Encephalitis News and Research

Latest Encephalitis News and Research

Scientists find new treatment option for rare autoimmune disease

Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is an inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system.

6 Jan 2017

Texas A&M specialist explains what people need to know about mumps

Mumps may seem like a contagion relegated to history books, but like many other diseases of the past now preventable with a vaccine, mumps has been making a resurgence.

20 Dec 2016

Researchers find new way to target deadly virus and develop vaccines

Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an unforgiving killer of horses, donkeys and zebras, resulting in mortality as high as 80 percent of infected animals. It causes rapid, catastrophic swelling of the brain and spinal cord, leading to severe neurological symptoms and--in many cases--sudden death.

29 Nov 2016

Study shows how Zika virus infection leads to production of smaller disease-causing RNAs

Researchers, led by scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, have found basic molecular processes used by the Zika virus to "hijack" the cells that it infects and potentially how it makes molecules that are directly linked to disease.

11 Nov 2016

Clinical study to test safety and ability of investigational Zika vaccine candidate begins

The first of five early stage clinical trials to test the safety and ability of an investigational Zika vaccine candidate called the Zika Purified Inactivated Virus (ZPIV) vaccine to generate an immune system response has begun at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research Clinical Trial Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

7 Nov 2016

TSRI scientists elucidate how Zika virus attacks the brains of newborns

In a study that could one day help eliminate the tragic birth defects caused by Zika virus, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have elucidated how the virus attacks the brains of newborns, information that could accelerate the development of treatments.

17 Oct 2016

Culex mosquitoes not involved in transmission of Zika virus, study finds

A Biosecurity Research Institute study has found important results in the fight against Zika virus: Culex mosquitoes do not appear to transmit Zika virus.

5 Oct 2016

Scientists find evidence of link between coronavirus and neurological disease

For the first time, researchers have found proof of a direct association between strain OC 43 of the human coronavirus (HCoV) and neurological disease in humans.

3 Oct 2016

Region of the Americas becomes first in world to eradicate measles

The Region of the Americas is the first in the world to have eliminated measles, a viral disease that can cause severe health problems, including pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and even death. This achievement culminates a 22-year effort involving mass vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella throughout the Americas.

30 Sep 2016

Research uncovers new clues to combat dengue and Zika virus

Structural biology research conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has uncovered how small insecticidal protein crystals that are naturally produced by bacteria might be tailored to combat dengue fever and the Zika virus.

28 Sep 2016

Research reveals how Zika virus arrests fetal brain development in pigtail macaque

For the first time, abnormal brain development following a Zika infection during pregnancy has been documented experimentally in the offspring of a non-human primate.

12 Sep 2016

Pre-travel consultation can help international travelers to prepare for trip

International tourism exceeds 1.2 billion persons each year, with more than 20 percent of travelers reporting some type of illness.

31 Aug 2016

New research shows female mosquitoes can pass Zika virus to their offsprings

New research from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has shown that female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes can pass the Zika virus to their eggs and offspring.

30 Aug 2016

Scientists isolate new multicomponent virus from mosquitoes

Scientists have identified a new "multicomponent" virus -- one containing different segments of genetic material in separate particles -- that can infect animals, according to research published today in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

26 Aug 2016

Cloned Zika virus could be used for development of attenuated vaccine

Stopping the explosive spread of Zika virus - which can lead to birth defects in babies born to infected mothers - depends on genetic insights gleaned through new tools and models.

23 Aug 2016

Study uses computer-based approaches to characterize Zika virus genome

The sudden emergence of the Zika virus epidemic in Latin America in 2015-16 has caught the scientific world unawares.

5 Aug 2016

Scientists seeking blood donations from people exposed to arboviruses for dengue, Zika vaccine research

Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine are conducting studies that utilize blood donations from individuals who have been diagnosed with or potentially exposed to mosquito-borne viruses as part of ongoing dengue and Zika research and vaccine development.

2 Aug 2016

SLU researchers study investigational vaccine for yellow fever

Saint Louis University's Center for Vaccine Development is studying an investigational vaccine for yellow fever, a potentially deadly disease that is spread by the same mosquito that transmits Zika virus.

19 Jul 2016

Two vaccine candidates provide complete protection against ZIKV infection in mice

The rapid development of a safe and effective vaccine to prevent the Zika virus (ZIKV) is a global priority, as infection in pregnant women has been shown to lead to fetal microcephaly and other major birth defects.

29 Jun 2016

Health strategies for families when traveling abroad with kids

Before your family heads to Mexico, Asia or beyond this summer, do a little planning to keep everyone healthy during their journey. Dr. Nava Yeganeh, an assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases and director of the Pediatric International Travel and Adoption Clinic at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, explains three important strategies.

27 Jun 2016