After nearly 40 years of effort, Guinea worm disease is on the cusp of being the second human disease – after smallpox – to be eradicated on Earth.
Bacteria (clusters of light pink, surrounded by larger magenta blood cells) can cause deadly infections, but overreactive immune responses can deliver the lethal blow.
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An overactive immune response to infection can be deadly. Studying how one key player called tumor necrosis factor, or TNF, induces lethal immune responses could provide new treatment targets.
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.
Insect bites or stings, like the one on this person’s hand, are a manifestation of inflammation.
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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.
Phages can sense bacterial DNA damage, which triggers them to replicate and jump ship.
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There are two approved monkeypox vaccines in the US. Both use a related poxvirus called vaccinia to produce an immune response that protects against smallpox and monkeypox.
The immune system usually stays dormant in the lungs in times of health.
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While a strong immune response is essential to fight against viral infection, an immune system that continues to stay active long after the virus has been cleared can lead to lung damage.
Sepsis begins with infection by bacteria or a virus. This panoramic ilustration inside a blood vessel shows rod-shaped bacteria, red blood cells and immune cells called leukocytes.
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Sepsis onset can be difficult to recognize, in part because its symptoms can mimic those of many other conditions. A treatment delay of even a few hours can make the difference between life and death.
Researchers can test blood samples taken for other reasons to see if patients have previously had COVID-19.
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Your blood can hold a record of past illnesses. That information can reveal how many people have had a certain infection – like 58% of Americans having had COVID-19 by the end of February 2022.
All COVID-19 tests start with a sample, but the scientific process goes very differently after that.
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The two types of COVID-19 tests – antigen and PCR – work in very different ways, which is why one is fast but less accurate and the other is slow and precise.
Despite rampant misinformation, studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are safe for both the mom and baby.
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A COVID-19 vaccine does not cause infertility – but it can protect you from the dangerous complications of contracting the virus.
People suffering from long-term effects of COVID-19 face uncertainty about the nature of their symptoms and how long they might last.
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COVID-19 vaccination produces a more consistent immune response than a past infection. With the delta variant, the difference in protection may be even greater.
When children return to schools in the fall, measures to protect them from COVID-19 must be taken/
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Simulations of classrooms and offices can help determine the safest configurations to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Vaccinated people are well protected from getting sick, but could they inadvertently transmit the coronavirus?
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If you’ve already had the coronavirus and recovered, you might be tempted to give the vaccine a pass. A scientist explains why the shot offers the best protection against future infection.
A new study argues for selective border relaxations. But with COVID-19 more prevalent now than at almost any point in the past, the risk would be substantial.
We need a toilet design solution that suits local people’s needs.
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Communication between programmers and local communities can provide good opportunities in the toilet prototyping process from the beginning of the design process.
Antibiotics do not shorten or reduce the severity of colds or flu, but they could produce adverse effects that make you feel even worse.
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Resistant bacteria aren’t the only risk posed by overprescribing antibiotics. A more immediate risk is side-effects and reactions, which a new review shows are surprisingly frequent and often severe.
Senior Lecturer, School of Computing and Information Systems, University of Melbourne; Senior Research Fellow, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne