Diseases & Conditions

Research to understand and treat some of the world's most problematic diseases.

37 Results

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infects the lungs and breathing passages, and, in the United States, nearly all children have been infected with RSV by age two. In healthy people, symptoms of RSV infection are usually mild and resolve within a week. However, RSV can cause serious illness or death in vulnerable individuals.

Colorized scanning electron micrograph of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) virions (blue) and labeled with anti-RSV F protein/gold antibodies (yellow) shedding from the surface of human lung epithelial cells.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a tickborne disease first recognized in 1896 in the Snake River Valley of Idaho. It was originally called “black measles” because of the look of its rash in the late stages of the illness, when the skin turns black. It was a dreaded, often fatal disease, affecting hundreds of people in Idaho. By the early 1900s, the disease could be found in Washington, Montana, California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

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Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia)

Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia or snail fever, is an acute and chronic disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes or blood flukes. Most human infections are caused by Schistosoma mansoni, S. haematobium, or S. japonicum. The parasites spend part of their lifecycle in freshwater snails. The infectious, larval form emerges from the snail and contaminates water.

Magnified image of Schistosoma mansoni trematodes

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections transmitted from person to person through sexual contact. STIs can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites. Examples include gonorrhea, genital herpes, human papillomavirus infection, HIV/AIDS, chlamydia, and syphilis.

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Shigellosis

Shigellosis is an infectious, diarrheal disease caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella. It is transmitted via contact with contaminated food, water, surfaces or an infected person. The disease typically resolves in 5 to 7 days. Shigella causes roughly 500,000 cases of diarrhea in the United States each year.

Micrograph of Shigella sonnei bacteria

Smallpox

Smallpox, caused by the variola virus, was a highly contagious infectious disease that caused infected individuals to develop a fever and a progressive, disfiguring skin rash. Three of out 10 individuals infected with smallpox died. Many survivors have permanent scars, often on their faces, or were left blind. Through vaccination, the disease was eradicated in 1980.  However, research for effective vaccines, drugs and diagnostics for smallpox continues in the event it is used as a bioterror weapon.

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STAT3 Dominant-Negative Disease

STAT3 dominant-negative disease (STAT3DN)—also known as autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome (AD-HIES) or Job’s Syndrome—results from mutations in the gene that encodes a signaling protein called STAT3. People with this disease tend to have very high levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE), recurrent infections of the skin and lungs, recurrent bone fractures, unusually flexible joints, and inflamed skin.

Image of Staphylococcus aureus a bacterium that causes frequent infections in people with STAT3 dominant-negative disease

Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It is transmitted from person to person via direct contact with a syphilitic sore, known as a chancre. These sores can be found on the genitals, vagina, anus, rectum, lips and mouth. Pregnant women can transmit the disease to their unborn child.  Syphilis can cause long-term health complications if left untreated.

Image of syphilis bacteria

Tickborne Diseases

The incidence of tickborne infections in the United States has risen significantly within the past decade. Due to this increase, it is becoming more important that public health officials and scientists improve their understanding of pathogenesis, design improved diagnostics, and develop preventive vaccines for tickborne illnesses.

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Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) bacteria. It is spread through the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, speaks or sings, and people nearby breathe in these bacteria and become infected. 

Scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria

West Nile Virus

West Nile virus (WNV) is a member of the flavivirus family, which includes other mosquito-borne viruses such dengue and Zika. WNV emerged for the first time in the Western Hemisphere in New York City in 1999 and has since spread across the United States. It is now the most common arthropod-borne virus found in the U.S. 

Image of West Nile Virus

Zika Virus

Zika virus is most typically transmitted to humans through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Less commonly, Zika virus can be spread from person to person through sexual intercourse. Most people who become infected do not become sick; but about 1 in 5 people may develop such symptoms as fever, rash, and conjunctivitis. People who become infected while pregnant may transmit the virus to the fetus, which can result in very serious birth defects, including microcephaly.

Electron microscope image of Zika virus particles, colored orange