Sanjay Mishra, Vanderbilt University Takeaways: Vaccines can be great at preventing you from getting sick, while at the same time not necessarily stopping you from getting infected or spreading the germ. Preliminary evidence seems to suggest the COVID-19 vaccines make it less likely someone who’s vaccinated will transmit the coronavirus,Read More →
Jennifer T. Grier, University of South Carolina As someone who studies immune responses to respiratory infections, I’ve watched news of the emerging coronavirus variants with concern. I wondered whether vaccination or previous infection would provide protection against SARS-CoV-2 strains, especially the new, highly transmissible delta variant, which has rapidly spreadRead More →
Cases of flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fell significantly in both adults and children during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research being presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) held online this year. Influenza A and influenza B (which both cause flu) andRead More →
Adenoviruses are a group of common viruses that infect the lining of your eyes, airways and lungs, intestines, urinary tract, and nervous system. In general, adenoviruses are common causes of fever, coughs, sore throats, diarrhea and conjunctivitis. Adenoviruses are medium-sized (90–100 nm), nonenveloped (without an outer lipid bilayer) viruses with an icosahedral nucleocapsid containing a double stranded DNA genome. Their name derivesRead More →
Breakthrough brings Temple researchers and their collaborators closer to a cure for human HIV infection Taking a major step forward in HIV research, scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have successfully edited SIV – a virus closely related to HIV, the cause of AIDS –Read More →
New call to action highlights dual threat of influenza and COVID-19 for US adults with chronic health conditions. The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) issued a new Call to Action report detailing the risks of co-infection with influenza (flu) and COVID-19 in adults with chronic health conditions, and theRead More →
Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) or “immune enhancement” of viral entry has been observed for many viruses and is a major concern for vaccine development and antibody-based drug therapies. ADE occurs when antibodies from a previous infection or vaccination facilitate viral entry into host cells and enhance viral infection in these cells.Read More →
Researchers have discovered that a fungal virus (also called a mycovirus) can convert deadly fungal pathogens into beneficial fungus in rapeseed plants. Once transformed, the fungus boosts the plant’s immune system, making the plant healthier and more resistant to diseases. These findings, published on September 29 in the journal Molecular Plant,Read More →
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method for fast, cheap, yet accurate testing for COVID-19 infection. The method simplifies and frees the testing from expensive reaction steps, enabling upscaling of the diagnostics. This makes the method particularly attractive for places and situations with limited resources. It is equally interestingRead More →
In a new study published in the esteemed journal JAMA researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital have examined the association between a positive SARS-CoV-2 test during pregnancy and complications in mothers and their newborn babies. Almost two out of three pregnant women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were asymptomatic andRead More →
