All Immunology articles – Page 4
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NewsIntestinal stem cells can fight back against salmonella scientists discover
Researchers have shown that intestinal stem cells can directly sense intracellular Salmonella enterica bacteria and activate an inflammasome-dependent response. Following infection, the stem cells differentiate into antimicrobial Paneth cells, which secrete molecules that help limit bacterial persistence in the intestinal crypt.
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NewsStudy reveals common mutation linked to autoimmune diseases may protect people from viral infections
New research shows a “risk gene” linked to higher odds of developing autoimmune diseases such as diabetes or lupus may also provide a survival advantage fighting viral infections like coronavirus. The gene PTPN22 carries a mutation, 1858C>T (R620W), found in roughly one in 10 people in North America.
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NewsData hidden in tuberculosis screening tests sheds light on patients’ overall mortality
Researchers have uncovered a tool to study immune function of larger populations of patients, using a lab test that physicians already use regularly: tuberculosis screening tests called interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs). It could indicate how well an immune system can mount a response to an array of threats.
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NewsScientists take crucial step in developing world’s first measles treatment
Scientists have characterized human antibodies capable of neutralizing measles virus. These antibodies bind to key sites on measles virus and prevent the virus from entering host cells.
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NewsScientists discover how gut bacteria toxin invades colon cells to trigger cancer
A common gut bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, drives colon tumor formation, potentially leading to colorectal cancer, by secreting a toxin that damages the lining of the colon. Researchers have now shown that the B. fragilis toxin BFT must first bind host receptor claudin-4 before it can cause damage.
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NewsNeedle-free flu vaccine aims to boost children’s immunity
A new study will explore the effects of a nasal spray flu vaccine on children’s immune systems, aiming to boost future protection and lower vaccine hesitancy rates.
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NewsSeasonal COVID-19 vaccination in 2025/26 reduced risk of illness by half in Canada
An interim analysis estimates that the COVID-19 vaccine for the 2025/26 season reduced the risk of illness in Canada by about half at about 9 weeks after vaccination, offering protection beyond the vaccine’s target strain.
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NewsTuberculosis risk: promising approaches for screening and prediction
It is currently difficult to detect TB in its early stages, or predict who will go on to have TB, and therefore preventive treatment is not widely used. Researchers assessed whether a blood-based 3-gene host-response test can detect active tuberculosis and help predict future disease.
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NewsHead impacts associated with altered gut microbiome in football players
Non-concussive head impacts—hits to the head that don’t cause clinically detectable symptoms—are correlated with subsequent changes to the gut microbiome in a small sample of US collegiate football players, according to a new study.
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NewsScientists discover how HIV hijacks a cellular ‘gateway’ to infect resting immune cells
New research reveals that when HIV spreads directly between T-cells it triggers a molecular signalling chain that temporarily ‘unlocks’ the nuclear pore complex, allowing the HIV virus and capsid to enter and integrate into the host’s DNA.
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NewsWhy feeling sick may be important for surviving infection
In a new perspective, scientists propose a different way of thinking about sickness symptoms: what if these behaviors are part of an integrated immune strategy that operates across scales — from individual cells to tissues and organs, to the whole organism — and helps promote survival?
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NewsGut microbes actively support immunity in people living with HIV
A new study shows that gut microbes help bolster immunity in people living with HIV – and that, one day, these microbes may be harnessed to protect this population from infections driven by immune deficiency.
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NewsIn mice, viruses gain virulence in some individuals, depending on genetics and sex
New research demonstrates that some hosts appear to serve as “evolutionary accelerators” that could enable viruses to gain virulence more quickly.
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NewsStudy confirms effectiveness of medicinal plant against SARS-CoV-2 virus
A study has revealed that galloylquinic acids extracted from the leaves of Copaifera lucens Dwyer, a tree endemic to Brazil primarily found in the Atlantic Forest, have a multi-targeted effect against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
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NewsYour nose is a battlefield
Scientists have discovered that FluMist can trigger an immune response directly in nasal tissue in adults. The vaccine trains immune cells in the upper nasal passages to recognize and fight influenza virus infection. This immune response stays in the upper airways and can’t be detected via blood samples.
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NewsNew study shows antibodies need a strong core — not just grip — to fight SARS-CoV-2
Researchers used advanced computer simulations to investigate how antibody–virus complexes respond to mechanical forces across multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the original 2019 strain and Omicron subvariants BA.4 and JN.1.
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NewsVaccine strategy induces broadly neutralising HIV antibodies
Researchers have developed a new vaccine strategy that has generated antibodies capable of neutralising highly divergent HIV variants. The study provides new insights into how the immune system can be guided towards a particularly protected part of the virus.
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NewsNew study suggests seasonal flu vaccines may reduce severity of H5N1 bird flu infections
Researchers have found that seasonal influenza vaccines in routine global use may significantly reduce the risk of death from H5N1 infection. The findings that readily available tools may offer protection while the world races to develop more targeted solutions.
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NewsPlasmodium uses its own PI3K to suppress eat-me signal and evade host immune clearance
A study finds that Plasmodium PI3K actively suppresses the externalization of phosphatidylserine on the surface of infected erythrocytes. When the activity of parasite PI3K was chemically inhibited or genetically disrupted, phosphatidylserine exposure on infected red blood cells increased markedly.
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NewsHow the immune system battles lifelong viral infections acquired at birth
Millions of people worldwide carry viral infections they acquired at birth, often for life. For a long time it was assumed that the immune system hardly fights these pathogens. Researchers show that the body’s defenses do indeed act against the virus.