Common summer activities can expose you to a host of infectious diseases. But there are simple steps you can take to protect yourself from pathogens ranging from E. coli to T. gondii.
People should minimise contact with birds in areas affected by bird flu viruses, including farms and settings where live animals may be sold or slaughtered.
Your immune system encounters a legion of potential pathogens every day.
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Your immune system is often able to fend off pathogens it’s never seen before. But defending your body against all of them all at once is a tough challenge.
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.
Researchers simulated thousands of scenarios of an ancient pathogen being released into modern ecosystems. In the worst cases, up to one-third of host species were destroyed.
African scientists need a central repository where the genomic data they capture can be uploaded and shared.
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Museum archives hold biological specimens that have been collected over years or even decades. Modern molecular analysis of these collections can reveal information about pathogens and their spread.
This whirlwind tour of social history describes how infectious diseases have shaped humanity at every stage. It suggests reducing inequality will give us our best chance of surviving future plagues.
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.
Investigators in Florida traced a listeria outbreak to ice cream.
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Following the global spread of COVID, there have been widespread calls for blanket bans on the consumption and trade of wild animals. But such bans may have unintended consequences.
Sampling wastewater can be time-intensive.
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Over 800 sites across the US report coronavirus data from sewage to the CDC. Here’s how this kind of surveillance system works and what it can and can’t tell you.