Disease/Infection News

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NIAID researchers identify key player in the immune response to SARS-CoV-2

When variants of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) emerged in late 2020, concern arose that they might elude protective immune responses generated by prior infection or vaccination, potentially making re-infection more likely or vaccination less effective.

31 Mar 2021

Study finds remarkable differences in the way individuals respond to malaria

Scientists have discovered that tracking malaria as it develops in humans is a powerful way to detect how the malaria parasite causes a range of infection outcomes in its host.

31 Mar 2021

Study shows how viral distribution of SARS-CoV-2 in the human body relates to tissue damage

Researchers have mapped the distribution of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in deceased patients with the disease, and shed new light on how viral load relates to tissue damage.

31 Mar 2021

New Columbia University center provides specialized care for Lyme and tick-borne diseases

A new center that will provide specialized care for patients with Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases will begin seeing patients this summer at Columbia University's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.

31 Mar 2021

Researchers analyze how in-person learning would impact transmission in schools' communities

Since early in the COVID-19 pandemic, parents, teachers, and school administrators have faced difficult questions regarding when and how to safely reopen for in-person learning.

31 Mar 2021

Scientists receive NIH grant to monitor COVID-19 in wastewater

Everyone poops, and now scientists are using this bodily function to develop a detailed analysis of the virus that causes COVID-19, known as SARS-CoV-2.

31 Mar 2021

Development of a model of substrate coordination to Zn-bound ACE2

The ongoing coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has claimed more than 2.8 million lives worldwide. Authorities are facing difficulty in preventing the spread of disease due to the highly infectious nature of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, reducing the virus's ability to infect an individual's respiratory epithelial cells could prove an effective measure to prevent disease transmission.

31 Mar 2021

Study of twins reveals differences in adaptive immunity towards SARS-CoV-2

Twins may look alike on the outside, but not so much on the inside. That's one takeaway from a new preprint study posted to the medRxiv server where Brazilian researchers observed different T-cell responses in two pairs of identical twins exposed to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). One twin who was reinfected with SARS-CoV-2 four months after had low recognition of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell epitopes.

31 Mar 2021

New coronavirus variant with E484K mutation detected in Arizona

Arizona joins the ever-growing list of American states harboring a variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A study led by Efrem S. Lim of Arizona State University confirms evidence of the B.1.243.1 with an E484K mutation on the spike protein.

30 Mar 2021

Impact of COVID-19 on mental health in the US: CDC report

The study, published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), underlies the importance of evaluating the impact of strategies addressing adult mental health status during the pandemic. This way, these can help plan strategies and interventions for the affected groups.

30 Mar 2021

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective among front liners, CDC study shows

The study, published in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), highlights the efficacy of mRNA vaccines in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

30 Mar 2021

SARS-CoV-2 mutation T478K spreading at alarming speed in Mexico

Several SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged, posing a renewed threat to COVID-19 containment and to vaccine and drug efficacy. In this study, we analyzed more than 820,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences deposited up to March 26, 2021 and identified a novel T478K mutation located on the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein.

30 Mar 2021

New research shows how to make people follow pandemic restrictions without fear

Making people fear the coronavirus may motivate us to wash our hands, keep our distance and wear a face mask. But fear also takes a heavy toll on our mental health and is fertile ground for discrimination and prejudice.

30 Mar 2021

Comparing the transmission routes of two SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

The research team had previously identified the UK variant as having higher viral RNA shedding than the D614G variant. However here, they wanted to compare the transmission of such variants through different routes of potential infection: direct contact, aerosol (airborne droplets), and fomite (objects which may be contaminated and therefore spread infectious agents).

30 Mar 2021

Research finds key factors that could lead to further pandemics

Humans are creating or exacerbating the environmental conditions that could lead to further pandemics, new University of Sydney research finds.

30 Mar 2021

UCLA receives grant to study the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among health care workers

The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA has received a $4.9 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among health care workers.

30 Mar 2021

FDA waiver broadens the use of chlamydia and gonorrhea test at more point-of-care settings

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is allowing the use of the Binx Health IO CT/NG Assay at point-of-care settings, such as in physician offices, community-based clinics, urgent care settings, outpatient health care facilities and other patient care settings, operating under a CLIA Certificate of Waiver, Certificate of Compliance or Certificate of Accreditation.

30 Mar 2021

Researchers examine the evolutionary race between SARS-CoV-2 and human defenses

Researchers have analyzed this evolution of the virus based on evolutionary ecology theory. Using the virus genomes available in the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) database, the researchers focused their inquiry on mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) on the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.

30 Mar 2021

Researchers develop novel test that screens for SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

A team of scientists from the United States has recently developed a single-tube duplex molecular assay for rapid detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants containing E484K and N501Y spike mutations.

30 Mar 2021