by Gertrud U. Rey The absence of infection with some parasitic worms (also known as helminths) often coincides with the development of asthma, allergy, and autoimmune disorders, suggesting that these worms may have co-evolved a commensal relationship with their human hosts. However, infection with these worms may also lead to ...

T cells are the other arm of the adaptive immune response (in addition to B cells) that are essential for clearing virus infections. Most studies of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 infection have focused on antibodies and their ability to neutralize virus infection. The observation that variants of concern are less effectively ...

The seven human coronaviruses have all originated from spillover events from a variety of nonhuman animals, including bats, rodents, and camels. Recently isolated coronaviruses from humans appear to have originated in pigs and dogs. Three of 369 plasma samples collected between May 2014 and December 2015 in two schools in ...

Eradication of poliomyelitis appears to be on track: types 2 and 3 polioviruses have been declared eradicated, and in the past 12 months there have been just 338 cases of type 1 polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But there have also been 491 cases of polio caused by the type ...

by Gertrud U. Rey Herpes simplex viruses infect cells of the skin and mucous membranes, where they establish a lifelong persistent infection in sensory neurons. Sporadic reactivation and viral shedding may lead to painful oral and genital disease and a three to five-fold increased risk of HIV transmission. There is ...