News Releases

December 2018

• NIH-Developed Test Detects Protein Associated with Alzheimer’s and CTE

  
  December 20, 2018

  An ultrasensitive test has been developed that detects a corrupted protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition found in athletes, military veterans, and others with a history of repetitive brain trauma. This advance could lead to early diagnosis of these conditions and open new research into how they originate, according to National Institutes of Health scientists and their colleagues.

• NIH to Fund HIV Care and Prevention Research in Vulnerable Southern U.S. Communities

  
  December 11, 2018

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will fund a series of collaborations with medical research institutions in the southern United States to test new ways of implementing HIV treatment and prevention tools in counties with some of the highest rates of new HIV cases nationwide. The U.S. South overall has the highest rates of new HIV diagnoses, people living with HIV, and HIV-related deaths of any U.S. region. 

November 2018

• NIH Statement on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2018

  
  November 30, 2018

  Each year on World AIDS Day, we reflect on the remarkable progress that has been made against HIV. Indeed, we have come a long way since the disease now known as AIDS was first reported in 1981. 

• Meeting the Challenge of Engaging Men in HIV Prevention and Treatment

  
  November 29, 2018

  A new commentary from National Institutes of Health scientists asserts that engaging men in HIV prevention and care is essential to the goal of ending the HIV pandemic. The article by Adeola Adeyeye, M.D., M.P.A., and David Burns, M.D., M.P.H., of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Michael Stirratt, Ph.D., of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) also discusses potential solutions.

• Clinical Trial of Investigational Ebola Treatments Begins in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

  
  November 27, 2018

  An international research team has begun patient enrollment in a clinical trial testing multiple investigational Ebola therapies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The randomized, controlled trial is enrolling patients of any age with confirmed Ebola virus disease (EVD) at a treatment unit in the city of Beni operated by The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), a medical humanitarian organization. 

• NIH-Funded Researchers Identify How Hantaviruses Infect the Lungs

  
  November 21, 2018

  A human protein associated with asthma is key to how hantaviruses infect the lungs and sometimes cause a life-threatening pulmonary condition known as hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), according to researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health. They say the most prevalent hantaviruses in North America (Sin Nombre virus) and South America (Andes virus) can recognize the protein, protocadherin-1 (PCDH1), and exploit it to infect the lungs. They hope that disrupting that recognition event could lead to a therapeutic against HPS.

• Eyes of CJD Patients Show Evidence of Prions

  
  November 20, 2018

  National Institutes of Health scientists and their colleagues have found evidence of the infectious agent of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in the eyes of deceased CJD patients. The finding suggests that the eye may be a source for early CJD diagnosis and raises questions about the safety of routine eye exams and corneal transplants. Sporadic CJD, a fatal neurodegenerative prion disease of humans, is untreatable and difficult to diagnose.

• NIH Scientists Illuminate Causes of Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Acute Liver Failure

  
  November 13, 2018

  National Institutes of Health scientists and their collaborators found that hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated acute liver failure (ALF)—a rare condition that can turn fatal within days without liver transplantation—results from an uncommon encounter between a highly mutated HBV variant and an unusual immune response in the patient’s liver that is mainly sustained by antibody-producing B cells.

• Novel Antibiotic Shows Promise in Treatment of Uncomplicated Gonorrhea

  
  November 7, 2018

  An investigational oral antibiotic called zoliflodacin was well-tolerated and successfully cured most cases of uncomplicated gonorrhea when tested in a Phase 2 multicenter clinical trial, according to findings published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, sponsored the clinical study. 

October 2018

• Genomic Analysis Offers Insight into 2018 Nigeria Lassa Fever Outbreak

  
  October 17, 2018

  A surge in Lassa fever cases in Nigeria in 2018 does not appear to be linked to a single virus strain or increased human-to-human transmission, according to a genomic analysis published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Multiple institutions collaborated on the report, including the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases at Redeemer’s University in Ede, Nigeria; the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California; and Tulane University in New Orleans, among others.

• Scientists Develop Novel Vaccine for Lassa Fever and Rabies

  
  October 11, 2018

  A novel vaccine designed to protect people from both Lassa fever and rabies showed promise in preclinical testing, according to new research published in Nature Communications. The investigational vaccine, called LASSARAB, was developed and tested by scientists at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia; the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal; the University of California, San Diego; and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• NIH Study Finds Probiotic Bacillus Eliminates Staphylococcus Bacteria

  
  October 10, 2018

  A new study from National Institutes of Health scientists and their Thai colleagues shows that a “good” bacterium commonly found in probiotic digestive supplements helps eliminate Staphylococcus aureus, a type of bacteria that can cause serious antibiotic-resistant infections. The researchers, led by scientists at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), unexpectedly found that Bacillus bacteria prevented S. aureus bacteria from growing in the gut and nose of healthy individuals.

September 2018

• Combination HIV Antibody Infusions Safely Maintain Viral Suppression in Select Individuals

  September 26, 2018

  A small group of people living with HIV sensitive to two potent anti-HIV broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs)—3BNC117 and 10-1074—tolerated multiple infusions of the antibodies and suppressed HIV for more than 15 weeks after stopping antiretroviral therapy (ART). The new findings, from a pilot clinical trial supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others, are reported today in Nature.

• NIAID Releases Strategic Plan to Address Tuberculosis Research

  
  September 26, 2018

  WHAT:Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious cause of death worldwide, killing roughly 1.6 million people in 2017. In the past 200 years, TB claimed the lives of more than one billion people—more deaths than from malaria, influenza, smallpox, HIV/AIDS, cholera and plague combined.

• Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Helps Restore Beneficial Bacteria in Cancer Patients

  
  September 26, 2018

  Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have shown that autologous fecal microbiota transplantation (auto-FMT) is a safe and effective way to help replenish beneficial gut bacteria in cancer patients who require intense antibiotics during allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In their study, patients who underwent the procedure were randomly assigned into two groups: one group received standard care and the other received auto-FMT.

• NIH Launches Study to Test Combination Antibody Treatment for HIV Infection

  
  September 20, 2018

  A clinical trial testing infusions of combination antibodies in people living with HIV has begun at the National Institutes of Health. The early-phase clinical trial will evaluate whether periodic infusions of two highly potent, HIV-specific, broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs)—3BNC117 and 10-1074—are safe in people living with HIV. The study also will gather preliminary data on how effectively the bNAb infusions, delivered together every two to four weeks, suppress HIV following discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). 

• NIAID and Children’s National Partner to Advance Pediatric Clinical Research

  September 17, 2018

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and Children’s National Health System, a pediatric academic medical center in Washington, D.C., have launched a clinical research partnership devoted to treating and preventing allergic, immunologic and infectious diseases in children. An inaugural symposium will take place at Children’s National on Sept. 17, 2018, to highlight the partnership and discuss current and future directions for its research activities. 

• Experimental Nasal Influenza Vaccine Tested in Kids, Teens

  September 17, 2018

  An early-stage clinical trial testing the safety and immune-stimulating ability of an experimental nasal influenza vaccine in healthy 9- to 17-year-old children and teens has begun enrolling participants at a Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU) site at Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri. The VTEU is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• Early-Stage Clinical Trial of Antimalarial Drug Begins

  
  September 10, 2018

  Enrollment has begun in a Phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety of a new investigational drug designed to treat malaria, as well as its effect on the human body. The first-in-human study is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and is being conducted at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina.     

• Clinical Trial Testing Topical Cream Plus Influenza Vaccine in Progress

  
  September 5, 2018

  A Phase 1 clinical trial examining whether a topical cream can enhance the immune response conferred by a “pre-pandemic” influenza vaccine is underway at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Investigators are evaluating whether imiquimod cream, which is commonly used to treat genital warts and certain skin cancers, can boost the body’s immune response to an H5N1 influenza vaccine. The trial is enrolling 50 healthy adults ages 18-50 years.

August 2018

• Novel Intervention Halves Rate of Death Among People Living with HIV Who Inject Drugs

  
  August 30, 2018

  An intervention designed to facilitate treatment for HIV and substance use was associated with a 50 percent reduction in mortality for people living with HIV who inject illicit drugs, a study has found. In addition, the people who received the intervention were nearly twice as likely to report being in treatment for HIV and substance use after one year as those who received their national standard of care. They also were about twice as likely to have suppressed their HIV to undetectable levels after one year.

• HIV/AIDS Research Yields Dividends Across Medical Fields

  
  August 28, 2018

  Since the first cases of AIDS were reported in the United States 37 years ago, the National Institutes of Health has invested more than $69 billion in the understanding, treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Beyond the development of life-saving medications and innovative prevention modalities, such research has led to numerous advances outside the HIV field, according to a new commentary from experts at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). 

• Rapid Development in Central Africa Increases the Risk of Infectious Disease Outbreaks

  
  August 22, 2018

  The Central Africa region is experiencing rapid urbanization and economic growth, and infrastructure development. These changes, while generally positive and welcome, also make the region more vulnerable to explosive infectious disease outbreaks, according to an international group of scientists.

• NIH Officials: Closing Treatment Gaps Critical to Ending the U.S. HIV Epidemic

  
  August 20, 2018

  Daily antiretroviral therapy (ART) that suppresses HIV to levels undetectable by standard blood tests is lifesaving for individuals living with HIV and prevents sexual transmission of the virus to others. The public health community must use targeted interventions, however, to do a better job of reaching populations with low levels of viral suppression, according to experts from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. 

• NIH Begins Clinical Trial of Live, Attenuated Zika Vaccine

  
  August 16, 2018

  Vaccinations have begun in a first-in-human trial of an experimental live, attenuated Zika virus vaccine developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The trial will enroll a total of 28 healthy, non-pregnant adults ages 18 to 50 at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Immunization Research in Baltimore, Maryland, and at the Vaccine Testing Center at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont in Burlington. NIAID is sponsoring the trial. 

• NIH Study Shows How MERS Coronavirus Evolves to Infect Different Species

  
  August 14, 2018

  In the past 15 years, two outbreaks of severe respiratory disease were caused by coronaviruses transmitted from animals to humans. In 2003, SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus) spread from civets to infect more than 8,000 people, leading to a year-long global public health emergency. MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), first identified in 2012, consistently jumps from dromedary camels to people, resulting in periodic outbreaks with a roughly 35 percent fatality rate.

• During HIV Infection, Antibody Can Block B Cells from Fighting Pathogens

  
  August 13, 2018

  For the first time, scientists have shown that in certain people living with HIV, a type of antibody called immunoglobulin G3 (IgG3) stops the immune system’s B cells from doing their normal job of fighting pathogens. This phenomenon appears to be one way the body tries to reduce the potentially damaging effects of immune-system hyperactivity caused by the presence of HIV, according to the investigators, but in so doing, it also impairs normal immune function. 

• Experts Highlight Ebola Vaccine Progress and Suggest Next Steps

  
  August 10, 2018

  Despite promising advances, important scientific questions remain unanswered in the effort to develop a safe and effective Ebola vaccine, according to members of an international Ebola research consortium. In a Viewpoint published in The Lancet, the experts review the current field of Ebola vaccine candidates and clinical trials and highlight key gaps in knowledge that need to be addressed by future research. 

• Obesity Extends Duration Of Influenza A Virus Shedding

  
  August 2, 2018

  Obesity, which increases influenza disease severity, also extends by about 1.5 days how long influenza A virus is shed from infected adults compared to non-obese adults, according to a multi-year study of two cohorts of Nicaraguan households. The findings implicate chronic inflammation caused by obesity as well as increasing age as reasons for extended viral shedding, which puts others at risk of infection. 

July 2018

• Fauci: HIV Remission Free of Antiretroviral Therapy Is a Feasible Goal

  
  July 25, 2018

  Long-lasting control of HIV infection without antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a feasible goal that deserves vigorous pursuit, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., will assert during a lecture on Wednesday, July 25 at the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in Amsterdam. Dr. Fauci directs the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. His lecture is titled, “Durable Control of HIV Infection in the Absence of Antiretroviral Therapy: Opportunities and Challenges.”

• Multi-Disease Health Fairs, Universal "Test and Treat" Help East African Communities Achieve HIV Benchmarks

  
  July 25, 2018

  People living with HIV in rural East African communities that hosted annual community health campaigns initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) earlier and had higher levels of overall survival and viral suppression than communities receiving standard HIV care, according to study data presented today at a press conference at the 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) in Amsterdam.

• Tickborne Diseases Are Likely to Increase, Say NIAID Officials

  
  July 25, 2018

  The incidence of tickborne infections in the United States has risen significantly within the past decade. It is imperative, therefore, that public health officials and scientists build a robust understanding of pathogenesis, design improved diagnostics, and develop preventive vaccines, according to a new commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine from leading scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

• Broadly Acting Antibodies Found in Plasma of Ebola Survivors

  
  July 17, 2018

  Recent Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks, including the 2013-2016 epidemic that ravaged West Africa and the 2018 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, highlight the need for licensed treatments for this often-deadly disease. ZMapp, an experimental therapy comprising three monoclonal antibodies, has shown promise in a clinical trial, but it targets only one of the five known species of Ebola virus.

• Imaging Technique Illuminates Immune Status of Monkeys with HIV-Like Virus

  July 12, 2018

  Findings from an animal study suggest that a non-invasive imaging technique could, with further development, become a useful tool to assess immune system recovery in people receiving treatment for HIV infection. Researchers used single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and a CD4-specific imaging probe to assess immune system changes throughout the bodies of macaques infected with SIV, a simian form of HIV, following initiation and interruption of antiretroviral therapy (ART).

• NIAID Scientists Create 3D Structure of 1918 Influenza Virus-Like Particles

  
  July 11, 2018

  Virus-like particles (VLPs) are protein-based structures that mimic viruses and bind to antibodies. Because VLPs are not infectious, they show considerable promise as vaccine platforms for many viral diseases, including influenza. Realizing that fine details about influenza VLPs were scant, a team of researchers who specialize in visualizing molecular structures developed a 3D model based on the 1918 H1 pandemic influenza virus.

• Natural Lipid Acts as Potent Anti-Inflammatory

  
  July 6, 2018

  National Institutes of Health researchers have identified a naturally occurring lipid—a waxy, fatty acid—used by a disease-causing bacterium to impair the host immune response and increase the chance of infection. Inadvertently, they also may have found a potent inflammation therapy against bacterial and viral diseases. 

• Pregnancy Loss Occurs in 26 Percent of Zika-Infected Monkeys

  July 2, 2018

  Fetal death in utero occurred in more than one-fourth of monkeys infected in the laboratory with Zika virus in early pregnancy, according to new research published in Nature Medicine. The finding raises the concern that Zika virus-associated pregnancy loss in humans may be more common than currently thought, according to the study authors. 

June 2018

• Early-Stage Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine Trial Begins

  
  June 14, 2018

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched a clinical trial of an investigational vaccine designed to protect against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The Phase 1 study will enroll a small group of healthy adult volunteers to examine the safety of an experimental intranasal vaccine and its ability to induce an immune response. The study is being conducted at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, one of the NIAID-funded Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs).

• Eosinophilic Esophagitis May be Due to Missing Protein

  June 6, 2018

  Scientists have discovered that the absence of a specific protein in cells lining the esophagus may cause inflammation and tissue damage in people with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).  EoE affects as many as 150,000 people in the United States, many of whom are children. People with EoE experience difficult or painful swallowing, vomiting and nutritional problems because an accumulation of immune cells called eosinophils scars the esophagus.

• HIV Vaccine Elicits Antibodies in Animals that Neutralize Dozens of HIV Strains

  
  June 4, 2018

  An experimental vaccine regimen based on the structure of a vulnerable site on HIV elicited antibodies in mice, guinea pigs and monkeys that neutralize dozens of HIV strains from around the world. The findings were reported today in the journal Nature Medicine by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and their colleagues. 

May 2018

• NIH Scientists Show How Tularemia Bacteria Trick Cells to Cause Disease

  May 30, 2018

  Francisella tularensis is the bacterium that causes tularemia, a life-threatening disease spread to humans via contact with an infected animal or through mosquito, tick or deer fly bites.  As few as 10 viable bacteria can cause the disease, which has a death rate of up to 60 percent. Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases—part of the National Institutes of Health—have unraveled the process by which the bacteria cause disease. They found that F. tularensis tricks host cell mitochondria, which produce energy for the cell, in two different phases of infection. In the first eight hours of infection, the bacteria increase mitochondria function, which inhibits cell death and prevents the cell from mounting an inflammatory response to avoid an immune system attack. In the 24 hours after, the bacteria impair mitochondrial function, undergo explosive replication and spread. These basic science findings could play a role in developing effective treatment strategies, according to the researchers.

• NIH Begins Testing Ebola Treatment in Early-Stage Trial

  
  May 23, 2018

  A first-in-human trial evaluating an experimental treatment for Ebola virus disease has begun at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The Phase 1 clinical trial is examining the safety and tolerability of a single monoclonal antibody called mAb114, which was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH, and their collaborators. Investigators aim to enroll between 18 and 30 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 60. The trial will not expose participants to Ebola virus.

• NIH-Funded Researchers Identify Target for Chikungunya Treatment

  
  May 21, 2018

  Scientists have identified a molecule found on human cells and some animal cells that could be a useful target for drugs against chikungunya virus infection and related diseases, according to new research published in the journal Nature. A team led by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis conducted the research, which was funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• Experimental MERS Treatments Enter Clinical Trial

  
  May 18, 2018

  Enrollment has begun in an early-stage clinical trial testing the safety of two human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) designed to treat people infected with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The trial is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and is funded in part by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Department Health and Human Services. 

• NIH Statement on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, May 18, 2018

  May 18, 2018

  As a result of the many scientific research advances over 37 years, we now have highly effective methods of HIV treatment and prevention. These tools have allowed us to make important strides in reducing the burden of HIV in the United States and globally.

• Microglia Are Key Defenders Against Prion Diseases

  
  May 17, 2018

  Prion diseases are slow degenerative brain diseases that occur in people and various other mammals. No vaccines or treatments are available, and these diseases are almost always fatal. Scientists have found little evidence of a protective immune response to prion infections. Further, microglia—brain cells usually involved in the first level of host defense against infections of the brain—have been thought to worsen these diseases by secreting toxic molecules that can damage nerve cells.

