Virus News and Research

Latest Virus News and Research

Immunotherapy may be better than chemotherapy for Merkel cell carcinoma

The first study of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab as the initial treatment for patients with a rare but aggressive form of skin cancer known as Merkel cell carcinoma reports better responses and longer survival than expected with conventional chemotherapy.

11 Feb 2019

New measurable indicator could prove instrumental in fight against HIV

George Mason University's Yuntao Wu is the lead scientist on a research team that has identified a measurable indicator that could prove instrumental in the fight against HIV.

11 Feb 2019

Prior dengue virus infection increases Zika virus-induced damage during pregnancy

Women who have previously been infected with dengue virus may be at risk for increased damage to their fetuses and placentas if they should later become infected with the Zika virus, researchers from the Department of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report.

11 Feb 2019

Misinformation is causing measles cases to rise worldwide

Misinformation and anti-vaccination groups have caused a rise in cases of vaccine-preventable viral disease measles around the world, according to the WHO.

8 Feb 2019

Increase in vocal-cord cancers among young adults appears to be the result of HPV infection

A remarkable recent increase in the diagnosis of vocal-cord cancer in young adults appears to be the result of infection with strains of human papilloma virus that also cause cervical cancer and other malignancies.

8 Feb 2019

Caltech scientists develop new methods for rapidly determining T cell targets

The human body's immune system is like a vast team of special agents. Certain cells called T cells each individually specialize in recognizing a particular intruder, such as the influenza virus or salmonella.

8 Feb 2019

Interaction between two immune cells may play key role in fight against dengue virus

Researchers at Duke-NUS Medical School have demonstrated for the first time a physical interaction between two types of immune cells that plays an important role in the early fight against dengue virus infection.

8 Feb 2019

Immunity to dengue can protect against Zika infection, study shows

In the epicenter of the Zika epidemic in northeast Brazil, 73 percent of people living in an urban slum in Salvador were infected in 2015. However, in this highly affected population, those with immunity to dengue, a genetically similar virus, had a reduced risk of infection with Zika.

8 Feb 2019

New research on viral biology could lead to efficient vaccines against leishmaniasis

New research from McGill University has found that a virus infecting the Leishmania parasite spreads by exploiting a mechanism used for cell-to-cell communication, a discovery that could pave the way to new vaccines against infections that cause severe disfiguration.

8 Feb 2019

High-risk sexually transmitted HPV may increase risk of cardiovascular disease

Infection with high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus, which have been linked to cancer, might increase the risk of heart and blood vessel or cardiovascular disease, especially among women with obesity or other cardiovascular risk factors, according to new research in Circulation Research, an American Heart Association journal.

7 Feb 2019

Swine fever outbreak spreads to five prefectures across Japan

Government health officials have reported an outbreak of swine fever in Japan that has spread over five prefectures, including Osaka.

7 Feb 2019

UNC-led scientists receive $5.1 million grant to combat cervical cancer in Malawi

Backed by a $5.1 million grant, University of North Carolina and University of Malawi College of Medicine physicians and scientists will launch a multi-pronged effort to combat cervical cancer in Malawi, a country in sub-Saharan Africa where cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among women.

7 Feb 2019