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

Oct 8, 2020

Scientists zoom in on HIV inside a test tube, find critical steps in infection

Scientists have finally recreated the initial steps of HIV infection in a test tube, offering an incredibly zoomed-in view of the virus in action. The amazing images show a cone-shaped shell of geometric tiles, called the capsid, that sits at the virus's center and contains its genetic material, known as...

Apr 7, 2021

HIV vaccine stimulates 'rare immune cells' in early human trials

A new vaccine for HIV is raising excitement after its first in-human trials showed 97% success at stimulating a rare set of immune cells that play a key role in fighting the virus. The vaccine approach is a new attempt to head off the fast-mutating human immunodeficiency virus, which has...

Nov 20, 2021

Patient's immune system 'naturally' cures HIV in the second case of its kind

In 2013, doctors delivered a life-altering diagnosis to a woman in Esperanza, Argentina: She had acquired HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Eight years later, the virus has all but disappeared from her system. In fact, stunned researchers were unable to find evidence of any HIV viral particles in her...

Dec 21, 2021

1st long-acting injection to prevent HIV has been approved by the FDA

The world's first injectable medication to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the agency announced Monday (Dec. 20). The injectable drug — called Apretude or its generic name, cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension — provides an alternative to daily pills for...

Feb 3, 2022

Newfound variant of HIV progresses to AIDS faster and may be more transmissible

A newfound variant of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has been uncovered in the Netherlands and appears to cause faster disease progression compared with other versions of the virus. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects and destroys immune cells called CD4 cells in the body, causing the number of...

Feb 18, 2022

A third person has been cured of HIV, scientists report

A woman became the third person ever to be cured of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, after she received a stem-cell transplant that used cells from umbilical cord blood, scientists reported Tuesday (Feb. 15). The two other people cured of HIV, Timothy Brown and Adam Castillejo, both received bone...

Jul 27, 2022

66-year-old likely cured of HIV after stem cell transplant

After receiving a stem cell transplant, a 66-year-old man may be the fifth person to be cured of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, researchers reported Wednesday (July 27). The patient, who wishes to remain anonymous, is the oldest person yet to undergo the procedure and enter long-term remission from...

Aug 16, 2022

Advancing Transformational Innovation in HIV Research: A Pillar of Gilead’s Efforts to Help End the Global HIV Epidemic

It has been more than 40 years since the first reported cases of HIV, and tremendous progress has been made toward ending the epidemic, including advances in HIV treatment that allow for longer and healthier lives. Nevertheless, HIV persists as a serious public health challenge. In the United States, the...

Jul 1, 2015

Flu Vaccine and Narcolepsy: New Findings May Explain Link

An unusual increase in narcolepsy cases in Europe was linked to a new flu vaccine used there, and now researchers may have figured out why: A protein in the vaccine appears to mimic one in the brain that plays a role in the sleep disorder. People with narcolepsy experience severe...

Jul 21, 2015

New Flu Vaccine Could Protect Against All Strains

A new flu vaccine might be able to ward off all strains of this complex, rapidly mutating disease. A new study in mice finds that, by presenting a cocktail of flu proteins to the immune system, researchers can induce immunity to strains that the animal has never encountered. Though scientists...

Sep 17, 2015

New Flu Shot Addresses Last Year's Shortcomings

This season's flu vaccine will contain the strain of influenza virus that was predominant during last year's worse-than-usual flu season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last season, a particular strain of H3N2 flu virus — known as the Switzerland variant — circulated widely and was...

Oct 9, 2015

Many Doctors Would Work While Sick with Flu, Fever

SAN DIEGO — Nearly all doctors in a new study say they would go to work while sick with a cold, and more than a third say they would work if they had the flu. The findings are based on a survey of 474 doctors at an academic hospital in...

Dec 10, 2015

When Will Flu Season Start?

It may be late fall, but there's not much flu going around in the United States so far this season, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between Oct. 4 and Nov. 28, the percentage of people visiting the doctor who were there because...

Dec 21, 2015

Flu Season Will Likely Peak in February, Model Suggests

This flu season will likely peak in February and could be a mild one, according to a new model that aims to forecast the flu in the United States this winter. The model uses information from past flu seasons, along with a mathematical representation of how influenza spreads through a...

Feb 1, 2016

Flu Season Is Here; CDC Warns of Severe Cases in Young Adults

Flu season has started, and although so far it has not been as bad as last year's, there have been reports of some young and middle-age adults developing severe cases of influenza, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Today (Feb. 1), the CDC announced that flu cases...