As the Measles outbreak continues to grow in Florida, Francesca Torriani, MD, infectious disease specialist with UC San Diego Health is available to discuss symptoms to look out for, when to seek medical care, and the importance of vaccination. Biography…
Tag: Infectious Disease
New Approach to Tackling Bacterial Infections Identified
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a new approach to controlling bacterial infections. The findings were described in the February 6 online issue of Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.
A Decade of Progress: Addressing Humanity’s Shared Challenges
Ten years after the creation of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, new university institutes and centers are bringing the world’s best medical ideas to New Jersey and beyond
Not all viruses are harmful
During the COVID-19 pandemic, people became well aware that viruses can be extremely harmful. But can viruses also be helpful? Bryan Hsu aims to find out by studying viruses that infect bacteria in the bellies of mammals.
Remoteness didn’t protect Amazonian Tsimané from COVID-19
Voluntary collective isolation alone was ineffective to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 into small-scale, remote Indigenous communities of the Tsimané in the Bolivian Amazon.
Training immune cells to remove ‘trash’ helps resolve lung inflammation
Acute lung injury occurs when our lung’s immune system response becomes hyperactivated and causes inflammation to continue unchecked. In fact, many deaths from COVID-19 were from acute lung injury.
New LJI research has major implications for controlling T cell activity
According to new research in the journal Immunity, T cells have a nuclear receptor doing something very odd—but very important—to help them fight pathogens and destroy cancer cells.
Rutgers Scientist’s Research Provides Insight Into COVID-19 Immunity
Exposure to common cold-causing coronaviruses may contribute to pre-existing immunity to COVID-19, according to a new study involving a Rutgers research scientist.
Infectious Disease Physician Available to Comment on Leprosy Cases in Florida
Board-certified infectious disease physician Carl Abraham, M.D., assistant professor at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM), is available to comment on leprosy cases in Florida. Abraham, who is both a faculty member at NYITCOM’s Arkansas location (in…
A new look inside Ebola’s “viral factories”
The study, led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI), reveals the inner workings of viral factories, clusters of viral proteins and genomes that form in host cells.
EG.5 COVID Variant: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health expert available
Andrew Pekosz, professor and vice chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is available for media interviews to discuss the EG.5 COVID variant, which the Centers for Disease Control…
New Resource Harmonizes 16S and Shotgun Sequencing Data for Microbiome Research
UC San Diego scientists debut Greengenes2, a massive reference database that could be used to reconcile years of microbiome studies.
Asymptomatic infections may underlie recent rise in whooping cough
In a new study, scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) compared the immune response of individuals who received older versus newer versions of the whooping cough vaccine. The unexpected findings may help explain the recent rise in whooping cough cases and point to potential targets for the next generation of vaccines.
UC San Diego Health Experts Available to Discuss Shingles, Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has developed rare complications due to a months-long shingles infection, including encephalitis (brain inflammation) and Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. Ramsay Hunt Syndrome occurs when shingles infects cranial nerves, including the auditory, vestibular and facial nerves, which can…
How a Virus Causes Chromosomal Breakage, Leading to Cancer
UC San Diego Researchers describe for the first time how the Epstein-Barr virus exploits genomic weaknesses to cause cancer while reducing the body’s ability to suppress it.
Deadly Fungal Infection Candida Auris in 2023: Should You Be Worried?
You might have heard or read about the ‘superbug’ Candida auris (C. auris), but is it as scary as the news makes it seem?
Why Subvariants of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus Accelerated the Pandemic
UC San Diego researchers describe why SARS-CoV-2 subvariants spread more rapidly than the original virus strain, and how an early treatment might have made people more susceptible to future infections.
A Quick New Way to Screen Virus Proteins for Antibiotic Properties
A whole new world of antibiotics is waiting inside the viruses that infect bacteria. Our scientists are making it easier to study them.
New $17 million grant establishes LJI as global hub for immunology data curation and analysis
A new grant of over $17 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has established La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) as the leading institute for human immunology data curation, analysis, and dissemination. With this funding, LJI has taken the helm of the Human Immunology Project Consortium Data Coordinating Center, a critical tool in the effort to fuel scientific collaboration in immunoprofiling and highlight findings from the overall Human Immunology Project Consortium (HIPC).
