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Infectious diseases news

Disease-causing pathogen rewires gut metabolism to secure nutrients for growth, research shows

An intestinal pathogen reshapes the gut environment to fuel its own colonization and cause diseases, a multi-institutional team including researchers at Vanderbilt Health has discovered. The investigators show that enterotoxigenic ...

Targeted maternal screening could prevent rare, deadly leukemia in the US

A deadly form of leukemia may be stopped before it ever develops by introducing targeted maternal screening in the United States, according to new research. The national study, led by physician-scientists at Sylvester Comprehensive ...

Your nose may be the gateway to a stronger immune system

At the moment, an influenza vaccine called FluMist is the only licensed intranasal vaccine approved for use in humans. The vaccine is administered through a spray of fluid in the nose, rather than with an injection.

Bacteriophages: Meet the viruses that hunt superbugs

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. These microscopic predators are found everywhere, from soil and water to food and the human gut. Because they attack only specific bacteria, researchers ...

Koala vaccine offers clues to solving human health challenge

A vaccine first developed to protect koalas from a devastating disease is now offering rare insights that could help accelerate human vaccine development for one of the world's most common sexually transmitted infections.

World going too slow on eliminating hepatitis: WHO

The World Health Organization on Tuesday said progress in eliminating hepatitis was too slow, with tools available to eliminate the disease that kills more than one million people annually.

Severe infections may raise dementia risk

Severe infections increase the risk of dementia independently of other coexisting illnesses, according to a new study published in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Pyry Sipilä of the University of Helsinki, Finland, ...

Cancer drug can treat drug-resistant herpes, too

UIC researchers have successfully repurposed an FDA-approved cancer drug, doxorubicin, to treat drug-resistant strains of herpes. Their work appears in the journal Drug Resistance Updates.

Existing medication can restore HIV-affected immune cells

HIV exhausts the body's immune system by overactivating it, despite effective antiviral treatment. Researchers from Linköping University in Sweden have conducted cell studies showing that an existing medication restores immune ...

Dual immune response may keep HIV in check without medication

Imagine a game of chess where your opponent's king is in check. It cannot move, but the game is not over—the piece remains on the board. This is how the body might control HIV on its own: The virus would be contained and ...

Skin's immune response could be key to fighting dengue

Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease, infects an estimated 390 million people and causes around 20,000 deaths worldwide each year. New research suggests the skin is a major site of immune surveillance for dengue. The findings ...

Why long-term lung risks persist after tuberculosis treatment

Even after completing treatment for tuberculosis (TB), some patients may remain vulnerable to further lung infections. Scientists at A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs (A*STAR IDL) have recently uncovered how structures formed ...