All Infectious Disease articles
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NewsTwo coronavirus master keys: new study unveils the mechanisms Covid-19 virus uses to enter our cells
To enter our cells, the Covid-19 virus fuses its surrounding membrane with the membrane of the target cell. The fusion peptides of the spike protein function as molecular keys that allow the virus to open the door to the target cell . A new study shows that SARS-CoV-2 does not have just one key, but two.
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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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NewsHow a pathogen turns flowers into leaves
Scientists have found how a protein produced by bacteria disrupts the mechanism that controls flower development in plants, turning reproductive organs into leaf-like structures. These findings shed light on a plant disease that is expected to spread as climate change expands the range of its insect vectors in northern latitudes.
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NewsWas Nîmes depopulated by the Plague of Cyprian?
Analyses of the carbonate deposits in the aqueduct featuring the famous Pont du Gard shed light on the water supply of the ancient city of Nîmes - and support the theory that the city was depopulated by the plague.
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NewsAn IBEC device simulates natural conditions to grow biofilms and test their antibiotic susceptibility more accurately
Researchers have developed XpertBiofilm, a simple and accessible device that allows biofilms to be grown under continuous, controlled liquid flow, similar to what bacteria encounter in the human body — for example, in lung mucus, blood or urine.
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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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NewsResearchers discover how Epstein-Barr Virus triggers multiple sclerosis attacks
In a study of blood samples from more than 100 participants with MS, researchers detected increased EBV lytic activity in immune cells up to three months before MS relapse and discovered that these cells also showed elevated expression of genes linked to MS risk.
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CareersMeet the Global Ambassadors: our Q&A with Sanjib Bhakta
The Microbiologist gets to know our Global Ambassador for the UK, Professor Sanjib Bhakta who is Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Biochemistry at Birkbeck, University of London.
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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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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.