Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

Oct 19, 2023

Tropical parasite gains a foothold in the US, especially in Texas

The parasitic disease leishmaniasis used to crop up in the U.S. mostly among people who had traveled to tropical regions. But now, a unique, local strain of the parasite may be gaining a foothold in the country, a new study suggests. In addition, there are potential concerns that imported dogs...

Oct 20, 2023

Why is it hard to hear when you have a cold?

The common cold can leave you with a stuffy nose, sore throat and phlegmy cough, but along with these main symptoms, you may also struggle to hear properly. So why does your sense of hearing falter when you have a cold or another respiratory infection? The answer lies in the...

Oct 26, 2023

What does it look like when your sinuses are clogged?

Respiratory infections like the common cold often start with a stuffy nose, and this minor ailment is sometimes followed by pain and tenderness around the cheeks, eyes and forehead — a telltale symptom of blocked sinuses. But what do clogged sinuses actually look like? To paint this mucus-filled picture, let's...

Oct 27, 2023

Mammal cells use some viruses like vitamins, study hints

On the menu tonight, a nice, nutritional, bacteria-killing virus. Sounds unappealing? It may not be to your cells. In a new study, scientists revealed that a type of bacteriophage — a virus that infects and kills bacteria — found in the human gut helps mammal cells grow and thrive in...

Nov 6, 2023

In world 1st, virus spotted attached to 2nd virus

In a world first, scientists have observed one virus latching onto another. The interaction was captured in astonishing detail using a microscope that fires beams of electrons at its subject. The finding revealed how these two different viruses, both categorized as bacteriophages, interact and may have co-evolved. No one has...

Nov 10, 2023

NJ officials investigate unusual spike in Legionnaires' disease

An unexpected surge in cases of Legionnaires' disease in two New Jersey counties has prompted the state health department to launch an investigation. People catch Legionnaires' disease, a serious bacterial lung infection, after swallowing or inhaling water droplets that contain Legionella bacteria. The infection can't spread from person to person....

Nov 15, 2023

2 Salmonella outbreaks linked to pet foods hit US and Canada

Two separate outbreaks of Salmonella in people in the U.S. and Canada have both been linked to pet food. In the U.S., seven cases of Salmonella infection in seven states have been connected to the outbreak so far. These illnesses occurred between January and August of this year, and one...

Nov 17, 2023

Nearly 450 hospital patients in Massachusetts could have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV

Nearly 450 patients treated at Salem Hospital in Massachusetts could have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV due to improperly administered IV drugs. Earlier this year, Salem Hospital was made aware of an isolated practice involving a small portion of endoscopy patients who were potentially exposed to infection due to...

Nov 18, 2023

Measles deaths jumped over 40% from 2021 to 2022, CDC reports

Measles cases, deaths and outbreaks jumped dramatically between 2021 and 2022, a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows. The research, published Friday (Nov. 17) in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), revealed an 18% rise...

Nov 29, 2023

China's respiratory outbreak is 'expected' and not caused by new virus

In mid-November, news broke of an outbreak of respiratory illness in China, raising concerns that another pandemic like COVID-19 might emerge. Now, scientists say the pathogens behind the surge are actually quite common. The worries of another pandemic started Nov. 13, when China's National Health Commission announced a nationwide increase...

Nov 30, 2023

US dogs suffer mystery respiratory illness: What we know so far

Dogs across the U.S. are getting sick with an unexplained respiratory illness. As of Monday (Nov. 27), at least 14 states, including Oregon, New Hampshire, Colorado and Massachusetts, have reported cases of pet dogs of different breeds developing symptoms including cough, runny nose, lethargy and a loss of appetite. In...

Dec 1, 2023

Climate change could upend fight against malaria, WHO warns

Climate change — and the extreme weather events it brings — could raise global malaria rates, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday (Nov. 30). The changing climate poses a substantial risk to progress against malaria, particularly in vulnerable regions, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. Sustainable...

Dec 4, 2023

'Extremely high' number of pneumonia cases strike kids in Ohio county

An Ohio county has reported an extremely high number of pneumonia cases among kids this fall. There's no evidence that these cases are tied to an unusual or unknown cause; they've been attributed to known respiratory pathogens. China and several European countries, including Denmark, have also reported significant upticks in...

Dec 10, 2023

What happens in your body during a fever?

You wake up in the middle of the night, shivering. You're experiencing a fever — a temporary spike in body temperature. Fevers can arise as the body's defense system fights off an infection, but they can also be triggered by other things, including autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, or...

Dec 11, 2023

Deadly Rocky Mountain spotted fever seen in travelers to Mexico

A potentially deadly disease spread by ticks recently sickened five people who had traveled to or lived in Baja California, Mexico, and three of those patients have died, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned. The disease, called Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), is caused by the bacterium...