Infectious Diseases News

December 9, 2025

Top Headlines

Scientists Uncover a Volcanic Trigger Behind the Black Death

Dec. 8, 2025 A newly analyzed set of climate data points to a major volcanic eruption that may have played a key role in the Black Death’s arrival. Cooling and crop failures across Europe pushed Italian states to bring in grain from the Black Sea. Those ...

Garlic Mouthwash Shows Shockingly Strong Germ-fighting Power

Dec. 8, 2025 Garlic extract is emerging as a surprisingly powerful contender to chlorhexidine, the long-standing “gold standard” in antimicrobial mouthwashes. A systematic review of clinical studies shows that higher-concentration garlic mouthwash can rival ...

Scientists Capture Flu Viruses Surfing Into Human Cells in Real Time

Dec. 4, 2025 Scientists have captured a never-before-seen, high-resolution look at influenza’s stealthy invasion of human cells, revealing that the cells aren’t just helpless victims. Using a groundbreaking imaging technique, researchers discovered that our ...

A Routine Shingles Shot May Offer Powerful Defense Against Dementia

Dec. 3, 2025 A unique vaccine rollout in Wales gave researchers an accidental natural experiment that revealed a striking reduction in dementia among seniors who received the shingles vaccine. The protective effect held steady across multiple analyses and was ...

Bird Flu’s Surprising Heat Tolerance Has Scientists Worried

Nov. 28, 2025 Researchers discovered why bird flu can survive temperatures that stop human flu in its tracks. A key gene, PB1, gives avian viruses the ability to replicate even at fever-level heat. Mice experiments confirmed that fever cripples human-origin flu ...

Stunning New 3D Images Reveal Yellow Fever’s Hidden Structure

Nov. 27, 2025 University of Queensland researchers visualized yellow fever virus particles at near-atomic detail, uncovering major structural differences between vaccine and virulent strains. The insights could lead to better vaccines and treatments for yellow ...

A Tiny Ancient Virus Reveals Secrets That Could Help Fight Superbugs

Nov. 17, 2025 Scientists mapped the Bas63 bacteriophage in unprecedented detail, uncovering how its tail machinery infects bacteria. The structure reveals rare whisker-collar features and distant evolutionary ties reaching back billions of years. These insights ...

This 14th Century Story Fooled the World About the Black Death

Nov. 11, 2025 Historians have traced myths about the Black Death’s rapid journey across Asia to one 14th-century poem by Ibn al-Wardi. His imaginative maqāma, never meant as fact, became the foundation for centuries of misinformation about how the plague ...

COVID Vaccine Linked to Fewer Infections and Allergies in Kids with Eczema

Nov. 8, 2025 New research suggests the COVID-19 vaccine could help children with eczema stay healthier overall. Vaccinated kids had lower rates of infections and allergies, including asthma and rhinitis, compared with unvaccinated peers. Experts believe the ...

Scientists Shocked to Find E. Coli Spreads as Fast as the Swine Flu

Nov. 4, 2025 Researchers have, for the first time, estimated how quickly E. coli bacteria can spread between people — and one strain moves as fast as swine flu. Using genomic data from the UK and Norway, scientists modeled bacterial transmission rates and ...

This New Drug Candidate Might Finally Outsmart Tuberculosis

Nov. 4, 2025 A new compound called CMX410 may change the fight against tuberculosis. It targets a weak point in the bacteria’s defenses, even in drug-resistant forms of the disease. Created using a cutting-edge chemistry method, the drug shows promise for ...

Ancient Viruses Hidden Inside Bacteria Could Help Defeat Modern Infections

Nov. 3, 2025 Penn State scientists uncovered an ancient bacterial defense where dormant viral DNA helps bacteria fight new viral threats. The enzyme PinQ flips bacterial genes to create protective proteins that block infection. Understanding this mechanism could ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:49am EST

Strange Microscopic Structures Found in Long COVID Blood

Nov. 13, 2025 Scientists have discovered strange microscopic structures in the blood of people with Long COVID—clusters of tiny microclots tangled together with sticky immune webs known as neutrophil ...