UT Southwestern biochemist, molecular biologist to receive HHMI Emerging Pathogens awards
Two of UT Southwestern’s Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers in biochemistry and molecular biology will lead separate teams as part of HHMI’s Emerging Pathogens Initiative (EPI) targeting infectious diseases that pose a threat to human health.
Host-Cell Factors Involved in COVID-19 Infections May Augur Improved Treatments
Researchers at University of California San Diego and UC Riverside have further elucidated the molecular pathway used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to infect human lung cells, identifying a key host-cell player that may prove a new and enduring therapeutic target for treating COVID-19.
International policy adviser, epidemiologist Dr. Saad Omer selected inaugural dean for UT Southwestern’s O’Donnell School of Public Health
Internationally recognized epidemiologist Saad B. Omer, M.B.B.S, Ph.D., who currently directs the Yale Institute for Global Health, has been appointed the inaugural Dean of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
UTSW Pharmacologist James Collins receives 2023 TAMEST Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award
James Collins III, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, will receive the 2023 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Biological Sciences from The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST) for broadening understanding of schistosomiasis.
Increasing Robo4 expression may help with infections
The researchers screened a library of drugs using a mouse endothelial cell line to identify pathways that are involved in the regulation of Robo4 and found that two competitive SMAD signaling pathways appear to regulate Robo4 expression. When the researchers treated LPS-injected mice with a drug that inhibits ALK1-SMAD signaling, they observed increased Robo4 expression, decreased vascular permeability, and reduced mortality.
Japan’s lack of infectious diseases research exposed by COVID-19 pandemic
Japan’s government has drawn criticism from some of the nation’s researchers following a new analysis that shows Japan has for years been lagging in the field of infectious diseases research, including after the COVID-19 pandemic had hit.
LJI Instructor Annie Elong Ngono, Ph.D., wins GVN support to advance infectious disease research
LJI Instructor Annie Elong Ngono, Ph.D., has spearheaded important studies into the immune response to deadly pathogens such as dengue virus. Now, this dedication to global health and virology has earned her acceptance to the Global Virus Network’s (GVN) highly selective Rising Star Mentorship Program.
LJI scientists confirm smallpox vaccine also teaches T cells to fight mpox
“Vaccines such as JYNNEOS should be able to induce T cells that also recognize mpox and can provide protection from severe disease.”
Flu shots are recommended for those 65 and older as cases rise
With flu cases on the rise, geriatric specialists at UT Southwestern Medical Center say vaccinations are particularly important this year for people 65 and older who are more at risk from complications than other age groups.
Say Goodbye to Fish Vaccine Injection with “FLAVO INNOVAC” Nano Vaccine for Immersion : The Effective Solution for Prevention of Bacterial Gills Diseases in Fish caused by Flavobacterium spp.
A lecturer and his research team from Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, have developed “FLAVO INNOVAC” nanovaccine for the prevention of bacterial gills diseases in freshwater fish species such as Tilapia and freshwater Asian sea bass. This nanovaccine is an effective solution that reduces the risk of death from diseases and the limitations of vaccine injections.
The cell sentinel that neutralises hepatitis B
The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is responsible for one of the most serious and common infectious diseases. Transmitted through biological fluids, it attacks the liver cells.
The longer the bootcamp, the better the antibodies
LJI research shows that a “slow delivery, escalating dose” vaccination strategy can prompt B cells to spend months mutating and evolving their pathogen-fighting antibodies.
University Hospitals Chosen as Site for United States Flu Vaccine Effectiveness Network
The Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases has awarded University Hospitals of Cleveland a sizable grant to support its assignment as a study site in the United States Flu Vaccine Effectiveness Network.
How human cells become Zika virus factories
Scientists solve mystery of how Zika virus targets key immune cell. New finding shed light on how to stop virus from spreading.
Tulane working on test to predict COVID-19 complications
An interdisciplinary team of doctors and engineers are working to develop a diagnostic test to detect severe COVID-19 complications.
