Viruses

A longitudinal study of 1,154 hospitalized COVID-19 patients found widespread reactivation of chronic Herpesviridae and Anelloviridae, with distinct viral patterns linked to disease severity, inflammation, and clinical outcomes. Anelloviridae also persisted during convalescence and were associated with physical deficits in long COVID, although the study did not establish causation.

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Scientists trained artificial intelligence on libraries of DNA and then asked the model to create recipes for viral genomes. Sixteen of them were viable, yielding new viruses.

Scientists trained artificial intelligence on libraries of DNA and then asked the model to create recipes for viral genomes. Sixteen of them were viable, yielding new viruses.

COVID-19 can reactivate dormant viruses, including Epstein-Barr and cytomegalovirus, according to a large NIH-funded study. Researchers also linked reactivation to long COVID, revealing potential targets for future diagnostics and treatments. The post COVID-19 Reactivates Dormant Viruses, Offering New Clues to Long COVID appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

The last time you had a cold sore, you might have fretted about how long it would hang around. Perhaps you avoided reflective surfaces. It's unlikely you worried about dying from it.

A highly contagious herpes virus causes Marek's disease, a deadly illness that mainly infects chickens. While it does not make people sick, the virus causes tumors and paralysis in chickens and, if unchecked, can spread rapidly through entire flocks.

Low arginine levels may allow cancer cells and viruses to slip past the immune system by reducing production of a crucial cellular warning protein. In mice, arginine-rich diets led to fewer colon tumors and milder viral infections, suggesting a simple supplement could have powerful therapeutic potential.

The high frequency of RNA virus mutations and outbreaks of emerging RNA viral infections are challenging public health issues. Developing a drug that can overcome viral mutations with broad-spectrum antiviral activity is an unmet need.

When a virus enters a cell, its top priority is to replicate its genome rapidly, creating new viruses to infect elsewhere. The host has the opposite priority: to destroy the virus, ideally before it can do any harm. Biology has evolved diverse tactics for viral recognition and destruction, but they share a common theme—sensing that an invading viral genome is present in a cell.

Researchers found that vesper bats use two separate sets of genes to build antibodies ‪—‬ a rare evolutionary quirk that may give them different ways to fight infection.

It is a mystery that has puzzled scientists for years. How can the world's only winged mammals carry viruses that cause severe disease while rarely becoming seriously ill themselves?

Many viruses can infect both humans and animals, including hepatitis E virus. This virus is often transmitted to humans via contaminated meat products, such as by ingesting raw or undercooked pork or wild game. However, mouse liver cells are not a suitable host for hepatitis E viruses. Researchers have now discovered why.

Mouse liver cells are not a suitable host for hepatitis E viruses. The Virology department in Bochum has discovered why.

After more than 15 years of collaborative research, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Houston Zoo have reached a major milestone in the fight against elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), publishing the first peer-reviewed evidence that an experimental mRNA vaccine may help protect young Asian elephants from one of the deadliest diseases facing the species.

Researchers at the University of Vermont Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine and Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY, have discovered that dengue virus can infect and replicate inside memory B cells, immune cells traditionally understood to help protect the body from infection.

An oral antiviral candidate prevented airborne and contact transmission of a measles-like virus in ferrets, reduced disease severity and infectious duration, and could complement vaccination strategies to help control future measles outbreaks. The post Oral Antiviral Blocks Measles-Like Virus Transmission in Ferrets appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Researchers report rapid spread, widespread underdiagnosis, and growing travel-associated infections, raising concerns about future outbreaks beyond Latin America.

Viruses lack the molecular machinery required for protein synthesis. Instead, they hijack the host's protein-making machinery, specifically ribosomes and translational factors. This process is essential for viral multiplication and infection. Viruses have RNA genomes or mRNAs containing structured regions called internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES) that help capture the host ribosome to translate viral genes while translation of host genes is blocked.

All cellular life-from humans to bacteria-possesses two layers of immunity: innate and adaptive. Scientists have long understood how these two types of immunity work together in higher organisms but not in the microbial world.

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed over 1,000 lives, with the Bundibugyo strain spreading rapidly. Health officials struggle to contain the crisis amid logistical challenges.

Scientists uncovered how influenza A commandeers human cells, including a surprising strategy that dissolves tiny structures in the nucleus and releases proteins the virus may use to reproduce. The detailed molecular map could reveal new drug targets and help researchers study dangerous flu strains such as H5N1.