• Despite Mutations in Makona Ebola Virus, Disease Consistent in Mice, Monkeys

  
  May 8, 2018

  Early during the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa, scientists speculated that the genetic diversity of the circulating Makona strain of virus (EBOV-Makona) would result in more severe disease and more transmissibility than prior strains. However, using two different animal models, National Institutes of Health scientists have determined that certain mutations stabilized early during the epidemic and did not alter Ebola disease presentation or outcome.

• NIH Clinical Trial to Track Outcomes of Kidney Transplantation From HIV-Positive Donors to HIV-Positive Recipients

  May 7, 2018

  The first large-scale clinical trial to study kidney transplantations between people with HIV has begun at clinical centers across the United States. The HOPE in Action Multicenter Kidney Study will determine the safety of this practice by evaluating kidney recipients for potential transplant-related and HIV-related complications following surgery. The study is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• NIAID-Sponsored Trial of a Universal Influenza Vaccine Begins

  May 4, 2018

  A Phase 2 clinical trial of an investigational universal influenza vaccine intended to protect against multiple strains of the virus has begun in the United States. The study is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and is being conducted at four U.S. sites that are part of the NIAID-funded Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units (VTEUs).

• Essential Malaria Parasite Genes Revealed

  
  May 3, 2018

  Researchers have exploited a quirk in the genetic make-up of the deadly malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, to create 38,000 mutant strains and then determine which of the organism’s genes are essential to its growth and survival. P. falciparum is responsible for about half of all malaria cases and 90 percent of all malaria deaths. New information about the parasite’s critical gene repertoire could help investigators prioritize targets for future antimalarial drug development.

• Bacteria Therapy for Eczema Shows Promise in NIH Study

  
  May 3, 2018

  Topical treatment with live Roseomonas mucosa—a bacterium naturally present on the skin—was safe for adults and children with atopic dermatitis (eczema) and was associated with reduced disease severity, according to initial findings from an ongoing early-phase clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health. Preclinical work in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis had suggested that R. mucosa strains collected from healthy skin can relieve disease symptoms.

• NIH Statement on World Asthma Day 2018

  May 1, 2018

  On World Asthma Day 2018, the National Institutes of Health stands with people worldwide to renew our commitment to advance understanding of asthma and develop effective strategies to manage, treat and ultimately prevent the disease. A new three-minute NIH video provides a glimpse into the stories of patients and doctors who are working to advance research. Patients discuss the impact asthma has had on their lives, and investigators highlight promising areas of research and the critical role that clinical trial volunteers play in combatting the disease.  

April 2018

• NIH Statement on World Malaria Day, April 25, 2018

  April 25, 2018

  Significant global progress has been made since 2000 to reduce the incidence and mortality of malaria. However, recent evidence suggests that the trend toward fewer malaria cases and deaths has stalled, or in some regions of the world, reversed course. As a global community, we cannot afford to cede the hard-fought gains in the battle to control and eliminate this devastating mosquito-borne disease.

• NIH Study: No Chronic Wasting Disease Transmissibility in Macaques

  April 25, 2018

  Chronic wasting disease (CWD) did not cross the species barrier to infect cynomolgus macaque monkeys during a lengthy investigation by National Institutes of Health scientists exploring risks to humans. 

• Epstein-Barr Virus Protein Can “Switch On” Risk Genes for Autoimmune Diseases

  April 16, 2018

  Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), the cause of infectious mononucleosis, has been associated with subsequent development of systemic lupus erythematosus and other chronic autoimmune illnesses, but the mechanisms behind this association have been unclear. Now, a novel computational method shows that a viral protein found in EBV-infected human cells may activate genes associated with increased risk for autoimmunity. Scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases report their findings today in Nature Genetics.

• Genetically Altered Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Protect Monkeys from HIV-Like Virus

  April 16, 2018

  Two genetically modified broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) protected rhesus macaques from an HIV-like virus, report scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. After introducing genetic mutations into two potent HIV bNAbs, researchers prepared intravenous infusions of two bNAbs known as 3BNC117-LS and 10-1074-LS.

• NIH Scientists Develop Macaque Model to Study Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

  
  April 9, 2018

  Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral disease spread by ticks in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and parts of Europe. Infection with CCHF virus is fatal in nearly one of every three cases. No specific treatments or vaccines for CCHF exist, primarily because a suitable animal model for studying the disease has not been available. Scientists have used mice to study CCHF but had to weaken their immune systems to cause infection. Studies in larger animals have not consistently replicated human disease.

• Research Offers Clues for Improved Influenza Vaccine Design

  
  April 6, 2018

  Influenza vaccines that better target the influenza surface protein called neuraminidase (NA) could offer broad protection against various influenza virus strains and lessen the severity of illness, according to new research published in Cell. Current seasonal influenza vaccines mainly target a different, more abundant influenza surface protein called hemagglutinin (HA). However, because influenza vaccines offer varying and sometimes limited protection, scientists are exploring ways to improve vaccine effectiveness.

• New Coronavirus Emerges From Bats in China, Devastates Young Swine

  
  April 4, 2018

  A newly identified coronavirus that killed nearly 25,000 piglets in 2016-17 in China emerged from horseshoe bats near the origin of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which emerged in 2002 in the same bat species. The new virus is named swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV). It does not appear to infect people, unlike SARS-CoV which infected more than 8,000 people and killed 774. No SARS-CoV cases have been identified since 2004. The study investigators identified SADS-CoV on four pig farms in China’s Guangdong Province.

March 2018

• NIH Scientists Say Advanced Vaccines Could Limit Future Outbreaks

  March 22, 2018

  Novel vaccine technologies are critical to improving the public health response to infectious disease threats that continually emerge and re-emerge, according to scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. In a perspective in The Journal of the American Medical Association, the experts highlight innovations that could significantly shorten the typical decades-long vaccine development timeline.

• NIH Statement on World Tuberculosis Day, March 24, 2018

  March 22, 2018

  In the 130 years since the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb)—the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB)—at least 1 billion people have died from TB. That death toll is greater than the combined number of deaths from malaria, smallpox, HIV/AIDS, cholera, plague and influenza. Today, in commemoration of World TB Day, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), renews and reinvigorates its commitment to the research needed to end this ancient scourge. 

• Islet Transplantation Improves Quality of Life for People with Hard-to-Control Type 1 Diabetes

  March 21, 2018

  Quality of life for people with type 1 diabetes who had frequent severe hypoglycemia—a potentially fatal low blood glucose (blood sugar) level—improved consistently and dramatically following transplantation of insulin-producing pancreatic islets, according to findings published online March 21 in Diabetes Care.

• Newly Described Human Antibody Prevents Malaria in Mice

  
  March 19, 2018

  Scientists have discovered a human antibody that protected mice from infection with the deadliest malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The research findings provide the basis for future testing in humans to determine if the antibody can provide short-term protection against malaria, and also may aid in vaccine design. Investigators at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, led the research with colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

• H7N9 Influenza Vaccine Clinical Trials Begin

  March 15, 2018

  Two new clinical trials testing an experimental vaccine to prevent influenza caused by an H7N9 influenza virus are now enrolling volunteers at sites across the United States. The Phase 2 studies, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will test different dosages of the inactivated influenza vaccine candidate (called 2017 H7N9 IIV) as well as different vaccination schedules. The studies also will evaluate whether an adjuvant boosts the immune responses of people receiving the vaccine. 

• NIH Scientists Describe Potential Antibody Approach for Treating Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

  
  March 13, 2018

  Researchers are developing a promising alternative to antibiotic treatment for infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria resistant to carbapenem antibiotics. The approach uses antibodies to target the K. pneumoniae protective capsule polysaccharide, allowing immune system cells called neutrophils to attack and kill the bacteria. The early stage, in vitro research was conducted by scientists at NIAID’s Rocky Mountain Laboratories and the New Jersey Medical School-Rutgers University.

• NIH Experts Call for Transformative Research Approach to End Tuberculosis

  March 9, 2018

  A more intensive biomedical research approach is necessary to control and ultimately eliminate tuberculosis (TB), according to a perspective published in the March 2018 issue of The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. In the article, authors Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and Robert W.

• NIAID Scientists Assess Transmission Risk of Familial Human Prion Diseases to Mice

  
  March 8, 2018

  Familial human prion diseases are passed within families and are associated with 34 known prion protein mutations. To determine whether three of the unstudied mutations are transmissible, scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, exposed research mice to brain samples from three people who died from a familial prion disease. After observing the mice for about two years, they found two of the mutations, Y226X and G131V, are transmissible.

• Monoclonal Antibodies Crucial to Fighting Emerging Infectious Diseases, Say NIAID Officials

  March 8, 2018

  Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)—preparations of a specific type of antibody designed to bind to a single target—have shown promise in the fight against cancer and autoimmune diseases. They also may play a critical role in future battles against emerging infectious disease outbreaks, according to a new article by scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• High Uptake and Use of Vaginal Ring for HIV Prevention Observed in Open-Label Study

  March 6, 2018

  Nearly 90 percent of participants in an open-label study of a vaginal ring infused with a drug to prevent HIV are using the monthly ring at least some of the time, according to an interim analysis of study data. In addition, the rate of HIV infection among participants in the open-label study, which has no placebo arm for comparison, is half of what might be expected in the absence of the ring, according to mathematical modeling that has significant limitations. 

• One-Month Tuberculosis Prophylaxis as Effective as Nine-Month Regimen for People Living with HIV

  March 5, 2018

  A one-month antibiotic regimen to prevent active tuberculosis (TB) disease was at least as safe and effective as the standard nine-month therapy for people living with HIV, according to the results of a large international clinical trial. Adults and adolescents in the trial were more likely to complete the short-course regimen—consisting of daily doses of the antibiotics rifapentine and isoniazid for four weeks—than the standard nine-month regimen of daily isoniazid.

• Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Treatment May Target Viral Reservoir in Monkeys

  March 4, 2018

  After receiving a course of antiretroviral therapy for their HIV-like infection, approximately half of a group of monkeys infused with a broadly neutralizing antibody to HIV combined with an immune stimulatory compound suppressed the virus for six months without additional treatment, according to scientists supported in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

February 2018

• NIAID Unveils Strategic Plan for Developing a Universal Influenza Vaccine

  
  February 28, 2018

  Developing a universal influenza vaccine—a vaccine that can provide durable protection for all age groups against multiple influenza strains, including those that might cause a pandemic—is a priority for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. Writing in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, NIAID officials detail the institute’s new strategic plan for addressing the research areas essential to creating a safe and effective universal influenza vaccine.

• U.S. Hospitals Testing Experimental Therapies to Prevent Two Common Bacterial Infections

  February 23, 2018

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is supporting U.S. clinical sites participating in two ongoing international Phase 2 clinical trials evaluating investigational antibody-based therapies aimed at preventing potentially antibiotic-resistant infections. By aligning the NIAID Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG) with a large international consortium leading the effort, the U.S. investigators hope to enroll 30 adult patients from 15 intensive care units in the trials.

• NIH Study Will Assess Biomarker as Potential Indicator of Whether Lower Respiratory Tract Infections Improve with Antibacterial Treatment

  February 13, 2018

  A new clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, aims to determine whether low blood levels of the protein procalcitonin can reliably indicate whether a person’s lower respiratory tract infection will improve with antibiotic treatment. 

• NIH Scientists Adapt New Brain Disease Test for Parkinson’s, Dementia with Lewy Bodies

  
  February 9, 2018

  National Institutes of Health scientists developing a rapid, practical test for the early diagnosis of prion diseases have modified the assay to offer the possibility of improving early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The group, led by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), tested 60 cerebral spinal fluid samples, including 12 from people with Parkinson’s disease, 17 from people with dementia with Lewy bodies, and 31 controls, including 16 of whom had Alzheimer’s disease.

• Ebola Virus Infects Reproductive Organs in Monkeys

  
  February 8, 2018

  Ebola virus can infect the reproductive organs of male and female macaques, according to a study published in The American Journal of Pathology, suggesting that humans could be similarly infected. Prior studies of survivors of the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa have revealed sexual transmission of  Ebola virus, and that viral RNA (Ebola virus genetic material) can persist in semen following recovery.

January 2018

• NIH Begins Large HIV Treatment Study in Pregnant Women

  January 24, 2018

  The National Institutes of Health has launched a large international study to compare the safety and efficacy of three antiretroviral treatment regimens for pregnant women living with HIV and the safety of these regimens for their infants. The study will evaluate the current preferred first-line regimen for pregnant women recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and two regimens containing newer antiretroviral drugs that are becoming more widely used.

• Study Links Gut-Homing Protein Levels with HIV Infection Risk, Disease Progression

  
  January 24, 2018

  For the first time, scientists have shown a relationship between the proportion of key immune cells that display high levels of a gut-homing protein called alpha-4 beta-7 at the time of HIV infection and health outcomes. Previous research illustrated this relationship in monkeys infected with a simian form of HIV. 

• 15 Years Later, PEPFAR Continues to Save Lives

  
  January 24, 2018

  Experts from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have penned a New England Journal of Medicine perspective recognizing the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for 15 years of implementing an innovative program to prevent, treat, and care for persons living with HIV and AIDS. The authors stress that continued support for the U.S.

• Flu Infection Study Increases Understanding of Natural Immunity

  
  January 23, 2018

  People with higher levels of antibodies against the stem portion of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) protein have less viral shedding when they get the flu, but do not have fewer or less severe signs of illness, according to a new study published in mBio. HA sits on the surface of the influenza virus to help bind it to cells and features a head and stem region.

• NIH Scientists Find Microbes on the Skin of Mice Promote Tissue Healing, Immunity

  January 18, 2018

  Beneficial bacteria on the skin of lab mice work with the animals’ immune systems to defend against disease-causing microbes and accelerate wound healing, according to new research from scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. Researchers say untangling similar mechanisms in humans may improve approaches to managing skin wounds and treating other damaged tissues. The study was published online today in Cell.

• NIH Study Supports Use of Short-Term HIV Treatment Interruption in Clinical Trials

  January 11, 2018

  A short-term pause in HIV treatment during a carefully monitored clinical trial does not lead to lasting expansion of the HIV reservoir nor cause irreversible damage to the immune system, new findings suggest. 

• MERS Antibodies Produced in Cattle Safe, Treatment Well Tolerated in Phase 1 Trial

  
  January 9, 2018

  An experimental treatment developed from cattle plasma for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus infection shows broad potential, according to a small clinical trial led by National Institutes of Health scientists and their colleagues. The treatment, SAB-301, was safe and well tolerated by healthy volunteers, with only minor reactions documented.

• Stem Cell Transplant for Severe Scleroderma Improves Survival, Quality of Life

  January 3, 2018

  New clinical trial findings show that a therapeutic regimen involving transplantation of a person’s own blood-forming stem cells can improve survival and quality of life for people with severe scleroderma, a life-threatening autoimmune disease. The regimen, known as myeloablative autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), includes chemotherapy and total body radiation to destroy the bone marrow followed by transplantation of the person’s own blood-forming stem cells to reconstitute the marrow and immune system.

December 2017

• Zika Remains a Research and Public Health Challenge, Say NIAID Scientists

  December 21, 2017

  Since 2016, when Zika was declared by the World Health Organization as a public health emergency of international concern, the virus has become established in more than 80 countries, infected millions of people, and left many babies with birth defects (collectively called congenital Zika syndrome).

• Omalizumab Improves Efficacy of Oral Immunotherapy for Multiple Food Allergies

  December 11, 2017

  Combining a 16-week initial course of the medication omalizumab with oral immunotherapy (OIT) greatly improves the efficacy of OIT for children with allergies to multiple foods, new clinical trial findings show. After 36 weeks, more than 80 percent of children who received omalizumab and OIT could safely consume two-gram portions of at least two foods to which they were allergic, compared with only a third of children who received placebo and OIT. 

• Gene-Based Zika Vaccine is Safe and Immunogenic in Healthy Adults

  
  December 4, 2017

  Results from two Phase 1 clinical trials show an experimental Zika vaccine developed by government scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is safe and induces an immune response in healthy adults. The findings will be published on Dec. 4 in The Lancet. NIAID is currently leading an international effort to evaluate the investigational vaccine in a Phase 2/2b safety and efficacy trial.

• Trials Show Inactivated Zika Virus Vaccine Is Safe and Immunogenic

  
  December 4, 2017

  The investigational Zika purified inactivated virus (ZPIV) vaccine was well-tolerated and induced an immune response in participants, according to initial results from three Phase 1 clinical trials. Scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), part of the U.S. Department of Defense, are developing the vaccine as well as leading one of the trials. WRAIR also is co-funding the trials together with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The results will appear on Dec. 4 in The Lancet.

• NIH Statement on World AIDS Day 2017

  December 1, 2017

  Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesMaureen M. Goodenow, Ph.D., Director, Office of AIDS Research

November 2017

• NIH Launches HIV Prevention Trial of Long-Acting Injectable Medication in Sexually Active Women

  November 30, 2017

  The first large-scale clinical trial of a long-acting injectable medication for HIV prevention in sexually active women has begun. The study in southern and eastern Africa will examine whether a long-acting form of the investigational anti-HIV drug cabotegravir injected once every eight weeks can safely protect women at risk for HIV infection. The only drug regimen currently licensed for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is the anti-HIV medication Truvada taken daily as an oral tablet. The U.S.

• NIH and Partners Launch HIV Vaccine Efficacy Study

  November 30, 2017

  The National Institutes of Health and partners have launched a large clinical trial to assess whether an experimental HIV vaccine regimen is safe and able to prevent HIV infection. The new Phase 2b proof-of-concept study, called Imbokodo, aims to enroll 2,600 HIV-negative women in sub-Saharan Africa. Of 1.8 million new HIV infections worldwide in 2016, 43 percent occurred in eastern and southern Africa, with women and girls disproportionately affected.

• Combination HIV Prevention Reduces New Infections by 42 Percent in Ugandan District

  
  November 29, 2017

  A study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine provides real-world evidence that implementing a combination of proven HIV prevention measures across communities can substantially reduce new HIV infections in a population.

  Investigators found that HIV incidence dropped by 42 percent among nearly 18,000 people in Rakai District, Uganda, during a seven-year period in which the rates of HIV treatment and voluntary medical male circumcision increased significantly.

• Fighting the Flu, Year after Year

  
  November 29, 2017

  In a New England Journal of Medicine perspective, experts from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne discuss how the process of preparing seasonal influenza vaccines in eggs may contribute to their limited effectiveness. The authors offer research strategies that might yield more protective vaccine candidates.

