Researchers discover molecule with promise to enhance vaccine efficacy
Taking a significant leap in the field of vaccine development, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry researchers have discovered a potential 'super molecule' that can bolster the effectiveness of...
View Article'Swine flu' strain has passed from humans to swine nearly 400 times since 2009
A new study of the strain of influenza A responsible for the 2009 H1N1 pandemic -- pdm09 -- shows that the virus has passed from humans to swine about 370 times since 2009, and subsequent circulation...
View ArticleMutation accessibility fuels influenza evolution
Scientists showed that fixed mutations within a viral population most likely stem from how easy it is to acquire that mutation (i.e., mutation accessibility) rather than just its benefit.
View ArticleInfluenza shows no seasonality in tropics, posing challenges for health care
In temperate climates, like North America and Europe, flu season starts in the fall, peaks in the winter and ends in the spring. While public health officials have generally assumed that influenza is...
View ArticleMolecules in vegetables can help to ease lung infection
Researchers have found that molecules in vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower help to maintain a healthy barrier in the lung and ease infection.
View ArticleImmune cells present long before infection predict flu symptoms
Scientists found that immune cells present in individuals long before influenza infection predict whether the illness is symptomatic.
View ArticleBird flu is undergoing changes that could increase the risk of widespread...
A new study has shown that a subtype of avian flu virus, endemic in poultry farms in China, is undergoing mutational changes, which could increase the risk of the disease being passed on to humans.
View ArticleClimate change can alter the risk of succumbing to infectious diseases
A new Europe-wide study investigated the prevalence of protozoans, bacteria and viruses potentially pathogenic to humans and domestic animals in birds and bats in varying climatic conditions. The...
View ArticleFlu: Interferon-gamma from T follicular helper cells is required to create...
During a bout of influenza, B cells interact with other immune cells and then take different paths to defend the body. One path is the B cells that differentiate into lung-resident memory B cells, or...
View ArticleTo prepare for next pandemic, researchers tackle bird flu
Researchers have developed an improved way to test potential vaccines against bird flu.
View ArticleEvidence from the remains of 1918 flu pandemic victims contradicts long-held...
New analysis of the remains of victims of the 1918 influenza pandemic, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide, contradicts the widespread belief the flu disproportionately impacted...
View ArticleCoronavirus: Model can predict the evolution of new COVID variants
Researchers have developed a model that predicts the likely evolution of variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The model predicts which variants can escape human immunity, spread through the population and...
View ArticleNext-generation influenza B vaccines provide broad and long-lasting...
Recent preclinical results indicate novel next-generation vaccine candidates protect against multiple strains of influenza and last longer than vaccines currently in use.
View ArticleSurvey finds many Americans are letting their guard down during respiratory...
Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning this year will be potentially dangerous for respiratory illnesses, a third of Americans are not concerned about the threat, according to a...
View ArticleAntiviral treatment is largely underused in children with influenza, study...
Despite national medical guidelines supporting the use of antiviral medications in young children diagnosed with influenza, a new study reports an underuse of the treatment.
View ArticleChild care centers aren't a likely source of COVID-19 spread, study says
Parents who send their children to child care can breathe a little easier. New research shows that children in daycare were not significant spreaders of COVID-19.
View Article'Long flu' has emerged as a consequence similar to long COVID
New research comparing the viruses that cause the flu and COVID-19 shows that people hospitalized with seasonal influenza also can suffer long-term, negative health effects, especially involving their...
View ArticleNew type of antibody shows promise against multiple forms of flu virus
Researchers have identified a previously unrecognized class of antibodies -- immune system proteins that protect against disease -- that appear capable of neutralizing multiple forms of flu virus. The...
View ArticleExperiments in infant mice suggest new way to prevent spread of flu in people
Scientists have long known that some viruses and bacteria begin infections by latching first onto sugar molecules on the surfaces of cells lining the sinuses and throat of mammals, including humans....
View ArticleNew vaccine design uses immunity against influenza to offer faster protection...
Imagine a vaccine that speeds up the production of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that spreads COVID-19. A research team has developed such a vaccine by using preexisting immunity to a...
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