Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

New study links persistent SARS-CoV-2 proteins to long COVID symptoms

Brigham researchers found people with wide-ranging long COVID symptoms were twice as likely to have SARS-CoV-2 proteins in their blood, compared to those without long COVID symptoms.

9 Oct 2024

COVID-19 found to increase heart attack and stroke risks

An analysis of data in the UK Biobank has found that COVID-19 infection may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and death from any cause for up to three years for people with and without cardiovascular disease, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's peer-reviewed journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology (ATVB).

9 Oct 2024

Advances in technology shed light on cell function

Cells are the basic units of life — but when it comes to cells, if you think basic means simple, think again. Cells are complicated, with many millions of biochemical reactions per second seething within their confines. They also tend to be tiny, so it’s not easy to spy on their operations.

8 Oct 2024

Novel compounds show promise in fighting COVID-19

New research from The Wistar Institute's Salvino lab -; led by professor Joseph Salvino, Ph.D. -; has identified a novel series of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors that may lead to potential new COVID-19 treatments that, according to preclinical testing, effectively inhibits COVID-19 and synergizes with existing anti-COVID therapies.

8 Oct 2024

PANPOC technology aims to revolutionize virus detection

PANPOC is one of the two technologies that PAIR aims to deliver and implement by the end of this five-year project.

8 Oct 2024

Increasing cases of mosquito-borne diseases call for greater awareness

The hospitalization last summer of Dr. Anthony Fauci, former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, with West Nile virus – and his account of it this week in the New York Times – have helped raise public awareness of the dangers of mosquito borne-illness, which can range from Zika and malaria to dengue and West Nile virus.

8 Oct 2024

Revolutionizing drug discovery with SmartCADD

Drug discovery is much like working a jigsaw puzzle. The chemical compounds behind drug molecules must be shaped to fit with the proteins in our bodies to produce therapeutic effects.

8 Oct 2024

Brainstem inflammation may explain long Covid symptoms

Damage to the brainstem – the brain's 'control center' – is behind long-lasting physical and psychiatric effects of severe Covid-19 infection, a study suggests.

8 Oct 2024

FAU researchers highlight new vaccination barriers

Vaccines to prevent common and serious infectious diseases have had a greater impact on improving human health than any other medical advance of the 20th century, surpassing even sanitation and potable water. From the global eradication of smallpox in 1980 to the unprecedented development of effective and safe mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, vaccinations have played crucial roles in preventing millions of premature deaths and hospitalizations in adults and children.

8 Oct 2024

Doxycycline increases antimicrobial resistance in the gut without disrupting microbiome diversity

Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis increases tetracycline resistance genes in the gut, without significantly affecting microbiome diversity in men who have sex with men and transgender women.

7 Oct 2024

Study reveals gaps in hepatitis C treatment among reproductive-aged women

Most pediatric cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are perinatal, meaning the virus is transmitted from birthing parent to child during pregnancy or birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

7 Oct 2024

Antigenic mapping sheds light on SARS-CoV-2 immunity differences

A person's immune response to variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, depends on their previous exposure - and differences in the focus of immune responses will help scientists understand how to optimise vaccines in the future to provide broad protection.

7 Oct 2024

Pasteurization effectively reduces H5N1 virus in milk but further testing is essential

Research explores the resilience of the H5N1 influenza virus in milk under pasteurization conditions, showing effective viral inactivation at standard temperatures but highlighting the need for further real-world testing.

6 Oct 2024

Study reveals high effectiveness of flu vaccines in children but highlights challenges with certain subtypes

Study found that influenza vaccination is highly effective in preventing infection and hospitalization in children, though efficacy against certain subtypes like H3N2 remains limited due to small sample sizes.

6 Oct 2024

Global experts gather in Brisbane for scientific meeting dedicated to influenza

More than 1,400 experts have visited Brisbane for the world's only scientific meeting dedicated to influenza.

4 Oct 2024

WHO lists first mpox in vitro diagnostic test under Emergency Use Listing

The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed the first mpox in vitro diagnostic (IVD) under its Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedure, an important step in improving global access to mpox testing.

4 Oct 2024

Oropouche virus spreads in South America as scientists warn of potential outbreaks in the U.S.

Researchers review the reemergence and range expansion of Oropouche virus in South America, highlighting risks of spread to the U.S. and need for improved diagnostic tests. Over 9,000 cases and two deaths were reported in 2024.

4 Oct 2024

Study confirms flu vaccine effectiveness against A H1N1 in young children

A study published on Eurosurveillance has demonstrated that Spain's influenza vaccination campaign for children aged 6-59 months during the 2023/24 season was effective in preventing acute respiratory infections (ARI) and hospitalization, as vaccination was recommended for this age group at the national level for the first time.

4 Oct 2024

Houston Methodist researchers join national consortium to develop herpesvirus vaccine

Houston Methodist researchers will be part of a national consortium funded by an up to $49 million award from the U.S. Government's Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop a vaccine against two of the most common and destructive strains of herpesviruses that latently infect a majority of Americans and can lead to acute infections, multiple forms of cancer, autoimmune disease and birth defects.

3 Oct 2024

WHO unveils comprehensive strategy to combat dengue and Aedes-borne arboviruses

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Strategic Preparedness, Readiness and Response Plan (SPRP) to tackle dengue and other Aedes-borne arboviruses.

3 Oct 2024