https://medicalxpress.com/infectious-diseases-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Infectious diseases In an editorial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, University of Michigan Health hepatologist Anna S. Lok, M.D., hails newly announced results of the B-Well clinical trials as "a major step toward a functional cure for hepatitis B virus infection." https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-patients-functional-hepatitis-weeks-bepirovirsen.html Fri, 29 May 2026 14:40:09 EDT news699268668 A research team led by Associate Professor Noriyuki Kurita from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology and by Associate Professor Pornpan Pungpo from Ubon Ratchathani University in Thailand has proposed a novel therapeutic agent for tuberculosis, using high-precision molecular simulation techniques. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-simulation-uncovers-tuberculosis-drug-candidates.html Fri, 29 May 2026 11:20:05 EDT news699269760 Researchers at Trinity College Dublin have identified key differences in how immune cells generate and use energy, a process known as cellular metabolism, in people with latent versus active tuberculosis (TB). The findings offer new insights into why some individuals control infection while others develop disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-immune-energy-signature-linked-tuberculosis.html Thu, 28 May 2026 15:20:05 EDT news699198841 A Mount Sinai-led research team has demonstrated that autoimmunity, in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues, is responsible for the often-debilitating and confounding symptoms of long COVID in a subset of people. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-scientists-validate-link-autoimmunity-covid.html Thu, 28 May 2026 11:00:05 EDT news699120421 Why do some people recover easily from bacterial infections while others rapidly deteriorate into life-threatening sepsis? According to a new study published in Nature Communications, the answer may lie not only in the invading pathogen itself, but also in the microorganisms already living inside the gut. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-gut-microbe-worsen-sepsis-triggering.html Thu, 28 May 2026 09:40:06 EDT news699178321 Valley Fever, technically known as Coccidioidomycosis, is a dust-borne fungal infection that occurs in dry regions like the southwestern US and is proliferating in California and Arizona. California alone spends $1 billion a year on treatment. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-immune-modulation-effectively-combat-valley.html Wed, 27 May 2026 11:40:25 EDT news699093541 The overuse of antibiotics is increasingly leading to the emergence of infectious superbugs—dangerous bacteria that have developed antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and are therefore much harder, if not impossible, to eliminate from the body. In a review published in Trends in Immunology, researchers highlight the promise of using human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to treat patients more effectively and tackle AMR. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-human-monoclonal-antibodies-antimicrobial-resistance.html Wed, 27 May 2026 11:00:08 EDT news699026224 The true toll of long COVID may be double that of current estimates and hidden from current surveillance systems that rely on capturing diagnostic codes, according to new research led by Mass General Brigham. Investigators have used a novel AI algorithm to comb through medical records of nearly 460,000 patients with COVID-19 across 58 U.S. hospitals, finding that approximately one in six (roughly 16%) developed long COVID. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-covid-affect-million-americans-surveillance.html Wed, 27 May 2026 11:00:05 EDT news699073801 Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is mainly driven by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, which allows resistant bacteria to survive and spread. However, rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns can influence how bacteria survive, mutate, and spread, potentially increasing the exchange of antibiotic resistance genes. While previous studies have linked higher temperatures to greater levels of resistant bacteria, global quantitative studies on this relationship have been limited. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-climate-linked-antibiotic-resistance-salmonella.html Wed, 27 May 2026 09:40:07 EDT news699092701 Chikungunya ("to become contorted" in the Kimakonde language, named after the characteristic joint ache) is classified as one of the neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organization. It's caused by a virus spread by Aedes mosquitoes. Symptoms include high fever, muscle and back pain, headache, fatigue, nausea, and skin rash. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-north-america-europe-hotspots-chikungunya.html Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:02 EDT news698920381 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a common childhood disease. Most people catch and recover from it by the age of three. 2022 was different, though. There was a severe and early outbreak of RSV that overwhelmed hospitals. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-rsv-mutations-severe-childhood-cases.html Tue, 26 May 2026 11:40:05 EDT news699012085 Researchers have discovered how part of the body's immune system could better combat a leading cause of death for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). A team led by The University of Queensland's Professor Peter Sly and Dr. Abdullah Tarique has identified how macrophages—the white blood cells that fight infection in the body—function differently in people with CF, compared to others. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-pac-cells-deadly-infection-people.html Tue, 26 May 2026 08:40:03 EDT news699002822 Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus that can cause severe breathing complications in babies, especially those younger than 6 months old. While many adults recover quickly from RSV with mild symptoms similar to a cold, infants often face a much greater risk of hospitalization due to their developing immune systems and smaller airways. One hundred to 300 children aged less than 5 years die of RSV each year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-maternal-rsv-vaccine-lowers-infant.html Mon, 25 May 2026 18:00:04 EDT news698933920 For many people living with HIV, today's treatments can suppress the virus and dramatically improve health. But even when HIV is controlled, damage to the gut caused by the disease can persist, fueling chronic inflammation linked to serious health problems. A new Tulane University study published in JCI Insight helps explain why. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-broccoli-compounds-hiv-linked-gut.html Mon, 25 May 2026 14:20:01 EDT news698933282 Scientists from China have developed a new broad-spectrum mRNA vaccine that could provide long-term protection against the most lethal family of Ebola viruses, including the Bundibugyo strain behind the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-experimental-mrna-vaccine-multiple-ebola.html Mon, 25 May 2026 13:20:06 EDT news698933907