Researchers developed a customized experimental workflow combining cross-linking mass spectrometry with AlphaFold-based structural modeling and functional assays to directly map protein-protein interactions in influenza-infected human cells. The post Flu Virus Interaction with Host Cell Machinery Mapped Inside Infected Cells appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Researchers at EMBL Hamburg and collaborators at the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) have mapped how the influenza A virus rewires infected human cells in unprecedented detail.

Researchers at EMBL Hamburg and collaborators at the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) have mapped how the influenza A virus rewires infected human cells in unprecedented detail. To do this, the researchers used a customized experimental workflow to directly observe how proteins interact inside intact infected cells.

A research team has developed a multisite bridging-mediated lateral flow immunoassay (mbLFIA) that enables highly sensitive, portable detection of mosquito-borne viruses, using Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) as a model target.

Professor Yasutoshi Kido of the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU), in collaboration with K.K. DNAFORM and the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is developing a portable rapid diagnostic system for Ebola virus disease (EVD) caused by Bundibugyo virus (BDBV).

As of 14 July, 2,093 confirmed cases of Bundibugyo Virus Disease and 798 deaths had been reported in the DRC and Uganda. A total of 394 people have recovered.

A study led by a University of California, Riverside biomedical scientist shows how a family of tick-borne viruses known as orthonairoviruses can evade immune defenses, offering important insights into emerging infectious disease threats and the potential pandemic risk posed by these viruses.

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

Researchers detected Usutu virus RNA in nine of 818 wild carnivores sampled across the Netherlands, while no animals tested positive for West Nile virus RNA. Neutralizing antibodies to one or both viruses in red foxes and stone martens indicate broader spillover exposure and suggest these species may support arbovirus surveillance.

Oxford University has initiated human trials for a new Ebola vaccine just 57 days after development, targeting the Bundibugyo strain amid an outbreak in the Congo and Uganda.

Researchers have discovered that a group of viruses known to infect an agriculturally important plant pathogen has remained genetically stable for an astonishing four decades. The discovery of a disease-fighting virus that doesn't mutate at a rapid rate points the way toward new tools for fighting crop disease—and highlights how little is known about viruses that infect bacteria in agricultural settings.

Knowing how viruses change in the initial weeks of an infection can provide important information about their adaptability.

Air pollution from cruise ships could be damaging the health of people living in port cities by increasing inflammation and susceptibility to viruses such as the common cold and COVID-19.

A single gram of soil contains between 10 million and 1 billion viruses. Most of those viruses do not infect plants, animals or people, but they do target bacteria and other microbes. Because of their influence on microbial communities, viruses can affect nutrient cycling and soil health. Understanding how they behave is therefore crucial to supporting agriculture, food production and water quality.

The $500 million seed fund will support universal antiviral platforms and air cleaning technologies.

In a major international effort to evaluate potential treatments for Ebola disease due to Bundibugyo virus (BVD), the PARTNERS clinical trial has opened enrolment today for patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) has added the first molecular diagnostic test for Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) to its Emergency Use Listing (EUL).

Is it possible to study the history of viruses that emerged several hundred million years ago? An international team of INRAE and CIRAD researchers answered this question by exploring plant genomes to find the molecular fossils of viruses. The work is published in the journal PLOS Pathogens.

Ugandan health authorities have confirmed an isolated case of Marburg virus disease, a highly infectious hemorrhagic ⁠fever, while conducting surveillance for an Ebola...

Researchers have uncovered an unexpected antiviral defense system in sea anemones that works very differently from the one humans use. The discovery suggests evolution developed multiple ways to combat viruses, challenging long-held ideas about how animal immune systems evolved.

Abhishek Mall from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter in Hamburg (MPSD) and his colleagues explored the structural dynamics of the protein shells - called capsids - that enclose the genetic material of viruses.

Disease management is a significant aspect of aquaculture, a vital industry and major food source. One of the most serious threats is a disease caused by the nervous necrosis virus (NNV), which can wipe out large populations of farmed fish and cause major economic losses in the aquaculture industry.

MONDAY, June 29, 2026 — A rare but dangerous tick-borne virus called Powassan is appearing more often across the United States, and experts say warmer weather may be helping it spread.The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...

Nasal commensal viruses may worsen allergic rhinitis by activating type I IFN-linked neutrophils and NET formation. Ribavirin reduced nasal viral abundance and improved symptoms in mice and in a small phase 2 trial.

For millions worldwide, herpes zoster pain does not end when the rash fades. Postherpetic neuralgia can last for years or even a lifetime, devastating quality of life.

Researchers developed the first human antibody cocktail to completely protect against the lethal Nipah and Hendra virus infection in preclinical models, advancing a promising dual-target strategy for future outbreaks. The post Nipah and Hendra Viruses: Antibody Cocktail Provides Complete Protection in Hamster Model appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Phages, viruses that infect bacteria, could be genetically manipulated to destroy cancerous cells using the immunity we have acquired from vaccines

Oysters filter seawater for food. In the process, they concentrate a wide variety of microorganisms from their environment—including bacteria and viruses—into a tiny space.

Scientists believe that the Bundibugyo virus persists in an animal species, occasionally spilling over into humans. But they have yet to identify the species.

Scientists believe that the Bundibugyo virus persists in an animal species, occasionally spilling over into humans. But they have yet to identify the species.

Scientists found that one tiny genetic change can completely alter how a coronavirus behaves in different species. Comparing SARS-CoV-2 with a closely related bat-only virus, they showed that a single amino-acid difference affects whether the immune system fights back or gets suppressed. This may help explain how some animal viruses make the leap to humans and become far more dangerous.

Scientists have uncovered a surprising new twist in what happens when cells die. As dying cells break apart, they leave behind tiny “footprints of death” packed with newly discovered particles that help guide the immune system to clean up the remains. But researchers found that influenza viruses can exploit this process, hiding inside these microscopic packages and potentially using them to spread to nearby cells.

Devices may inform disease prevention strategies by providing community-level data.

A Eurosurveillance report describes a multi-country response to an Andes virus outbreak linked to the Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, with 13 cases and three deaths reported as of June 18, 2026. Investigators found evidence consistent with an initial zoonotic infection before embarkation, followed by likely person-to-person transmission among passengers and crew in a confined ship setting.

The increase in mosquito-borne virus infections is a growing public health concern. Diseases traditionally confined to tropical or subtropical regions, like dengue or West Nile virus, are expanding their geographic scope. Europe is no longer an exception, and autochthonous infections have already been recorded in Spain.

West Nile virus (WNV) is transmitted by mosquitoes and is increasingly relevant for Europe and worldwide. It can cause severe brain infection and death, yet there is no specific antiviral treatment or approved human vaccine.

Viruses play a major role in the functioning of ecosystems. They profoundly influence the dynamics of microbial communities, the flow of matter and global biogeochemical cycles. Yet despite their abundance and ecological importance, many of them have long remained invisible to science.

An international research team led by a Korean scientist has succeeded in designing large-scale protein structures that faithfully replicate the self-assembly principles found in naturally occurring viruses, using artificial intelligence (AI).

Everyday viral infections may be quietly reshaping the body’s network of molecules that support cells and tissues in ways that can raise cancer risk over time

In previous Ebola disease outbreaks in Africa as well as the current outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, immediate neighbouring countries are most affected when it comes to cross-border spread.

The recent Oropouche virus outbreak in 2023 drew attention in Brazil and other Latin American countries not only because of its scale – with more than 30,000 cases recorded nationwide – but also because of the first confirmed death in the country caused by the disease and its rapid spread to all states, extending beyond the Amazon region.

Following infection, Ebola virus can survive unnoticed in the human body for months or even years, hiding in areas with little immune surveillance like the central nervous system.

An interdisciplinary team of Rice University researchers has uncovered previously unknown relationships between bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria—and their bacterial hosts, offering a powerful new tool for next-generation microbiome engineering.

It was something infectious disease expert Heather Ferguson never expected to see in her lifetime: a mosquito-borne virus originally from Africa spreading in Scotland.

Bacteria also produce molecules that have an antiviral effect. Researchers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Jülich Research Center (FZJ) have examined the antiviral molecule daunorubicin and decoded its mode of operation against viruses in collaboration with colleagues from Marburg and Zurich. They now describe this mechanism, which primarily targets a specific group of viruses—namely bacteriophages—in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study challenges the idea that cellular complexity emerged from a single evolutionary encounter, and point instead to a gradual process of interactions among bacteria and giant viruses lasting millions of years. The post Origins of First Eukaryotes Linked to Contributions from Multiple Bacteria and Giant Viruses appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Muscle spasticity is a common and often debilitating consequence of spinal cord injury that can significantly affect mobility and quality of life. Spasticity is a condition in which muscles become abnormally stiff or tight because of disrupted nerve signaling, often causing exaggerated reflexes, involuntary muscle spasms and difficulty with movement.

The virologist was stopped at the Detroit airport after working in Congo during a mpox epidemic. His lawyer said the material was for research.

Announcing a new article publication for Zoonoses journal. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a clinically important human neurotropic herpesvirus that causes varicella (chickenpox) as primary infection, typically in children.

Researchers used AI to create a vaccine targeting multiple viruses, a breakthrough that could speed vaccine development and boost outbreak preparedness.

Two US scientists are charged with illegally smuggling 113 virus vials, including Mpox, from Africa, breaching strict biosafety and customs rules.

A new predictive model developed at Washington State University could help scientists more efficiently identify the reservoirs of emerging zoonotic viruses and dangerous pathogens like Ebola that can spill over from animals into humans.

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have designed non-toxic Salmonella bacteria to deliver viruses that are safe to humans but potent against liver and pancreatic cancer tumors - two cancers with an extremely poor prognosis.

A new predictive model developed at Washington State University could help scientists more efficiently identify the reservoirs of emerging zoonotic viruses and dangerous pathogens like Ebola that can spill over from animals into humans. Confirming a reservoir species is critical to understanding and preventing those spillovers, but it requires detecting live virus in an actively infected animal. That can be a significant challenge, as infections are often rare, short-lived, and fluctuate seasonally, reaching detectable levels only during brief windows each year.

The latest news and headlines from Yahoo! News. Get breaking news stories and in-depth coverage with videos and photos.

The latest news and headlines from Yahoo! News. Get breaking news stories and in-depth coverage with videos and photos.

Norovirus cases are rising across the US, with wastewater data showing increased activity. Experts monitor the situation, noting the emergence of a new strain and the virus's persistent spread.

Scientists identified "cross-reactive" T cells that can recognize different paramyxovirus pathogens, which may point to the development of vaccines and therapies that can target measles, Nipah, and other paramyxovirus infections at once. The post Cross-Reactive T Cells Could Point to Broad Vaccines or Treatments for Measles, Nipah Virus appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

T cells are some of the immune system's most important warriors. They can stop tumor growth and even fight off severe infections.

Scientists investigating how influenza viruses replicate within cells "accidentally" discovered that different flu viruses use distinct strategies to infiltrate cells in the first place.

In response to the current outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with cases also reported in Uganda, WHO convened several of its expert and advisory groups.

A cancer-killing virus has stopped pancreatic tumours from growing and spreading in three people in an initial safety trial, raising hopes that it may help to beat the deadly condition

Researchers have found surprising links that show that Neanderthal ancestry influences our immune system today in ways more nuanced than previously recognized. Their work is published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution.

Johanna Harvey, an assistant professor of wildlife disease ecology at the University of Rhode Island, has described bird flu in public presentations as a quiet virus with loud consequences. Now, she's published a new paper in Wildlife Monographs, describing how circulating avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) show an expanded set of susceptible hosts, including many migratory wild birds, and higher transmission rates. In the paper, Harvey examines data gaps in avian influenza host dynamics to prioritize wildlife conservation—and protect human health.

The types of Ebola and hantavirus panicking officials are very different from the species identified decades ago, raising new questions about how to respond.

The types of Ebola and hantavirus panicking officials are very different from the species identified decades ago, raising new questions about how to respond.

In evolutionary biology, all life on Earth is theoretically part of a single phylogenetic tree, indicating common ancestry. This model suggests that every living organism can be traced back to a distant common ancestor. However, viruses—which are not made of cells, but consist only of genetic material—are not part of this traditional cellular tree of life, raising important questions about their origin and evolution.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have enabled Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) to identify nearly two dozen antiviral compounds that could potentially treat a rare species of Ebola virus (Bundibugyo virus) currently affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo.

TUESDAY, May 26, 2026 — The Trump administration has issued a directive shutting key U.S. health research officials out of global discussions on virus outbreaks, according to CNN.Specifically, officials from the National Institute of Allergy and...

Bulevirtide (Hepcludex; Gilead Sciences, Inc.) is the first FDA-approved treatment for chronic hepatitis delta virus infection.

Experimental infection studies in lactating Holstein cows showed that H5N1 B3.13 can infect the bovine mammary gland at doses as low as 10 TCID50, producing extremely high viral loads in milk. However, the virus did not transmit to sentinel cows through repeated exposure to contaminated milking equipment or through close contact under high-biocontainment conditions, suggesting that real-world dairy-farm spread depends on additional cofactors.

Scientists have found high levels of hantavirus in rodents across the US Northwest, suggesting the virus is more widespread and raising new concerns about human exposure in rural areas.

Recent outbreaks and cruise ship exposures are renewing the debate over whether current Andes virus precautions adequately address possible respiratory spread.

A study led by researchers at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) has identified a mitochondrial "checkpoint" that enables dendritic cells to efficiently activate T lymphocytes against viruses and tumors.