Infection Control Today Magazine

Immune System

Researchers Study How Excess Alcohol Depresses Immune Function

Alcoholism suppresses the immune system, resulting in a high risk of serious, and even life-threatening infections. A new study shows that this effect stems largely from alcohol's toxicity to immune system cells called dendritic cells. These cells play a critical role in ...More
August 15, 2011
Posted in News
'Good' Prion-Like Proteins Boost Immune Response

A person's ability to battle viruses at the cellular level remarkably resembles the way deadly infectious agents called prions misfold and cluster native proteins to cause disease, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report. This study marks the first discovery of ...More
August 8, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Protein Unmasks Pathogenic Fungi to Activate Immune Response

The first step in defending against a hostile attack is identifying the enemy. It’s how a healthy immune system mounts a response to invading pathogens. In the case of certain fungi, however, the attacking cells may be so cleverly disguised that they’re able to slip past ...More
August 8, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Researchers Describe Key Molecule That Keeps Immune Cell Development on Track

In the latest issue of Nature, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania clarify the role of two proteins key to T-cell development. They found that one well-known protein called Notch passes off much of its role during T-cell ...More
August 8, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Quick Test Can Predict Immune Responses to Flu Shots

Researchers at the Emory Vaccine Center have developed a method for predicting whether someone will produce high levels of antibodies against a flu shot a few days after vaccination. After scanning the extent to which carefully selected genes are turned on in white blood ...More
July 11, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Resistant Mice Provide Clues About Successful Immune Response to Retroviruses

Although our body's defense mechanisms are usually capable of detecting and destroying many types of pathogens, some viruses are able to evade the immune system and make us sick. In particular, "retroviruses," such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), are notorious for ...More
July 1, 2011
Posted in News, Infections & Pathogens
Novel Complex Senses Viral Infection

Double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses are a diverse group of viruses that include rotaviruses, a common cause of gastroenteritis. The ability of the immune system to detect and destroy viruses is critical for human health and survival. Now, a study published by Cell Press in the ...More
June 23, 2011
Posted in News
Study Reveals How the Immune System Responds to Hepatitis A Virus

A surprising finding in a study comparing hepatitis C virus (HCV) with hepatitis A virus (HAV) infections in chimpanzees by a team that includes scientists from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute sheds new light on the nature of the body’s immune response to these ...More
June 20, 2011
Posted in News
Plants Teach Humans a Thing or Two About Fighting Diseases

Avoiding germs to prevent sickness is commonplace for people. Wash hands often. Sneeze into your elbow. Those are among the tips humans learn. But plants, which are also vulnerable to pathogens, have to fend it alone. They grow where planted, in an environment teeming with ...More
June 17, 2011
Posted in News
How the Immune System Fights Back Against Anthrax Infections

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences have uncovered how the body’s immune system launches its survival response to the notorious and deadly bacterium anthrax. The findings, ...More
June 16, 2011
Posted in News

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