Cancer and HIV
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Emmanuel Thomas, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.S.L.D., has been appointed to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Coinfections and HIV Associated Cancers (HCAC) study section.
How Wastewater Surveillance Can Mitigate Monkeypox Spread: Expert Available
Just when it seemed like we could sit back and breathe a sigh of relief from declining COVID-19 rates in Nevada, another virus started making headlines: Monkeypox. Local COVID cases have been on a downward trajectory for more than a month. But a wastewater surveillance program led by UNLV Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine professor and infectious disease expert Edwin Oh has started tracking monkeypox,making Southern Nevada among the first few metropolitan areas nationwide to begin searching the sewers for the emerging virus.
Infectious Disease Expert Available to Address Recent Polio Case and Increase in Monkeypox Cases
Sandra A. Kemmerly, MD, MACP, FIDSA joined the Ochsner staff in 1988 and is board certified in both internal medicine and infectious diseases. She maintains an active practice and is the clinical lead for Ochsner Healths Covid response in addition…
Dr. Baumgarten Available to Address Recent Polio Case and Increase in Monkeypox Cases
Dr. Baumgarten currently serves as Medical Director of Infection Control and Prevention for Ochsner Health since 2008, during which time she been involved in preventing transmissible diseases in the Ochsner System and our community. Over the past two years, she…
Disparities in United States COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Health care facilities in Black metropolitan counties, Hispanic rural counties and hardest-hit counties were less likely to administer COVID-19 vaccines during initial rollout, UC San Diego study finds.
Post-COVID Lung Disease Shares Origins with Other Scarring Lung Disorders
UC San Diego researchers provide first insights into the fundamental cellular pathologies that drive interstitial lung disease in patients post-COVID.
Mayo Clinic Laboratories launches monkeypox test to increase access, availability
Mayo Clinic Laboratories can now test for monkeypox, a rare viral infection, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) orthopoxvirus test kit.
Awash in Potential: Wastewater Provides Early Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus
Scientists and physicians at UC San Diego and Scripps Research describe how wastewater sequencing provided dramatic new insights into levels and variants of SARS-CoV-2 on campus and in the broader community — a key step to public health interventions in advance of COVID-19 case surges.
Familiarity Breeds Exempt: Why Staph Vaccines Don’t Work in Humans
UC San Diego researchers say they may have found the reason why multiple human clinical trials of staphylococcus vaccines have failed: the bacteria knows us too well.
Columbia University & CDC Partner With Zambian Scientists to Prevent Pandemics
Columbia University’s Global Alliance for Preventing Pandemics announces an agreement with the University of Zambia’s School of Veterinary Medicine and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention to train Zambian public health professionals to better identify and contain pathogen outbreaks.
Targeting a human protein to squash SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses
In ACS Infectious Diseases, scientists now report that apratoxin S4, an anticancer drug candidate that targets a human protein, can interfere with the replication of many viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A, offering a possible pan-viral therapy.
Wastewater Surveillance for COVID-19: It’s Complicated
Elena Naumova, professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, explains wastewater surveillance and testing, the underlying process and the pros and cons of its use.
COVID-19 Rebound after Taking Paxlovid Likely Due to Insufficient Drug Exposure
COVID-19 rebound following Paxlovid treatment likely due to insufficient drug exposure, UC San Diego researchers find after showing rebound patient did not show drug resistance or impaired immunity.
Kawasaki Disease Rates Dropped During COVID-19 Pandemic
UC San Diego researchers report significant decrease in national cases of Kawasaki disease during COVID-19 pandemic; findings hint at origins of disease.
COVID-19 on the Brain: Neurological Symptoms Persist in Majority of Long-Haulers
A UC San Diego study describes the short- and long-term neurological symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and identifies a new group of COVID-19 long-haulers with advanced motor and cognitive symptoms.
What Do We Know – and Need to Know – About Monkeypox?
Q&A about monkeypox with Dr. Anne Rimoin, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of epidemiology and the Gordon-Levin Endowed Chair in Infectious Diseases and Public Health, has been studying monkeypox for two decades.