Influenza

The over-prescription of antibiotics is a major problem in the world today, leading to the dramatic rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. New research is suggesting not only are antibiotics ineffective for individuals suffering from influenza, but they can worsen the initial viral infection.

In extreme cases the flu virus can actually reshape the structure of the lungs. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a major part of that restructuring that until now had gone unnoticed – “taste bud cells” seem to grow in the lungs after a severe case of the flu.

Researchers from the University of Michigan have discovered a new symbiotic relationship we have with bacteria in our noses and throats, some of which may help fight off the flu virus.

Every year, the world enters an arms race with the flu. Creating a universal flu vaccine would give us the upper hand for the foreseeable future, and a new study from Oxford has identified a way to make that possible.

A new study led by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has demonstrated the efficacy of a new universal flu vaccine. Having been proven impressively effective in animal tests, the team hopes to move the vaccine into human trials within the next couple of years.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted priority review to a new antiviral drug that has been shown to notably reduce the duration of influenza symptoms. This single-dose drug is fast-acting and will potentially be approved for use in the United States by the end of 2018.

A team of scientists from Stanford University School of Medicine has discovered a blood-based genetic biomarker that could predict how likely a person is to become ill when exposed to the flu virus.

It’s hard to fight a virus that’s always mutating, but new research out of Georgia State University is closing in on a universal vaccine. The study uses nanoparticles containing proteins that are common to all influenza A viruses.

​In a new study destined to amplify the paranoia of those already bacteria-phobic individuals, a team of scientists has found evidence revealing the influenza virus is more easily transmissible that previously thought. The virus was shown to be passed on to others simply through exhaled breath.

New research from the University of Washington School of Medicine could pave the way for a universal flu shot by developing a novel DNA vaccine that targets the genetic components of the virus.

​Probably as long as women and men have existed, the former have accused the latter of being wimpy when it comes to suffering from colds or the flu. According to new research from Memorial University of Newfoundland, however, men may actually experience physically worse symptoms than women.

Getting a flu shot is an unpleasant annual routine, thanks to the virus constantly evolving. Now researchers from Cornell University have developed a new vaccine that acts faster, lasts longer and fights multiple strains, potentially cutting back the jab from once a year to once a decade.