• NIAID Scientists Link Cases of Unexplained Anaphylaxis to Red Meat Allergy

  
  November 28, 2017

  While rare, some people experience recurrent episodes of anaphylaxis—a life-threatening allergic reaction that causes symptoms such as the constriction of airways and a dangerous drop in blood pressure—for which the triggers are never identified. Recently, researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, found that some patients’ seemingly inexplicable anaphylaxis was actually caused by an uncommon allergy to a molecule found naturally in red meat.

• NIH Scientists and Collaborators Find Infectious Prion Protein in Skin of CJD Patients

  
  November 22, 2017

  National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and collaborators at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have detected abnormal prion protein in the skin of nearly two dozen people who died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). The scientists also exposed a dozen healthy mice to skin extracts from two of the CJD patients, and all developed prion disease.

• Three Decades of Responding to Infectious Disease Outbreaks

  
  November 14, 2017

  Soon after his appointment in 1984 as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., testified before Congress showing a world map annotated with a single emerging infectious disease threat, HIV/AIDS.

• Cell Phone-Based Microscope Leads to Possible Strategy for Treating River Blindness

  
  November 8, 2017

  River blindness, or onchocerciasis, is a disease caused by a parasitic worm found primarily in Africa. The worm (Onchocerca volvulus) is transmitted to humans as immature larvae through bites of infected black flies. Symptoms of infection include intense itching and skin nodules. Left untreated, infections in the eye can cause vision impairment that leads to blindness. Mass distribution of ivermectin is currently used to treat onchocerciasis. However, this treatment can be fatal when a person has high blood levels of another filarial worm, Loa loa.

October 2017

• Experts Outline Pathway to a Universal Influenza Vaccine

  
  October 17, 2017

  Scientists and clinicians from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the California Institute of Technology discuss key considerations for developing a universal influenza vaccine in a meeting report appearing in the October 17 issue of Immunity. The report summarizes discussions from a workshop NIAID held June 28-29, 2017, in Rockville, Maryland, entitled, “Pathway to a Universal Influenza Vaccine.” The workshop brought together U.S.

• Experimental Ebola Vaccines Elicit Year-Long Immune Response

  
  October 11, 2017

  Results from a large randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial in Liberia show that two candidate Ebola vaccines pose no major safety concerns and can elicit immune responses by one month after initial vaccination that last for at least one year. The findings, published in the October 12 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, are based on a study of 1,500 adults that began during the West Africa Ebola outbreak.

• Durable End to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic Likely Will Require an HIV Vaccine

  
  October 9, 2017

  Despite remarkable gains in the treatment and prevention of HIV infection, development of an effective HIV vaccine likely will be necessary to achieve a durable end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, according to a new commentary from Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. 

• Monoclonal Antibodies Against Zika Show Promise in Monkey Study

  
  October 5, 2017

  Using blood samples from an individual previously infected with Zika virus, scientists funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have developed an antibody-based Zika virus therapeutic that protected monkeys from infection.

• Multiple Research Approaches Are Key to Pandemic Preparedness, NIAID Officials Say

  October 4, 2017

  Preparedness in the face of major disease outbreaks can save thousands of lives: Rapid deployment of effective diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines may even stop the disease from potentially exploding into a pandemic. A new article by Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues examines the multifaceted nature of effective preparedness and the particular role that biomedical research plays.

September 2017

• Disease Resistance Successfully Spread from Modified to Wild Mosquitoes

  
  September 28, 2017

  Using genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes to reduce or prevent the spread of infectious diseases is a new but rapidly expanding field of investigation. Among the challenges researchers face is ensuring that GM mosquitoes can compete and mate with their wild counterparts so the desired modification is preserved and spread in the wild population. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University have engineered GM mosquitoes to have an altered microbiota that suppresses human malaria-causing parasites.

• Three-in-One Antibody Protects Monkeys from HIV-Like Virus

  
  September 20, 2017

  A three-pronged antibody made in the laboratory protected monkeys from infection with two strains of SHIV, a monkey form of HIV, better than individual natural antibodies from which the engineered antibody is derived, researchers report in Science today.

• Exposure to Pet and Pest Allergens During Infancy Linked to Reduced Asthma Risk

  September 19, 2017

  Children exposed to high indoor levels of pet or pest allergens during infancy have a lower risk of developing asthma by 7 years of age, new research supported by the National Institutes of Health reveals. The findings, published September 19 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, may provide clues for the design of strategies to prevent asthma from developing.

• Zika Virus Selectively Infects and Kills Glioblastoma Cells in Mice

  
  September 5, 2017

  The Zika virus (ZIKV) may infect and kill a specific type of brain cancer cells while leaving normal adult brain tissue minimally affected, according to a new study supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In the paper, published online on September 5 in The Journal of Experimental Medicine, researchers describe the impact of ZIKV on glioblastoma cells in both human tissue samples and mice.

August 2017

• NIAID Scientists Illuminate Mechanism of Increased Cardiovascular Risks with HIV

  
  August 30, 2017

  Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have expanded the understanding of how chronic inflammation and persistent immune activation associated with HIV infection drive cardiovascular disease risk in people living with HIV. People living with HIV are up to twice as likely to experience heart attacks, strokes and other forms of cardiovascular disease as people who do not have the virus, even when HIV infection is well-controlled with the use of antiretroviral therapy. 

• Scientists Develop Infection Model for Tick-borne Flaviviruses

  
  August 22, 2017

  National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have filled a research gap by developing a laboratory model to study ticks that transmit flaviviruses, such as Powassan virus.  Powassan virus was implicated in the death of a New York man earlier this year. The unusual model involves culturing organs taken from Ixodes scapularis ticks and then infecting those organ cultures with flaviviruses, according to researchers at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, part of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

• NIH Herpesvirus Study in Mice Leads to Discovery of Potential Broad-Spectrum Antiviral

  
  August 15, 2017

  After herpesviruses infect a cell, their genomes are assembled into specialized protein structures called nucleosomes. Many cellular enzyme complexes can modulate these structures to either promote or inhibit the progression of infection. Scientists studying how one of these complexes (EZH2/1) regulated herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection unexpectedly found that inhibiting EZH2/1 suppressed viral infection.

• NIH Scientists Track Zika Virus Transmission in Mice

  
  August 3, 2017

  National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have developed a mouse model to study Zika virus transmitted sexually from males to females, as well as vertically from a pregnant female to her fetus. They are using the model to study how and when the virus is spread, including how the virus crosses the placenta, as well as to investigate potential treatments to block virus transmission.

July 2017

• In Adolescents, Oral Truvada and Vaginal Ring for HIV Prevention Are Safe, Acceptable

  July 25, 2017

  A monthly vaginal ring and a daily oral tablet, both containing anti-HIV drugs, were safe and acceptable in studies of adolescents, two teams of investigators reported today at the 9th IAS Conference on HIV Science in Paris. The experimental ring is designed for HIV prevention and the oral tablet is already used for this purpose in adults. Adherence to the ring was high, while adherence to the tablet was moderate and diminished substantially when study visits became less frequent.

• Drug Interaction Concerns May Negatively Affect HIV Treatment Adherence Among Transgender Women

  July 24, 2017

  Transgender women—people whose birth certificates indicate or once indicated male sex but who identify as women—are at high risk of HIV acquisition, and thus are a key population for HIV prevention and treatment efforts.

• Child Living with HIV Maintains Remission Without Drugs Since 2008

  July 24, 2017

  A nine-year-old South African child who was diagnosed with HIV infection at one month of age and received anti-HIV treatment during infancy has suppressed the virus without anti-HIV drugs for eight and a half years, scientists reported today at the 9th IAS Conference on HIV Science in Paris. This case appears to be the third reported instance of sustained HIV remission in a child after early, limited anti-HIV treatment. 

• Experimental HIV Vaccine Regimen Is Well-Tolerated, Elicits Immune Responses

  July 24, 2017

  Results from an early-stage clinical trial called APPROACH show that an investigational HIV vaccine regimen was well-tolerated and generated immune responses against HIV in healthy adults. The APPROACH findings, as well as results expected in late 2017 from another early-stage clinical trial called TRAVERSE, will form the basis of the decision whether to move forward with a larger trial in southern Africa to evaluate vaccine safety and efficacy among women at risk of acquiring HIV.

• NIH-Supported Scientists Elicit Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies to HIV in Calves

  

  Credit: NIAID
  July 20, 2017

  Scientists supported by the National Institutes of Health have achieved a significant step forward, eliciting broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) to HIV by immunizing calves. The findings offer insights for HIV vaccine design, and support further study of modified bovine antibodies as HIV therapeutics or prevention tools in humans, scientists reported in a paper published online today in Nature.

• Experimental Zika Virus Vaccines Restrict In Utero Virus Transmission in Mice

  
  July 13, 2017

  Two experimental vaccines can restrict Zika virus transmission from pregnant mice to their fetuses and can prevent Zika virus-induced placental damage and fetal demise, according to new findings published July 13 in Cell. Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis; the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB); and other partners conducted the research.

June 2017

• Common Antimicrobials Help Patients Recover from MRSA Abscesses

  
  June 29, 2017

  Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria are resistant to multiple antibiotics and commonly cause skin infections that can lead to more serious or life-threatening infection in other parts of the body. In new findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that two common, inexpensive antimicrobials can help patients heal from MRSA skin abscesses. The findings suggest that current treatment options for MRSA still have a role, even as scientists continue to search for new antimicrobial products.

• NIH Study Sheds Light on Immune Responses Driving Obesity-Induced Liver Disease

  
  June 28, 2017

  New findings from mouse models reveal that the type of immune response that helps maintain healthy metabolism in fatty tissues, called type 2 immunity, also drives obesity-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The work, led by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, shows that the inflammatory environment in the fatty liver is more complex than previously thought.

• NIAID Scientists Identify Cause, Possible Treatment for Life-Threatening Gut Condition

  
  June 28, 2017

  Investigators at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and international colleagues have discovered a genetic cause and potential treatment strategy for a rare immune disorder called CHAPLE disease. Children with the condition can experience severe gastrointestinal distress and deep vein blood clots. No effective treatments are available to ameliorate or prevent these life-threatening symptoms. 

• Study to Examine Effects of Zika Infection in Guatemalan Infants and Children

  
  June 19, 2017

  A large natural history study examining the neurologic, neurodevelopmental and other clinical outcomes of Zika virus infection in infants and young children has begun in rural Guatemala. It will focus on those infected with Zika virus after birth rather than those infected congenitally. The study is being conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the U.S.

• Scientists Identify Single-Gene Mutations that Lead to Atopic Dermatitis

  June 19, 2017

  Researchers have identified mutations in a gene called CARD11 that lead to atopic dermatitis, or eczema, an allergic skin disease. Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and other institutions discovered the mutations in four unrelated families with severe atopic dermatitis and studied the resulting cell-signaling defects that contribute to allergic disease.

• NIH Study: Glutamine Suppresses Herpes in Mice and Guinea Pigs

  June 16, 2017

  Glutamine supplements can suppress reactivation of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in mice and guinea pigs, according to findings recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The research was conducted by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

• NIAID Scientists Discover Rare Genetic Susceptibility to Common Cold

  June 12, 2017

  Scientists have identified a rare genetic mutation that results in a markedly increased susceptibility to infection by human rhinoviruses (HRVs)—the main causes of the common cold. Colds contribute to more than 18 billion upper respiratory infections worldwide each year, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study.

• NIAID-Sponsored Trial of Experimental Chikungunya Vaccine Begins

  
  June 5, 2017

  A clinical trial of an experimental vaccine to prevent infection with chikungunya virus is now enrolling healthy adult volunteers at sites in the United States. The Phase 1/2 trial, which is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is being conducted at several NIAID-funded Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units. The candidate vaccine, MV-CHIKV, was developed by Themis Bioscience of Vienna, Austria. 

• Details of Lassa Virus Structure Could Inform Development of Vaccines, Therapies

  
  June 2, 2017

  A 10-year Lassa virus research project has yielded structural and functional details of a key viral surface protein that could help advance development of Lassa vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics, which are currently lacking. The work was led by the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

May 2017

• Mycobacteria Use Protein to Create Diverse Populations, Avoid Drugs

  
  May 31, 2017

  Subgroups of tuberculosis (TB)-causing bacteria can persist even when antibiotics wipe out most of the overall population. The need to eliminate these persistent subpopulations is one reason why TB treatment regimens are so lengthy. Now, researchers have shown that a single protein allows mycobacteria to generate diverse populations that can avoid TB drugs. The protein may be a target for intervention; blocking it might result in less mycobacterial diversity and shorten TB treatment courses.

• NIH Scientists Find Real-Time Imaging in Mice a Promising Influenza Study Tool

  May 30, 2017

  Real-time imaging of influenza infection in mice is a promising new method to quickly monitor disease progression and to evaluate whether candidate vaccines and treatments are effective in this animal model, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists.

• Zika Virus Spread Undetected for Many Months, NIH-Supported Study Finds

  
  May 24, 2017

  Genetic analysis of samples collected as the Zika virus (ZIKV) spread throughout the Americas after its introduction in 2013 or 2014 has shown that the virus circulated undetected for up to a year in some regions before it came to the attention of public health authorities. Genetic sequencing has also enabled scientists to recreate the epidemiological and evolutionary paths the virus took as it spread and split into the distinct subtypes—or clades—that have been detected in the Americas. The research, published in Nature today, was supported in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• Modified Experimental Vaccine Protects Monkeys from Deadly Malaria

  
  May 22, 2017

  WHAT:Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, modified an experimental malaria vaccine and showed that it completely protected four of eight monkeys that received it against challenge with the virulent Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite. In three of the remaining four monkeys, the vaccine delayed when parasites first appeared in the blood by more than 25 days. 

• NIH Statement on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2017

  May 18, 2017

  Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesCarl W. Dieffenbach, Ph.D., Director, Division of AIDS, NIAID

• Antibodies from Ebola Survivor Protect Mice and Ferrets Against Related Viruses

  
  May 18, 2017

  WHAT: The fight to contain the 2013-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa was hampered by the lack of an effective treatment or vaccine. Researchers funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have studied the blood of an Ebola survivor, searching for human antibodies that might effectively treat not only people infected with Ebola virus, but those infected with related viruses as well. Now the researchers have identified two such antibodies that hold promise as Ebola treatments. 

• FDA-Approved Drug Helps Treat Rare Immunologic Disease, Study Finds

  
  May 17, 2017

  Adding the injectable drug mepolizumab to standard treatment for eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), a rare immunologic disease, significantly improved clinical outcomes among participants in an advanced clinical trial, scientists report.

• Enterococci May Have Evolved Antimicrobial Resistance Millions of Years Ago

  May 11, 2017

  Enterococci bacteria are the bane of hospitals, causing thousands of multidrug-resistant infections in patients each year. Now, researchers have traced evidence of the bacteria’s evolutionary history back 425 million years and theorize that the same traits that allow the bacteria to thrive in hospitals likely emerged when they were carried onto land in the guts of the world’s first terrestrial animals. The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• NIH Research Improves Health for People with Asthma

  May 1, 2017

  May is Asthma Awareness Month, and the National Institutes of Health is finding solutions to improve the health of the nearly 25 million people in the United States who currently have asthma. In recent decades, the prevalence of asthma has been increasing, resulting in millions of urgent medical visits and missed days of work and school each year. 

April 2017

• Zika Virus Persists in the Central Nervous System and Lymph Nodes of Rhesus Monkeys

  April 28, 2017

  Zika virus can persist in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), lymph nodes and colorectal tissue of infected rhesus monkeys for weeks after the virus has been cleared from blood, urine and mucosal secretions, according to a study published online in Cell. The research was led by Dan H. Barouch, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School and was funded in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 

• World Malaria Day 2017

  April 25, 2017

  Statement of B. Fenton Hall, M.D., Ph.D., and Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesNational Institutes of Health

• NIH Funds Eleven International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research

  
  April 21, 2017

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced approximately $12.9 million in first-year funding, subject to availability, for eleven malaria research centers around the world. The 7-year awards continue NIAID’s 2010 program that created the International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMRs) in regions where malaria is endemic. The awards fund four new and seven existing centers that work in 17 countries in Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands and Latin America. 

• NIH Scientists Advance Understanding of Herpesvirus Infection

  
  April 12, 2017

  Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections last a lifetime. Once a person has been infected, the virus can remain dormant (latent) for years before periodically reactivating to cause recurrent disease. This poorly understood cycle has frustrated scientists for years. Now, National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have identified a set of protein complexes that are recruited to viral genes and stimulate both initial infection and reactivation from latency.  Environmental stresses known to regulate these proteins also induce reactivation.

• NIH Study of Ebola Patient Traces Disease Progression and Recovery

  
  April 12, 2017

  Analysis of daily gene activation in a patient with severe Ebola virus disease cared for at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2015 found changes in antiviral and immune response genes that pinpointed key transition points in the response to infection. The changes included a marked decline in antiviral responses that correlated with clearance of virus from white blood cells. The analysis also showed that the preponderance of host responses shifted rapidly from activation of genes involved in cell damage and inflammation toward those linked to promotion of cellular and organ repair.

• Ebola: New Trial Launched in West Africa to Evaluate Three Vaccination Strategies

  
  April 6, 2017

  The French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), in collaboration with health authorities in Guinea and Liberia, are launching a large clinical trial of candidate Ebola vaccines under the aegis of the PREVAC international consortium (Partnership for Research on Ebola VACcination). 

• Monoclonal Antibody Cures Marburg Infection in Monkeys

  
  April 5, 2017

  Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that an experimental treatment cured 100 percent of guinea pigs and rhesus monkeys in late stages of infection with lethal levels of Marburg and Ravn viruses, relatives of the Ebola virus. Although the Marburg and Ravn viruses are less familiar than Ebola virus, both can resemble Ebola in symptoms and outcomes in people, and both lack preventive and therapeutic countermeasures.

March 2017

• Phase 2 Zika Vaccine Trial Begins in U.S., Central and South America

  March 31, 2017

  Vaccinations have begun in a multi-site Phase 2/2b clinical trial testing an experimental DNA vaccine designed to protect against disease caused by Zika infection. The vaccine was developed by government scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

• NIH Designates $42.7 Million for Food Allergy Research Consortium

  March 29, 2017

  The National Institutes of Health intends to award $42.7 million over seven years to the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) so it may continue evaluating new approaches to treat food allergy. Established in 2005, the CoFAR has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH. The first year of funding has been awarded, and awards will be made in subsequent years based on the availability of funds.

