. 10, 2024 — A newer vaccine against hepatitis B virus was clearly superior to an older vaccine type in inducing a protective antibody response among people living with HIV who didn't respond to prior ...

Rotavirus Vaccine Is Safe for Use in NICU Babies, Study Suggests

Dec. 9, 2024 — Researchers 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 ...

CAST Mouse Model: A Crucial Tool for Future COVID-19 Outbreaks

Dec. 6, 2024 — Researchers have identified the first mouse strain that is susceptible to severe COVID-19 without the need for genetic modification. This development marks a pivotal step forward in infectious ...

Single Mutation in H5N1 Influenza Surface Protein Could Enable Easier Human Infection

Dec. 6, 2024 — 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 ...

Cleaning Surfaces Every Two Hours Cuts Norovirus Infections by 83 Percent in Airports, Study Finds

Dec. 5, 2024 — At airports, frequently disinfecting surfaces, mask-wearing and antimicrobial surface coatings can all help prevent the spread of norovirus, according to a new ...

Scientists Identify Mutation That Could Facilitate H5N1 'Bird Flu' Virus Infection and Potential Transmission in Humans

Dec. 5, 2024 — Avian influenza viruses typically require several mutations to adapt and spread among humans, but what happens when just one change can increase the risk of becoming a pandemic virus? A recent study ...