https://medicalxpress.com/infectious-diseases-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Infectious diseases While it was previously thought that keratinocytes (skin cells) were only passive conductors that allow the rabies virus to pass through, novel research reveals that these cells play a much more active role. The findings of a new study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (JID), provide direct evidence that keratinocytes can support viral replication and transmit the rabies virus to neurons. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-skin-cells-rabies-invade-nerves.html Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:10:01 EDT news695477521 A research team led by the University of California, Irvine's Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health has uncovered a critical biological link explaining why individuals with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, also known as fatty liver disease) face significantly worse outcomes from certain foodborne infections. The study published in Gut Microbes is the first to show how changes in the connection between the gut and liver can make foodborne infections more severe—an illness that is becoming a growing global health concern. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-gut-microbiome-key-driver-bacterial.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:40:07 EDT news695486702 Doctors recommend getting your flu shot annually, since the specific influenza strain it targets varies from year to year. But what if the shot could be more effective while protecting against more strains? Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine are one step closer to making this happen. When the immune system sees a new strain of a familiar virus, it typically focuses on the parts it "remembers" most, even if those regions have changed. "Epitope-spanning antigenic variation reprograms immunodominance and broadens immunity in sequential influenza vaccination" was recently published in Nature Communications. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-flu-shot-epitope-widen.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:00:03 EDT news695491082 Syphilis has been rising sharply in the United States, with especially high rates in Southern states. Now, a new study from Tulane University researchers suggests the long-term infection may carry another risk that is often overlooked: serious damage to the heart and blood vessels. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-syphilis-cases-links-infection-higher.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:40:05 EDT news695481422 A study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health reports a major advance in understanding how interactions between human and viral genomes shape disease risk. The research found that variations in the Epstein–Barr virus, together with a specific immune-related gene (HLA-A*11:01), strongly influence the risk of nasopharyngeal cancer. The findings are published in Nature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-genome-wide-analysis-reveals-hostvirus.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 11:00:05 EDT news695394841 The average human has about 1.8 trillion immune cells. These cells patrol the body for bacteria, viruses, cancers, and other threats. Vaccines enhance this security system by teaching our immune cells to target specific pathogens. According to the World Health Organization, vaccine-induced immunity saves about six lives every minute. But how long does this protective immune "memory" last? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-closer-immune-memory-spur-lethal.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:00:04 EDT news695403061 Researchers at Boston University have discovered an unexpectedly high prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA (TB DNA) in patients hospitalized in Boston, suggesting that tuberculosis disease may be significantly underdiagnosed in the United States. The findings, published in Nature Communications, could reshape how clinicians approach tuberculosis (TB) detection and help accelerate progress toward elimination goals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-ultrasensitive-reveals-evidence-previously-undetected.html Tue, 14 Apr 2026 05:00:07 EDT news695293382 Vaccines play a critical role in preventing infectious diseases, but their success often depends on adjuvants—substances that enhance immune responses. While these compounds improve vaccine effectiveness, they can also trigger reactogenicity, such as local swelling or fever. For decades, scientists have assumed that these beneficial and adverse effects are closely linked, making it difficult to improve one without affecting the other. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-vaccine-side-effects-weakening.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:00:01 EDT news695318882 Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) is one of the most challenging viruses for doctors to treat. Even with effective antiretroviral therapy, immune cells infected with HIV can hide and lie inactive in certain areas of the body called latent reservoirs. If treatment is discontinued, these reservoirs may become active again, causing patients to face renewed challenges with symptoms of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-drug-effectiveness-dormant-hiv-immune.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 17:00:08 EDT news695315881 A Norwegian man has been effectively cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant from his brother, doctors announced on Monday. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-norway-oslo-patient-hiv-remission.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:00:04 EDT news695314193 NTU Singapore is working with China's Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and Swedish biotechnology company Lipigon Pharmaceuticals AB to develop a new inhaled treatment aimed at helping patients recover faster from severe lung infections. The treatment is designed to reduce excessive inflammation in the lungs, which can continue even after viruses or bacteria have been cleared from the body. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-inhaled-rna-therapy-lung-inflammation.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:20:01 EDT news695309641 Cats are not just beloved companions; they are emerging as key "research partners" in unraveling viral cancer mechanisms. A team led by Professor Julia Beatty, Chair Professor of Veterinary Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences of City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), recently published a review in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer. Titled "Cat viruses as windows into human oncogenesis," the article explores how feline tumor viruses offer vital insights into human oncology and viral carcinogenesis from a comparative oncology perspective. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-cats-powerful-front-virus-cancer.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:00:01 EDT news695306756 Researchers at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have found that stopping mass drug administration for Lymphatic Filariasis (LF) was associated with an increase in infections from other parasitic worms, threatening disease control efforts. The study, published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, suggests that once wider community treatment programs for LF ended, school-aged children were nearly twice as likely to be infected with the intestinal roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-community-wide-treatment-linked-resurgence.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 12:40:07 EDT news695301481 New findings reveal that obesity significantly impaired the quality and longevity of antibody responses to a Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine in a mouse model. The impaired antibody production was due to defects in germinal centers, a transient part of the immune system where specialized immune cells, called B cells, produce antibodies and build memory against pathogens. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-obesity-derail-vaccine-response-lung.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 09:00:01 EDT news695035117 In many parts of East Africa, small pools of water that form after heavy rainfall are ideal breeding sites for the Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have analyzed how such environmental conditions affect the effectiveness of mosquito nets. They combined high-resolution climate and hydrology models with malaria data from Kenya to enable better assessments of when and where the nets are especially effective at preventing infections. Their results have been published in Scientific Reports. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-malaria-effectively-climate.html Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:40:06 EDT news695287801 Scientists in China have developed a two-antibody cocktail to treat respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, that in laboratory studies prevented the virus from developing drug resistance—a persistent problem with current therapies for infants. RSV is a seasonal infection that circulates globally and can be especially dangerous for people at opposite ends of the age spectrum: infants and older adults. Vaccines are available for those who are 65 and older (GlaxoSmithKline's Arexvy, Pfizer's ABRYSVO and Moderna's mRESVIA), but there is still no available vaccine for infants who are among the most vulnerable. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-rsv-evolves-twopronged-antibody-cocktail.html Sun, 12 Apr 2026 14:00:01 EDT news694862856 Yellow fever is a viral disease that is spread to humans through the bites of infected mosquitoes. The symptoms range from mild fever-like aches and pains to severe liver disease with bleeding, often accompanied by yellowing skin and eyes. As of now, we do not have antiviral drugs to cure these diseases, as most of the treatments are limited to easing symptoms. Hence, prevention via vaccination is our best bet against this disease. A recent study has found that a new yellow fever vaccine, called vYF by Sanofi, works just as well as the current licensed vaccine, YF-VAX. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-yellow-fever-vaccine-safety-effectiveness.html Sat, 11 Apr 2026 02:00:01 EDT news695041269 A new study suggests that COVID-19 may slightly increase the risk of lung cancer by triggering a biological chain reaction in the lungs, driven by the virus's spike protein, that promotes inflammation, scarring, and tumor-friendly conditions, especially in higher-risk groups like smokers; while the individual risk remains small, the findings are important because they reveal a plausible mechanism and potential targets for prevention and treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-covid-lingering-shadow-molecular-link.html Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:00:05 EDT news695043841 Two new vaccines to prevent tuberculosis (TB) are safe for use in adults and children, but they do not offer protection against all forms of TB, finds a large trial from India published by The BMJ. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-tb-vaccines-safe-fall-short.html Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news694949221 As warming temperatures spread dengue to new regions, Stanford researchers are using AI-powered drones to hunt down hidden mosquito breeding sites. Anyone who has left water standing in a wading pool or empty flower pot knows how quickly mosquitoes arrive. But these backyard nuisances can spawn serious diseases: dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are all transmitted by mosquitoes breeding in water that collects in shallow containers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-drones-ai-flight-combat-mosquito.html Wed, 08 Apr 2026 11:20:02 EDT news694861202