• NIH Statement on World Tuberculosis Day

  March 24, 2017

  Statement of Christine F. Sizemore, PhD., Richard Hafner, M.D., and Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesNational Institutes of Health

• New Adjuvant Permits Early Pneumococcal Immunization in Newborn Monkeys

  
  March 23, 2017

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children receive pneumococcal conjugate vaccinations (PCV13) against potentially life-threatening pneumococcal disease at two, four and six months of age. Earlier immunization would confer greater protection when infants are most vulnerable to disease, but newborns’ immature immune systems limit their capacity to respond effectively to PCV13 and establish immunity. 

• Immune Molecule Protects Against Zika Virus Infection in Animal Models

  
  March 14, 2017

  A molecule naturally produced by the immune system protects mice and monkeys against Zika virus infection, an international team of researchers has found. Administering the molecule, called 25-hydroxycholesterol or 25HC, to pregnant mice reduced Zika virus infection in the fetal brain and protected against Zika-induced microcephaly. The work was supported in part by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the National Institutes of Health.

• Experimental Ebola Vaccine Regimen Induced Durable Immune Response, Study Finds

  March 14, 2017

  A two-vaccine regimen intended to protect against Ebola virus disease induced an immune response that persisted for approximately one year in healthy adult volunteers, according to results from a Phase 1 clinical trial published in the March 14th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The investigational vaccines included Ad26.ZEBOV, developed by Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, and MVA-BN-Filo, developed by Bavarian Nordic.

• Monkeys Suppress HIV-Like Virus for Extended Period after Dual-Antibody Treatment

  
  March 13, 2017

  Giving monkeys two powerful anti-HIV antibodies immediately after infection with an HIV-like virus enabled the immune systems of some of the animals to control the virus long after the antibodies were gone, scientists at the National Institutes of Health and The Rockefeller University have found.  

• Investigational Vaccine Protects Cattle from Respiratory Syncytial Virus

  March 10, 2017

  A novel vaccine developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, protected cattle from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, according to research published online in npj Vaccines on March 8. The research was conducted by a team of experts at NIAID, the Pirbright Institute based in the United Kingdom, and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Switzerland.

• NIH-Funded Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group Details Progress, Challenges

  March 9, 2017

  In June 2013, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), provided $2 million in funding to establish an Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG) to develop, prioritize and implement a clinical research agenda to address the growing public health threat of antibiotic resistance. A new series of articles appearing in the March 15th issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases details the group’s progress and outlines its ongoing and future efforts.

• Yellow Fever in the Americas

  
  March 8, 2017

  The unusually large outbreak of yellow fever now occurring in rural Brazil deserves careful attention by world health authorities, notes Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health. Writing in a Perspectives piece for the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Fauci and his associate Catharine I.

February 2017

• Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Enters Clinical Testing

  
  February 22, 2017

  A Phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety and tolerability of an investigational vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has begun at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The trial also will assess the vaccine’s ability to prompt an immune response in healthy adult participants. The investigational vaccine was developed by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of NIH.

• Experimental PfSPZ Malaria Vaccine Provides Durable Protection Against Multiple Strains in NIH Clinical Trial

  February 21, 2017

  An investigational malaria vaccine has protected a small number of healthy U.S. adults from infection with a malaria strain different from that contained in the vaccine, according to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, sponsored and co-conducted the Phase 1 clinical trial.

• NIH Begins Study of Vaccine to Protect Against Mosquito-Borne Diseases

  
  February 21, 2017

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has launched a Phase 1 clinical trial to test an investigational vaccine intended to provide broad protection against a range of mosquito-transmitted diseases, such as Zika, malaria, West Nile fever and dengue fever, and to hinder the ability of mosquitoes to transmit such infections. The study, which is being conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, will examine the experimental vaccine’s safety and ability to generate an immune response. 

• NIH Research Helps Explain How Antibody Treatment Led to Sustained Remission of HIV-Like Virus

  February 15, 2017

  Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have found that the presence of the protein alpha-4 beta-7 integrin on the surface of HIV and its monkey equivalent—simian immunodeficiency virus, or SIV—may help explain why an antibody protected monkeys from SIV in previous experiments. 

• Experimental Malaria Vaccine Plus Chloroquine Protects Against Controlled Infection, Study Finds

  February 15, 2017

  An experimental malaria vaccine strategy known as PfSPZ-CVac, together with antimalarial medication, protected all nine clinical trial volunteers given three high-dose vaccinations, according to study results published today in Nature. 

• Investigational PfSPZ Malaria Vaccine Demonstrates Considerable Protection in Malian Adults for Duration of Malaria Season

  
  February 15, 2017

  An investigational malaria vaccine given intravenously was well-tolerated and protected a significant proportion of healthy adults against infection with Plasmodium falciparum malaria—the deadliest form of the disease—for the duration of the malaria season, according to new findings published in the February 15th issue of the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases. The study participants live in Mali, Africa, where they are naturally exposed to the parasite.

• NIH Scientists Illuminate Role of Staph Toxins in Bacterial Sepsis

  February 2, 2017

  Staphylococcus epidermidis bacteria are a significant health concern for hospitalized infants, children and anyone with implanted medical devices. The bacteria—typically skin dwellers—can infect the bloodstream and cause a life-threatening condition known as sepsis. Between 1 and 3 million people a year in the United States are diagnosed with sepsis, and between 15 and 30 percent of them die. Severe bacterial sepsis is characterized by an extreme immune response, inflammation, reduced blood flow, clotting, and organ failure. Methicillin-resistant strains of S.

• Investigational mRNA Vaccine Protects Mice and Monkeys from Zika Virus Infection

  February 2, 2017

  A novel, gene-based investigational vaccine protected mice and monkeys against Zika virus infection after a single dose, according to a study appearing online in the journal Nature on Feb. 2. The research was conducted by investigators funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NIAID scientists, and other partners. The candidate vaccine, called ZIKV prM-E mRNA-LNP, uses messenger RNA (mRNA) with which the body produces Zika virus proteins designed to elicit infection-neutralizing antibodies.

• Stem Cell Transplants May Induce Long-Term Remission of Multiple Sclerosis

  February 1, 2017

  New clinical trial results provide evidence that high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by transplantation of a person's own blood-forming stem cells can induce sustained remission of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system. 

January 2017

• NIH Advances Understanding of Defenses Against Antibiotic-Resistant Klebsiella Bacteria

  January 24, 2017

  Klebsiella bacteria cause about 10 percent of all hospital-acquired infections in the United States. K. pneumoniae sequence type 258 (ST258) is one of the Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae organisms labeled an urgent threat by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This strain of bacteria is particularly concerning because it is resistant to most antibiotics and kills nearly half of people with bloodstream infections.

• NIAID Flu Experts Examine Evolution of Avian Influenza

  January 18, 2017

  Few influenza viruses are as widespread and adaptable as avian influenza viruses, and scientists are not entirely sure why. 

  In a new commentary published online in Emerging Infectious Diseases, two leading influenza experts from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, examine how the evolution of proteins found on the surfaces of flu viruses has impacted their ability to infect migratory birds and poultry and cause avian disease. 

• NIH Scientists Identify Early Impact of Ebola Virus on Immune System

  January 17, 2017

  A new mouse model of early Ebola virus (EBOV) infection has shown National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and colleagues how early responses of the immune system can affect development of EBOV disease. The model could help identify protective immune responses as targets for developing human EBOV therapeutics.

  Scientists from NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases led the study with colleagues from the University of Washington and Columbia University.

• NIAID Officials Call for Continued Zika Research

  January 13, 2017

  Although cases of Zika virus infection appear to be decreasing, the mosquito-borne virus likely will become endemic in the Americas and continue to cause outbreaks and sporadic cases. Given the serious complications of Zika virus infection, particularly in cases of congenital infection, researchers must continue their work to better understand how the virus causes disease and to develop effective vaccines and treatments, according to a new commentary. The article, by Anthony S.

• NIH Scientists Repair Gene Defect in Stem Cells from Patients with Rare Immunodeficiency

  January 11, 2017

  Scientists have developed a new approach to repair a defective gene in blood-forming stem cells from patients with a rare genetic immunodeficiency disorder called X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD). After transplant into mice, the repaired stem cells developed into normally functioning white blood cells, suggesting the strategy could potentially be used to treat people with this disease.

• NIH-Sponsored Expert Panel Issues Clinical Guidelines to Prevent Peanut Allergy

  January 5, 2017

  An expert panel sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, issued clinical guidelines today to aid health care providers in early introduction of peanut-containing foods to infants to prevent the development of peanut allergy.

December 2016

• NIAID Research Aids Discovery of Genetic Immune Disorder

  December 23, 2016

  Investigators at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and international colleagues have identified a genetic immune disorder characterized by increased susceptibility and poor immune control of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and, in some cases, an EBV-associated cancer called Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The researchers studied two unrelated sets of siblings with similar immune problems and determined their symptoms were likely caused by a lack of CD70, a protein found on the surface of several types of immune cells.

• NIH-Supported Scientists Accelerate Immune Response to Tuberculosis in Mice

  December 22, 2016

  WHAT:New research findings provide insight into the immune system pathways that may be key to developing an effective tuberculosis (TB) vaccine. The study, to be published Thursday in the journal Nature Communications, was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• Shortened Treatment for Middle Ear Infection is Less Effective than Standard Course

  December 21, 2016

  A five-day antimicrobial treatment regimen for middle ear infections in young children is inferior to the standard 10-day regimen, according to newly published research in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Middle ear infections (or “acute otitis media”) are common childhood illnesses often caused by bacteria and usually treated with antibiotics. However, overuse or inappropriate use of antibiotics (for example, to treat viral infections of the middle ear) can accelerate the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance.

• NIH Launches First Large Trial of a Long-Acting Injectable Drug for HIV Prevention

  December 20, 2016

  The first large-scale clinical trial of a long-acting injectable drug for HIV prevention began today. The study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, will examine whether a long-acting form of the investigational anti-HIV drug cabotegravir injected once every 8 weeks can safely protect men and transgender women from HIV infection at least as well as the anti-HIV medication Truvada taken daily as an oral tablet.

• NIH Scientists Develop New Mouse Model to Study Salmonella Meningitis

  
  December 9, 2016

  National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have established in mice a way to study potentially life-threatening meningitis caused by Salmonella. Bacterial meningitis happens when bacteria infect the central nervous system (CNS), causing a serious disease that can be life-threatening and difficult to diagnose and treat. Patients who survive often have permanent brain damage.

• NIH Statement on World AIDS Day 2016

  December 1, 2016

  Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesCarl W. Dieffenbach, Ph.D., Director, Division of AIDS, NIAID

November 2016

• NIAID-Sponsored Study to Assess Shorter-Duration Antibiotics in Children

  November 28, 2016

  Physicians at five U.S. medical centers are planning to enroll up to 400 children in a clinical trial to evaluate whether a shorter course of antibiotics—five days instead of 10—is effective at treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children who show improvement after the first few days of taking antibiotics.

• First New HIV Vaccine Efficacy Study in Seven Years Has Begun

  November 27, 2016

  The first HIV vaccine efficacy study to launch anywhere in seven years is now testing whether an experimental vaccine regimen safely prevents HIV infection among South African adults. The study, called HVTN 702, involves a new version of the only HIV vaccine candidate ever shown to provide some protection against the virus. HVTN 702 aims to enroll 5,400 men and women, making it the largest and most advanced HIV vaccine clinical trial to take place in South Africa, where more than 1,000 people become infected with HIV every day. 

• NIAID-Supported Scientists Sequence, Explore the Genome of the River Blindness Parasite

  November 21, 2016

  Scientists have sequenced the genome of the parasitic worm responsible for causing onchocerciasis—an eye and skin infection more commonly known as river blindness.

• NIAID-Supported Study Examines Vulnerability of Gonorrhea to Older Antibiotic Drug

  November 17, 2016

  A new clinical research study seeks to determine whether a rapid molecular diagnostic test can reliably identify gonorrhea infections that may be successfully treated with a single dose of an older antibiotic, ciprofloxacin. The study will enroll up to 381 men and women diagnosed with untreated Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• NIH Scientists Identify Potent Antibody that Neutralizes Nearly All HIV Strains

  
  November 15, 2016

  Scientists from the National Institutes of Health have identified an antibody from an HIV-infected person that potently neutralized 98 percent of HIV isolates tested, including 16 of 20 strains resistant to other antibodies of the same class. The remarkable breadth and potency of this antibody, named N6, make it an attractive candidate for further development to potentially treat or prevent HIV infection, say the researchers.

• T-Cell Differences May Reveal Individuals’ Age, Susceptibility to Disease

  November 15, 2016

  Different cells of the human body differ greatly in structure and function. However, variation exists even among cells of one type. New research from investigators at the National Institutes of Health suggests the magnitude of such differences in T lymphocytes, or T cells, may indicate an individual’s age and genetic predisposition to disease. Learning more about so-called cell-to-cell expression variation, or CEV, may further illuminate how the immune system functions and one day serve as a diagnostic tool to help implement personalized medicine, according to the researchers.

• Antibody VRC01 Safe, Only Modest Effect in Controlling HIV Without Antiretroviral Therapy

  
  November 9, 2016

  Infusions of an anti-HIV antibody known as VRC01 were shown to be safe and maintained intended antibody concentrations in the blood of people living with HIV, according to two related studies by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). The antibody modestly suppressed blood levels of HIV in people who stopped taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), but the delay in the reappearance of virus was not clinically significant.

• Antibody Protects Against Fetal Disease in Mouse Model of Zika Infection

  
  November 7, 2016

  Administering a human antibody that neutralizes Zika virus to pregnant mice before or after Zika virus infection reduced levels of the virus in placental and fetal tissues and decreased fetal disease, new findings show. The work may aid development of vaccines and therapies for Zika virus infection, which can cause severe birth defects when it occurs during pregnancy.

• Testing of Investigational Inactivated Zika Vaccine in Humans Begins

  November 7, 2016

  The first of five early stage clinical trials to test the safety and ability of an investigational Zika vaccine candidate called the Zika Purified Inactivated Virus (ZPIV) vaccine to generate an immune system response has begun at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Clinical Trial Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. Scientists with WRAIR, part of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), developed the vaccine.

• Two Genetic Markers that Predict Malaria Treatment Failure Found

  November 3, 2016

  A frontline malaria treatment that combines fast-acting dihydroartemisinin with long-lasting piperaquine is quickly losing power in Cambodia due to the rapid spread of drug-resistant parasites. The presence of piperaquine-resistant malaria parasites in several Cambodian provinces was confirmed earlier this year by National Institutes of Health researchers and their colleagues.

October 2016

• Zika Infection Damages Mouse Testes, NIAID-Supported Study Finds

  October 31, 2016

  New research in male mice has revealed that Zika virus infection can break down and severely damage the animals’ testes. Whether these findings have any bearing on the potential impact of the virus on the reproductive health of infected men is unclear; however, the study findings suggest this is an important question to explore. Results from the study, conducted by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, appear in Nature online October 31.

• Skin Patch to Treat Peanut Allergy Shows Benefit in Children

  

  Credit: DBV Technologies, Copyright 2016
  October 26, 2016

  A wearable patch that delivers small amounts of peanut protein through the skin shows promise for treating children and young adults with peanut allergy, with greater benefits for younger children, according to one-year results from an ongoing clinical trial. The treatment, called epicutaneous immunotherapy or EPIT, was safe and well-tolerated, and nearly all participants used the skin patch daily as directed.

• NIAID Selects New Director for its Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

  
  October 25, 2016

  Emily Erbelding, M.D., M.P.H., an infectious disease physician with broad research and clinical experience in both government and academic medicine, has been named the new director of the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• Large Increases in HIV Suppression Needed to Reduce New Infections in Critical Population

  October 19, 2016

  Achieving moderate reduction of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) will depend on significantly increasing the percentage of HIV-infected MSM whose viral load is suppressed to undetectable levels, according to a new mathematical model based on data from Baltimore. Access and adherence to antiretroviral therapy are key to sustained HIV suppression, which dramatically reduces the risk of transmitting HIV to others.

• Women Report Vaginal Ring for Preventing HIV Had Little Effect on Sexual Intercourse

  October 18, 2016

  Most women who used an experimental vaginal ring for HIV prevention report that the physical act of sex was largely unaffected by using the product, which is inserted monthly for continuous wear. This finding is among several insights gleaned about experiences of women who used the ring during the ASPIRE study, also known as MTN-020, announced today at the HIV Research for Prevention (HIVR4P) meeting in Chicago.

• NIH Scientists Uncover Genetic Explanation for Frustrating Syndrome

  October 17, 2016

  Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have identified a genetic explanation for a syndrome characterized by multiple frustrating and difficult-to-treat symptoms, including dizziness and lightheadedness, skin flushing and itching, gastrointestinal complaints, chronic pain, and bone and joint problems. Some people who experience these diverse symptoms have elevated levels of tryptase—a protein in the blood often associated with allergic reactions.

• Scientists at NIH and Emory Achieve Sustained SIV Remission in Monkeys

  October 13, 2016

  Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Emory University have experimentally induced sustained remission of SIV, the simian form of HIV, in infected monkeys. The animals’ immune systems have been suppressing the virus to undetectable levels for as long as 23 months since the monkeys completed an investigational treatment regimen. In addition, the regimen has led to the near-complete replenishment of key immune cells that SIV had destroyed, something unachievable with antiretroviral therapy (ART) alone. The findings will be published in the Oct.

• Study Finds Ebola Treatment ZMapp Holds Promise, Although Results Not Definitive

  October 12, 2016

  A clinical trial to evaluate the experimental Ebola treatment ZMapp found it to be safe and well-tolerated; however, because of the waning Ebola epidemic, the study enrolled too few people to determine definitively whether it is a better treatment for Ebola virus disease (EVD) than the best available standard of care alone. The findings from the randomized, controlled trial known as PREVAIL II appear in the October 13th issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

• NIAID-Supported Research Expands Number of Publicly Available Mouse Mutations

  
  October 5, 2016

  Genetically engineered mice serve as valuable models of human disease, contributing to major medical breakthroughs. Often, biomedical researchers must develop unique genetically modified strains of mice for experimentation, a costly and time-consuming process. Now, more researchers in fields from immunology to cancer may be able to save time and money by acquiring genetic material from a repository of previously engineered strains.

