Imagine a tiny fish, swimming in a crowded tank. It's vulnerable to diseases, one of which is piscine francisellosis. This nasty infection, caused by a bacterium called Francisella orientalis, can wipe out entire populations of tilapia, a popular fish for farming. Currently, there are no approved treatments or vaccines to protect these fish. But what if there was a w...
Deep learning is making waves in the world of vaccine development. It's all about predicting how our immune system will react to foreign invaders. Scientists have been working on this for a while, but it's been a bit hit or miss. Enter MUNIS, a new deep learning model that's changing the game. This model can spot peptides that are presented by HLA-I alleles, whic...
First, let's talk about the enemy. A tiny worm called Haemonchus contortus is causing big problems for goats. These worms are sneaky. They use special tools, HcTPS and HcGOB, to make a sugar called trehalose. This sugar helps the worms and messes with the goat's immune system. Scientists have a clever idea. What if we could use the worm's own tricks against it? They...
The influenza A virus is a persistent threat to public health, causing yearly outbreaks and occasionally, global pandemics. The usual countermeasures, vaccines and antiviral drugs, have limitations. One issue is that new virus strains can resist antivirals and make vaccines less effective. Traditional vaccine strategies often target proteins like matrix, neuraminidas...
Vaccines come from different places and times, even if not made in the USA. In the 1980s someone was brewing up a new vaccine in China. A vaccine to fight polio. It was called the Sabin strains-derived inactivated polio vaccine (sIPV). This vaccine is part of the polio research legacy, so it is important to understand it. More and more people are now asking the ...
These are not good times for the wild bison of Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Canada. Since the 1920s, when infected bison were introduced, these animals have been grappling with a serious health issue: bovine tuberculosis (BTB). This disease, brought on by a certain bacteria called Mycobacterium bovis, poses a significant threat to both the bison and the wi...
Infectious bursal disease, a nasty virus threatening the global poultry industry, is causing big trouble in Pakistan. This study dives into the unique characteristics of the viruses in the Faisalabad district. By examining the VP2 gene, which plays a key role in the virus, scientists discovered that these viruses have never-before-seen amino acid profiles. This is a ...
You might have heard a lot about “bird flu” recently. It's a serious flu that animals, like chickens and cows, can get. Usually, the flu doesn’t make wild birds sick. But it can infect farmed animals, and that's why people are worried. What if this flu gets into the dairy products we buy at the store? Tests have shown that pasteurized milk and other dairy products do...
Imagine having your life nearly derailed by a tiny mosquito. That’s what happened to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is now calling for more action against the West Nile virus. At 83 years old, he considers himself lucky. His cognitive issues have vanished, and his physical problems are almost gone. He shared his story to raise awareness about a disease that’s spreading rapid...