All Infection Prevention & Control articles
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NewsNew test could dramatically speed diagnosis of hard-to-detect lung infections
Nontuberculous mycobacteria can cause chronic, tuberculosis-like lung infections. Researchers have developed a new diagnostic platform that can identify the precise species of bacteria causing a patient’s infection in just a few hours — a dramatic improvement over the current standard, which can take four to six weeks.
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NewsWhat you need to know about rabies after recent North Carolina cases
In late August, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services confirmed multiple rabies cases in baby goats at a mobile petting zoo based in Iredell County. Hundreds of people may have been exposed to rabies from the goats when the zoo visited various locations over a five-week period.
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NewsFirst-of-its-kind preventative phage therapy provides promising results
The mammalian gut microbiome is teeming with a delicate balance of bacteria and the phages that keep them in check. What if the phages in the gut could prepare for an orally ingested pathogen and strike it down as it enters the gut, negating the need for a battle?
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NewsStudy supports effectiveness of RSV preventive antibody treatments for infants and provides new way to monitor viral resistance
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.
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NewsHedgehog coronaviruses may threaten cats more than humans, new study finds
Researchers have discovered how a group of coronaviruses circulating in hedgehogs invades host cells, a key to understanding their potential to jump between species and their risk of causing a pandemic in humans.
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NewsHow disease-causing E. coli quickly finds a new way to grip human cells—revealing a possible target for future treatments
A new study shows how a type of disease-causing E. coli can quickly adapt when it loses one of its main ways of attaching to the intestine. The bacteria either change shape or make small changes to a protein that strengthens their grip on human cells.
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NewsLab tackles antibiotic resistance across multiple fronts in new trio of studies
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 demonstrates how an integrated approach might yet expose and overcome these diverse survival mechanisms.
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NewsCan AI find drugs to fight infection?
Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify approved drugs that may be effective against Streptococcus pneumoniae. Using a dataset of molecules shown to be active against S. pneumoniae and a larger dataset of molecules inactive against another drug-resistant bacterium, the scientists trained three different learning algorithms.
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NewsBacteria in airway shape air pollution health risk
A study suggests that the subtype of the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, together with air pollution exposure impacts the rate and timing of invasive disease — with some strains linked to immediate infection after air pollution exposure, and some taking several weeks.
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NewsHow to build an evolutionary trap for viruses
When a virus mutates, the world usually finds out the hard way. Variants of influenza and SARS‑CoV‑2 can slip past vaccines and antibody drugs before scientists fully understand what has changed. A new study suggests the hard way may not be inevitable.
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NewsScientists discover why shingles pain can last after virus is gone
Researchers have discovered that small particles in the blood called exosomes are the likely culprit behind why some people with shingles experience lingering pain long after virus has cleared their body.The study investigated the cause of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) in patients infected with the varicella zoster virus.
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NewsWidespread Covid death underreporting around the world raises broader questions about the reliability of official information
A new study finds that widespread underreporting of Covid-19 deaths cannot be explained simply by differences in countries’ ability to count and record deaths. Across 134 countries and territories, an estimated 45%–55% of governments misreported Covid mortality, with underreporting far more common than overreporting.
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NewsFewer infections, more azithromycin use seen among emergency c-section patients following publication of clinical trial results
Researchers investigated if azithromycin use and postpartum infection rates changed after publication of trial evidence in 2016 among US pregnant women who underwent an unscheduled cesarean delivery.
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NewsImmunization to prevent RSV in infants reduced ICU admissions by 97 per cent
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.
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NewsThe usefulness of labelled white blood cells in diagnosing necrotizing external otitis
Using radiopharmaceutical technology, researchers can reliably and conveniently diagnose and monitor necrotizing external otitis, a rare disease of the skull base.
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NewsStudy uncovers how mRNA vaccination may broaden flu antibody responses
A new study finds that mRNA vaccination sustained influenza-specific germinal-center activity for up to six months in some participants.
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NewsDangerous strings of bacteria use flow to spread colonies
Researchers have identified how certain dangerous bacteria are spread. They studied chain-like adherence pattern (CLAP) varieties of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), finding that single bacteria attach to a surface and elongate before dividing, producing chains without ever separating.
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NewsWhat low vaccination rates in the US could mean for flu season 2026
Experts reveal what to expect this flu season, when to get the flu shot, how to recognize flu symptoms, how to treat it, and what the newly approved mRNA flu vaccine means for the public.
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NewsThe Wistar Institute wins $15M+ NIH investment to advance HIV cure research strategies
The Wistar Institute has announced the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded two major grants totaling more than $15M to Luis J. Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil., director of Wistar’s HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center.
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NewsThese bacteria can change their diet to survive inside the body
The team have found that Staphylococcus aureus can adjust its diet depending on what sources remain available. The bacterium can adjust its inner workings in response to any one of a number of different sulfur-containing compounds — like cysteine, glutathione or thiosulfate.