According to a study published in BMC Biology, researchers at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and Howard University have discovered that modern human immune responses bear genetic marks of ancient battles with infectious diseases, while also identifying rare variants linked to severe COVID-19. The findings bridge human evolution and infectious disease. … Read more
According to researchers at UC Davis Health, microbial metabolite 10-hydroxystearic acid (10-HSA) rapidly repairs gut epithelial barrier structure and function in primate models, addressing persistent inflammation that survives standard antiretroviral therapy for HIV. Worldwide, an estimated 40.9 million people lived with HIV in 2025, alongside approximately 1.2 million new infections and 570,000 AIDS-related deaths, according … Read more
New CDC surveillance data published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) reveals that half of all patients diagnosed with invasive mold diseases require mechanical ventilation. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recent SARS-CoV-2 infection significantly worsens these outcomes, driving the 90-day all-cause mortality rate up to 66% among affected … Read more
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded a $2.4 million R01 grant to Dr. Jiahui Ding at Wayne State University to study how maternal viral infections reprogram the developing fetal immune system. According to the university, the five-year funding supports research at the C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development to uncover … Read more
Transmissible cancers—malignant cell lineages capable of spreading between individuals—are increasingly recognized as a significant threat to marine and aquatic ecosystems. Research has confirmed that these “contagious cancers” have evolved independently across multiple bivalve species and fish populations, moving beyond the well-known examples of Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease to affect clams, mussels, and bullheads in … Read more
Patients undergoing hemodialysis with blood type A show a lower risk of cardiovascular mortality compared to other blood types, according to a recent study published in Kidney International Reports. While blood type O is generally linked to lower cardiovascular risk in the broader population, research led by Dr. Masafumi Kurajoh at Osaka Metropolitan University indicates … Read more
West Nile virus has been detected in mosquito pools in Markham, marking the first confirmed cases of the virus in York Region for the current season. According to York Region Public Health, the infected mosquitoes were trapped near Warden Avenue and Highway 7 East, as well as near Kennedy Road and 16th Avenue, prompting health … Read more
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU), in partnership with K.K. DNAFORM and the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are developing a portable, rapid diagnostic system to detect the Bundibugyo virus (BDBV). The project, supported by the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund), aims to provide field-ready, … Read more
Orthonairoviruses, a family of tick-borne pathogens, can bypass human immune defenses using specialized proteins called ovarian tumor domain proteases (OTUs), according to a study led by University of California, Riverside (UCR). This mechanism allows viruses like the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus to suppress the body’s ability to detect and fight infection, increasing pandemic risk. How … Read more
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has issued an alert regarding rising levels of Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in European coastal waters. Driven by warming sea temperatures, the bacteria pose a risk of life-threatening infection to swimmers with open wounds or weakened immune systems. The ECDC is currently monitoring 11 countries where environmental … Read more