A Shapeshifting Protein Explains Rabies’ Deadly Power

Nov. 5, 2025 Researchers discovered how rabies virus exerts massive control over host cells with very few genes. A key viral protein changes shape and binds RNA, allowing it to infiltrate different cellular ...

Scientists Find Hidden Antibiotic 100x Stronger Against Deadly Superbugs

Oct. 29, 2025 A team of scientists discovered a hidden antibiotic 100 times stronger than existing drugs against deadly superbugs like MRSA. The molecule had been overlooked for decades in a familiar bacterium. It ...

Scientists Discover COVID mRNA Vaccines Boost Cancer Survival

Oct. 28, 2025 Researchers found that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines significantly increased survival in lung and skin cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy. The vaccine appears to prime the immune system in a powerful, ...

Scientists Turn Flower Fragrance Into a Mosquito Killer

Oct. 27, 2025 A team of researchers has developed a floral-scented fungus that tricks mosquitoes into approaching and dying. The fungus emits longifolene, a natural scent that irresistibly draws them in. It’s ...

Bird Flu Hiding in Cheese? The Surprising New Discovery

Oct. 21, 2025 Researchers discovered that avian influenza (H5N1) can survive in raw milk cheese made from contaminated milk, even after the 60-day aging process required by the FDA. However, highly acidic cheeses ...

Cancer Patients Who Got a COVID Vaccine Lived Much Longer

Oct. 19, 2025 A groundbreaking study reveals that cancer patients who received a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine within 100 days of starting immunotherapy lived dramatically longer than those who didn’t. Researchers from ...

This Experimental “super Vaccine” Stopped Cancer Cold in the Lab

Oct. 13, 2025 UMass Amherst researchers have developed a groundbreaking nanoparticle-based cancer vaccine that prevented melanoma, pancreatic, and triple-negative breast cancers in mice—with up to 88% remaining ...

Thousands Fall Ill as Mosquito Fever Explodes Across Southern China

Oct. 10, 2025 China’s Guangdong Province is battling its worst-ever chikungunya outbreak, with thousands of infections spreading across major cities and nearby regions. Transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, the ...

Scientists Finally Reveal What’s Behind Long COVID’s Mysterious Brain Fog

Oct. 7, 2025 Researchers in Japan have pinpointed a biological cause of Long COVID brain fog using advanced PET brain imaging. They discovered widespread ...

A Flu Test You Can Chew

Oct. 2, 2025 Flu detection could soon be as simple as chewing gum. Scientists have created a molecular sensor that releases a thyme-like flavor when it encounters influenza, offering a low-tech, taste-based ...

Stunning Images Reveal How Antibiotics Shatter Bacterial Defenses

Sep. 29, 2025 Researchers have revealed how polymyxins, crucial last-resort antibiotics, break down bacterial armor by forcing cells to overproduce and shed it. Astonishingly, the drugs only kill bacteria when ...

Doctors Tested a Common Drug on COVID. The Results Are Stunning

Sep. 28, 2025 Inhaled heparin significantly lowers the risk of death and ventilation in COVID-19 patients while also showing potential against other respiratory infections. With its unique triple-action benefits, ...

Millions Could Be Living With Hidden Smell Loss After COVID Without Knowing

Oct. 2, 2025 A massive NIH-backed study reveals that COVID-19’s toll on smell may be more widespread and lasting than most realize. Even patients without noticeable symptoms often performed poorly on scent ...

Nanotech Transforms Vinegar Into a Lifesaving Superbug Killer

Oct. 6, 2025 Researchers have enhanced vinegar’s antibacterial properties by infusing it with cobalt-based carbon nanoparticles. This nano-boosted solution kills harmful bacteria from both inside and outside ...

