The bacterium that causes Lyme disease is a master of disguise, changing its appearance to evade the immune system as it moves from the ticks that carry it to humans or animals.
Being feverish is unpleasant, but it can help your body overcome invading pathogens.
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The heat and chills that come with fever are not only uncomfortable but also metabolically costly. Increased body temperature, however, can make all the difference when you’re sick.
Women are more likely to develop chronic diseases driven by the immune system.
The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. This fungus can cause a number of disorders in people with compromised immune function or other lung diseases.
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Africa is suffering from a silent, but costly, epidemic of fungal infections.
Addressing the increased risks of certain diseases among those with Down syndrome could help improve their quality of life.
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Joaquin Espinosa, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
People with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome 21. Understanding the effects of those triplicated genes could help improve the health of those with Down syndrome and other medical conditions.
Recent research has shown there’s a link between multiple sclerosis and Epstein-Barr virus. A new study brings us closer to understanding the nature of this connection.
Endometriosis can cause a range of painful symptoms.
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Here are some simple things you can do everyday to help your immune system fight off infections.
In this November 1918 photo, a nurse tends to a patient in the influenza ward of the Walter Reed hospital in Bethesda, Md.
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During the 1918 flu pandemic, white people died at similar rates to Black Americans, according to a new study – a very different pattern than what occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nasal vaccines for COVID-19 are still in early development.
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An effective nasal vaccine could stop the virus that causes COVID-19 right at its point of entry. But devising one that works has been a challenge for researchers.
Asymptomatic sensitization may lead people to continue consuming food allergens, causing hidden neurological issues.
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Inflammation is a complicated and important part of how the immune system responds to threats to the body. But when the inflammatory response goes awry, it can lead to serious problems.
Rheumatoid arthritis leads to painful joint inflammation, often in the hands and wrists.
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Alzheimer’s may not be primarily a disease of the brain. It may be a disorder of the immune system within the brain. Beta-amyloid may not be an abnormal protein, but part of the brain’s immune system.
Exposure to diverse microbes boosts our immunity, while spending time in nature restores wellbeing. And COVID reminds us of the risks of new viruses when we intrude on and degrade natural habitats.
Director, Children’s Health and Environment Program and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Children’s Health and Environment, The University of Queensland