All Immunology articles – Page 5
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NewsAlert immune system in respiratory tract protects children from severe Covid
Scientists have discovered that the immune system in the upper respiratory tract is much more alert and active in children before infection than in adults and is therefore better equipped to fight the virus.
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NewsScientists find an unusual weapon against human cytomegalovirus
Instead of targeting the virus with antiviral treatments, the researchers focused on strengthening the immune system to fight the virus on its own.
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NewsBat immune genes protect against COVID and cancer
Bats have acquired remarkable traits throughout their evolution. They’re the only mammals that can fly, and they live much longer than other animals their size. But perhaps most impressive is their robust immune system. It protects bats from viruses that wreak havoc in humans, like COVID-19 or Ebola, and also ...
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NewsNew research points out ways to improve tuberculosis vaccines
A new study unveils a previously unappreciated role for a class of immune cells in the early stages of tuberculosis (TB) infection.
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NewsCoronavirus vaccination reveals that body builds immune memory in organs
A study of the mRNA coronavirus vaccines reveals that the human body builds local immune memory in various organs. The immune memory cells are more numerous in the organs than in the blood and have enhanced antiviral defense functions.
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NewsMicrobiome molecule may hamper immune cells’ cancer-fighting abilities
An important group of immune cells in the large bowel - gamma delta T cells - are crucial to preventing bowel cancer, but a molecule linked to gut microbiome diversity may suppress their immune response.
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NewsFungal toxin triggers NET traps formed by white blood cells
A new study sheds light on how neutrophils respond to C. albicans hyphae, which release a peptide toxin called candidalysin, exclusively secreted when C. albicans grows as hyphae and hence during invasive growth.
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NewsPrior exposure to common virus shields against birth defects and miscarriage
A new study uncovers how pre-existing immunity to Cytomegalovirus (CMV) may significantly reduce the risk of birth defects and miscarriage during pregnancy, offering hope for a future vaccine.
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NewsVulnerability to different COVID-19 mutations depends on previous infections and vaccination
A person’s immune response to variants of SARS-CoV-2 depends on their previous exposure – and differences in the focus of immune responses will help scientists understand how to optimise vaccines in the future to provide broad protection.
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NewsVersatile vaccine candidate fights measles, mumps and Covid
Altered measles and mumps viruses could be used as a platform to create a trivalent COVID-19 vaccine that triggers immunity to multiple variant strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, new research in animals suggests. The study builds upon previous studies that involved inserting a highly stable segment of ...
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NewsLeishmania’s secret weapon is ability to infect non-immune cells
The parasites that cause visceral leishmaniasis appear to have a secret weapon, new research suggests - they can infect non-immune cells and persist in those uncommon environments.
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NewsContagious omicron strain replicates early in infection
New research used engineered mice to compare SARS-COV-2 omicron subvariants and found one of them – BA.5 – was more virulent likely due to its ability to rapidly replicate early during infection.
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NewsCOVID-19 could hold key to spotting viruses with pandemic potential
Certain SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern are evolving to do a better job of shutting down human innate immune responses, according to new research.
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NewsProteins in breast milk found to be essential for a baby’s healthy gut
A new study shows variation in the protein composition of breast milk between mothers explains much of the variation in the abundance of key beneficial microbes in the gut of their babies.
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NewsHypervirulent bacteria emerging in healthy people
New ’hypervirulent’ strains of the bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae have emerged in healthy people in community settings, prompting researchers to investigate how the human immune system defends against infection.
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NewsStudy IDs secret of stealthy invader essential to ruinous rice disease
The virulence of a rice-wrecking fungus — and deployment of ninja-like proteins that help it escape detection by muffling an immune system’s alarm bells — relies on genetic decoding quirks that could prove central to stopping it.
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NewsEnergy depleting mechanism immunizes bacteria against phages
Researchers have described a new family of proteins that deplete cells of their energy, thereby protecting the cells from invaders. The previously unknown immune mechanism is used by many living creatures, from bacteria to bees.
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NewsCommon cold virus exposure may help usher in immunity to Covid
Exposure to common cold-causing coronaviruses may contribute to pre-existing immunity to COVID-19, according to a new study.
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NewsSpike protein mutants with low binding affinity usher in new Covid vaccine
Researchers have succeeded in producing a new vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus by identifying spike protein mutants that lack binding affinity.
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NewsInterferon could help reduce the spread of COVID-19
Results of an innovative clinical trial have shown that the drug interferon could help reduce the spread of COVID-19 from a positive person to their household contacts, with the study helping to inform treatment options for a future pandemic.