The Hidden Group That Loses COVID Protection Fast

Sep. 18, 2025 Why do some people stay protected after vaccination while others quickly lose immunity? Researchers in Japan tracked over 2,500 people for 18 months and found four distinct immune response patterns. ...

Why the Flu Turns Deadly for Older Adults, and How Scientists Found the Cause

Sep. 8, 2025 Researchers have uncovered why older adults are more vulnerable to severe flu. The culprit is a protein called ApoD, which rises with age and disrupts the body’s ability to fight infection. This ...

Common Allergy Spray Slashes COVID-19 Risk in Surprising Trial

Sep. 7, 2025 A common hay fever nasal spray was found to cut COVID-19 infections by two-thirds in a clinical trial, while also reducing rhinovirus cases. Researchers believe it could serve as an easy, low-cost ...

How Long Can One RSV Shot Protect Seniors? Study Shows Surprising Two-Year Shield

Sep. 1, 2025 A single RSV vaccine dose is proving to be a powerful shield for older adults, significantly reducing hospitalizations and severe illness over two consecutive RSV seasons. While protection is ...

Your Morning Coffee Could Secretly Be Weakening Antibiotics

Sep. 11, 2025 Researchers have discovered that everyday substances like caffeine can influence how bacteria such as E. coli respond to antibiotics. By examining 94 common drugs and food ingredients, scientists ...

Strange New Bacteria Found in Amazon Sand Flies. Could It Spread to Humans?

Sep. 6, 2025 A newly discovered species of Bartonella bacteria in Brazil’s Amazon sand flies shares DNA similarities with dangerous Andean strains. Scientists stress the need for further studies to see if it ...

Ancient DNA Finally Solves the Mystery of the World’s First Pandemic

Aug. 30, 2025 Scientists have finally uncovered direct genetic evidence of Yersinia pestis — the bacterium behind the Plague of Justinian — in a mass grave in Jerash, Jordan. This long-sought discovery ...

The Common Cold’s Unexpected Superpower Against COVID

Aug. 26, 2025 A nationwide study found that recent colds caused by rhinoviruses can give short-term protection against COVID-19. Children benefit most, as their immune systems react strongly with antiviral ...

Common Painkillers Like Advil and Tylenol Supercharge Antibiotic Resistance

Aug. 26, 2025 Painkillers we often trust — ibuprofen and acetaminophen — may be quietly accelerating one of the world’s greatest health crises: antibiotic resistance. Researchers discovered that these drugs ...

Even Mild Covid May Leave Blood Vessels Five Years Older

Aug. 18, 2025 Researchers discovered that Covid accelerates blood vessel aging by about five years, especially in women. Even mild infections increased arterial stiffness, with vaccinated individuals showing less ...

Trojan Horse Bacteria Sneak Cancer-Killing Viruses Into Tumors

Aug. 17, 2025 Scientists have engineered a groundbreaking cancer treatment that uses bacteria to smuggle viruses directly into tumors, bypassing the immune system and delivering a powerful one-two punch against ...

Columbia Scientists May Have Found a Universal Antiviral

Aug. 18, 2025 A rare immune disorder has inspired a potential universal antiviral therapy. By mimicking the mutation s unique inflammation signature, researchers developed an mRNA-based treatment that stopped ...

A $2 Gold Nanotech Test That Detects Deadly Diseases in Minutes

Aug. 15, 2025 Arizona State University scientists have unveiled NasRED, a revolutionary one-drop blood test that can detect diseases like COVID-19, Ebola, HIV, and Lyme with incredible speed and precision. Using ...

Scientists Detect Virus Traces in Blood That May Unlock Long COVID’s Mystery

Aug. 12, 2025 Scientists have found protein fragments from the COVID-19 virus hidden inside tiny cellular packages in the blood of long COVID patients, offering the first potential measurable biomarker for the ...

Researchers Discover Key Social Factors That Triple Long COVID Risk

Aug. 4, 2025 New research led by Mass General Brigham reveals that people facing social challenges—like food insecurity, financial strain, and limited healthcare access—are two to three times more likely to ...