• NIAID-Sponsored Study Finds Factors that Influence Asthma Severity in Inner-City Children

  
  October 5, 2016

  In a novel study of 717 children between ages 6 and 17, researchers have identified major factors associated with asthma severity in children from inner-city communities. They found that poor lung function, sensitivity to certain inhaled allergens, and exposure to second-hand smoke were important factors affecting asthma severity. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) funded the work with additional support from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, both parts of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

September 2016

• Immune System Oxidant Could be Key to Inactivating Prions

  September 29, 2016

  A product that mimics the natural oxidative killing action of human immune cells against bacteria, viruses, and fungi also can inactivate prions and other proteins, some of which are thought to be important in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers. Prions are deadly protein-based pathogens that are extremely difficult to inactivate; recommended decontamination treatments often are dangerous to people or damaging to surfaces, such as those on surgical devices.

• Media Availability: Federal Officials Outline Development Pathways to a Zika Vaccine

  September 28, 2016

  A safe and effective vaccine to protect against Zika virus infection is essential and should be feasible to develop, according to a commentary in the September 29th print issue of The New England Journal of Medicine by Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Hilary D. Marston, M.D., of NIAID; Nicole Lurie, M.D., M.S.P.H., Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and Luciana L. Borio, M.D., acting chief scientist, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The federal officials describe three potential strategies for conducting Zika vaccine clinical trials with each strategy dependent on disease incidence and likelihood of generating reliable data.

• Experimental Zika Virus DNA Vaccines Protective in Monkeys

  September 22, 2016

  Two experimental Zika virus DNA vaccines developed by National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists protected monkeys against Zika infection after two doses, according to a study published in Science. One of those vaccines is being evaluated in a Phase 1 human trial now under way in three U.S. locations to evaluate the vaccine’s safety and ability to generate immune responses in people.

• NIH Scientists Detail Pathways for Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance

  September 20, 2016

  Researchers must address the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance and stay ahead of the inevitable future emergencies of resistant bacteria, according to physicians and scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. Writing in JAMA, the authors stress the urgent need for new strategies to identify and develop new antibiotic drug candidates and vaccines and other interventions to prevent bacterial infections.

• Infant Gut Microbiome Appears to Shape Allergy Risk by Altering Immune Responses

  
  September 12, 2016

  The microbial communities, or microbiota, that naturally colonize the digestive tract in very young infants can affect their risk of later developing childhood allergies and asthma. Scientists now have identified a specific type of microbiota composition and corresponding metabolic environment in the neonatal gut that appears to influence immune cell populations and promote allergy and asthma development. The work was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• NIH-Funded Researchers Find Signs TB Can Persist in Lungs Despite Treatment

  September 6, 2016

  It has been known that the microbe that causes TB, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, can persist in the lungs even after patient tissue samples test negative for the bacteria. In new research appearing in Nature Medicine, intramural researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, together with NIAID grantees, found through the use of positron emission tomography/computerized tomography (PET/CT) scanning that TB lesions can remain in the lungs long after treatment with antibiotics has been completed.

August 2016

• NIH-Supported Researchers Develop Novel System to Grow Norovirus in Intestinal Cells

  August 25, 2016

  For the first time, researchers have succeeded in culturing norovirus in human intestinal cells, a breakthrough that could help scientists develop novel therapeutics and vaccines against the debilitating effects of the virus.

• Monkeys with Sudan ebolavirus Treated Successfully

  August 22, 2016

  Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have successfully treated monkeys several days after the animals were infected with Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV). The study is important, according to the researchers, because no proven treatments against SUDV exist and little is known about the window of opportunity for treating the infection.

• NIH Explores Connection Between Ebola Survival and Co-Infection with Malaria Parasites

  

  Credit: NIAID
  August 16, 2016

  People infected with Ebola virus were 20 percent more likely to survive if they were co-infected with malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites, according to data collected at an Ebola diagnostic laboratory in Liberia in 2014-15. Moreover, greater numbers of Plasmodium parasites correlated with increased rates of Ebola survival, according to a dozen collaborating research groups in the new study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

• Oral Immunotherapy Is Safe, Effective Treatment for Peanut-Allergic Preschoolers, Study Suggests

  
  August 10, 2016

  Nearly 80 percent of peanut-allergic preschool children successfully incorporated peanut-containing foods into their diets after receiving peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT), a clinical trial has found. Peanut OIT involves eating small, gradually increasing amounts of peanut protein daily.

• Three Vaccine Approaches Protect Monkeys Against Zika Infection

  August 4, 2016

  Three different investigational Zika virus vaccine platforms—an inactivated virus vaccine, a DNA-based vaccine, and an adenovirus vector-based vaccine—protected against infection, induced immune responses, and produced no adverse side effects when tested in rhesus macaques challenged with the Zika virus, according to findings appearing August 4 in the journal Science.

• NIH Begins Testing Investigational Zika Vaccine in Humans

  
  August 3, 2016

  ​The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has launched a clinical trial of a vaccine candidate intended to prevent Zika virus infection. The early-stage study will evaluate the experimental vaccine’s safety and ability to generate an immune system response in participants.

July 2016

• NIH-Funded Scientists Identify Immunological Profiles of People Who Make Powerful HIV Antibodies

  July 29, 2016

  People living with HIV who naturally produce broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) that may help suppress the virus have different immunological profiles than people who do not, researchers report. While bNAbs cannot completely clear HIV infections in people who have already acquired the virus, many scientists believe a successful preventive HIV vaccine must induce bNAbs

• Zika Infection Is Caused by One Virus Serotype, NIH Study Finds

  July 29, 2016

  Vaccination against a single strain of Zika virus should be sufficient to protect against genetically diverse strains of the virus, according to a study conducted by investigators from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); Washington University in St. Louis; and Emory University in Atlanta.

• Studies in Mice Provide Insights into Antibody-Zika Virus Interactions

  
  July 27, 2016

  In research that could inform prophylactic treatment approaches for pregnant women at risk of Zika virus infection, investigators conducted experiments in mice and identified six Zika virus antibodies, including four that neutralize African, Asian and American strains of the mosquito-borne virus.

• NIH Launches Early-Stage Yellow Fever Vaccine Trial

  July 27, 2016

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has begun an early-stage clinical trial of an investigational vaccine designed to protect against yellow fever virus.

• Vaccine Strategy Induces Antibodies that Can Target Multiple Influenza Viruses

  

  Credit: NIAID VRC
  July 22, 2016

  WHAT: Scientists have identified three types of vaccine-induced antibodies that can neutralize diverse strains of influenza virus that infect humans. The discovery will help guide development of a universal influenza vaccine, according to investigators at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), both part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and collaborators who conducted the research. The findings appear in the July 21st online edition of Cell.

• Immune-Enhancing Treatment May Destabilize HIV Reservoirs

  July 21, 2016

  Although antiretroviral therapy (ART) can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood to an undetectable level in most chronically infected people, it cannot eliminate reservoirs of HIV that persist in latently infected immune cells.

• NIH Scientists Discover that Defective HIV DNA Can Encode HIV-Related Proteins

  July 18, 2016

  Investigators from the National Institutes of Health have discovered that cells from HIV-infected people whose virus is suppressed with treatment harbor defective HIV DNA that can nevertheless be transcribed into a template for producing HIV-related proteins.

• HIV Therapy for Breastfeeding Mothers Can Virtually Eliminate Transmission to Babies

  July 18, 2016

  For HIV-infected mothers whose immune system is in good health, taking a three-drug antiretroviral regimen during breastfeeding essentially eliminates HIV transmission by breast milk to their infants, according to results from a large clinical trial conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and India.

• Vaginal Ring May Cut HIV Infection Risk if Used Consistently

  
  July 18, 2016

  A new exploratory analysis of data from the ASPIRE study has found that using a drug-infused vaginal ring most or all of the time reduced the risk of HIV infection in women by at least 56 percent. This finding is being reported today at a press briefing at the 21st International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2016) in Durban, South Africa, and will be presented in more detail tomorrow in a lecture at the conference.

• NIH Expands Investment in HIV Cure Research

  July 13, 2016

  The National Institutes of Health has awarded approximately $30 million in annual funding over the next five years to six research collaborations working to advance basic medical science toward an HIV cure. The awards comprise the second iteration of the Martin Delaney Collaboratory: Towards an HIV-1 Cure program and are a part of President Barack Obama’s pledge to invest in HIV cure research.

• HIV Vaccine Research Requires Unprecedented Path

  July 12, 2016

  The development of an effective vaccine to prevent HIV infections would represent a critical step toward ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Thus far, the only large clinical trial for an HIV vaccine to show promise was the RV144 study conducted in Thailand in 2009, which resulted in a modest 31 percent reduction in infection. Researchers are working to improve on the results of RV144 and also have launched efforts to create vaccines that induce broadly neutralizing antibodies that can block a wide range of HIV variants.

• PREVAIL Treatment Trial for Men with Persistent Ebola Viral RNA in Semen Opens in Liberia

  July 5, 2016

  The Partnership for Research on Ebola Virus in Liberia (PREVAIL), a U.S.-Liberia joint Clinical Research Partnership, today announced the opening of PREVAIL IV, a treatment trial for men who have survived Ebola virus disease (EVD) but continue to have evidence of Ebola virus genetic material, RNA, in their semen.

June 2016

• Zika Virus Infection May Be Prolonged in Pregnancy

  June 29, 2016

  Zika virus infection confers protection against future infection in monkeys, but lingers in the body of pregnant animals for prolonged periods of time, according to research funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings appear in the June 28 issue of Nature Communications.

• NIH-Supported Study Pinpoints Origin of 2009 H1N1 Influenza Pandemic

  June 28, 2016

  Researchers have used genetic sequencing to show that the 2009 global H1N1 influenza pandemic began in central Mexico, originating in pigs and spreading to humans. Mexico is not typically considered a source of novel influenza strains. The new findings appear online in the journal eLIFE. They shed light on how the novel virus evolved and stress the need for improved influenza surveillance. The research was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

• Zika Vaccines Protect Mice from Infection

  June 28, 2016

  A single dose of either of two experimental Zika vaccines fully protected mice challenged with Zika virus four or eight weeks after receiving the inoculations. The research, conducted by investigators supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, suggests that similar vaccines for people could be similarly protective.

• Gene Sequences Reveal Global Variations in Malaria Parasites

  
  June 27, 2016

  Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) parasites, which cause a debilitating form of malaria, are yielding their secrets to an international team of researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. In the largest such effort to date, the team determined complete genomes of nearly 200 P. vivaxstrains that recently infected people in eight countries. Comparative analysis showed the parasites clustered into four genetically distinct populations that provide insights into the movement of P.

• NIH Scientists Decode How Anthrax Toxin Proteins Might Help Treat Cancerous Tumors

  June 27, 2016

  Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), all parts of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), describe how combining engineered anthrax toxin proteins and existing chemotherapy drugs could potentially yield a therapy to reduce or eliminate cancerous tumors.

• NIH Launches Large Study of Pregnant Women in Areas Affected by Zika Virus

  June 21, 2016

  The National Institutes of Health and Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz (Fiocruz), a national scientific research organization linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, have begun a multi-country study to evaluate the magnitude of health risks that Zika virus infection poses to pregnant women and their developing fetuses and infants. The study is opening in Puerto Rico and will expand to several locations in Brazil, Colombia and other areas that are experiencing active local transmission of the virus.

• NIH-Developed Crowdsourcing Platform Makes Public Gene Expression Data More Accessible

  June 20, 2016

  WHAT:  Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have developed a free online platform that uses a crowdsourcing approach to make public gene expression data more accessible to biomedical researchers without computational expertise. They describe the platform, called OMics Compendia Commons (OMiCC), in the June 20 online issue of Nature Biotechnology.

• NIAID Selects Director of Division of Intramural Research

  
  June 14, 2016

  Steven M. Holland, M.D., has been named Director of the Division of Intramural Research (DIR) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. He will lead the institute’s efforts to conduct basic and clinical research in a wide range of disciplines related to immunology, allergy and infectious diseases.

• Peanut Allergy Prevention Strategy Is Nutritionally Safe, NIH-Funded Study Shows

  June 10, 2016

  ​Introducing peanut-containing foods during infancy as a peanut allergy prevention strategy does not compromise the duration of breastfeeding or affect children’s growth and nutritional intakes, new findings show. The work, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is published online on June 10 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

May 2016

• Novel Strategy May Improve Seasonal Flu Vaccine Effectiveness

  May 23, 2016

  New findings describe a novel strategy for predicting how circulating influenza viruses will evolve, an approach that may help scientists create better seasonal influenza vaccines.

• Zika Virus Protein Could Be Vaccine Target

  
  May 19, 2016

  A viral protein known as NS5 is a promising target for vaccines against Zika and related viruses, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and colleagues at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine.

• NIH Statement on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2016

  
  May 18, 2016

  Advances in HIV/AIDS research have given us the opportunity to transform the lives of those living with HIV while providing highly effective methods of preventing the infection. This progress has strengthened optimism for achieving a durable end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

• Large-Scale HIV Vaccine Trial to Launch in South Africa

  
  May 18, 2016

  An early-stage HIV vaccine clinical trial in South Africa has determined that an investigational vaccine regimen is safe and generates comparable immune responses to those reported in a landmark 2009 study showing that a vaccine can protect people from HIV infection.

• NIH-Led Team Discovers New HIV Vaccine Target

  
  May 12, 2016

  A team led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has reported a research trifecta. They discovered a new vulnerable site on HIV for a vaccine to target, a broadly neutralizing antibody that binds to that target site, and how the antibody stops the virus from infecting a cell.

• Zika Virus Damages Placenta, Kills Fetal Mice

  May 11, 2016

  Zika virus infects and crosses the placentas of pregnant mice and causes severe damage or death in fetal mice, report scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health.

• Investigational Malaria Vaccine Protects Healthy U.S. Adults for More than One Year

  May 9, 2016

  An experimental malaria vaccine protected a small number of healthy, malaria-naïve adults in the United States from infection for more than one year after immunization, according to results from a Phase 1 trial described in the May 9th issue of Nature Medicine.

• AIDS-Kaposi’s Sarcoma Study Ended

  May 5, 2016

  Enrollment into a clinical trial funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) investigating two different strategies to treat limited-stage AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma was stopped due to futility—if continued, the study would be unlikely to detect a difference between the two study arms.

• NIH Statement on World Asthma Day 2016

  May 3, 2016

  On World Asthma Day 2016, the National Institutes of Health reaffirms its commitment to support research to improve the lives of all people with asthma. NIH-funded research has advanced our understanding of asthma as a disease as well as the impact asthma has on the lives of those affected. 

April 2016

• Cancer Drug May Treat Sepsis, Other Uncontrollable Immune Responses to Infection

  April 29, 2016

  Results from laboratory experiments and mouse studies suggest that small doses of drugs from a specific class of approved cancer medications called topoisomerase 1 (top1) inhibitors may protect against the overwhelming immune response to infection that sometimes leads to sepsis, a bacterial condition that kills as many as 500,000 people in the United States each year.

• Single Antibody Infusions Provide Durable Protection Against HIV-Like Virus in Monkeys

  April 27, 2016

  A single antibody infusion can protect monkeys against infection with an HIV-like virus for up to 23 weeks, researchers have found. The study, published in Nature, was led by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and The Rockefeller University.

• “Dirty Mouse” May Model Human Immune System More Accurately, NIH-Funded Study Suggests

  April 27, 2016

  Medical interventions that work well when tested in mouse models can fail when they advance to safety and efficacy testing in humans. One reason for this, scientists propose, may be the differences between immune system development in laboratory mice and humans. 

• World Malaria Day 2016

  April 25, 2016

  On World Malaria Day 2016, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recognizes the considerable gains that have been made in reducing the global burden of malaria and renews our commitment to conducting and supporting the cutting-edge scientific research needed to end the scourge of this devastating mosquito-borne disease.

• NIH Study Finds Factors that May Influence Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness

  April 19, 2016

  The long-held approach to predicting seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness may need to be revisited, new research suggests. Currently, seasonal flu vaccines are designed to induce high levels of protective antibodies against hemagglutinin (HA), a protein found on the surface of the influenza virus that enables the virus to enter a human cell and initiate infection.

• Two-Vaccine Ebola Regimen Shows Promise in Early-Stage Clinical Trial

  April 19, 2016

  An immunization regimen using two Ebola vaccine candidates was safe and well-tolerated and induced an immune response in healthy adult volunteers in a Phase 1 clinical trial. Results from the study are described in the April 19th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

• Islet Transplantation Restores Blood Sugar Awareness and Control in Type 1 Diabetes

  
  April 18, 2016

  New clinical trial results show that transplantation of pancreatic islets—cell clusters that contain insulin-producing cells—prevents severe, potentially life-threatening drops in blood sugar in people with type 1 diabetes.

• Animal Study Paints Picture of the Earliest Immune Responses to HIV

  April 13, 2016

  New research in monkeys exposed to SIV, the monkey equivalent of HIV, suggests that the virus spreads rapidly in the body and triggers early host responses that suppress antiviral immunity, thus promoting viral replication. The study, published in Cell, provides a detailed view of the period between initial mucosal exposure to the virus and the point at which it becomes detectable in the blood.

• NIH Study Finds Protein May Be Responsible for Damage in Eosinophilic Esophagitis

  April 7, 2016

  Scientists have identified a protein that may be the cause of tissue damage in patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), which affects as many as 56 of every 100,000 people in the United States. EoE is a disease in which white blood cells called eosinophils accumulate in the esophagus, often causing difficult or painful swallowing, nausea, vomiting and poor growth in children and adults.

• NIH Launches Large Clinical Trials of Antibody-Based HIV Prevention

  
  April 7, 2016

  Enrollment has begun in the first of two multinational clinical trials of an intravenously delivered investigational antibody for preventing HIV infection. Known as the AMP Studies, for antibody-mediated prevention, the trials will test whether giving people an investigational anti-HIV antibody called VRC01 as an intravenous infusion every 8 weeks is safe, tolerable and effective at preventing HIV infection.

