All Infectious Disease articles
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NewsNew agent inhibits Staphylococcus aureus toxin – hope for pneumonia patients
Researchers have developed a miniaturized test system that allowed them to screen over 180,000 compounds for their ability to block the effect of the key virulence factor α-hemolysin in S aureus. Drug candidates from the quinoxalinedione class, in particular the compound H052, proved to be highly effective, both in cell culture and in animal models.
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NewsUse of antifungals in agriculture may increase resistance in an infectious yeast
Genomic changes in the infectious yeast Candida tropicalis may play a role in its resistance to antifungals, according to a new study. These genomic changes can be brought on by a common antifungal, TBZ. The study demonstrates that the use of TBZ in agriculture may contribute to the increasing problem of antifungal resistance.
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NewsFAU secures $1.3 million NIH grant for breakthrough in HIV self-test technology
To address the urgent need for a reliable, rapid and affordable self-test for early HIV detection, researchers have been awarded phase-II of a five-year, $1.3 million grant which will support the development of an innovative disposable microchip technology designed for HIV-1 self-testing during the first two weeks post-infection.
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NewsMany TB cases may have gone undetected in prisons in Europe and the Americas during COVID-19
A new study found that reported diagnoses for tuberculosis were consistently lower than expected throughout the pandemic, even though incarceration rates remained largely consistent.
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NewsMpox could become a serious global threat, scientists warn
Mpox has the potential to become a significant global health threat if taken too lightly. Scientists highlight how mpox – traditionally spread from animals to humans – is now showing clear signs of sustained human-to-human transmission.
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NewsDeadly antibiotic-resistant ‘superbug’ bacteria spreading in Malaysian hospital
A virulent strain of antibiotic-resistant ‘superbug’ that causes severe disease has been found circulating in a Malaysian hospital - posing significant challenges to global public health, a new study reveals.
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NewsMOPEVACLAS vaccine candidate for Lassa fever enters clinical trials
After more than 20 years of research on arenaviruses, researchers have developed an original vaccine platform known as MOPEVAC. A Phase Ia clinical trial is set to begin for the platform’s first vaccine candidate, which targets Lassa fever, a hemorrhagic fever responsible for thousands of deaths worldwide each year.
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NewsResearchers develop machine learning model to predict virus reservoirs
A new artificial intelligence tool could aid in limiting or even prevent pandemics by identifying animal species that may harbor and spread viruses capable of infecting humans.
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NewsScientists tackle the rising global challenge of Chagas Disease
A study sheds new light on how the Chagas Disease parasite invades human cells—a crucial step towards developing effective treatments for this neglected tropical disease.
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NewsNew approach could treat anthrax beyond the ‘point of no return’
Once a case of anthrax has progressed beyond the “point of no return” after just a few days, patients are almost certainly doomed. But a new study shows that a cocktail of growth factors reverses would-be lethal cell damage in mice with anthrax.
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News‘It’s a shot, not a vaccine like MMR’: New skepticism prompts call for action
This ‘vaccine is not a vaccine’ is a new, previously unreported type of vaccine-specific scepticism, and it arose only during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it might, according to the researchers, also apply to the flu vaccine.
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NewsScientists zoom in on structure of still lethal Ebola virus
The first high-resolution visualisation of the Ebola virus nucleocapsid provides detailed insights into the interactions within the nucleocapsid complex, unveiling the relationship between molecular interactions and functional regulation.
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NewsSecurity-relevant research in times of geopolitical polarisation: report
A new report on security-relevant research - including research into pathogens - notes a change within the scientific system due to increased national security interests.
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NewsProposed cuts to foreign aid could result in millions of HIV deaths, new modelling study estimates
New modelling analysis suggests that proposed funding cuts by major donor countries to foreign aid could undo decades of progress made to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat and new infections and deaths could surge back to levels not seen since the early 2000s.
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NewsHepatitis B: new rapid diagnostic test to halt mother-to-child transmission
Scientists have assessed a new rapid diagnostic test to identify pregnant women at elevated risk of transmitting hepatitis B to their babies. This diagnostic tool could help eliminate hepatitis B by preventing mother-to-child transmission during childbirth.
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NewsMeasles elimination versus eradication: The difference explained
As of March 13, the CDC has confirmed 301 cases of measles as well as the death of a child in Texas. Amira Roess, an epidemiologist and professor of global health, clarifies the benefits of vaccinating children and adolescents against measles.
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NewsTadpoles try to flee dangerous virus in their pond by growing much faster than normal
A new study shows that larvae of wood frogs respond to the presence of a deadly ranavirus by growing and maturing precociously. In response to ranavirus, tadpoles change their growth, development, and resource allocation, which may help them tolerate the energetic demands of infection or escape risky environments to avoid infection.
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NewsC. diff uses toxic compound to fuel growth advantage
The pathogen C. diff — the most common cause of health care-associated infectious diarrhea — can use a compound that kills the human gut’s resident microbes to survive and grow, giving it a competitive advantage in the infected gut.
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NewsSusceptibility to bovine TB in cattle traced to key genes
A new study identifying genetic factors contributing to bovine tuberculosis (bTB) susceptibility has found several key genes and pathways involved in the bovine response to Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of the disease in cattle.
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NewsNewer hepatitis B vaccine shows promise as booster for health care workers
A new study compares the effectiveness of Heplisav-B, a new hepatitis vaccine, vs. standard hepatitis B vaccines as a booster in previously vaccinated individuals.