All Viruses articles
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NewsTarget behind cancer drug shown to help fight influenza in mice
A protein already targeted by FDA-approved cancer drugs may also help the body fight influenza. A study found that Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1), best known for helping tumors evade immune attack, instead helped immunocompromised mice clear flu-infected lung cells and survive infection.
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NewsBird flu risk to Danish cattle – new tool can warn farmers before infection spreads
Researchers have developed a tool that can predict where and when the risk of infection is highest. The tool is based on infection data from the U.S. outbreaks and adapted to a Danish context.
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NewsScientists uncover how HPV-positive cancers hide from the immune system — and how to make them visible again
A new study solves a major mystery in cancer immunology by uncovering how HPV hides cancer cells from the immune system by using MARCHF8 to destroy MHC-I, which serves as a warning flag for the immune system.
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NewsNovel biosensing platform enables fingertip blood-based micro-volume t-cell immune monitoring
A new platform, known as Tip Optofluidic Immunoassay Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (TOI-IGRA), could revolutionize how people monitor their immune health. The platform allows for the precise quantification of pathogen-specific T-cell responses using a mere 15-25 μL of fingertip blood.
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NewsScientists discover a bacterium that protects against long Covid
Scientists have discovered the key role played by a bacterium, Dolosigranulum pigrum, that is naturally present in the respiratory microbiome. When present in greater numbers, these bacteria are associated with a reduction in the persistence of symptoms characteristic of long Covid.
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NewsInappropriate antibiotic use for COVID-19 is linked to resistance
Taking azithromycin for as little as one day triggers antibiotic resistance in the respiratory tract, according to a first-of-its kind look by scientists at the changes that occur in the microbiome of hospitalized patients who were treated for COVID-19.
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NewsClimate change is fueling disease outbreaks
Researchers analyzed the connection between a cyclone in Peru and a massive outbreak of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease that can cause fever, rash, and life-threatening symptoms like hemorrhage and shock. Their findings reveal that warmer, wetter weather linked to climate change is making disease epidemics more likely.
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NewsWhat factors influence likelihood and severity of Ebola outbreaks?
Two new papers looked at factors that contribute to how Ebola outbreaks begin and how severe they become. This Q&A looks at how the results could inform public health interventions to prevent pathogen emergence or slow the spread of Ebola and other infectious diseases.
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NewsTargeting two flu proteins sharply reduces airborne spread
A study in ferrets — which have remarkably similar respiratory systems to humans — suggests that immunity to two proteins in the H1N1 influenza virus sharply reduces transmission.
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NewsScientists reveal how deadly Marburg virus enters human cells, identify therapeutic vulnerability
Researchers found that the Marburg virus, one of the world’s deadliest pathogens, is unusually efficient at getting inside human cells. They also showed that the virus’s entry protein contains structural features that explain this efficiency and point to a strategy for blocking infection.
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NewsHow one flu virus can hamper the immune response to another
Prior exposure to one strain of influenza virus may weaken children’s ability to mount an effective antibody response against their subsequent exposure to a different flu strain, according to a study.
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NewsSevere COVID-19 and flu facilitate lung cancer months or years later, new research shows
Severe COVID-19 and influenza infections prime the lungs for cancer and can accelerate the disease’s development, but vaccination heads off those harmful effects, new research indicates.
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NewsDengue vaccine remains 80.5% effective against severe cases after five years
The tetravalent dengue vaccine was 80.5% effective against severe dengue cases with warning signs over a five-year period. Overall, the vaccine was 65% effective in preventing symptomatic dengue (caused by any serotype) during the five years of monitoring.
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NewsSeaweed has the potential to create a shield to block norovirus infection
Seaweed has certain properties which have the ability to create a shield within the human body, effectively blocking norovirus infection. Fucoidan, from brown seaweed, showed the strongest and most consistent blocking activity against two major norovirus strains, GII.4 and GII.17.
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NewsScientists trace crop viruses back to the last Ice Age
Long before humans cultivated crops or sailed between continents, a group of plant viruses was already evolving among wild plants in Eurasia. Tthe ancestors of modern tymoviruses likely emerged before the last Ice Age, a new study reveals.
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NewsRecent pandemic viruses jumped to humans without prior adaptation, study finds
A large-scale evolutionary analysis shows most zoonotic viruses emerge without prior adaptation, while passing through a laboratory leaves detectable genetic signatures, offering a new tool to interpret outbreak origins.
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NewsMpox immune test validated during Rwandan outbreak
An antibody test for the infectious disease Mpox was successfully developed during the new clade 1b outbreak in Rwanda, the first time that an assay of its kind has been validated within this setting.
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NewsHerpes virus fluidizes cell nuclei to multiply faster
A new study finds that herpes simplex virus uses a protein called infected cell protein 4 (ICP4) to make the human nucleus more fluid-like, which in turn makes it easier for the virus to replicate itself. Blocking the ability of ICP4 to fluidize the nuclear compartment caused a drop in viral copy production.
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NewsHidden viral networks in soil microplastics may shape the future of sustainable agriculture
A new scientific review highlights the complex interactions between soil microbes and viruses that occur on the surface of microplastic particles. The study reveals that these microscopic relationships may influence soil health, ecosystem recovery, and the long term sustainability of agriculture.
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News How viruses mess with our brains
What impact does a viral infection have on our memory, attention, and concentration? A new review has identified several biological markers associated with cognitive decline in the context of infection. It also provides a solid foundation for future research.