https://medicalxpress.com/infectious-diseases-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Infectious diseases Young people living with HIV manage their condition better when their antiretroviral therapy is given by injections every eight weeks rather than daily tablets, according to results of a trial in Africa led by UCL (University College London) researchers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-hiv-tablets-young-people-clinical.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 18:30:01 EDT news708781562 There is no cure for HIV. While scientists have made considerable progress in controlling the infection, patients still must take daily antiretroviral medication for the rest of their lives. Results from a clinical trial led by Rockefeller, Imperial College London, and the University of Oxford (RIO) have offered a new strategy, suggesting that just one or two doses of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) can suppress the virus long term, keeping it at undetectable levels for months and even years. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-immune-hiv.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:00:08 EDT news708871262 Redness and pain at the injection site, fever, fatigue or headaches: Vaccines can cause side effects, but their frequency and severity vary considerably from person to person. Why? https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-vaccination-dont-side-effects.html Thu, 17 Sep 2026 10:40:38 EDT news708859801 It was mid-2020, and Patrick Varilly, a software engineer and data scientist, was stuck at home, eager to help the world navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He reconnected with Pardis Sabeti, a core institute member of the Broad Institute who was at the forefront of analyzing how the SARS-CoV-2 virus was spreading, and with Ben Fry, her longstanding collaborator and principal at Fathom Information Design, a software firm known for tackling complex data problems. Varilly had worked closely with Sabeti and Fry at MIT more than 20 years earlier. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-software-rapidly-tracks-viral-variants.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:20:07 EDT news708786756 A little-known chronic lung disease is silently emerging as a growing public health threat in the U.S. and around the world. Nontuberculous mycobacteria—a group of 200 known environmental bacteria found in soil and water, including household plumbing—can cause chronic, tuberculosis-like lung infections. NTM lung disease afflicts as many as 300,000 Americans a year. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-diagnosis-hard-lung-infections.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:00:21 EDT news708778382 What if something produced naturally by your gut bacteria could help fight a dangerous foodborne pathogen? Researchers in Michigan State University's Department of Microbiology, Genetics, & Immunology may have found just such a substance. Academic Research Specialist Ritam Sinha and Rudolph Hugh Endowed Professor and Department Chair Victor DiRita and colleagues discovered that a molecule called indole can inhibit the growth of Campylobacter jejuni, a leading cause of food poisoning worldwide. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-gut-bacteria-molecule-food-poisoning.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:00:05 EDT news708695881 To defeat multidrug-resistant superbugs, bacterial defenses must be confronted wherever they may emerge, from basic genetic mutations in a laboratory to complex real-world transmission in hospital rooms. A new trio of studies published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy and researched by the laboratory of Barry N. Kreiswirth, Ph.D., at the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) demonstrates how an integrated approach might yet expose and overcome these diverse survival mechanisms. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-superbugs-evade-antibiotics-vulnerable-patients.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:00:01 EDT news708780001 An analysis of more than 60,000 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sequences from around the world found that viral variants associated with resistance to current RSV prevention tools remain rare, according to a study published in Nature. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-effectiveness-rsv-antibodies-infants-viral.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:03 EDT news708778321 A new study illuminates the connection between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS), pointing to a causal role for reactivation of the virus in triggering MS attacks in people with certain genetic risk factors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-epstein-barr-virus-foreshadow-multiple.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 05:00:07 EDT news708680761 Streptococcus pneumoniae is a bacterial pathogen that causes life-threatening infections, including pneumonia and meningitis. These infections are commonly treated with antibiotics, but antibiotics are becoming less effective against S. pneumoniae over time because of changes in the pathogen that cause drug resistance. This phenomenon, called antimicrobial resistance, is resulting in significant health care costs and deaths around the world. In a new study published by Wiley in Advanced Science, researchers used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify approved drugs that may be effective against S. pneumoniae. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-drugs-resistant-strains-ai-advances.html Wed, 16 Sep 2026 03:10:01 EDT news708701222 A mathematical model is a simplified description of reality that can be used to solve practical problems, predict future events or explain how different systems work. During pandemics, mathematical models can be valuable tools for simulating disease transmission and, among other things, forecasting how many hospital beds will be needed. Early in an outbreak, however, there is often considerable uncertainty about how the disease spreads, resulting in uncertain forecasts. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-simulated-epidemics-reliable-hospitalization.html Tue, 15 Sep 2026 10:40:09 EDT news708687062 A new immunization, offered free to all infants through universal programs in two Canadian provinces, provided strong protection against respiratory syncytial virus, commonly referred to as RSV, sharply reducing hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in infants. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-rsv-immunization-effective-icu-admission.html Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:40:01 EDT news708622682 A large-scale, quality improvement program developed in collaboration with infection prevention experts at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality was associated with a 65% reduction in hospital-onset bloodstream infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among participating hospital units. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-nationwide-safety-reduction-hospital-onset.html Mon, 14 Sep 2026 15:40:11 EDT news708614161 A research team led by Professor Zhou Xuyu from the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with researchers from Beijing Ditan Hospital and Capital Medical University, has identified ANKRD11 as a key regulator that reduces the activity of CD8+ T cells during chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and cancer. The researchers found that ANKRD11 suppresses the AP-1 signaling pathway, which usually helps CD8+ T cells mount effective responses against infections and tumors. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-blocking-gene-boosts-cell-chronic.html Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:40:06 EDT news708607382 Bacterial meningitis can cause severe brain damage even when patients receive antibiotic treatment promptly. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed tiny biological vesicles that, in animal studies, were able to capture bacterial toxins, protect neurons, reduce inflammation and delay disease progression. The findings are published in the journal Journal of Extracellular Vesicles. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-vesicles-brain-bacterial-toxin.html Mon, 14 Sep 2026 11:40:06 EDT news708601207 Cefepime is a fourth-generation antibiotic widely used to treat serious bacterial infections and febrile neutropenia—a fever in patients with abnormally low white blood cell counts. Unlike many antibiotics that are falling prey to antimicrobial resistance, cefepime is relatively stable against AmpC β-lactamases, giving it an advantage against bacteria that produce these enzymes. However, scientists are concerned that this widely effective antibiotic may increase the risk of death, a concern first brought to light by a 2007 meta-analysis. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-common-antibiotic-linked-higher-death.html Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:10:02 EDT news708598913