• NIH Awards Six Grants to Explore How Combination Adjuvants Improve Vaccines

  April 4, 2016

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded six grants totaling $3.1 million to researchers exploring the molecular mechanisms behind combination vaccine adjuvants—substances that improve the effectiveness of vaccines. 

• NIH Doctors Describe Severe Case of Ebola Virus Disease

  April 4, 2016

  For more than a month in 2015, a multidisciplinary team including infectious disease and critical care physicians and nurses, respiratory therapists and other specialists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) treated a critically ill patient who had contracted Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone. 

March 2016

• Structure of Zika Virus Determined

  
  March 31, 2016

  A near-atomic level map of Zika virus shows its structure to be largely similar to that of dengue virus and other flaviviruses, but with a notable difference in one key surface protein, report scientists funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.

• NIH Statement on World Tuberculosis Day

  March 23, 2016

  On World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2016, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reaffirms its commitment to researching ways to better understand, prevent, diagnose and treat TB. March 24 marks the day in 1882 when German microbiologist Robert Koch announced he had discovered Mycobacterium tuberculosis(Mtb), the bacterium that causes TB—an airborne disease that most often attacks the lungs.

• Blood Test Can Predict Risk of Developing Tuberculosis

  March 23, 2016

  One-third of the world’s population is thought to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), but just a small fraction ever develops symptomatic illness.

• AIDS-Kaposi’s Sarcoma Study Changed Due to Drug Underperformance

  March 18, 2016

  A clinical trial funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) comparing three advanced Kaposi’s sarcoma chemotherapy regimens in combination with antiretroviral treatment (ART) for patients with AIDS will no longer enroll participants in the study arm testing the oral chemotherapy drug etoposide.

• Antibodies from Unconventional B Cells Less Likely to Neutralize HIV, NIH Study Finds

  March 17, 2016

  Antibodies derived from a type of immune cell found in unusually high numbers in HIV-infected individuals with chronically uncontrolled virus levels are less effective at neutralizing HIV than antibodies derived from a different type of immune cell more common in people without HIV, scientists report. 

• Experimental Dengue Vaccine Protects All Recipients in Virus Challenge Study

  
  March 16, 2016

  A clinical trial in which volunteers were infected with dengue virus six months after receiving either an experimental dengue vaccine developed by scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or a placebo injection yielded starkly contrasting results. All 21 volunteers who received the vaccine, TV003, were protected from infection, while all 20 placebo recipients developed infection.

• NIAID to Fund Further Study of Dapivirine Vaginal Ring for HIV Prevention

  
  March 13, 2016

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced today that it would move forward with an open-label extension study of an HIV prevention tool for women: a silicone ring that continuously releases the experimental antiretroviral drug dapivirine in the vagina.

• Scientists Discover Potential Bacterial Indicator for Intestinal Disease in Premature Infants

  March 8, 2016

  Scientists have discovered a microbial biomarker that may indicate which premature infants are at increased risk for developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious intestinal disease that affects approximately 10 percent of premature infants and commonly leads to infant death. 

• Omalizumab Decreases Colds in Inner-City Children with Asthma, NIH Study Reports

  March 5, 2016

  Treatment with omalizumab significantly decreases the number of colds in inner-city children with allergic asthma, researchers reported at a press conference today at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) 2016 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.

• NIAID Seeks Public Comment on Update to Food Allergy Guidelines

  March 4, 2016

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, is seeking public comment on a draft update to the 2010 Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Food Allergy in the United States (link is external) to address the prevention of peanut allergy. 

• Benefits of Peanut Allergy Prevention Strategy Persist After One-Year Peanut Avoidance

  
  March 4, 2016

  ​The benefits of regularly consuming peanut-containing foods early in life to prevent the development of peanut allergy persist even after stopping peanut consumption for one year, new clinical trial findings show. 

February 2016

• Experimental Ebola Antibody Protects Monkeys

  
  February 25, 2016

  Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues have discovered that a single monoclonal antibody—a protein that attacks viruses—isolated from a human Ebola virus disease survivor protected non-human primates when given as late as five days after lethal Ebola infection. 

• Maraviroc-Containing Regimens Safe, Tolerable When Taken for HIV Prevention

  February 24, 2016

  Maraviroc, an oral drug used to treat HIV infection, is safe and well-tolerated when taken daily as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection by HIV-uninfected men who have sex with men (MSM) at increased risk for acquiring HIV.

• NIH-Funded Study Finds Critical Population Adheres to PrEP with Coordinated Care

  February 24, 2016

  New findings suggest that black men who have sex with men (BMSM) with access to a novel coordinated care program can adhere to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication regimen that helps prevent HIV infection in uninfected individuals.

• Experimental Ebola Vaccines Well Tolerated, Immunogenic in Phase 2 Study

  February 23, 2016

  Two investigational vaccines designed to protect against Ebola virus disease were well-tolerated and induced an immune response among 1,000 vaccinated participants in the Phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial called PREVAIL I.

• Ebola Survivor Study Yields Insights on Complications of Disease

  
  February 23, 2016

  Preliminary findings from PREVAIL III, a study of Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors being conducted in Liberia, indicate that both Ebola survivors and their close contacts have a high burden of illness. However, the prevalence of eye, musculoskeletal, and neurological complications was greater among the individuals who survived EVD.

• Experimental Ebola Drug ZMapp May Benefit Patients, but Insufficient Data to be Certain, Study Finds

  February 23, 2016

  According to initial results from a randomized, controlled trial of the experimental Ebola treatment ZMapp, the monoclonal antibody cocktail was well-tolerated and showed promise. Due to decreasing incidence in Ebola, the study could not enroll enough volunteers to determine definitively whether it is a better treatment for Ebola virus disease (EVD) than supportive care only.

• NIH-Funded Study Finds Effect of PrEP on Bone Density is Reversible

  February 23, 2016

  The slight loss in bone mineral density associated with HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) antiretroviral use is reversible in young adult patients who stop taking the drugs, according to findings presented by researchers today at the 23rd Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston.

• Vaginal Ring Provides Partial Protection from HIV in Large Multinational Trial

  

  Credit: International Partnership for Microbicides
  February 22, 2016

  A ring that continuously releases an experimental antiretroviral drug in the vagina safely provided a modest level of protection against HIV infection in women, a large clinical trial in four sub-Saharan African countries has found.

• Tick Genome Reveals Secrets of a Successful Bloodsucker

  February 9, 2016

  With tenacity befitting their subject, an international team of nearly 100 researchers toiled for a decade and overcame tough technical challenges to decipher the genome of the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis). 

• NIH Seeks Research Applications to Study Zika in Pregnancy, Developing Fetus

  February 5, 2016

  The National Institutes of Health today announced its research priorities for studies to investigate how Zika virus infection affects reproduction, pregnancy and the developing fetus.  Zika virus currently is circulating in about 30 countries and territories, notably in Latin America and the Caribbean.

• NIH Scientists Discover Genetic Cause of Rare Allergy to Vibration

  February 3, 2016

  Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have identified a genetic mutation responsible for a rare form of inherited hives induced by vibration, also known as vibratory urticaria. Running, hand clapping, towel drying or even taking a bumpy bus ride can cause temporary skin rashes in people with this rare disorder.

January 2016

• Ongoing HIV Replication Replenishes Viral Reservoirs During Therapy

  January 27, 2016

  In HIV-infected patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART), ongoing HIV replication in lymphoid tissues such as the lymph nodes helps maintain stores, or reservoirs, of the virus, a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests.

• NIH-Funded Study Suggests Potential to Predict Peanut Allergy Immunotherapy Outcomes

  

  Credit: NIAID
  January 25, 2016

  Oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy induces early, distinct changes in immune T-cell populations that potentially may help researchers determine which people will respond well to the therapy and which immune mechanisms are involved in the response, a new study suggests.

• Dengue Vaccine Enters Phase 3 Trial in Brazil

  
  January 14, 2016

  A large-scale clinical trial to evaluate whether a candidate vaccine can prevent the mosquito-borne illness dengue fever has been launched in Brazil. The vaccine, TV003, was developed by scientists in the laboratory of Stephen Whitehead, Ph.D., at NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

• NIH Experts Offer Lessons Learned from the 2014-2015 Ebola Outbreak

  January 14, 2016

  In a special issue on Ebola for the journal Clinical Trials, leading researchers from across the globe, including from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), describe in a series of articles the challenges of conducting ethically and scientifically sound clinical research during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa and lessons learned for future outbreaks.

• New NIH Awards Will Support Development of Therapeutic Alternatives to Traditional Antibiotics

  January 11, 2016

  New NIH awards will support development of therapeutic alternatives to traditional antibiotics the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded approximately $5 million in funding for 24 research projects seeking to develop non-traditional therapeutics for bacterial infections to help address the growing health threat of antibiotic resistance.

• Current Malaria Treatment Fails in Cambodia Due to Drug-Resistant Parasites

  January 7, 2016

  New findings from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), confirm dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine, the first-line treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection in Cambodia, has failed in certain provinces due to parasite resistance to artemisinin and piperaquine.

December 2015

• Selected NIAID Research Advances of 2015

  December 31, 2015

  A slideshow highlights scientific advances stemming from research supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. During fiscal year 2015, NIAID researchers and NIAID-funded scientists drove progress toward development of vaccines and treatments for HIV, influenza and Ebola.

• HIV Antibody Infusion Safely Suppresses Virus in Infected People

  December 23, 2015

  A single infusion of a powerful antibody called VRC01 can suppress the level of HIV in the blood of infected people who are not taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), scientists at the National Institutes of Health report. 

• Prime-Boost H7N9 Influenza Vaccine Concept Promising in Clinical Trial

  December 10, 2015

  Several candidate H7N9 pandemic influenza vaccines made from inactivated viruses have been shown to be safe and to generate an immune response.

• Gene Therapy Restores Immunity in Children and Young Adults with Rare Immunodeficiency

  December 5, 2015

  Gene therapy can safely rebuild the immune systems of older children and young adults with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, a rare inherited disorder, scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have found.

• NIH Scientists Draw Evidence-Based Blueprint for HIV Treatment and Prevention

  December 1, 2015

  Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases argue that the results of three large clinical trials definitively prove that the benefits of starting antiretroviral therapy early in HIV infection outweigh any theoretical risk.

November 2015

• NIH Statement on World AIDS Day 2015

  November 30, 2015

  ​When the first cases of what would become known as AIDS were reported in 1981, scientists and physicians did not know the cause and had no therapies to treat those who were infected. Times have changed and today physicians can offer their patients highly effective medicines that work as both treatment and prevention. 

• NIH Publishes Criteria for Research on Organ Transplantation Between People with HIV Infection

  November 25, 2015

  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published safeguards and criteria for research to assess the safety and effectiveness of solid organ transplantation from donors with HIV infection to recipients with HIV infection. 

• NIH-Sponsored Clinical Trial of Chikungunya Vaccine Opens

  
  November 24, 2015

  An experimental vaccine to protect against the mosquito-borne illness chikungunya is being tested in a Phase 2 trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.

• NIH Launches Initiative to Develop Long-Acting HIV Treatment and Prevention Tools

  November 18, 2015

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, launched a major initiative to advance novel approaches to treat and prevent HIV infections based on broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs)

• RSV Pediatric Vaccine Candidate Shows Promise in Early Clinical Trial

  November 5, 2015

  Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and colleagues  have developed a vaccine candidate to protect infants and young children against respiratory syncytial virus that appears to elicit a stronger protective immune response than the previous lead vaccine candidate.

October 2015

• Short-Term Additional Treatment Reduces Asthma Attacks in Inner-City Children During Fall

  October 27, 2015

  Adding the drug omalizumab to ongoing guidelines-based asthma therapy for a targeted four-month period beginning just before the start of school reduced the number of autumn asthma attacks, or exacerbations, in inner-city children. 

• NIH-Funded Study Reveals Why Malaria Vaccine Only Partially Protected Children, Infants

  October 22, 2015

  Using new, highly sensitive genomic sequencing technology, an international team of researchers has found new biological evidence to help explain why the malaria vaccine candidate RTS,S/AS01 (called RTS,S) provided only moderate protection among vaccinated children during clinical testing.

• Immune Responses Provide Clues for HIV Vaccine Development

  October 21, 2015

  Recent research has yielded new information about immune responses associated with—and potentially responsible for—protection from HIV infection, providing leads for new strategies to develop an HIV vaccine. 

• NIH Study Reveals Risk of Drug-Resistant Malaria Spreading to Africa

  
  October 20, 2015

  Drug-resistant forms of Plasmodium falciparum can infect the type of mosquito that is the main transmitter of malaria in Africa. The discovery suggests Africa is more at risk for drug-resistant malaria infections than previously thought, which could further compromise efforts to prevent and eliminate the disease.

• HIV Cure Research: NIH Scientists Create Two-Headed Protein to Deplete HIV Reservoir

  
  October 20, 2015

  Scientists at the National Institutes of Health have created a protein that awakens resting immune cells infected with HIV and facilitates their destruction in laboratory studies.

• Experimental Aerosol TB Vaccine Protects Monkeys, NIH-Funded Researchers Find

  October 16, 2015

  Researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have developed an investigational aerosol tuberculosis vaccine that induced potent immune responses in a small number of rhesus macaques and protected them against pulmonary infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis .

• Antiviral Favipiravir Successfully Treats Lassa Virus in Guinea Pigs

  October 13, 2015

  Favipiravir, an investigational antiviral drug currently being tested in West Africa as a treatment for Ebola virus disease, effectively treated Lassa virus infection in guinea pigs, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and colleagues.

• NIH Scientists Identify How Normally Protective Immune Responses Kill Neurons

  October 6, 2015

  National Institutes of Health scientists studying inflammation of the brain have discovered why certain immune responses, which typically help cells recognize and fight viral and bacterial infections, can sometimes be harmful to the brain.

September 2015

• NIH Mourns William E. Paul, Pioneering Immunologist and Laboratory Chief

  
  September 22, 2015

  William E. Paul, M.D., an internationally renowned immunologist and long-time laboratory chief at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, died on September 18, 2015, at the age of 79. 

• Prion Disease Detected Soon After Infection and in Surprising Place in Mouse Brains

  September 22, 2015

  In a new study, National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists report they can detect infectious prion protein in mouse brains within a week of inoculation, and the protein was generated outside blood vessels in a place in the brain where scientists believe drug treatment could be targeted to prevent disease.

August 2015

• NIH Launches Human RSV Study

  August 26, 2015

  ​A new study will expose healthy adult volunteers to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Better understanding of how adults develop RSV infection and immune system responses to infection will help researchersdevelop and test future antivirals and vaccines to combat the virus. 

• NIH Scientists and Colleagues Successfully Test MERS Vaccine in Monkeys and Camels

  August 19, 2015

  ​National Institutes of Health scientists and colleagues report that an experimental vaccine given six weeks before exposure to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) fully protects rhesus macaques from disease.

• NIH-Developed Epstein-Barr Virus Vaccine Elicits Potent Neutralizing Antibodies in Animals

  August 13, 2015

  National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases researchers and their collaborators have developed an experimental, nanoparticle-based vaccine against Epstein-Barr virus that can induce potent neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated mice and nonhuman primates.

• NIH-Funded Study Establishes Genomic Data Set on Lassa Virus

  
  August 13, 2015

  An international team of researchers has developed the largest genomic data set in the world on Lassa virus. The new genomic catalog contains viral genomes collected from patient samples in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, as well as field samples from the major animal reservoir of Lassa virus-the rodent Mastomys natalensis. 

• Single Dose Ebola Vaccine is Safe and Effective in Monkeys against Outbreak Strain

  

  Credit: NIAID
  August 6, 2015

  National Institutes of Health scientists report that a single dose of an experimental Ebola virus (EBOV) vaccine completely protects cynomolgus macaques against the current EBOV outbreak strain when given at least 7 days before exposure, and partially protects them if given 3 days prior.

July 2015

• HVTN 505 Vaccine Induced Antibodies Nonspecific for HIV

  July 30, 2015

  A study by researchers helps explain why the candidate vaccine used in the HVTN 505 clinical trial was not protective against HIV infection despite robustly inducing anti-HIV antibodies: the vaccine stimulated antibodies that recognized HIV as well as microbes commonly found in the intestinal tract. 

• Experimental MERS Vaccine Shows Promise in Animal Studies

  
  July 28, 2015

  A two-step regimen of experimental vaccines against Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) prompted immune responses in mice and rhesus macaques, report National Institutes of Health scientists who designed the vaccines.

• Two Paths Pave Way for Development of a Preventive HIV Vaccine

  
  July 23, 2015

  National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases& scientists offer a historical perspective on the search for a safe, effective HIV vaccine and describe how they influence current promising approaches in HIV vaccinology.

• Study Finds PrEP Use Feasible Among High-Risk Groups in U.S. Community Settings

  July 21, 2015

  ​A majority of men who have sex with men and transgender women at high risk for HIV infection took anti-HIV medication for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), most of the time, in a multi-site U.S. study ( PrEP Demo Project) examining use of this HIV prevention strategy outside of a clinical trial. 

• Virus-Like Particle Vaccine Protects Mice from Many Flu Strains

  July 21, 2015

  Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have devised a way to induce protective immunity in mice against a wide array of influenza viruses.

• HIV Control Through Treatment Durably Prevents Heterosexual Transmission of Virus

  July 20, 2015

  ​Antiretroviral treatment that consistently suppresses HIV is highly effective at preventing sexual transmission of the virus in heterosexual couples where one person is HIV-infected and the other is not, investigators report. ​

• Young South African Women Can Adhere to Daily PrEP Regimen as HIV Prevention, Study Finds

  July 20, 2015

  A clinical study funded by the National Institutes of Health has found that young, single black women in South Africa adhered to a daily pill regimen to prevent HIV infection-an HIV prevention strategy known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. 

• Alefacept Helps Preserve Function of Insulin-Producing Cells in Type 1 Diabetes

  July 20, 2015

  ​Results from a clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases suggest that the immune-suppressing drug alefacept helps preserve function of insulin-producing beta cells in people with newly diagnosed Type 1 diabetes.

• Dr. Fauci at IAS 2015

  July 20, 2015

  Although much progress has been made in combating the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, to halt new infections and end the pandemic, a combination of non-vaccine and vaccine prevention modalities will be needed, says Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.. 

