West Nile Virus News and Research

Latest West Nile Virus News and Research

Putting an end to the pandemic

From the plagues of medieval Europe to the influenza pandemic of 1918, the specter of the next public health disaster has gripped the minds of scientists, captivated the imaginations of writers and vexed conspiracy theorists.

1 Apr 2020

Smaller carbon footprint improves global health and economy

A viewpoint published in the journal JAMA February 28, 2020, discusses how a low-carbon future could improve global health and provide economic benefit.

2 Mar 2020

Scientists may soon be able to prevent disease-spreading mosquitoes from maturing

New research from UC Riverside shows scientists may soon be able to prevent disease-spreading mosquitoes from maturing. Using the same gene-altering techniques, they may also be able help boost reproduction in beneficial bumblebees.

28 Jan 2020

Researchers offer new perspective on pyrethroid insecticides

In an invited Commentary just published in JAMA Internal Medicine, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health professors Drs. Steven Stellman and Jeanne Mager Stellman offer their perspective on results from a recent study on Pyrethroid, among the most widely used insecticides in the world for public health control of vector-borne illnesses, including West Nile virus.

3 Jan 2020

Diarrhea in young children linked to La Niña climate conditions

A study in Botswana by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health scientists finds that spikes in cases of life-threatening diarrhea in young children are associated with La Niña climate conditions.

30 Dec 2019

Salmonella causes nearly one in three foodborne outbreaks in the EU

Nearly one in three foodborne outbreaks in the EU in 2018 were caused by Salmonella. This is one of the main findings of the annual report on trends and sources of zoonoses published today by the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

14 Dec 2019

Scientists discover cell protein crucial in preventing viral replication

A research team has discovered a protein without which cells infected by viruses cannot trigger an immune response, leading to 100% mortality with even non-disease-producing strains. The discovery of the new Z-DNA binding protein, or ZBP1, was reported in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. It could help develop new treatment methods for viruses that target the nervous system such as the Zika or West Nile Encephalitis virus.

6 Nov 2019

Study: Socioeconomics influences mosquito-borne disease risk in Baltimore

Low-income urban neighborhoods not only have more mosquitoes, but they are larger-bodied, indicating that they could be more efficient at transmitting diseases. So reports a Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies-led study, published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, investigating how socioeconomics influences mosquito-borne disease risk in Baltimore, Maryland.

16 Oct 2019

New UCL-developed mathematical model could help predict next Ebola outbreak

The next Ebola outbreak could be predicted using a new UCL-developed model that tracks how changes to ecosystems and human societies combine to affect the spread of the deadly infectious disease.

15 Oct 2019

Brain-infecting virus has spread across the US at record rates this year

Health officials have announced over the weekend that more people have been infected with or died from the EEE virus, making 2019 the worst year yet for recorded cases.

24 Sep 2019

Invasive mosquitoes plunge deeper into California

Two invasive species of mosquitoes that can carry Zika, dengue, yellow fever and other dangerous viruses are spreading in California — and have been found as far north as Sacramento and Placer counties.

20 Sep 2019

Dengue fever is endemic in places where iron deficiency is more common

Mosquitoes are more likely to acquire the dengue virus when they feed on blood with low levels of iron, researchers report in the 16 September issue of Nature Microbiology.

16 Sep 2019

West Nile Virus samples found 10 miles apart came from different places, NAU scientist finds

After sequencing more than 400 different genomes of the West Nile Virus, an NAU scientist discovered the two reports of West Nile Virus in Coconino County came from two different places. One migrated north from the Phoenix area. The other is a bit more of a mystery.

15 Sep 2019

Editing away cancer and HIV in China: win or lose?

Scientists in China recently edited out the CCR5 gene from a patient with HIV's stem cells, but the research has sparked ethical debate.

13 Sep 2019

An injection of nanoparticles for spinal cord injuries

Researchers from the University of Michigan used nanopaticles injection to prevent the immune cells of the body from impairing the healing of injured brain and spinal cord. They call this an “EpiPen” or emergency rescue drug for the brain and spinal cord when they suffer trauma.

11 Jul 2019

Auburn study explains link between habitat loss and global emergence of infectious diseases

Auburn University researchers have published a new hypothesis that could provide the foundation for new scientific studies looking into the association of habitat loss and the global emergence of infectious diseases.

24 Jun 2019

Gene-editing could shorten life instead of prolonging, suggests new study

In 2018, Chinese scientist He Jiankui defied the law and scientific consensus by boldly editing the CCR5 gene in a human embryo, expecting to confer lifelong HIV resistance. The pregnancy eventually ended in the birth of two baby girls. Now the experiment appears to have gone seriously wrong, perhaps shortening their lives.

4 Jun 2019