Infectious Diseases – News and Features

A new study sheds light on the subject by identifying what the researchers describe as an “immune system tuning dial,” which originated as a bug in the genetic code tens of millions of years ago.

In a new study, scientists combined strategies to deliver energy-disrupting gene therapy using nanoparticles manufactured to zero in only on cancer cells, with experiments showing the targeted therapy effective in mice.

A new study offers the first evidence that a single bacterial species—the host of the phage—can maintain a diverse community of competing phage species.

If and how nutrient preference impacts cell identity has been a longstanding mystery for scientists—until a team of immunologists revealed a novel framework for the complicated relationship between nutrition and cell identity.

Household plumbing is alive with microbes; Washington University in St. Louis environmental engineers are investigating the microbes that live in household plumbing to ensure clean water flows in homes.

Researchers have identified genes that enable beneficial bacterial species to colonize specific regions of the gastrointestinal tract, in a step towards gut microbiome engineering.

The delicate balance between immune system rest and activation is crucial for our health. For T cells, this balance is controlled by a single protein.

Two bacterial strains may be linked to higher rates of colon cancer in some countries. This may provide a target for the development of measures such as vaccines to cut rates of colon cancer.

Researchers have introduced a proof-of-concept for a new class of antivirals that could be used against RNA viruses including SARS, Ebola and dengue.

A new approach to treat rosacea and other inflammatory skin conditions by inhibiting mast cells could be on the horizon.