• Early Antiretroviral Therapy Prevents Non-Aids Outcomes in HIV-Infected People, NIH-Supported Study Finds

  July 20, 2015

  Starting antiretroviral therapy early not only prevents serious AIDS-related diseases, but also prevents the onset of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other non-AIDS-related diseases in HIV-infected people, according to a new analysis of data from the Strategic Timing of AntiRetroviral Treatment study.

• Cholesterol Metabolism in Immune Cells Linked to HIV Progression

  July 17, 2015

  Lower levels of cholesterol in certain immune cells-a result of enhanced cholesterol metabolism within those cells-may help explain why some HIV-infected people are able to naturally control disease progression..

• Investigational Aerosolized Ebola Vaccine Shows Promise in Nonhuman Primates

  July 13, 2015

  ​​An experimental aerosolized (inhalable) vaccine fully protected nonhuman primates against Ebola virus disease. Aerosolized vaccines are delivered using a nebulizer, a device that transforms liquid into a mist that can be inhaled into the lungs.

• NIH-Funded Vaccine for West Nile Virus Enters Human Clinical Trials

  July 6, 2015

  ​A clinical trial of a new investigational vaccine designed to protect against West Nile Virus infection will be sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.

June 2015

• NIH-Led Team Advances HIV Vaccine Design with Specially Shaped Protein

  June 22, 2015

  An HIV vaccine research team led by scientists from the National Institutes of Health has engineered a protein to maintain the particular shape predicted to be most effective at stimulating the immune system to produce powerful antibodies against the virus. 

• NIAID-Funded HIV Vaccine Research Generates Key Antibodies in Animal Models

  June 18, 2015

  ​A trio of studies describes advances toward the development of an HIV vaccine. The study teams demonstrated techniques for stimulating animal cells to produce antibodies that either could stop HIV from infecting human cells in the laboratory or had the potential to evolve into such antibodies.

• NIH-Funded Researchers Identify New Genetic Immune Disorder

  June 17, 2015

  ​Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have identified a new immune disorder-DOCK2 deficiency-named after the mutated gene responsible for the disease. 

• Study of Ebola Survivors Opens in Liberia

  June 17, 2015

  ​The Liberia-U.S. clinical research partnership known as PREVAIL has launched a study of people in Liberia who have survived Ebola virus disease within the past two years.

• West African Ebola Virus Strain Less Virulent Than Prototype 1976 Strain

  June 9, 2015

  The Makona strain of Ebola virus circulating in West Africa for the past year takes roughly two days longer to cause terminal disease in an animal model compared to the original 1976 Mayinga strain isolated in Central Africa, according to a new National Institutes of Health report. 

• Scientists Discover Anti-Ebola Virus Activity in Approved Drugs

  June 3, 2015

  Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and colleagues have identified 80 currently licensed drugs that demonstrated antiviral activity against Zaire ebolavirus in laboratory testing. 

May 2015

• Starting Antiretroviral Treatment Early Improves Outcomes for HIV-Infected Individuals

  May 27, 2015

  ​Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and colleagues have identified 80 currently licensed drugs that demonstrated antiviral activity against Zaire ebolavirus in laboratory testing. 

• HIV Reservoirs Remain Obstacles to Cure

  May 19, 2015

  Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has proven lifesaving for people infected with HIV; however, the medications are a lifelong necessity for most HIV-infected individuals and present practical, logistical, economic and health-related challenges. 

• HIV Vaccine Awareness Day 2015

  May 18, 2015

  ​Vaccination has historically been the best method for protecting against and ultimately defeating mankind's most devastating infectious diseases. Although the path to developing a safe and effective HIV vaccine has so far been difficult, achieving this goal remains key to realizing a durable end to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. 

• NYVAC-HIV Vaccine Used in the HVTN 092 and HVTN 096 Clinical Trials

  May 13, 2015

  ​The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases  has learned that NYVAC-HIV, an investigational HIV vaccine previously administered in two small HIV vaccine studies, was contaminated with a bacterium called Mycoplasma hyorhinis.

• NIAID Recognizes Significant Milestone in Ebola Vaccine Study

  May 7, 2015

  In partnership with the Liberian Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health is pleased to announce the successful enrollment of all 1,500 planned participants in the Phase 2 portion of the Ebola vaccine clinical trial known as PREVAIL (Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia).

• Mobile Phone Microscope Rapidly Detects Parasite Levels in Blood

  May 6, 2015

  Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues have developed a mobile phone microscope to measure blood levels of the parasitic filarial worm Loa loa. 

• NIH Statement on World Asthma Day 2015

  May 5, 2015

  On World Asthma Day 2015, the National Institutes of Health stands with the international community to renew our commitment to advance our understanding of asthma and develop effective strategies to manage and prevent the disease.

April 2015

• World Malaria Day 2015

  April 25, 2015

  On World Malaria Day 2015, the National Institutes of Health reaffirms its longstanding commitment to reducing the global burden of this devastating and persistent disease. 

• NIH-Funded Research Leads to Approval of Drug for Acute Radiation Injury

  April 21, 2015

  ​The Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of filgrastim (trade name Neupogen) to increase survival of people acutely exposed to high doses of radiation that damage the bone marrow, for example, as a result of a nuclear power plant accident or terrorist attack. 

• NIH Launches Largest Clinical Trial Focused on HIV-Related Cardiovascular Disease

  April 15, 2015

  Researchers have begun enrolling participants in a multicenter international clinical trial to test whether statin administration can reduce the risk for major adverse cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart disease, in people with HIV infection. 

• NIH, South African Medical Research Council Award $8 Million in HIV, TB Grants

  April 13, 2015

  ​The National Institutes of Health and the South African Medical Research Council are awarding 31 grants to U.S. and South African scientists to support research targeting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and HIV-related co-morbidities and cancers.

• NIH Funds Nine Antimicrobial Resistance Diagnostics Projects

  April 9, 2015

  ​The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded more than $11 million in first-year funding for nine research projects supporting enhanced diagnostics to rapidly detect antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. 

• Anti-HIV Antibody Shows Promise in First Human Study

  April 8, 2015

  A single infusion of an experimental anti-HIV antibody called 3BNC117 resulted in significantly decreased HIV levels that persisted for as long as 28 days in HIV-infected individuals, according to Phase 1 clinical trial findings published online in Nature. 

• NIH-Funded Scientists Identify Receptor for Asthma-Associated Virus

  April 6, 2015

  ​Scientists funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have identified a cellular receptor for rhinovirus C, a cold-causing virus that is strongly associated with severe asthma attacks. 

• Experimental Ebola Vaccine Safe, Prompts Immune Response

  April 1, 2015

  ​An early-stage clinical trial of an experimental Ebola vaccine conducted at the National Institutes of Health and the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research found that the vaccine, called VSV-ZEBOV, was safe and elicited robust antibody responses in all 40 of the healthy adults who received it.

March 2015

• Ebola Test Vaccines Appear Safe in Phase 2 Liberian Clinical Trial

  March 26, 2015

  Two experimental Ebola vaccines appear to be safe based on evaluation in more than 600 people in Liberia who participated in the first stage of the Partnership for Research on Ebola Vaccines in Liberia (PREVAIL) Phase 2/3 clinical trial. 

• NIH Study Finds No Evidence of Accelerated Ebola Virus Evolution in West Africa

  
  March 26, 2015

  The Ebola virus in the ongoing West African outbreak appears to be stable-that is, it does not appear to be mutating more rapidly than viruses in previous Ebola outbreaks, and that is reassuring," said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

• NIH Statement on World TB Day 2015

  March 24, 2015

  World TB Day, March 24, marks the day in 1882 when German microbiologist Robert Koch announced his discovery of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). Despite the considerable progress made since that discovery, TB remains one of the world's deadliest diseases.

• NIH Researchers Identify Red Blood Cell Traits Associated with Malaria Risk in Children

  March 24, 2015

  Researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have determined that certain red blood cell traits in children can increase or decrease their risk for malaria. The findings could help identify future targets for new malaria drugs and vaccines. 

• NIH-Funded Researchers Find Off-Patent Antibiotics Effectively Combat MRSA Skin Infections

  March 19, 2015

  Researchers funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have found that two common antibiotic treatments work equally well against bacterial skin infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus acquired outside of hospital settings.

• NIH Researchers Develop Database on Healthy Immune System

  March 12, 2015

  ​An extensive database identifying immune traits, such as how immune cell function is regulated at the genetic level in healthy people, is reported by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators. 

• NIH-Led Study to Assess Community-Based Hepatitis C Treatment in Washington, D.C.

  March 6, 2015

  National Institutes of Health  launched a clinical trial in Washington, DC, to examine whether primary care physicians and other health care providers can use a new antiviral therapy as effectively as specialist physicians to treat people with hepatitis C virus infection. 

February 2015

• Liberia-U.S. Clinical Research Partnership Opens Trial to Test Ebola Treatments

  February 27, 2015

  In partnership with the Liberian government, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases launched a clinical trial to obtain safety and efficacy data on the investigational drug ZMapp as a treatment for Ebola virus disease. The study will be conducted in Liberia and the United States. 

• HIV Controls Its Activity Independent of Host Cells

  February 26, 2015

  ​A major hurdle to curing people of HIV infection is the way the virus hides in a reservoir composed primarily of dormant immune cells. 

• NIH-Funded Researchers Identify Genetic Region Associated with Peanut Allergy

  February 24, 2015

  Research funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests that changes in a small region of chromosome 6 are risk factors for peanut allergy in U.S. children of European descent.

• Study Finds Peanut Consumption in Infancy Prevents Peanut Allergy

  February 23, 2015

  ​Introduction of peanut products into the diets of infants at high risk of developing peanut allergy was safe and led to an 81 percent reduction in the subsequent development of the allergy, a clinical trial has found.

• NIH-Supported Clinical Trials to Evaluate Long-Acting, Injectable Antiretroviral Drugs to Prevent HIV Infection

  February 18, 2015

  ​Two new clinical trials are examining the safety and acceptability of antiretroviral medicines administered via injection as a means of protecting against HIV infection. The studies are being funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and conducted by the NIAID-funded HIV Prevention Trials Network.

• NIH-Sponsored HIV Vaccine Trial Launches in South Africa

  

  Credit: Brooke Auchincloss
  February 18, 2015

  ​A clinical trial called HVTN 100 has been launched in South Africa to study an investigational HIV vaccine regimen for safety and the immune responses it generates in study participants.

• NIH-Funded Scientists Create Potential Long-Acting HIV Therapeutic

  February 18, 2015

  ​Scientists have created a new molecule that shows promise for controlling HIV without daily antiretroviral drugs. The molecule foils a wider range of HIV strains in the laboratory than any known broadly neutralizing HIV antibody and is more powerful than some of the most potent of these antibodies. 

• NIH Expands Key Tuberculosis Research Program

  February 18, 2015

  ​The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is expanding its Tuberculosis Research Units (TBRU) program in an effort to drive innovation in tuberculosis research. 

• NIH Ebola Study in Macaques Provides Timeframes for Post-Mortem Viral Stability

  
  February 12, 2015

  To determine how long Ebola virus could remain infectious in a body after death, National Institutes of Healths cientists sampled deceased Ebola-infected monkeys and discovered the virus remained viable for at least seven days.

• NIH Researchers Describe Spontaneous Cure of Rare Immune Disease

  
  February 5, 2015

  A genetic phenomenon called chromothripsis, or "chromosome shattering," may have spontaneously cured the first person to be documented with WHIM syndrome, according to researchers at the National Institutes of Health.

• Ebola Vaccine Trial Opens in Liberia

  February 2, 2015

  A large clinical trial to assess the safety and efficacy of two experimental vaccines to prevent Ebola virus infection is now open to volunteers in Liberia. The trial is being led by a recently formed Liberia-U.S. clinical research partnership.

January 2015

• Achieving a World Without AIDS: Scale Must Give Way to Focus, Details

  January 27, 2015

  The global AIDS community has its sights set on three new goals, known as the "90-90-90" targets. Meeting these targets would be an enormous step toward a world without AIDS. 

• NIH Expands Capacity for Early-Stage Human Testing of Infectious Disease Treatment Candidates

  January 14, 2015

  ​The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded contracts to three organizations to support early-stage human clinical trials of investigational infectious disease treatments. The awards for the Phase I Clinical Trial Units for Therapeutics expands capacity for conducting early safety testing of novel investigational drugs. 

• High Hepatitis C Cure Rate Seen in NIH-Led Trial of Six-Week Oral Drug Regimens

  January 12, 2015

  Thirty-eight of 40 volunteers with hepatitis C virus infections who received a combination of three direct-acting oral drugs for six weeks were cured in a clinical trial conducted at the National Institutes of Health. 

• Former NIAID Director Dr. Richard Krause Dies at 90

  
  January 9, 2015

  ​Richard M. Krause, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1975 to 1984-a pivotal period for public support of infectious disease research-died January 6, 2015 in Washington, D.C. 

   

• NIH Grantees Overcome Hurdle to Kill HIV-Infected Cells Brought out of Hiding

  January 7, 2015

  A major obstacle to curing people of HIV infection is the way the virus hides in a reservoir primarily of dormant immune cells called resting memory CD4+ T cells. One potential approach to curing HIV infection is to awaken these latent CD4+ T cells so they start making HIV proteins.

• Skin Microbes Trigger Specific Immune Responses

  January 5, 2015

  New research in mice shows that the immune system in the skin develops distinct responses to the various microbes that naturally colonize the skin, referred to as commensals.

December 2014

• Stem Cell Transplants May Halt Progression of Multiple Sclerosis

  December 29, 2014

  ​Three-year outcomes from an ongoing clinical trial suggest that high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by transplantation of a person's own blood-forming stem cells may induce sustained remission in some people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. 

• Estrogen Worsens Allergic Reactions in Mice

  
  December 29, 2014

  Estradio enhances the levels and activity in mice of an enzyme that drives life-threatening allergic reactions, according to researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

• Scientists Report on Trial of Early-Generation Ebola, Marburg Vaccine Candidates

  December 23, 2014

  Results of an early-stage clinical trial of two experimental vaccines against Ebola and Marburg viruses-the first to be completed in an African country-showed that they were safe and induced immune responses in healthy volunteers. 

• Imaging Techniques Reliably Predict Treatment Outcomes for TB Patients

  
  December 4, 2014

  Two medical imaging techniques, called positron emission tomography and computed tomography, could be used in combination as a biomarker to predict the effectiveness of antibiotic drug regimens being tested to treat tuberculosis patients.

• NIH-Led Scientists Describe New Herpes Treatment Strategy

  December 3, 2014

  Scientists have developed a novel treatment approach for persistent viral infections such as herpes.

• NIH Statement on World AIDS Day 2014

  December 1, 2014
  ​Remarkable progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS since the first annual World AIDS Day was commemorated 26 years ago. Yet, we are still far from achieving our goal of a world without AIDS.  

November 2014

• NIAID/GSK Experimental Ebola Vaccine Appears Safe, Prompts Immune Response

  
  November 26, 2014

  An experimental vaccine to prevent Ebola virus disease was well-tolerated and produced immune system responses in all 20 healthy adults who received it in a phase 1 clinical trial conducted by researchers from the National Institutes of Health. 

• Starting Treatment Soon After HIV Infection Improves Immune Health, Study Finds

  November 24, 2014

  A study by National Institutes of Health grantees suggests that the best time to start treatment for HIV infection also should be based on how much time has elapsed since becoming HIV-infected.

• NIH-Sponsored Study Identifies Superior Drug Regimen for Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission

  November 17, 2014

  ​For HIV-infected women in good immune health, taking a three-drug regimen during pregnancy prevents mother-to-child HIV transmission more effectively than taking one drug during pregnancy, another during labor and two more after giving birth, an international clinical trial has found.

• NIH Trial Tests Very Early Anti-HIV Therapy in HIV-Infected Newborns

  November 3, 2014

  A new clinical trial is exploring whether giving anti-HIV therapy soon after birth to infants who became infected with HIV in the womb leads to remission of the virus, enabling the children eventually to stop treatment for an extended time period.

October 2014

• Model by NIH Grantees Explains Why HIV Prevention Dosing Differs by Sex

  October 30, 2014

  A mathematical model developed by NIH grantees predicts that women must take the antiretroviral medication Truvada daily to prevent HIV infection via vaginal sex, whereas just two doses per week can protect men from HIV infection via anal sex.

• NIH-Led Study Explores Prevention of Heart Disease in HIV-Infected People

  October 28, 2014

  ​The National Institutes of Health has launched a clinical trial to assess the effects of aspirin and cholesterol-lowering drugs, or statins, on preventing cardiovascular disease in people with long-term HIV infections. This group, which includes people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) as well as "elite controllers" who can limit the virus without ART, have a higher risk of developing heart disease and stroke compared to the general population. The study is funded by NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

• BULLETIN: In South Africa, RV144 HIV Vaccine Regimen Induces Immune Responses Similar to Those Seen in Thailand

  October 28, 2014

  ​The investigational HIV vaccine regimen that showed a modestly protective effect in the landmark RV144 clinical trial conducted in Thailand was shown to be safe and elicited robust immune responses when tested among 100 healthy adults in South Africa, according to findings presented today at the HIVR4P conference in Cape Town, South Africa. The results from the trial, called HVTN 097, bode well for plans to test a similar experimental vaccine regimen in South Africa beginning in 2015 in an effort to build upon the results of the RV144 study.

• NIH Begins Early Human Clinical Trial of VSV Ebola Vaccine

  October 22, 2014

  ​Human testing of a second investigational Ebola vaccine candidate is under way at the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

• NIH Grants License Agreement for Candidate Ebola Vaccines

  October 15, 2014

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases today announced a new license agreement aimed at advancing dual-purpose candidate vaccines to protect against rabies and Ebola viruses. 

• Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency

  October 8, 2014

  Researchers have found that gene therapy using a modified delivery system, or vector, can restore the immune systems of children with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID-X1).

• NIH-Supported Scientists Unveil Structure, Dynamics of Key HIV Molecules

  
  October 8, 2014

  New research has illuminated the movement and complete structure of the spikes on HIV that the virus uses to bind to the cells it infects.

• Candidate H7N9 Avian Flu Vaccine Works Better with Adjuvant

  
  October 7, 2014

  ​An experimental vaccine to protect people against H7N9 avian influenza prompted immune responses in 59 percent of volunteers who received two injections at the lowest dosage tested but only if the vaccine was mixed with adjuvant. 

