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Infectious diseases news

New RNA vaccine strategy aims to build broader immunity against mutating viruses

New research by Malaghan's Connor Laboratory, published in PNAS, shows how directing the immune system toward conserved areas of the COVID virus and its many variants using RNA technology could be a significant step toward ...

Candida on urinary catheters can be more than contamination, patient samples suggest

Relying on a urinary catheter is a standard part of medical care for hundreds of thousands of patients each year. Unfortunately, the device carries the risk of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), for which ...

Early trials for 'common cold' vaccine offer encouraging signs

A vaccine designed to protect against rhinoviruses, which cause the great majority of common colds and exacerbate chronic respiratory illnesses, has shown encouraging early results in a phase 1 clinical trial. Initial findings ...

Egyptian group developing Ebola vaccine

An Egyptian pharmaceutical firm is developing a potential vaccine against the deadly Ebola strain raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), it announced Thursday.

WHO declares Uganda Ebola-free

Uganda was declared officially Ebola-free by the World Health Organization on Thursday after 42 days without a new case.

New approach cuts sepsis diagnosis from days to hours

Sepsis, a life-threatening condition that stems from the body trying to fight off an infection, plagues more than 1.5 million patients a year in the U.S. alone, with one in three deaths recorded in hospitals attributed in ...

How pregnancy itself drives deadly hepatitis E outcomes

Researchers have uncovered a biological mechanism that helps explain why hepatitis E virus infections can be especially severe—and often fatal—during pregnancy, finding that normal pregnancy-related hormonal changes inadvertently ...

Wastewater may offer an early warning of pertussis outbreaks

Pertussis, or whooping cough, continues to cause periodic outbreaks worldwide and can be especially dangerous for infants who have not completed vaccination. Yet conventional surveillance depends on people seeking medical ...

Warm nights linked to ill premature babies in NICUs

Premature babies in the intensive care unit are particularly at risk of becoming infected with potentially pathogenic bacteria. A team of doctors in Hanover has now investigated which external factors play a role in this. ...

Q&A: Cyclospora outbreak

People across the United States are taking a closer look at their lettuce and leafy greens this summer because of an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, a gastrointestinal illness whose most notable symptom is severe, watery diarrhea.

Cyclosporiasis: What to know and how to prevent it

Cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection causing "explosive diarrhea," is making headlines across the country. Dr. Stacey Rose, associate professor of internal medicine and infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine, ...

COVID-19 booster strategies provide lasting immunity

Smaller doses of COVID-19 booster vaccines can provide long-lasting immunity, helping reduce costs and improve access to vaccination, according to new research. The findings could also inform vaccine dosing and options during ...

New malaria drug candidate shows promise in Phase I trial

The early-stage trial of a potential novel nonartemisinin malaria drug found it rapidly killed malaria parasites and was generally well tolerated in infected volunteers, showing it is a promising candidate for uncomplicated ...

Ebola outbreak tops 2,000 cases in DR Congo

More than 2,000 Ebola cases, including 754 deaths, have been recorded in the DR Congo, where the World Health Organization warns the outbreak may be two to four times larger than official figures suggest.

Sri Lanka expands anti-dengue drive as deaths mount

Sri Lanka is intensifying a military-backed drive to contain the spread of mosquito-borne dengue fever, a senior official said Wednesday, as the death toll climbed to 49 since the start of the year.

Herpes immune response linked to Alzheimer's disease

New research has demonstrated a mechanistic link between the immune response to herpesviruses—the family of viruses related to cold sores, childhood infections and mononucleosis—and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. ...

Trial of potential Ebola antiviral under way: WHO

The first clinical trial of an antiviral drug's effectiveness in people exposed to the deadly Ebola strain spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo is underway, the WHO said Tuesday.