All Infectious Disease articles – Page 28
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NewsHow the plague bacillus became less virulent, prolonging the duration of two major pandemics
Scientists have discovered that the evolution of a gene in the bacterium that causes bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis, may have prolonged the duration of two major pandemics. Modifying the copy number of a specific virulence gene increases the length of infection.
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NewsUncovered: A long-lasting history of leprosy in the Americas
A new study challenges the view that leprosy is a disease that was introduced into the Americas during European colonization. A strain of leprosy-causing mycobacterium, Mycobacterium lepromatosis, infected humans in the Americas before European contact.
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NewsTrees vs. disease: Tree cover reduces mosquito-borne health risk
A new study shows that in Costa Rica, even modest patches of tree cover can reduce the presence of invasive mosquito species known to transmit diseases like dengue fever.
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NewsClaudin-11 plays a pivotal role in the clathrin-mediated endocytosis of influenza A virus
In a new study, researchers investigated a key host factor that promotes influenza virus infection. They found that claudin-11, a four-transmembrane protein encoded by claudin-11, plays an integral part in influenza virus clathrin-mediated endocytosis.
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NewsMirror molecules deliver a one-two punch to superbugs to fight infections
Researchers have created mirror-image molecules that both kill pathogens outright and rally the immune system—an advance aimed at the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance.
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NewsPortable HIV monitoring device shows promise for remote settings
A newly developed microfluidic biosensor promises to reshape how CD4+ T cells — key indicators of immune function in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) patients — are detected.
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NewsDisrupting the residual triggers of COVID-19 in patients with long COVID
Spatial transcriptomics reveals activation of SARS-CoV-2-related signaling pathways in the epipharynx of patients with long COVID.
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NewsSARS-CoV-2 corrupts some white blood cells to suppress immune system, suggesting path to severe COVID
A study found that neutrophils may be altered by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to cease their normal function of destroying pathogens in the body and, instead, significantly inhibit other immune cells critical for fighting the virus.
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NewsUncovering the shield: gene duplication behind antifungal resistance in Madurella fahalii
Researchers used advanced genetic and biomolecular chemistry tools to uncover why itraconazole treatment fails against Madurella fahalii but not other Madurella species.
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NewsStudy discovers DNA switch that controls TB growth – and could help unlock its antibiotic resistance secrets
The bacteria that cause tuberculosis (TB) may have an ‘on-off switch’ that lets them pause and restart growth, according to a new study which helps explain why TB is so hard to treat with antibiotics and could pave the way for better drugs.
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NewsDNA test detects three times more lung pathogens than traditional methods
A study on the application of Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) found it can achieve early detection of pathogens and accelerate development of targeted anti-infection treatment plans, improving treatment outcomes and patient prognosis.
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CareersHow structural imaging is revolutionising vaccines
Dr. Peijun Zhang, Director of the Electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC) at the UK’s national synchrotron facility Diamond Light Source, reveals how Cryo-ET is powering some of the most important advances in vaccine research.
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NewsAncient remains reveal how a pathogen began to use lice – not ticks – to infect humans
Researchers have analysed ancient DNA from Borrelia recurrentis, a type of bacteria that causes relapsing fever, pinpointing when it evolved to spread through lice rather than ticks, and how it gained and lost genes in the process.
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NewsTuberculous meningitis: study shows that metabolism drives mortality
A new study suggests that dysregulated β-oxidation may be an important and potentially modifiable contributor to mortality in tuberculous meningitis.
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NewsA gene variant increases the risk of long COVID
An international team of researchers has found a genetic link to long-term symptoms after COVID-19. The identified gene variant is located close to the FOXP4 gene, which is known to affect lung function.
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NewsScientists uncover how certain cholera strains are so successful at evading phage attacks
A new study shows that a virulent lineage of cholera acquired multiple distinct bacterial immune systems that have protected it from diverse types of phages. This defense may have contributed to the massive scale of the Latin American epidemic.
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NewsOrganoids reveal the secrets of bat immunity
Researchers successfully infected both bat organoids and human airway organoids with the Marburg virus. Compared to the human models, bat organoids exhibited a significantly higher baseline antiviral immune activity even before infection.
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NewsNew malaria control strategy efficiently kills parasites in the mosquito
A potent combination of antimalarial compounds added to bed nets blocked parasite transmission in mosquitoes while circumventing insecticide resistance, according to a new study.
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NewsSelenium exposure during pregnancy may reduce childhood streptococcal infections
Higher maternal selenium levels during pregnancy were associated with a lower risk of streptococcal infections in children, a new study shows, suggesting a potential protective effect.
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NewsNatural algal communities can inhibit aquaculture pathogens
A new study has demonstrated that it is possible to develop a consortium of bacteria that can inhibit bacterial pathogens in aquaculture. This could potentially reduce the use of antibiotics in aquaculture and possibly other applications.