Infections

A new article, co-signed by 239 scientists, is calling for health authorities to recognize COVID-19 can be spread by airborne transmission. The scientists appeal for greater mitigation measures to control indoor airborne spread of the virus.

Bacteria build protective communities called biofilms that make it tough to get antibiotics in, leading to further health problems. But now, researchers have found a new weakness in biofilms that could be exploited.

A choir rehearsal, a series of family gatherings, and a multi-day church event. Three CDC reports offer detailed insights into super-spreader COVID-19 clusters. Can these reports point us towards safer ways to reopen our communities?

A newly discovered microbe identified in wild mosquito populations in Kenya has been found to protect the insects from malaria infection and could be recruited for malaria control strategies to limit transmission of the disease into human populations.

A “cytokine storm” is a dangerous kind of immune overreaction that can be triggered by infection or other treatments. Now, MIT researchers have engineered proteins that show early promise in mopping up these overzealous immune cells.

In the first case of its kind, a four-year-old tiger at New York City’s Bronx Zoo has tested positive for COVID-19, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has confirmed. The female Malayan tiger is believed to have been infected by a worker.

Viruses are a major health risk, but what if we could fight them using other viruses? Scientists in Berlin have created virus shells that mimic the target cells that the flu virus latches onto in the lungs, preventing them from causing infection.

A new study reported the novel coronavirus can survive on some surfaces for days, and is even detectable in aerosols for several hours, but what does this research mean for everyday people trying to understand how infectious the new virus is?

A new study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is affirming early estimates suggesting 5.1 days is the average incubation period for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The treatment of infections can be challenging, as it takes time to determine if harmful bacteria are even present, and to then figure out which antibiotic would work best. A simple new test, however, is said to answer both questions on the spot.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a smart bandage that changes color to signal either drug-resistant or drug-sensitive bacteria. It can then be triggered to release antibiotics or other chemicals to kill off the bugs.

Currently, in order to determine if someone has a urinary tract infection, their urine sample has to be sent off to a lab – it takes days to get results. Now, scientists have created a smartphone-enabled system that works in less than 25 minutes.