September 2014

• NIH Awards Seven New Vaccine Adjuvant Discovery Contracts

  September 29, 2014

  ​The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded seven research contracts to discover and characterize new adjuvants, or substances formulated as part of vaccines to enhance their protective ability.

• NIH Study Supports Camels as Primary Source of MERS-CoV Transmission

  
  September 24, 2014

  National Institutes of Health  and Colorado State University scientists have provided experimental evidence supporting dromedary camels as the primary reservoir, or carrier, of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. 

• NIH Launches Online Database of International Clinical Research Regulations

  September 9, 2014

  The National Institutes of Health launched ClinRegs, an online public database of country-specific clinical research regulatory information that enables users to explore and compare regulations across different countries.

• Rapid and Durable Protection Against Ebola Virus With New Vaccine Regimens

  

  Credit: NIAID
  September 7, 2014

  One shot of an experimental vaccine made from two Ebola virus gene segments incorporated into a chimpanzee cold virus vector protected all four macaque monkeys exposed to high levels of Ebola virus 5 weeks after inoculation.

• NIH-Led Scientists Discover HIV Antibody that Binds to Novel Target on Virus

  September 3, 2014

  An NIH-led team of scientists has discovered a new vulnerability in the armor of HIV that a vaccine, other preventive regimen or treatment could exploit.

August 2014

• NIH to Launch Human Safety Study of Ebola Vaccine Candidate

  August 28, 2014

  ​Initial human testing of an investigational vaccine to prevent Ebola virus disease will begin next week by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, part of the National Institutes of Health.

• HIV Antibodies Block Infection by Reservoir-Derived Virus in Laboratory Study

  
  August 26, 2014

  A laboratory study led by scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases lends further weight to the potential effectiveness of passive immunotherapy to suppress HIV in the absence of drug treatment.

• NIH Scientists Establish New Monkey Model of Severe MERS-CoV Disease

  
  August 21, 2014

  NIH scientists have found that Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection in marmosets closely mimics the severe pneumonia experienced by people infected with MERS-CoV, giving scientists the best animal model for testing potential treatments.

• Test Reliably Detects Inherited Immune Deficiency in Newborns

  August 20, 2014

  A newborn screening test for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) reliably identifies infants with this life-threatening inherited condition, leading to prompt treatment and high survival rates, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers led by Jennifer Puck, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, also found that SCID affects approximately 1 in 58,000 newborns, indicating that the disorder is less rare than previously thought.

• Experimental Chikungunya Vaccine Induces Robust Antibody Response

  
  August 14, 2014

  An experimental vaccine to prevent the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya elicited neutralizing antibodies in volunteers who participated in an early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

• Ebola Outbreak Highlights Global Disparities in Healthcare Resources

  
  August 13, 2014

  The outbreak of Ebola virus disease that has claimed more than 1,000 lives in West Africa this year poses a serious, ongoing threat to that region: the spread to capital cities and Nigeria..

• NIH-Led Scientists Boost Potential of Passive Immunization Against HIV

  August 13, 2014

  Scientists are pursuing injections or intravenous infusions of broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies (bNAbs) as a strategy for preventing HIV infection.

• NIH and Italian Scientists Develop Nasal Test for Human Prion Disease

  
  August 6, 2014

  A nasal brush test can rapidly and accurately diagnose Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, an incurable and ultimately fatal neurodegenerative disorder, according to a study by National Institutes of Health scientists and their Italian colleagues.

July 2014

• Resistance to Key Malaria Drug Spreading at Alarming Rate in Southeast Asia

  July 30, 2014

  A six-day course of artemisinin-based combination therapy-as opposed to a standard three-day course-has proved highly effective in treating drug-resistant malaria cases.

• Early Treatment Benefits Infants with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency

  July 30, 2014

  ​Early transplantation of blood-forming stem cells is a highly effective treatment for infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a group of rare, life-threatening inherited immune system disorders, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests.

• Powerful HIV Antibodies May Require Assist from Second Antibody to Develop

  

  Credit: NIAID
  July 24, 2014

  One strategy for developing a highly effective HIV vaccine is to learn how some HIV-infected people naturally develop antibodies that can stop a high percentage of global HIV strains from infecting human cells in the laboratory. 

• NIH-Supported Scientists Demonstrate Very Early Formation of SIV Reservoir

  July 21, 2014

  NIH-supported researchers report that SIV can become entrenched in tissues fewer than 3 days after infection, before the virus is detectable in blood plasma (the liquid part) or blood cells.

• At AIDS 2014, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci Discusses Key Challenges in HIV Scientific Discovery

  July 21, 2014

  ​A cure for HIV and a vaccine to prevent infection are essential to achieve an end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, but researchers must learn a great deal more to develop either intervention, said Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.,

• HIV Cure Research: Where We Are, Where We Are Headed

  July 19, 2014

  Although research toward a cure for HIV is at an early stage, recent scientific advances give cause for hope. 

• Malaysia Airlines Tragedy

  July 19, 2014
  ​I am profoundly saddened by the loss of dear colleagues and friends from the HIV/AIDS research, treatment, and advocacy communities in the Malaysia Airlines tragedy. These talented and committed individuals will be sorely missed. I extend my deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues. This tragedy can only intensify our resolve to honor their legacies by carrying on their vital work to end the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

• High-Dose Fluticasone Effective Against Eosinophilic Esophagitis

  July 18, 2014

  Results from a clinical trial show that high doses of the corticosteroid fluticasone propionate safely and effectively induce remission in many people with eosinophilic esophagitis.

• Chikungunya Epidemic Poses New Threat to Western Hemisphere and Possibly to the United States

  July 16, 2014

  Chikungunya was detected in the Caribbean in late 2013 and has now infected at least 355,000 people in more than 20 countries or jurisdictions in the Americas. 

• Scientists Deepen Genetic Understanding of Eosinophilic Esophagitis

  July 14, 2014

  Scientists have identified genetic markers associated with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), an inflammatory disease characterized by high levels of immune cells called eosinophils in the esophagus. 

• "Mississippi Baby" Now Has Detectable HIV, Researchers Find

  July 10, 2014
  The child known as the “Mississippi baby”—an infant seemingly cured of HIV that was reported as a case study of a prolonged remission of HIV infection in The New England Journal of Medicine last fall—now has detectable levels of HIV after more than two years of not taking antiretroviral therapy without evidence of virus, according to the pediatric HIV specialist and researchers involved in the case.   

• NIH Launches Phase I Clinical Trial of Novel Drug to Treat Clostridium difficile Infection

  
  July 9, 2014

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases launched an early-stage clinical trial of CRS3123, an investigational oral antibiotic intended to treat Clostridium difficile infection. 

June 2014

• NIH Scientists Establish Proof-of-Concept for Host-Directed Tuberculosis Therapy

  June 26, 2014

  Scientists describe a new type of tuberculosis treatment that involves manipulating the body's response to TB bacteria rather than targeting the bacteria themselves, a concept called host-directed therapy.

• Vaccine Made from Complex of Two Malaria Proteins Protects Mice From Lethal Infection

  June 23, 2014

  NIAID scientists have improved on their original vaccine with a new candidate that delivers AMA1 protein together with part of a second parasite protein called RON2.

• NIH Launches 3D Print Exchange for Researchers, Students

  June 18, 2014

  The National Institutes of Health has launched the NIH 3D Print Exchange, a public website that enables users to share, download and edit 3D print files related to health and science.

• Early Exposure to Certain Bacteria May Protect Toddlers from Wheezing

  
  June 6, 2014

  Research funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests that exposure to specific combinations of allergens and bacteria within the first year of life may protect children from wheezing and allergic disease.

• Scientists Uncover Features of Antibody-Producing Cells in People Infected with HIV

  June 2, 2014

  A team of scientists has identified previously unknown characteristics of B cells in the context of HIV infection. The findings augment the current understanding of how HIV disease develops and have implications for the timing of treatment.

May 2014

• Scientists Identify Potential Vaccine Candidate for Pediatric Malaria

  May 22, 2014

  Researchers have identified a substance, or antigen, that generates antibodies that can hinder the ability of malaria parasites to multiply, which may protect against severe malaria infection.

• Screen of Existing Drugs Finds Compounds Active Against MERS Coronavirus

  May 20, 2014

  Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health screened a set of 290 compounds already approved by the Food and Drug Administration or far advanced in clinical development for other indications to determine if any might also show potential for working against MERS coronavirus.

• HIV Vaccine Awareness Day

  May 19, 2014

  Developing a safe and sufficiently effective HIV vaccine is essential if we are to achieve a timely and durable end to the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

• Asthma Awareness Month 2014

  May 13, 2014

  ​May is Asthma Awareness Month, and the National Institutes of Health emphasizes the scientific progress being made in asthma research, from basic science, such as how lung cells work, to clinical trials on current and future treatments for the disease. 

• Recent Ebola Outbreak Highlights Need for Better Global Response

  May 7, 2014

  Scientist emphasizes the need for scientists to make their data available to colleagues in real-time to improve the public health response to outbreaks. 

• Malaria Severity Not Determined Solely by Parasite Levels in Blood

  May 7, 2014

  Researchers from the United States and Tanzania regularly examined 882 Tanzanian children beginning at birth and continuing for an average of two years. No simple relationship between parasite density and malaria severity emerged.

• Tdap Vaccination During Pregnancy Likely to Protect Newborns from Pertussis

  May 3, 2014

  Vaccinating pregnant women with tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine is safe, induces an immune response in women and is likely to protect their newborn infants against pertussis, according to the results of a recent NIAID clinical trial.

April 2014

• NIH Scientists Establish Monkey Model of Hantavirus Disease

  
  April 28, 2014
  WHAT:

  National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers have developed an animal model of human hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in rhesus macaques, an advance that may lead to treatments, vaccines and improved methods of diagnosing the disease. The study, conducted by researchers at NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

• Study Sheds Light on How the Immune System Protects Children from Malaria

  
  April 17, 2014

  Children who live in regions of the world where malaria is common can mount an immune response to infection with malaria parasites that may enable them to avoid repeated bouts of high fever and illness and partially control the growth of malaria parasites in their bloodstream.

• NIH Funds Influenza Research and Surveillance Network

  April 9, 2014

  ​Influenza scientists at five sites in the United States are to receive funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to collaborate with investigators around the globe in a network designed to advance understanding of influenza viruses and how they cause disease.

• Genetic Defect May Confer Resistance to Certain Viral Infections

  
  April 9, 2014

  A National Institutes of Health study reports that a rare genetic disease, while depleting patients of infection-fighting antibodies, may actually protect them from certain severe or recurrent viral infections.

• NIH Funding Opportunity Focuses on Diagnostics for Hospital-Based Antibacterial-Resistant Infections

  April 7, 2014

  ​The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced a research funding opportunity to develop and/or produce diagnostics to quickly detect the key bacteria responsible for antibacterial-resistant infections in hospital settings. 

• Future HIV Vaccine Research Must Consider Both Protective Immune Responses and Those that Might Increase Susceptibility to Infection

  April 3, 2014

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases held a scientific meeting to examine why certain investigational HIV vaccines may have increased susceptibility to HIV infection. 

March 2014

• HIV-Infected Men at Increased Risk for Heart Disease, Large Study Finds

  
  March 31, 2014

  The buildup of soft plaque in arteries that nourish the heart is more common and extensive in HIV-infected men than HIV-uninfected men, independent of established cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to a new study by National Institutes of Health grantees.

• World TB Day 2014

  March 24, 2014

  The number of individuals falling ill or dying from tuberculosis (TB) worldwide has slowly been declining. However, the global burden of this ancient disease is still substantial.

• Fauci: Robust Research Efforts Needed to Address Ongoing, Global Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance

  
  March 20, 2014

  Given the evolutionary ability of microbes to rapidly adapt, the threat of antimicrobial resistance likely will never be eliminated. This crisis must be addressed with a multi-faceted approach that includes a strong base of basic, clinical and translational research.

• Scientists Describe Gut Bacteria that Cause Sepsis in Preterm Infants

  March 19, 2014

  Researchers studying intestinal bacteria in newborns have characterized the gut bacteria of premature infants who go on to develop sepsis, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition caused by bacteria in the bloodstream. 

• NIH Grantees Sharpen Understanding of Antibodies that May Cut Risk of HIV Infection

  March 19, 2014

  Two studies bring scientists identify previously unrecognized attributes of antibodies that appear to have reduced the risk of HIV infection in the only clinical trial to show efficacy, albeit modest, of an experimental vaccine regimen in people.

• NIH Scientists Track Evolution of a Superbug

  March 17, 2014

  Using genome sequencing, National Institutes of Health scientists and their colleagues have tracked the evolution of the antibiotic-resistant bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 258 (ST258), an important agent of hospital-acquired infections.

• Genetic Modification of Cells Proves Generally Safe as HIV Treatment Strategy

  
  March 5, 2014

  Scientists report initial results from humans on the safety and tolerability of a novel strategy to curb HIV disease by removing key cells from HIV-infected individuals, genetically modifying the cells to resist HIV infection and returning them to those individuals. 

• Study of Antibody Evolution Charts Course toward HIV Vaccine

  
  March 3, 2014

  A scientific team has discovered how the immune system makes a powerful antibody that blocks HIV infection of cells by targeting a site on the virus called V1V2.

• NIH Seeks Input on HIV Cure Research Priorities

  March 3, 2014

  The National Institutes of Health is asking the scientific community to weigh in on the highest priority research areas related to understanding HIV persistence and investigating strategies for eradicating or controlling remaining virus despite optimal antiretroviral treatment.

• International Scientists Convene to Chart Path, Measure Progress Toward Global Vaccine Research and Development

  March 3, 2014

  Leading scientists, vaccine developers and public health officials gaithered in March 2014, at the Global Vaccine and Immunization Research Forum to set priorities and assess progress in research and development for vaccines to prevent diseases that threaten public health worldwide. 

• NIH Team Identifies New Genetic Syndrome

  March 3, 2014

  Researchers have identified a new genetic syndrome characterized by a constellation of health problems, including severe allergy, immune deficiency, autoimmunity and motor and neurocognitive impairment. 

February 2014

• Camels Have Carried MERS Virus Since At Least 1992, Study Suggests

  February 25, 2014

  National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and their colleagues suggest that a coronavirus first identified in people in 2012 has circulated among dromedary camels in Saudi Arabia since at least 1992. Whether Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infected people before 2012 without being diagnosed is a question for further study, the researchers say.

• BULLETIN: NIH Expands Focus of Research Funding Opportunity Targeting HIV Reservoirs

  February 25, 2014

  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Mental Health, both part of the National Institutes of Health, recently expanded the scientific scope of an HIV-cure related funding announcement to allow for a broader range of studies and approaches.

• NIH Mourns the Death of Albert Kapikian

  
  February 25, 2014

  Albert Z. Kapikian, M.D., a pioneering virologist at the National Institutes of Health who discovered norovirus and led a decades-long effort that resulted in the first licensed rotavirus vaccine, died on Feb. 24, 2014.

• Test for Persistent Lyme Infection Using Live Ticks Shown Safe in Clinical Study

  
  February 12, 2014

  In a first-of-its-kind study for Lyme disease, researchers have used live, disease-free ticks to see if Lyme disease bacteria can be detected in people who continue to experience symptoms such as fatigue or arthritis after completing antibiotic therapy.

• NIH-Funded Researchers Use Antibody Treatment to Protect Humanized Mice from HIV

  February 11, 2014
  NIH-funded scientists have shown that boosting the production of certain broadly neutralizing antibodies can protect humanized mice from both intravenous and vaginal infection with HIV. 

• Durable End to AIDS Will Require HIV Vaccine Development

  February 5, 2014

  Broader global access to lifesaving antiretroviral therapies and wider implementation of proven HIV prevention strategies could potentially control and perhaps end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

• NIH Seeks Public-Private Proposals for HIV Cure Research 5-year Awards Could Total up to $56 million

  February 5, 2014

  A major research funding opportunity designed to spur innovative academic-private sector research collaborations to develop novel approaches to eliminate HIV is being funded by the National Institutes of Health.

• NIH Study Describes New Method for Tracking T Cells in HIV Patients

  February 3, 2014

  A team of researchers has reported a novel method for tracking CD4+ T cells in people infected with HIV. CD4+ T cells are critical for immune defense against an array of pathogens and are a primary target of HIV. Researchers used a unique, replication-incompetent form of HIV identified in a patient in the early 1990s.

• NIH Scientists Find Mechanism that Helps HIV Evade Antibodies, Stabilize Key Proteins

  February 3, 2014

  NIH scientists have discovered a mechanism involved in stabilizing key HIV proteins and thereby concealing sites where some of the most powerful HIV neutralizing antibodies bind, findings with potential implications for HIV vaccine research.

January 2014

• NIH Grantees Develop Way to Make Old Antibiotic Work against TB

  January 27, 2014

  Scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have developed a method to synthesize modified forms of an established antibiotic called spectinomycin. The modified forms, unlike the original drug, can act against tuberculosis bacteria.

• Researchers Launch Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Potential MRSA Treatment

  

  Credit: NIAID
  January 24, 2014

  Scientists have begun the first human clinical trial of EDP-788, an investigational oral antibiotic intended to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. 

• NIH-Created Toxin Can Kill HIV-Infected Cells that Persist Despite Treatment

  January 9, 2014

  A research team has demonstrated in a mouse model that an HIV-specific poison can kill cells in which the virus is actively reproducing despite antiretroviral therapy. 

• NIH-Funded Scientists Develop Mouse Model for Atopic Dermatitis

  January 9, 2014

  A study reports the development of a new mouse model for atopic dermatitis, an inflammatory skin disorder commonly known as eczema.

• RML Scientist Recognized for Virus Studies

  
  January 8, 2014

  The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and the American Committee on Arthropod-Borne Viruses has presented its Dalrymple/Young Award to Hideki Ebihara, Ph.D., an investigator who studies emerging viruses at Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Mont.

December 2013

• Researchers Discover Common Cell Wall Component in Chlamydia Bacteria

  
  December 11, 2013

  Researchers studying Chlamydia trachomatis bacteria, which cause the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia as well as infectious blindness, have confirmed that the bacteria contain-and, in fact, cannot function without-the common molecule peptidoglycan, a structural component found in the cell wall of many bacteria.