Tag: Viruses

Since our ancestors infected themselves with retroviruses millions of years ago, we have carried elements of these viruses in our genes—known as human endogenous retroviruses, or HERVs for short. These viral elements have lost their ability to replicate and infect during evolution, but are an integral part of our genetic makeup. In fact, humans possess

A deadly combination of two mosquito-borne viruses may be a trigger for stroke, new research published in the The Lancet Neurology has found. University of Liverpool researchers and Brazilian collaborators have been investigating the link between neurological disease and infection with the viruses Zika and chikungunya. These viruses, which mostly circulate in the tropics, cause

You may sometimes have felt like you “have come down with a virus,” meaning that you became sick from being exposed to something that could have been a virus. In fact, you have a virus—actually, many—all the time. Some viruses cause the common cold, and some are crucial to human survival. New viruses can also

Michigan health officials amped up their warning about a rare mosquito-borne virus Tuesday, after the state’s Department of Health and Human Services confirmed four new cases of Eastern equine encephalitis disease (EEE). Two of the state’s seven cases so far this year were fatal. “Michigan is currently experiencing its worst Eastern equine encephalitis outbreak in

Immunity against mumps virus appears insufficient in a fraction of college-aged people who were vaccinated in childhood, research from Emory Vaccine Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates. The findings highlight the need to better understand the immune response to mumps and mumps vaccines. In the last 15 years, several mumps outbreaks

A team led by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research has gained new insights into the mechanism of vaccine-induced T cell immunity utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing and metabolic profiling techniques. Though numerous vaccines induce and amplify T cells, a critical part of the body’s adaptive immune system, there is still an information gap regarding

Human apolipoprotein E (apoE) promotes hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and production, according to a study published Aug 8 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Luhua Qiao and Guangxiang (George) Luo of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine. The findings suggest that inhibitors interfering with apoE biogenesis, secretion, and/or binding to

Studying how influenza viruses cause disease just got a little easier, thanks to a new tool developed at South Dakota State University. Scientists have been using cells from chickens, dogs, monkeys and hamsters to study influenza viruses that infect pigs and humans. Now they can use cell cultures from the tissues of swine nasal passages,

Substituting fishmeal in aquaculture feeds with plant ingredients may not be as beneficial for the environment as many predict, according to new research from an international team of experts. Manufacturers of commercial fish feed are increasingly substituting fishmeal — a powder made from fish — with crop-based ingredients in a move driven by economic incentives

Hurricane Maria in San Juan, Puerto Rico had a significant impact on HIV outcomes among people living with HIV and a history of substance use, particularly increased viral load and decreased CD4 counts, according to early data just released by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, University of Puerto Rico, University of Miami, Puerto

It’s a daily routine for pediatricians: Promise a lollipop or sticker to a 4-year-old child in return for giving them a shot. Then, watch as they melt down and their parents chase them around the clinic. Even if the child doesn’t want it, the aforementioned scenario is not usually one that stops parents from vaccinating

Disease X – When a deadly plague is coming The world health organization lists the “disease X” as the “epidemic of the future”. Disease X does not mean you will, because it’s still there, you could develop as a new disease – for example, as a Mutation of an existing flu virus. Dangerous the infection

One of the commonest causes of congenital disability, the Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), is less prone to mutation than previously thought, a finding which could help develop a successful vaccine, UCL researchers have found. HCMV, a DNA virus and type of herpes virus, is one of the world’s most common and widespread human infections, affecting between

A comprehensive package of prevention, screening, and treatment interventions could avert 15.1 million new hepatitis C infections and 1.5 million cirrhosis and liver cancer deaths globally by 2030 — equal to an 80% reduction in incidence and a 60% reduction in deaths compared with 2015, according to the first study to model hepatitis C interventions

For years, 28-year-old Abul Bajandar, from Bangaldesh, was covered with what looked like bark. His hands and feet grew foot-long, gnarled “roots,” skin lesions that left him unable to feed himself, move around, work, or wear standard clothing. A few years ago, surgery finally changed his life. But after more than 25 invasive surgeries to

Herpes viral infections use the ancient genetic material found in the human genome to proliferate, mimicking the same process tumors have been found to manipulate, Mount Sinai researchers have shown for the first time. These observations provide further insight about how herpes viruses can manipulate the immune system in ways that may drive neurodegenerative diseases

Researchers have discovered a human protein that helps fight the Ebola virus and could one day lead to an effective therapy against the deadly disease, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. The newly discovered ability of the human protein RBBP6 to interfere with Ebola virus replication suggests new ways to fight the infection. As

Distinct HIV-1 strains may differ in the nature of the CCR5 molecules to which they bind, affecting which cells they can infect and their ability to enter cells, according to a study published December 6 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Bernard Lagane of the Institut Pasteur and INSERM, and colleagues. As noted by

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and colleagues have isolated a human monoclonal antibody that can “neutralize” the West Nile virus and potentially prevent a leading cause of viral encephalitis (brain inflammation) in the United States. Their findings, reported this week in the journal Nature Microbiology, could lead to the first effective treatment for this

Scientists at The Wistar Institute and collaborators have successfully engineered novel DNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies (DMAbs) targeting Zaire Ebolavirus that were effective in preclinical models. Study results, published online in Cell Reports, showed that DMAbs were expressed over a wide window of time and offered complete and long-term protection against lethal virus challenges. DMAbs may also